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• CONTRACT OF FATE   Chapter 29

  (Elena's POV) The scent of the hospital was as fresh as ever, but today it was more viscous, almost as if it sensed the turmoil in my heart. I held the bunch of daisies more firmly, trying to cling with the dainty, flower scent. Sophie beside me carried a dented tin box filled with daisies' favorite chin-chin, my mum's favorite snack that we used to take home and make from scratch when everything in life was still simple. Behind me, Selena trailed along with a thermos of hot tea and an serene face that would always make me believe I wasn't dissolving, even when I was.I couldn't shake Alexander. Try as I might, the images came back, stronger, darker, and more painful. I did something else, instead. I went to see my mum, not by myself this time. I craved warmth. Familiarity. I needed to inhale something real again."I suppose she's better today," Sophie grumbled as we turned the corner to Room 209. "I brought her that disgusting magazine she's so fond of.""She'll love it," I put a br

• CONTRACT OF FATE   Chapter 29

  (Elena's POV)There’s an art to moving quietly. I’ve learned that now.Not the quiet of silence, but the tactical sort, the softer breathing, quicker thinking, and longer pretending than any human ever ought. I walk these halls like a specter, gliding by cold walls and colder gazes, always careful never to remain in one place too long.I will be leaving in three weeks.Three weeks, and this house, this prison dressed as a mansion, will be nothing more than a fading shadow in my rearview mirror. I don’t know exactly where I’ll go. But I know I won’t be here. I won’t raise my child within these gilded chains.I slide open the drawer beside my bed and reach beneath the stack of folded scarves. My fingers brush against cool metal, the zipper of the small travel bag I’ve kept hidden for weeks. It's not much. A few clothes, my late mother's rosary, some cash I’ve scraped together. I’ve been hiding money the way a starving woman hides crumbs: desperately, secretly, clinging to hope.I keep t

• CONTRACT OF FATE   Chapter 27

  Elena’s POVI stood in the shower, motionless as the water hits my skin, each drop a reminder of my thoughts. How did I let this happen?The night keeps replaying in my head like a broken video player. His touch, His lips. The look in his eyes when he took me to the room and entered me. I wasn't in control, He was. We were both in our right state of mind not under alcohol influence but just two people wanting to feel each other. I can still remember the way my heart fluttered under his stare or the way I pleaded with him to feel him inside me.I lean forward, resting my forehead on the arm, water dripping from my chin. At that moment, I thought there was hope for us, for me and just maybe he would finally accept me but then he shut me down as usual. I slept in his arms, he held on to me throughout the night and just like That, he shattered my heart in less than a second.I didn't say anything or try to fight against what he said. I accepted it because he was right, it didn't mean an

• CONTRACT OF FATE   Chapter 26

  Alexander’s POVThe sun filtered in through the curtains, pulling me out of my dream.Then reality came crashing back.I blinked slowly, adjusting to the light. The weight against my chest moved. Her hand. Small, warm. Her leg still tangled with mine under the blanket.Elena.The memories from the night before rushed to me like a wave I hadn’t prepared for. The way she had kissed me. The softness of her lips. The way her body had responded to every touch. Her eyes wide, tear-streaked, and somehow still full of trust.What the hell was I doing?I shouldn’t have touched her.And yet I had. Over and over. With so much desperation than I cared to admit.My hands on her body, feeling and touching every inch of her. It wasn’t supposed to happen. None of it.I was tired. Vulnerable. I let my guard slip. For a moment, just one damn moment, I allowed myself to feel something. And I let her in.Which was Stupid of me.Now I had made a big mistake.I slowly shifted, trying not to wake her. Her

• CONTRACT OF FATE   Chapter 25

  Elena’s POVThe lights, the laughter, the music, It had all gone blurry the moment Victoria poured that drink on me. It hadn't just ruined my dress, it exposed me, made me feel small and vulnerable.I knew she did it on purpose.It wasn't just the embarrassment. It was the humiliation I felt. The fact that no one stepped in. Not even my own husband, Alexnader tried to stand up for me. At least If Sophie was here, She would have stood up for me.I ran without looking back, I didn't know where I was running to but I just had to leave that place and so I ran.my heart was pounding, my face burned with heat as I pushed open the guesthouse door and slammed it behind me. It was the closest door to me.I sank to the floor, the torn fabric if my dress packed around my legs. My arms still clutching it to my body to keep what little dignity I had left. I felt small, so small and ashamed. I was alone in that moment.I buried my face in my hands and let the tears fall freely.This wasn't a life. T

• CONTRACT OF FATE   Chapter 24

  Alexander’s POVToday is the day of the annual ball which we hold once every year. It was a big event for the sterling empire, a celebration of how far we have come. Reymond started this tradition but after he was gone, it lived on.Eleanor always made sure she decorated everything to her satisfaction. The Sterling mansion had never looked more expensive.That wasn't a compliment. All the chandeliers were polished and sparkling, the staircase was wrapped in golden vines, and roses, white and red lined every inch of the hall like it was a royal coronation. The place was glowing. Eleanor outdid herself. Again.Last time, She was the one that planned it and it was exquisite. After the gala, people talked about how organised and fancy everything was from the decorations to the food. Eleanor lived for all those talks, that was why she made sure she was the one to decorate every year.I stood at the top of the staircase, watching the staff as they rushed to do one thing or the other. S