005

♦♦♦♦

After some time, Eleanor stirred awake, her eyelashes fluttering weakly as she forced her tired eyes open. The room was empty… quiet in a way that felt intentional. A damp towel lay on her forehead, lukewarm now, evidence that someone had tended to her only superficially. There were no bandages, no IV drip, and no medical care of any real kind.

She didn’t need a doctor present to understand why.

Rumors.

That was all that mattered to them.

They couldn’t afford for anyone to know that their soon‑to‑be bride had been locked in a storage room and starved for two days straight. That the prestigious Lucas Hale had left his fiancée to collapse on a cold floor like a stray.

“Food… I'm hungry.” She muttered in her voice… hoarse, pushing herself up slowly, her body heavy, her head pounding. She made her way toward the door, but her legs buckled beneath her. She caught the wall, struggling to stay upright. Each step felt like dragging a body twice her weight.

“Is anybody there?” She cried for help, but her voice was less audible to reach her own ear.

But she couldn't give up; even though her body was failing her, she was so hungry she couldn't hold it. Just as she reached the hallway, a tall figure appeared before her.

‘Lucas?’ she thought, scared that he might send her back to the storage room, remembering she was yet to apologize to Vanessa. 

“Stop moving around, will you?” he said sharply, striding over, but she shifted back slightly in fear. 

Shockingly, he scooped her into his arms before she could resist, carrying her back to the bed and laying her down again.

“I’m hungry,” Eleanor replied weakly, ignoring the reprimand altogether, hoping he would have mercy on her.

“I told the chef to prepare something for you.” His voice softened briefly, then shifted as he sat beside her. Eleanor felt something strange in his attitude; the new Lucas would never go easy on her, but she didn't have the luxury to think; she was too hungry to analyze.

“Eleanor…” he called, making her curious what it was all about.

“Vanessa is my friend from a long time ago. I know you’re acting like this because you’re jealous. But I want you to know…” He paused, lowering his voice. “I would never cheat on you with her.”

She blinked, exhausted, her tone flat. “Why are you telling me this?”

“So that you’ll stop being hostile and learn to get along with her,” he continued, brushing a finger gently across her cheek. “She’s fragile. She shouldn’t be handled the way you handled her. Will you apologize to her later? And make friends with her for my sake?”

Eleanor stared at him, her lashes trembling.

The way he touched her cheek…

The way his hand traveled slowly down to her chest…

The boldness of it….

It wasn’t Lucas. It was Lewis. She didn't need to analyze that aspect. 

Her pulse skipped. She had been observing the twins carefully ever since she learned the truth that day. Lucas was distant and controlled, always polite but never affectionate. He rarely touched her… never even slept beside her. Lewis, however… appears at night and crosses boundaries constantly. The whisper in her ear, the casual touch on her waist… it was always him.

He was colder towards her than Lucas was, but his possessive character overruled most times.

This, right now… this was Lewis pretending to be Lucas because Lucas himself was almost certainly with Vanessa.

‘But where is Lucas really?’ she thought, a bitter ache crawling into her chest.

“Do you believe me?” Lewis murmured, brushing his thumb across her lips with a practiced familiarity. His touch still affected her, though she hated the weakness it revealed in her. Hated that she couldn’t control her body the way she controlled her words.

She nodded slowly, unwilling to provoke him.

“Good girl,” he whispered, satisfied. “Wait here for your meal.”

He stood and left, his footsteps fading down the hallway. ‘He is not the gentleman I fell for, but the devil that takes control every night… Now he is pretending to be Lucas, she mulled in her head, caressing her pendant.

Not long after, the same silhouette returned… same build, same height, same face. But Eleanor didn’t need him to step closer to know who it was.

Lucas.

“You must be starving. Eat up.” He set a tray on the bedside table, arranging the dishes with an almost exaggerated care. 

“Vanessa personally chose these meals for you. She really hopes the two of you can be friends.”

Eleanor remained silent.

Lucas continued talking about Vanessa non-stop as though he hadn’t noticed. “Remember what I told you earlier. Vanessa and I… we’re just friends. I have no reason to cheat on you. You’re my only bride.”

They’re saying the same things, she thought bitterly.

The same rehearsed lines.

The same lies.

‘Do they think I’m stupid? I’ve been fooled enough. Not anymore… I refuse to be their puppet.’ She grips the duvet as she swears.

“And today we’ll be heading out to fit your wedding dress,” Lucas added lightly, an excitement she didn’t share flickering in his eyes. “We’ll shop for other things too.”

“I’m tired,” she whispered. “I don’t want to go out.”

His expression darkened instantly. “Vanessa wants to go. She’s helping you prepare for the wedding. Don’t be ungrateful. Get ready in thirty minutes.”

He left without giving her space to reply.

‘The gentleman is dead… she's in control.’ Eleanor sighed, lifting the spoon with trembling fingers. The food felt thick in her dry throat, but she forced it down.

Tears slipped down her face with every bite taken. “I hate you…”

A few minutes later, she felt it….

a scratchy tightening in her throat, a slow swelling that spread beneath her jaw.

Her breath hitched. She looked at the bow next to her, and there was no sign of Soy… How?

No. Not now.

She dropped the bowl, running out of time. She scrambled toward the drawer where she kept her allergy medication. Her hands shook violently as she pulled it open… only one vial left. Relief washed over her for a moment, but just as she brought the needle to her skin…

But then the door burst open.

“Babe!” The person Eleanor thought it was was none other than Lewis.

“Where’s your allergy shot, babe?” He demanded.

Before she could respond, he snatched it from her hand.

“She’s having an allergic reaction!” 

Eleanor choked out, grabbing his wrist. “I need it… please.”

“Vanessa is about to die,” he snapped, pulling free. “She needs this more.”

Her heart lurched. “Please, I beg you….”

“You can take care of yourself, right? You’re strong.”

He turned away… But halfway through the doorway, his posture shifted slightly. When he spoke again, the tone was different.

Lucas.

“Why…?” Eleanor was confused. Who is pretending between them?

He didn’t even look back as he left the room.

Eleanor collapsed to the floor, her breath shallow, her throat closing rapidly. She crawled out of the room, dragging herself down the hallway with shaking hands.

“Please… save me,” she whispered, voice rasping painfully. “Someone… help…”

No one came.

How could they do this to me?

She was the one who tried to kill me. She’s the villain. So why am I the one suffering again?

Her vision blurred, her body trembling violently.

Grandpa… I don’t think I can survive this life.

Her neck swelled more, each breath thinner than the last.

Vanessa… Will you finally kill me? Make sure you succeed this time.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, hot and helpless, as her body grew heavier.

Can I just have a life without pain? Just once…

“If I survive this, I will destroy them all.”

Her eyes fluttered shut.

Darkness took her gently… an almost welcome escape.