Library
Maghanap
Home / Romance / The Heart That He Stole / Chapter 3 The Woman in My Home

Share

Chapter 3 The Woman in My Home

Author: Dear Orange
I waited and waited, but Ryan never came to take me home.

The thought of going home filled me with dread, so I lingered. I dismissed the driver and wandered off alone, craving the distraction of unfamiliar streets.

As soon as I reached the mall entrance, there they were: Ryan and Olivia.

They looked inseparable, the picture of perfection.

Olivia caught sight of me, and a spark flickered in her eyes. She clung tighter to Ryan's arm and strode directly toward me.

Her voice was sweet, but her gaze was sharp enough to cut. "Emma, why are you here all by yourself? That must feel so lonely."

I mustered a brittle smile, though the act drained me. "Yes. My fiance is a little busy."

I met Ryan's eyes. "Since he is busy entertaining you, I am left on my own."

Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes. She released Ryan's arm as if my words had cut her to the core.

Ryan moved in front of her at once, shielding her like a knight.

When he looked at me, the warmth in his eyes was gone. All that remained was irritation. "Do you always have to be this cruel? I told you before. Olivia is like a sister to me."

Oddly enough, a strange calm settled over me.

Her voice trembled as she stepped forward, pretending she was about to apologize. "Ryan, do not blame Emma. This is my fault. I should apologize to her."

Ryan caught her arm immediately, his expression full of concern. "Olivia, none of this is your fault. You do not owe her an apology."

Then, he turned to me, his gaze dark and heavy. "Apologize to Olivia right now, or you are going to regret it."

I bit down on my anger so hard I tasted blood.

I wondered how I had managed to deceive myself for so long. Ryan's heart never belonged to me.

I replied, "Absolutely not. I did nothing wrong."

A muscle twitched in his jaw, his expression turning to ice.

Just then, two bodyguards stepped forward from behind him.

Before I could move, one of them struck the back of my knees.

Agony shot up my legs.

I collapsed onto my knees, landing at Olivia's feet.

Ryan looked down at me without a trace of emotion. "If you do not know how to apologize, I will teach you."

The man before me had helped murder my mother. Now, he forced me to kneel and beg forgiveness from the woman they destroyed her for. Humiliation scorched every inch of me.

I lifted my head and stared straight at him. "Ryan, if you humiliate me like this today, I will hate you for the rest of my life."

When our eyes met, something flickered across his face. His body tensed, just barely.

For a heartbeat, I thought he might help me up.

Then, Olivia let out a weak little cry and collapsed into his arms.

"Olivia!" Ryan's expression changed instantly. He swept her into his arms and rushed away without looking back.

The crowd's stares seared my skin.

I forced myself upright, my knees trembling so violently I could hardly stand.

…

Back home, I headed straight for Ryan's study.

I keyed in Olivia's birthday and heard the safe click open.

I braced myself for whatever I might uncover.

To my surprise, I felt nothing at all.

Inside, there were no treasures, just a single document.

I pulled it out.

Even after everything that had happened, seeing the proof with my own eyes still made my chest tighten, as if an old wound had been torn open again.

Ryan had forged my signature and signed the consent form on my behalf.

My hands trembled as I snapped photos of every page, my knuckles white from gripping the phone so tightly.

I told myself, 'Ryan, I would make you pay for this.'

…

The moment I stepped out of the study, I heard voices downstairs.

Olivia's weak, delicate voice floated up. "Ryan, maybe I should go home. Emma will be upset if I stay."

I walked down the stairs.

Olivia was curled up in Ryan's arms on the couch, looking pale and fragile.

Ryan looked up at me. The tenderness in his expression vanished the second his eyes met mine. "Perfect timing. Olivia is not well and needs rest. Starting today, she will be staying here."
Patuloy na basahin ang aklat na ito nang libre
I-scan ang code upang i-download ang App
Nakaraang Kabanata Susunod na kabanata

Pinakabagong kabanata

  • The Heart That He Stole   Chapter 10 My Life Did Not End With Him

    Ryan's fury left him speechless. All he could do was seize Olivia by the hair and smash her head against the floor, over and over. At first, Olivia hurled curses at him with what strength she had left. But as the blood pooled beneath her, terror finally eclipsed her defiance. Perhaps it was simply the most primal instinct to survive. Tears streamed down her face, splattering onto the floor. "Ryan, please let me go. Please. I know I was wrong." Her pleas vanished into emptiness. Ryan was swallowed whole by his rage, not a trace of mercy left in him. In the end, Olivia bled out, her life stolen by Ryan's own hands. Only when her breathing faded did Ryan seem to grasp the horror of what he had done. He suddenly let go of her and screamed, "It was not me… Not me!" He stared at her lifeless body and let out a jagged laugh, as if relief had curdled inside him. "That bitch deserved it. That is exactly what she deserved." I gazed at Ryan's face and, for a fleeting moment, s

