ANMELDENChloe's POVThe front door slammed shut. I stood at the kitchen entrance, watching Michael's car disappear through the window. He was gone. And I was left alone in a mansion full of people who seemed to enjoy making my life miserable.I slowly released the breath I'd been holding and pressed a hand against my lower abdomen. The pain hadn't stopped since last night. Every movement reminded me of what had happened between Michael and me. I could still remember how I'd begged him to stop, how I'd cried, and how he'd ignored every single word. I swallowed the lump in my throat.Crying wouldn't change anything. I had learned that the hard way. "Chloe!" I flinched. Michael's sister stood at the dining room entrance, holding a glass of orange juice. "Are you planning to stand there all day?" "No. I'm going to start cleaning.""Good. And don't forget Grandma's room. I noticed you didn't clean it properly yesterday." "I'm sorry." She rolled her eyes. "You're always sorry. It's becoming irritat
Michael’s POVI slammed the door behind me and walked straight into my bathroom. “Fuck!” I gripped the edge of the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot, my hair disheveled, and the alcohol I’d consumed earlier was still making my head spin.I turned on the shower, pulled off my clothes, and stepped beneath the water. The cold water hit my skin, but it did nothing to clear my head. Then I looked down. Blood.There were traces of blood on my body, washing away beneath the running water. I froze. For a moment, I couldn’t move. Chloe.Her face flashed through my mind. The tears rolling down her cheeks. The way she’d begged me to stop. The way she’d told me she was hurting. I shut my eyes. “Fuck!” I slammed my fist against the tiled wall. What the hell had I done?I could still hear her voice. Michael, please. I’m not feeling well. I dragged both hands down my face. I’d known she was in pain. She’d told me repeatedly, yet I’d refused to listen.I stood benea
Chloe’s POVFive hours.Five whole hours of standing in the kitchen, fighting through the cramps twisting my stomach, only for Michael to leave the house without even looking at the food I’d prepared.I stared at the dining table long after his car disappeared from the driveway.The food was still warm.The plates were arranged exactly as I’d seen them in the photographs of expensive restaurants I’d once admired. I’d even gone out of my way to make his favorite dishes, hoping that perhaps, just for once, he’d notice.But he’d walked past everything without a second glance. I laughed bitterly. I pressed my hand against my stomach as another cramp forced me to bend slightly.“Stupid, Chloe,” I whispered to myself. “You’re so stupid.” The sound of footsteps on the staircase interrupted my thoughts. Michael’s sister appeared first, followed by his grandmother. “Chloe!” she called. I hurried out of the kitchen.“Yes?” “Come and serve us.” I returned to the kitchen without arguing. By the t
Michael’s POV“Mr. Blackwood, your nine o’clock meeting has been moved to eleven.” I didn’t respond. My secretary stood in front of my desk, holding a tablet. “Sir?” “Cancel it.” She blinked. “But sir, the investors have been waiting for—” “Did I stutter?” “No, sir.”“Then get out.” She hurried out, shutting the door behind her. I leaned back in my chair and stared at the photograph on my laptop. Sebastian Blake. The bastard was smiling. Seventeen years ago, he had killed my parents and walked away without looking back.I watched the video for the sixth time. The black Mercedes. The rain. The trailer swerving across the road. And then the crash. I paused it just as Sebastian Blake stepped out of the truck.There he was. The man who had taken everything from me.Seventeen years ago, I’d stood beside two coffins, waiting for someone to tell me there had been a mistake. That my parents weren’t really dead. That my mother would come through the door and complain about how I never ate brea
Chloe’s POVI slammed the door behind me, unable to hold back my tears anymore. What the hell was wrong with that man? I stood against the door, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand. Just a few hours ago, he had been lying helplessly in my arms, begging me not to leave him.And now? He had practically thrown me out of his room like some unwanted stranger. “Ungrateful bastard,” I muttered. I walked toward my bed and collapsed onto it. What exactly had I done wrong?Was it a crime to care about someone?I remembered his body trembling all night, how he kept calling out in his sleep. I had been terrified. For a moment, I genuinely thought something terrible was happening to him. And instead of thanking me, he screamed at me.But something wasn’t right. Michael had been perfectly calm when he woke up, apart from his usual arrogant attitude. Everything changed after he received that message.I frowned. What was in that video? Whatever he saw had made him furious. I remembered the way
Michael’s POV“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!” Chloe flinched. I saw the fear flash across her face, but I didn’t care. Not anymore. “Michael, what’s wrong?” she asked, her voice trembling.“Are you deaf? I said, ' Get out!” She stared at me for a moment, looking confused and hurt. “I was only trying to help you.” “I didn’t ask for your help!” Her lips parted, but no words came out. Then she slowly climbed off my bed. “Fine,” she whispered.She walked toward the door, stopping briefly as though she wanted to say something. But she didn’t. The door clicked shut behind her. I stood there, breathing heavily, my phone trembling in my hand.Seventeen years. Seventeen fucking years. I had spent seventeen years searching for answers. And now the truth was staring right at me. I slowly lowered myself onto the bed and replayed the video.The footage was grainy, but the date displayed at the bottom was unmistakable.October 17.The night my parents died. Rain poured heavily onto the highway, making it dif







