CHAPTER 0058THE ENGAGEMENTEMILYI had never expected tonight to be anything more than a birthday celebration.A beautiful, thoughtful evening, yes—but not this.Not Ryan, on one knee, looking up at me with more certainty than I had ever seen in his eyes.Not a ring, sparkling under the candlelight, held in the hands of the man I had spent years loving, even when I thought he might never be mine.Not a proposal.The world around me stilled.The laughter and conversation that had filled the restaurant moments ago faded into an expectant hush. The clinking of glasses and silverware seemed impossibly distant. The only thing I could hear was the wild hammering of my own heart, the sharp inhale that got caught in my throat as I tried to process what was happening.I had dreamed of this moment.In the quiet corners of my mind, I had imagined what it would feel like—Ryan standing before me, offering forever. But I had never dared to hope for it, never allowed myself to believe it could be r
CHAPTER 0059 SACRIFICE FOR LOVE. ELENA, The dim glow of my bedroom felt suffocating, pressing in on me like a living thing. My fingers curled into fists, nails digging into my palms until they left half-moon indentations in my skin. But I barely felt the pain. Not when the weight of my choice crushed me from the inside out. I had done the unforgivable. Not because I had wanted to. But because I had no choice. I had ruined him. I had destroyed the one person I had ever truly loved. And now, he would never know the truth. Because Ryan hated me. And I had made sure of it. I had fought. God, I had fought. I had told Evan no, over and over, my voice raw from screaming, my body trembling from the force of my defiance. I had sworn I would never go back to the sham of a marriage, but I did go back not because I wanted to but because I had no choice. Evan made me understand the implications involved if I decided to leave him. "You think this is about you, Elena?" His voice h
CHAPTER 0060TIME TO WRITE THE WRONG.ELENA,The shard of glass trembled between my fingers. My breath came in ragged gasps as I pressed the sharp edge against my wrist. A thin, stinging line bloomed across my skin—a warning, a promise, an escape.I squeezed my eyes shut.Just a little more.Just enough to make it stop.The pain. The helplessness. The crushing weight of everything I’d lost. Ryan would never look at me the same way. He would never know the truth.A sob clawed its way up my throat. My grip tightened.And just when I was sobbing my eyes out,A hand seized my wrist, yanking it away before the glass could bite deeper.The shard slipped from my fingers, shattering on the floor.My eyes snapped open.And I froze."Evelyn?" My voice was barely a whisper. My brain struggled to process what I was seeing. "What—? How are you here?"She stood over me, tall and composed, her dark eyes sharp and assessing. Her black hair, longer than the last time I’d seen her, framed her face, and
CHAPTER 0061TAKING IT BACK.ELENA,Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. The dim glow of the bedside lamp cast long shadows against the walls, making the small hotel room feel even more claustrophobic. Evelyn stood near the trash can, arms crossed over her chest, watching me with an unreadable expression. Not pity. Not sympathy. Just… waiting.Waiting for me to decide.My fingers curled into the sheets, gripping the fabric like it was the only thing anchoring me to reality. My gaze drifted down to my wrist, to the faint line that could have been so much worse. The bandage was stark against my skin, a cruel reminder of just how close I had come to giving Evan exactly what he wanted.A broken, shattered version of me.My hands still trembled. My mind still screamed that it would be easier to let go, to stop fighting. But Evelyn’s voice rang in my head."Evan won’t stop until you’re completely broken."I squeezed my eyes shut, inhaling sharply through my nose.If I gave i
CHAPTER 0062THE PLAN TO TAKE OVER...ELENA,Evelyn flipped through the notebook, her expression unreadable. The only sound in the room was the quiet rustle of pages turning, each one carrying secrets I wasn’t sure I was ready to face. I sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, my pulse quickening as I watched her scan whatever notes she had compiled.The weight of what she had said still clung to me, suffocating.“Find out what Evan is planning.”My fingers curled into the blanket draped over my lap. I should have known Evan wasn’t finished. Even after everything he had already done—after every wound he had inflicted, every piece of me he had shattered—he still wasn’t satisfied.“What do you mean, ‘find out what Evan is planning’?” I asked, my voice strained. “You think he’s up to something?”Evelyn arched a brow. “You really have to ask?”I swallowed hard. No, I didn’t. Evan was always up to something. He didn’t just destroy people—he played with them first, made them doubt themselves, m
Chapter 0063SECRETS UNRAVELEDELENAIt had been days since Evelyn showed up, and she was still with me.She hadn’t mentioned how long she planned to stay. She hadn’t explained why she appeared at my door that night, disheveled and frantic, as if the world had collapsed beneath her feet. And I hadn’t asked.Because I was afraid of the answer.Evan had disappeared. I had no idea where he had gone, and honestly, I didn’t care. His absence was a relief—like the lifting of a storm, the clearing of the air after too many days of suffocating tension. Without him looming over me, without his scrutinizing eyes and mocking words, I could breathe. Think.Plan.Figure out what the hell was really going on.Because something was wrong with Evelyn.I wasn’t imagining it. I wasn’t being paranoid. It was a slow-burning certainty, a deep, gnawing instinct that refused to be ignored.She wasn’t here because she wanted to be.She was here because she had to be.I sat curled up on the couch, my phone in