  • The Heart That He Stole   Chapter 9 The Lie That Destroyed Him

    That tone shattered the fragile patience Ryan had been clinging to. Emma's slap from earlier still burned on his cheek, and his anger had been simmering beneath the surface with nowhere to go. Now, Olivia had given his fury a direction. He grabbed her wrist hard and snapped, "Why? I am not your boyfriend. I am a person, too. If you feel wronged, why don't you go cry to Caleb?" Olivia's eyes went blank. Tears streamed down her face unchecked. For the first time, all Ryan felt was disgust. He flung her hand aside. "Get out!" After that, Olivia vanished from Ryan's world, but suspicion gnawed at him, driving him to dig into her secrets. What he uncovered made his blood run hot with rage. Olivia's so-called heart condition had been a fabrication from the very start. She had never been sick. She never needed my mother's kindness. Every word she spoke to them had been an act. All she wanted was to watch me unravel after my mother's death. She wanted to prove that every

  • The Heart That He Stole   Chapter 8 When Her Tears Stopped Working

    Ryan stood there with one hand pressed against his cheek, staring at me in disbelief. In his eyes, I had always been the gentle one—soft-spoken, calm, the kind of woman who would never raise her voice or raise a hand at anyone. Least of all him. Ryan had always floated through life, the golden son who never heard the word no. No one had ever dared to defy him. So what if a life was lost along the way? To him, Olivia's life mattered more. In his mind, trading my mother's life for Olivia's seemed like a fair bargain. A smart one, even. He convinced himself that it would guarantee my comfort for the rest of my life. Surely, that was enough. He probably even believed that if my mother had been given the choice, she would have sacrificed herself without hesitation. However, no one had asked me whether I was willing to lose my mother. I shoved Ryan out and locked the door with shaking hands. As soon as I collapsed onto the couch, trying to catch my breath, my father

  • The Heart That He Stole   Chapter 7 The Heart He Stole

    Ryan gazed at the face that had haunted his thoughts for months. The storm of panic raging inside him finally began to quiet. Then, he pulled me into a crushing embrace, his voice shaking. "Emma… You finally came back." To him, I was a treasure he had almost lost forever. To me, his presence was a curse I could not escape.I shoved him away with every ounce of strength I had and tried to slam the door in his face. He asked, "Emma, what happened? Please tell me. Why is this happening? Whatever it is, we can fix it if you just talk to me." A bitter laugh nearly escaped me. Even now, he clung to his act of innocence. So I looked him straight in the eyes and spoke slowly, making sure every word landed. "Fine. Then, tell me—how did my mother really die? And whose chest is her heart beating in now?" For the first time, true panic flickered across Ryan's face. He fumbled for words, unable to find a single excuse. Finally, he offered the weakest excuse imaginable. "I never wan

  • The Heart That He Stole   Chapter 6 The Man Who Came Too Late

    It did not take long for Ryan to track me down. I was not surprised. With his wealth and influence, finding me was only a matter of time. What caught him off guard was just how far I was willing to run. Panic pushed him to the edge. He was desperate to confront me, to uncover what I had learned. Why had I sued him? Why was I ready to walk away so easily?… Meeting my father shattered every expectation I had built over the years. The arrogance, icy distance, and pride of a wealthy man were gone. He now appeared merely as a father waiting for his daughter to return. He had already learned about my mother's death over the phone, so when we met, his expression was heavy. I could tell his thoughts were still with her. He let out a long sigh. He did not bring up his past with my mother or force me to listen to anything painful. He only patted my shoulder gently. "You are here now. That is enough. I failed you before, but I will not let anyone hurt you again." Those w

  • The Heart That He Stole   Chapter 5 The Price of Trust

    A flicker of fear crossed Ryan's eyes. "How is that possible?" he muttered in disbelief. "Where else could she go besides staying with me?" Ryan had known the truth all along. He understood I was cornered. He knew I had nowhere else to go. He knew my mother was my entire world, the only family I had. He knew she raised me alone, weathering every storm for my sake. Still, he chose to shatter her life just to keep Olivia breathing. To him, nothing was truly unforgivable. He believed that as long as he tried to make amends, even my mother's death could be balanced out. Maybe he convinced himself her life with me was empty, or that an early death was a mercy, a chance for her soul to begin again. Ryan spiraled into madness, desperate to find me.… Meanwhile, I was on a flight out of the country. I had finally broken free, yet an ache still gnawed at my chest. Despite his cruelty, he had once been the only person I trusted, second only to my mother. I grew up with

Higit pang Kabanata

Maaari mong magustuhan

Galugarin at basahin ang magagandang nobela
Libreng basahin ang magagandang nobela sa GoodNovel app. I-download ang mga librong gusto mo at basahin kahit saan at anumang oras.
Libreng basahin ang mga aklat sa app
I-scan ang code para mabasa sa App
DMCA.com Protection Status