LOGINYvonne,I sat there, across from him. He kept slowly swaying the glass of champagne, the liquid catching the dim light, while his gaze never left my face. Those eyes felt like X-rays, scanning me, stripping layers off as if he needed to know everything about me without asking a single question.I rubbed my forehead, my fingers pressing harder than necessary, trying not to look at him directly. My temples throbbed faintly. Ever since the conversation with Veronica, I felt like Dante had been pulled into a mess he didn’t deserve, a mess that kept tightening around my chest.“Why did you lie?” he asked directly, his voice dripping with a dangerous coldness. The words landed heavily. A sharp shiver ran down my spine, and my shoulders stiffened before I could stop myself.“About what?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my attempt to sound composed.“That you didn’t get kidnapped. Was it someone you know?”I rubbed my wrist again, the skin still itching, my thumb circling the same spot un
Yvonne,Although at that time her words passed through my mind like a simple conversation, the moment I watched her walking out of the back door of the hotel, everything started settling into a cold realization. My chest tightened, breath hitching slightly as the truth slowly sank in.Veronica stole sperm just to get pregnant so that he would leave his lover to marry her. No wonder Dante kept telling me that he had no idea how I got pregnant with his child. The thought made my stomach churn, a faint nausea crawling up my throat.I was too shocked by her childhood upbringing to process the information at first. It was far more devastating than I had expected. My fingers curled unconsciously at my side. However, the question was who helped her get those in the first place.Judging by Orion’s behavior and how he got defensive, he wouldn’t dare to mess with Dante. That meant someone who had direct access to obtain them from the hospital. A dull pressure built behind my temples as my thoug
Yvonne,Veronica stared at me as I laughed bitterly, the sound scraping my own throat. Her eyes flickered, uncertain, as if she couldn’t decide whether to be offended or confused. She didn’t know that our fates were so similar. But we both chose different ways to handle it. She destroyed herself, and I built mine.The tightness in my chest eased slightly as the laughter faded. I realized I couldn’t stay angry about the situation we were in. Coping mechanisms worked differently. Especially since she lived in a world where money was nothing. She found an escape through drugs, and in my world, where money was everything, I found myself working to death to escape it.“I am sorry,” she replied quietly, her shoulders slumping. “I didn’t know.”I exhaled sharply, my breath trembling as my gaze dropped to the rope biting into my wrists. “It’s alright. Compared to your life, I don’t think I had a bad life. Well, I shouldn’t compare, since it’s a struggle. However—”She didn’t let me complete i
Yvonne,Honestly?I didn’t want to believe any of her words. People with sociopathic tendencies tend to twist or recreate scenarios to make themselves a victim. However, I had watched how Veronica’s mother favored Sabrina.Even in the case of Hudson, she blamed me for trying to go against her precious daughter. And I didn’t worry about Veronica’s confession, since I could verify them if needed.Right now, seeing her breaking down like this, I couldn’t help but feel broken. Parents’ blatant negligence and favoritism destroy children’s lives. Their self-esteem, confidence, and the thought that they can be loved become distant thoughts in their minds, constantly wondering what they did wrong to be pushed away.And it could twist someone’s mentality.And Veronica’s fate seemed to have a dark twist I could barely wrap my head around.“You didn’t say anything to your parents or brothers?” I asked, trying not to show pity, keeping my tone steady. People in this situation didn’t like pity but
" You wanted to swap our souls again?" I asked, my voice sharp with surprise and disbelief.She nodded, as though all she could do was look defeated." Why? Are you already regretting it?"" Yes!" Her response was direct, unfiltered, with a shakiness that made my brows knit." Wait a minute. You can swap souls whenever you want? How does it work?"She stayed quiet, her hands rubbing together. Her eyes remained on the floor, as if all the answers to my questions were buried somewhere in her mind.I felt impatience working within me. She didn’t look like a sociopath right now. She looked like a confused person who didn’t actually know what she wanted in her life." Veronica—!" I finally decided to confront something that had been bothering me a lot. " Did you actually want to have my life, or did you just want to escape?"Her reaction was immediate. She snapped her attention to me, the color draining from her face in the process." What do you mean by that?"" Living your life, one thin
Yvonne,My chest heaved when the light stabbed my eyes. It burned straight through my skull, forcing a low groan out of my throat before I could stop it. My eyelids fluttered uselessly, heavy as if they were glued shut, and when I finally managed to open them, the world swam violently. Dizziness rolled through me in waves, thick and nauseating, my head throbbing as if someone had struck it with a blunt object.When I tried to move, a sharp jolt shot through my arms. The chair creaked beneath me. That was when reality slammed into me. My wrists were bound tightly to the armrests, coarse rope biting into my skin. Another rope cinched my torso to the back of the chair, stealing the air from my lungs when I struggled instinctively. Panic flashed through my mind, hot and blinding. Cold sweat broke out across my back as the fragments of information finally stitched themselves together."What the hell?" I whispered hoarsely, my voice barely steady. I blinked rapidly, trying to force my visi