CHAPTER 0064 A SHADOWED PAST EVELYN The moment I stepped into the room, an uneasy stillness settled over me, a tension so thick it coiled around my chest like a vice. Something was wrong. I didn’t need to look around to confirm what my instincts already told me—Elena had gone through my things. She had tried to cover her tracks, but she wasn’t as skilled at deception as she probably believed. The way she sat, unnaturally rigid on the edge of the bed, told me everything. Her fingers curled tightly in her lap, her movements stiff and deliberate, and most telling of all, she refused to meet my gaze. That wasn’t like her. Elena was the kind of person who met a challenge head-on, always direct, always unwavering. The only time she looked away was when she was hiding something—or when she had stumbled upon something she wasn’t meant to see. My breath remained steady, though my pulse pounded relentlessly in my ears. I didn’t let my gaze drift toward the corner of the room where my duffel
Chapter 0065 THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME ELENA, I should have let it go. I should have stayed put, pretended I hadn’t read that diary, acted like nothing had changed. Maybe then I wouldn’t be standing in a freezing alleyway at nearly midnight, spying on my best friend like some reckless idiot. But I couldn’t let it go. Evelyn had spent too long lying to me, avoiding my questions, hiding the truth behind half-answers and quick subject changes. And now I knew why. I knew what she had been running from, and even though I didn’t have all the details, I had enough. Enough to be terrified. Enough to know she wasn’t just in trouble—she was in deep. She thought she could handle this alone. She thought she could keep me at arm’s length, keep me safe by shutting me out. But she was wrong. Because if these people were as dangerous as she believed, then I was already in it whether I wanted to be or not. So I followed her. She was good at covering her tracks. Even in the
Chapter 96 FAMILY COURTELENAI never thought I’d set foot in a courtroom again—not after everything I’d been through. But there I was, seated beside Ryan in a cold, echoing chamber that reeked of perfume, arrogance, and rehearsed lies. The polished wood, the artificial light, the judge’s impassive gaze—it all felt like a twisted theater where the truth was only allowed to speak if it wore the right suit.Sasha sat across from me, her strawberry-blonde hair curled to perfection, lips painted in the shade of deception. And Jason—God, Jason—looked smug in his tailored suit, his arm draped behind Sasha as if they were some power couple instead of the pair of vipers they truly were.They weren’t here for justice. They were here to humiliate me.To ruin me.To steal something that never even existed.The judge called the session to order, and I swallowed the dry lump in my throat. My palms were sweaty, but Ryan reached over and held my hand beneath the table, grounding me. His thumb brush
Chapter 95THE MASK FALLSELENAThe house looked different in the daylight. Smaller. Less imposing. But it still held ghosts.My heels clicked against the marble as I stepped into my childhood home. It had been years since I’d last stood inside these walls, and yet the scent of roses and old secrets hadn’t changed. The antique grandfather clock ticked steadily in the hallway, echoing like a countdown.Ryan lingered in the foyer, silent but close. I hadn’t asked him to come. He came anyway. And I needed that—needed him near in case I shattered.“My lady,” the butler said as he approached, eyes wide in surprise. “You’re… you’re here to see Mrs. Sinclair?”“She’s not a Sinclair,” I said, coldly. “She never was.”He swallowed hard and led us to the sunroom.There she was.Lounging in a cream sweater, pale as porcelain, her hair swept back into a tight chignon, sipping Earl Grey like it was any other Wednesday. My stepmother—Caroline.“Elena,” she said warmly, standing as if she’d been wai
Chapter 94UNCLE'S OFFERELENAThe press conference was televised live. Every major network covered it—New York Post, Sinclair Daily, even Morning Sunrise. It wasn’t just a statement. It was a performance.Jonathan Sinclair stood at the podium, flanked by two security guards and a wall of glistening flags behind him. The backdrop of the Sinclair Tower added to the spectacle. His silver hair was impeccably combed back, his bespoke charcoal suit flawless, and his voice—steady, calculated—commanded the room.“To the public, to our shareholders, and most importantly, to my beloved niece, Elena…” His voice dipped lower. “I offer not just an apology, but a promise.”I watched from the living room couch, fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white. Ryan stood behind me, pacing like a caged wolf.“I have made grave mistakes,” Jonathan continued. “The death hoax, the manipulation—it ends now. I was a desperate man trying to protect this empire, but in doing so, I forgot what truly matte
