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Chapter 45
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2025-04-12 13:54:23
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Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 46
His finger brushed softly against her cheek kindling heat through her, the physical spark igniting the emotional connection growing between them. Something in her longed for escape, to keep the distance between them, which protected her. Something else growing with increasing urgency, wished she could believe in him.Silvia’s lips parted, her voice barely a breath:"Then show me this isn’t just another lie. Show me that this is happening."His eyes narrowed. In one fluid movement, Ralph stepped toward her—heart pounding, hands shaking, unsure if she’d let him in…or shut him out forever. He walked around the table, drawing her to stand before him. Fingers framed the curve of her face in tenderness. Yet doubt lingered in the back of her mind—could she truly trust him after everything?"I am a fool," he breathed, his thumb tracing the curve of her face. "A foolish, obstinate fool who nearly lost the most precious thing that had ever crossed his life path."Her own heart raced in her c
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-13Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 47
The hospital corridor seemed to stretch out endlessly in front of Silvia. The scent of antiseptic hung thick in the air, a sharp contrast to the faint floral notes of the bouquet in her mother's room as she paced back and forth in front of her mother's room. The hospital's corridor fluorescent lights above buzzed subtly on white walls that felt like they were closing in on her. The monitors' continuous beeping broke her thoughts; every beep brought her mother's weak condition back to mind. Her gut felt like shredded emotions of fear and anger.She struggled with a whirlwind of feelings—resentment towards Rebecca for invading their lives and uncertainty over her own love of Ralph. Could she honestly depend on him when secrets lingered in their past? Doctors passed by in the last hour with professional composure. Ralph stood at the window, his body taut against the light, one hand hovering over his phone as he talked in low, insistent murmurs."I want tapes from all those cameras on t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-15Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 48
The hospital security office was a cramped space, illuminated by harsh fluorescent lights that cast everyone in an unflattering pallor. Rebecca sat in a chair against the far wall, her crimson hair pulled back in an immaculate chignon, her designer outfit out of place in the utilitarian surroundings. She looked up as Ralph and Silvia entered, a practiced smile sliding into place that didn't reach her calculating eyes."Ralph, darling," she purred, rising gracefully. "There seems to have been a misunderstanding.""Sit down," Ralph commanded, his voice glacial. The security guard at the desk straightened imperceptibly at his tone. "There's no misunderstanding here."Rebecca's smile faltered slightly, but she remained standing, her gaze sliding dismissively over Silvia before returning to Ralph. "These people seem to think I was trespassing. I was simply visiting an old family friend.""You have no friends in this hospital," Silvia said, stepping forward. "Only victims."Something dang
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-16Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 49
That night, the Spade Mansion looked different as they passed through the iron gates. Sunlight warmed the stone front in a golden amber color, no longer menacing but inviting, a residence and not a professional building. Ralph drove in quietly, his profile etched with fatigue but somehow brighter than she had ever seen.They had spent hours at the hospital getting her mother transferred into the new private room, reviewing security procedures with the guards Ralph had hired, and meeting with detectives investigating Rebecca's case. The evidence stacked up against her: hospital security cameras captured her tampering with IV tubes, and fingerprints on equipment she had no business being around."Are you hungry?" Ralph whispered, his voice quiet in the stillness of the house as they entered the grand foyer.Silvia shook her head. "Tired. Yes.""I see," he said, with understanding in his gaze. He extended a hand towards hers, fingers grazing hers lightly, as if not sure that he was w
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-17Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 50
Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains Ralph had not drawn the night before. Silvia started, temporarily puzzled by the strange weight of a hand around her waist and the heat of another body next to hers.Then recollection flooded in—the hospital, the argument with Rebecca, and Ralph's words. Her fingers found the wedding ring on the third finger of her left hand, the metal warm against her skin.She turned carefully, not wanting to wake him, and allowed herself the luxury of simply watching him sleep. As he slept, his countenance softened, and the usual scowl between his eyebrows disappeared. This was a Ralph that few individuals ever saw—vulnerable, unguarded.As if he sensed her stare, his eyes opened, heavy with sleep before focusing on her face. A slow smile spread across his face, and he was transformed."Not a dream, then," he grumbled, voice rough with sleep.Silvia smiled again at him. "Not a dream."His hand rose to trace her cheek, thumb drawing the line of her lo