Chapter 93THE SILENCE BETWEEN USELENA,The hospital wing was too quiet. Not peaceful—never that—but sterile in a way that felt false. The kind of silence that clung to your skin, made your heartbeat echo like a warning, made every step feel too loud. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, humming a nervous tune, casting sharp shadows on the linoleum floor as I moved slowly down the corridor, my boots clicking like accusations.Everyone had told me not to come.“She’s dangerous, Elena.”“You don’t know if she’s still under Jonathan’s control.”“Let Adrian handle it.”But they didn’t understand.I had to see her.Not for revenge. Not for answers.For closure.Evelyn had once been my closest friend. My confidante. My shadow. The one who brushed my hair back after surgeries, who whispered comfort into the void when I forgot who I was. When I’d lost everything—my sight, my freedom, my sense of self—Evelyn had stayed.Until she didn’t.Until she betrayed me.She had lied to me. Lied so beaut
Chapter 92SAFE ISN’T SAFEELENA, The silence in the safehouse was deceptive. Too perfect. Too still.Even the wind, which howled outside like some long-forgotten spirit, couldn’t penetrate the oppressive quiet that pressed against the walls. I sat upright in bed, every sense on edge. The floor beneath me vibrated with the faintest creaks, the kind old houses made as they settled into themselves—but this wasn’t just an old house. This was supposed to be a fortress. Hidden. Secure. Untouchable.Yet my pulse said otherwise.I pressed a hand against my stomach. The baby—just a whisper of life—rested within me, and already, my instincts were sharper. Louder. Every inch of me screamed that something was wrong. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt watched. Hunted. Like prey in a cage disguised as safety.I slipped on a hoodie, not bothering with shoes, and crept out of the room. The hallway yawned before me, long and dimly lit by a single emergency bulb hanging above. Shadows danced along the
Chapter 91Womb & WarELENA,The weight of the test in my hand was like the weight of the world. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The moment the two pink lines appeared, my vision blurred. I stared at the small strip, numb to the tremor in my fingers, unable to process what it meant.Pregnant.A child.My first instinct was to panic. A baby meant vulnerability—something I couldn’t afford. It meant ties to this world, to Ryan, to the monstrous family that still lurked in the shadows. It meant another complication I didn’t need. But then, amidst the panic, something else stirred—something deeper, something softer. A flutter of hope, or was it dread disguised as it?I pressed the back of my hand to my lips, feeling the burn of unshed tears in my eyes. How could this happen now? How could I possibly bring a child into this chaos, this war?I sank back onto the edge of the bathroom sink, my breath coming in shallow bursts. The darkness outside the window seemed to press in closer, the c
Chapter 90Blood Oaths & BusinessRYAN'SThe boardroom smelled like power—aged mahogany, expensive cologne, and the unspoken stench of betrayal. Ryan stood at the head of the long glass table, every eye on him, most of them cold and calculating. His hands gripped the back of the chair in front of him, knuckles pale against the leather. The Sinclair name was stitched into every corner of this room, from the monogrammed coasters to the gold-embossed folders. But so was the rot his uncle left behind.“I know Jonathan is still pulling strings,” Ryan said, voice calm, controlled. “And I’m done pretending otherwise.”Silence. A single cough from the far end. Then Mr. Caldwell, the CFO, adjusted his tie and narrowed his eyes. “That’s a serious accusation, Mr. Sinclair.”“It’s not an accusation. It’s a statement of fact.”He slid a thin folder across the table. Inside were photos—grainy but clear enough—of Jonathan Sinclair walking into a private residence just weeks ago. Beneath that, survei
Chapter 89The Ghost in Her EyesELENA,The silence after the video ended was louder than any scream. It settled over the room like dust in a tomb—heavy, stale, suffocating. Not even the steady hum of the old cabin's heater could cut through it. All I could hear was the phantom echo of Jonathan's voice: "My perfect heir." The words played on loop, like a dirge inside my skull.Ryan didn’t let go of my hand. His grip was firm, tethering me to the present, but my mind was already unraveling, pulling threads I didn’t know were loose. That girl—the one with eyes like mine and Jonathan’s sharp, predatory posture—she couldn’t be mine. That wasn’t possible. I would have remembered. I would have felt something. Wouldn’t I?But I didn’t. I didn’t remember a pregnancy. I didn’t remember holding a baby. I didn’t remember her.I wasn’t even sure I remembered me.“She looks like him,” I whispered, my voice hollow. “But… there’s something in her eyes. Something I know.”Ryan didn’t respond immediat
Chapter 88Fractures & FlashbacksELENA,The safehouse was too quiet.Nestled deep in the Catskill Mountains, this secluded cabin had been chosen for its obscurity, but all I felt was the suffocating silence that wrapped around me like a shroud. I stood by the frosted window, staring out at the moonlit outline of pine trees. Somewhere, far in the woods, an owl hooted, but I didn’t flinch. I was beyond flinching now.Behind me, the crackling fire in the hearth offered warmth, but it was a false comfort, unable to reach the cold, stillness that had settled deep in my bones. My hands rested on my stomach—flat, still secret. I hadn’t told Ryan yet. I wasn’t even sure if I could.Ryan.He was pacing in the living room, sharp, calculated steps echoing in the stillness. He hadn’t slept in two days, not since we fled the burning hideout. His appearance was a far cry from the immaculate man I had once known. His shirt was half-buttoned, sleeves rolled up in haste, and his hair was a wild mess