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-17Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 51
SwitzerlandThe Swiss Alps glinted white under a brilliant blue sky, their snow-powdered tops visible through the floor-to-ceiling glass at the rehab center. Silvia sat beside her mother's wheelchair, a heavy shawl clutched around her mother's shoulders despite the warmth of the sunroom."The Doctor says you can try the garden stroll tomorrow," Silvia told her mother, straightening out the blanket across her mother's lap. "Provided that the weather is good enough."Deep brown eyes shone with curiosity at the prospect, and her mother nodded. "I'd like that," she said. "I've been admiring those roses since yesterday myself." Her voice was firmer than it had been for years, her complexion rosier, with flushed cheeks that bore no relation to sickness."Six laps yesterday," Ralph's booming voice declared as he entered the sunroom with a tray carrying three steaming cups. "Your therapist was impressed."She smiled at him and looked up as he handed her a mug of hot chocolate. There was a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-18Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 52
Two Years LaterThe estate was transformed, bursting with life and filled with spring blooms. The gardens themselves were redesigned from their once stiff formality to one of ease and hospitality. Intoxicating in the warm afternoon sun, the sweet, strong fragrance of lilacs mixed with the zesty notes of citrus blossoms.Climbing roses gracefully draped over the pergola, creating an enchanting canopy of blooms, and the once meticulously manicured lawn was dotted with wildflowers.Silvia was at the kitchen window, watching as her mother proceeded steadily along the garden beds, a large hat shielding her from the sun. Theresa paused and stooped, deadheading a flower or moving a stake, her movements purposeful but more energetic than they had been before.Just days ago, she had once more been in the hospital's care just for a check-up.Now living in the new guest residence on the Spade Mansion, she passed the days tending to the gardens because they provided her a sense of purpose."She's
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-19Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 53
A few days later The ribbon-cutting day was bright, but the sun did not dissipate the sudden feel of gloom that had fallen upon their home. As Silvia prepared in their bedroom, she eyed the dark blue dress hanging in the wardrobe; it was neither work nor casual wear, suitable for the day's events. Ralph had risen earlier than she, the side of the bed he had occupied being cold when she awoke, sending a shiver through her, amplifying her unease.She found him at his study desk, the envelope of the letter in front of him open like a raw wound on the polished wood. His brow was creased, the lines around his eyes deeper than usual. He did not look up when she entered, his eyes steadily focused on a page covered in fine, script handwriting.She was reading them quietly, not wanting to disturb him.Torn between the wish to relieve him and the horror of the words he read, Silvia paused, her heart heavy. The hush enveloped them like a funeral shroud. The revelations in those documents left
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-20
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Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love CHAPTER 79
By the time they finally pulled away from their embrace, it was already morning. The soft glow of morning light spilled through the windows, quiet and uninvited. Hand in hand, they made their way back to the bedroom, the magic of their second honeymoon ruined. Silvia stood by the door while watching Ralph changing the sheets to fresh ones. She felt guilty as she watched him stress himself to ensure she was comfortable. He worked in silence, changing the sheets with set focus. He didn’t speak, his expression unreadable as he stripped the bed and rummaged through the closet for fresh linen. It struck her just how practiced his movements were, like muscle memory, as though he hadn’t just signed away his birthright to the father who betrayed him.He finally pulled out a set of sheets—soft pink with delicate floral patterns. Ralph stared at them for a moment, frowning, clearly not recognizing them."Did you pack this? It doesn't look like your style, though," he mused, unfolding the she
Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love CHAPTER 78
Silvia froze in Laurent's hold, her eyes wide open in obvious fright. She clenched and unclenched her fists, sweat beading on her forehead in tiny dots. Then, just as suddenly as it had died, the light flared back on with a harsh, yellowish-white glare, illuminating the nightmare once more.Laurent’s grip remained iron-tight. The gun was still there, pressed against Silvia’s temple like a threat carved from steel.The tears she had been holding back broke loose when she saw the defeated look on Ralph's face."Time is ticking, boy or maybe you need more incentive, huh?" Laurent Laurent growled, the gun shifting slightly as he toyed with the trigger.Ralph subconsciously took a step forward, a hand stretched out—not in surrender, but in silent desperation. "Not another step closer, Ralphie unless you want to see what the inside of her head looks like."Silvia whimpered again, her teary eyes seeking reassurance from Ralph. Their eyes met and his lips pressed together into a thin line.
Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 77
Ralph pinched the bridge of his nose, careful not to make any sudden movements that would give his father any crazy ideas. His father...who knew that they would have such an unexpected reunion and in such an aggressive manner?His father, waving a gun at him and his daughter-in-law as if they were not his family because he wanted the rights of a company he abandoned? Nothing made any sense but all he knew was that he could not put Silvia's life in danger for something she knew nothing about."Let her go," Ralph croaked, scratching his suddenly itchy beard. The room was stuffy and hot because the windows were locked. But for the flashlights on, the room would have been pitch black."What?" Both his father and Silvia asked simultaneously, whipping their heads around to look at him with a mix of confusion and disbelief. Silvia gulped down the rest of her courage and shrank into her husband's side when her crazy father-in-law glared at her with so much piercing intensity."She has nothing
Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 76
"Did you hear that?" Silvia's hold on Ralph's arm tightened as she stared down at the dark hallway in their country house. The lights had flickered a moment, leaving the old house with an eerie half-darkness lit only by the dim brightness of backup lights.Ralph's voice faded away, his senses immediately on high alert. The tranquility of their weekend escape had been abruptly disrupted. "Listen to what, sweetheart? Just the wind, I guess. The old house creaks with every breeze." He tried to sound soothing, but a trickle of nervousness had started at the back of his neck."No, it wasn't the wind," Silvia insisted, her voice little more than a whisper. "It sounded. nearer. A footfall on the landing."He listened attentively, the only noise the constant ticking of an old grandfather clock in the distance. "I don't hear anything now." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Most likely just the house settling. It's an old house, keep in mind?""But I'm sure of it," Silvia insisted, her gaze f
Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 75
Time became a salve, soothing the rough edges of their shared trauma. The trial was over, Rebecca's sentencing a brutal ending to that dismal episode. The mansion shed its final trappings of ominous presence, supplanted by a warmth that radiated from Ralph and Silvia's remade existence.Ralph's memory kept its gradual, inexorable return, here and there by way of the most unexpected sensory details – rain on dry ground evoked by a covert mid-day walk, a whiff of a particular spice evoking a recalled taste at an impromptu, laugh-soaked community meal. Each fragment regained was precious, laboriously interwoven into the tapestry of their past.Their bodies approached one another, unguarded now but filled with tender depth and revived passion. Whatever pretenses still existed were erased by reciprocal exposure, and an unmixed, unvarnished connection was all that was left. There was a raw chemical reaction to every touch, an unspoken vocabulary of yearning and remembrance. Every touch h
Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 73
The initial days with Rebecca's detention were a blur of legal hearings, police interrogation, and the agonizing, painstaking process of attempting to reconstruct Ralph's fractured recall. The mansion, once the background against which Rebecca's lies were enacted, felt stifling in its quiet, its immensity filled with the unwilling reappearance of Ralph and Silvia's collective past.Overjoyed to have Silvia back, Ralph was plagued by the deafening silence of the empty areas in his mind. Months of unfulfilled days stretched like a chasm between the man he once had been and the one he still sought to reclaim. With each passing moment of bliss spent with Silvia, however, came nagging reminders of the man he had become when he was under Rebecca's control and his attempt to bridge the soul gap that had formed during her absence.The memories didn't return in a rush of recall, only disjointed flashbacks – a witticism spoken, his burning palm where her palm had rested, her perfume in his no
Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 72
The air in the library was electric with a new tension, the heavy weight of Ralph's increasing awareness pressing down on Rebecca like a physical force as Ralph's fragmented memories struggled to see the light. Rebecca's eyes protruded in terror as the mask she had built so carefully disintegrated, and she could no longer hide.She trembled as she tried to reach out to Ralph, her voice ringing in a desperate cry. "Darling, you're not thinking. This woman...this woman means nothing to you. I am here, I have cared for you, loved you." Ralph withdrew from her reach and gazed steadily at the silver locket he held. The smile of Silvia, whose face shone out at him with joy, seemed to give off a glow that pierced through the icy smog of his loss of memory, as the light of a lighthouse calls a man home to a world out of which he had unwittingly strayed."Loving me?" Ralph repeated, his voice laced with increasing doubt. He looked at Rebecca, his eyes challenging, questioning. "Or controll
Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 71
The tarnished silver locket, clenched tight in Ralph's fist, was physical proof of memories Rebecca had callously tried to bury. The smiling faces on its diminutive borders were constant reminders of an erased past, a tug on the fragile strands of his amnesia.Rebecca's attempts to brush off the locket as belonging to "old friends" sounded insincere next to Ralph's mounting sense of recognition brewing in his mind. The falsehood clung to her voice like oil on water.He was taken with the little photo, studying her face, her laugh humming at the back of his mind. The tiny photograph smiled up at him—two faces, one unmistakably his, the other a woman who stirred echoes in the hollow spaces of his fractured memory.He would run his thumb over the line of her smile, feeling loss and regret engulfing him, a sense of yearning for something he couldn't quite identify."Who is she, Rebecca?" Ralph would ask again and again, his tone growing more insistent. "Why does she mean so much?"Her re
Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love Chapter 70
The doubts sown by Silvia and Burke were beginning to sprout in Ralph's mind, creeping like ghosts into the darkness of his thoughts.He was increasingly plagued by the lingering feeling, a feeling something was terribly amiss in this laboriously built world provided by Rebecca. He would find himself staring off into space, a furrow on his forehead, trying to grasp a wisp of an image, a whisper of a recollection. It was at such times of unrest that Rebecca would reappear out of nowhere, her voice low and calm, anchoring him in the present, pulling him back from the brink of his own turbulent mind; back to her."What's on your mind, sweetheart?" she would say, her arm on his. "Don't worry about unimportant things. Just focus on getting better. Focus on us."And Ralph would try. He would concentrate on Rebecca's smile, her words of support, her worry-free assurance. Still, though, that nagging feeling remained an itch that couldn't be scratched.One afternoon, when Rebecca was on a lo
