Lahat ng Kabanata ng WARMING THE BED OF MY BROTHER-IN-LAW: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

The days blurred seamlessly into one another, an endless and agonizing stretch; one bled into the next until I no longer could tell where one began and the other ended. I was lying in this place in one position, in the same position, in this cold, dark room that had become my world. Vaguely could I recall when last I felt the warm touch of the sun on my skin or when the unchecked wind streamed its caresses through my hair. The barred windows tormented me with the vision of a world that no longer belonged to me, a world from which I had been torn away most harshly.I would sit for hours, staring through those windows, watching the birds as they soared through the sky, their wings afloat, gliding effortlessly through the air. Oh, how envious I was of those free, careless creatures who knew not that life for anyone could be pain or captivity. They could go wherever they wanted, while I was left to rot in this prison with nothing but a forgotten, lonely soul. My heart ached with injustice

The sterile air in the hospital room clung to me heavily with the weight of news I had just received. The quiet hum of the machines, the muted beeping of monitors, and the murmurs of voices in the hallway fell into the background, sitting on the edge of the bed, numb from the inside out. I couldn't wrap my brain around it: pregnant. with Noah's child. I felt my whole world had been turned upside down, spinning off its axis into some dark, unknowable void.I saw the gleam in Noah's eyes, smug satisfaction twisting his features into some grotesque parody of joy, as he came in. He strode across the room as though he now owned it; this was his victory, the prize he'd won. My stomach churned, the sickening feeling settling into my belly, with nothing else but dread and revulsion.Christie," he said, his voice thick and husky with an undercurrent of possession that did more to crawl down my skin than burrow itself deep within me. He leaned into the bed with all the slow deliberation of a con

By the time we reached this rooftop café, the setting sun had already dipped below the mid-sky and was casting a golden glow over the city. The air was warm, tinged with the scent of fresh flowers and the faint hum of evening traffic below. It was a place that, under other circumstances, I could almost have found charming-an intimate little retreat where couples might lose themselves in each other's company, far above the noise and confusion of the world below. Tonight, however, the beauty of the setting only accentuated the tension knotted in my stomach. I was here on a date with Noah-a man I had come to despise, but whom I had to convince of my love.We strolled over the rooftop as my heart jolled in my chest. I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, scrutinizing my every move, every expression. I knew this wasn't just a date; it was a test. Noah was giving me just enough freedom to test whether I would betray him-if I would try and run. He was watching me, waiting for any sign tha

Finally, when Noah announced his mother was coming to visit, a switch went off in my head, and I knew I had a chance, finally, a glimmer in the darkness which had swallowed my life whole. It had been weeks of pretending, of smiling over gritted teeth and soft words of affection towards a man I despised. I had just about convinced myself I was pulling it off, that Noah was swallowing the act, that my ticket out of there was practically within sight. But with each passing day, desperation had grown, chafing at the edges of my carefully constructed mask. News of his mother's visit sent an electric jolt of adrenaline through me. She would know, instinctively, how colossally wrong it was-a mother above all else. She had to acknowledge the insanity of my son's actions and help me get out of this nightmare.The day she came, I was cool as cucumber, though an unrest stirred inside. Well-dressed, carefully chosen words, and that false love that had become my shield, I opened the door for her wi

When I finally opened up to Dr. Johnson about the life I had lived before Noah, it was as though a dam had broken inside of me. The words came out in a flood-brimming over one another in my desperation to make him understand. I told him about Seth-my husband, the man I loved, the man I'd been torn away from. I described the life that we had built together, the home we had shared in my hometown, and how everything fell apart the moment Noah had come into my life like a hurricane, tearing me away from everything and everyone I loved.Dr. Johnson listened intently to me, his face a mask of deep concern, as I recounted my story. "You have to help me get back to him," I pleaded, my voice cracking under the weight of all that I had been through. "Seth doesn't even know what's happened to me. He must think. he must think I'm gone forever. I need to get back to him, Dr. Johnson. He's my only hope.".He nodded, his eyes unyielding. "I'll do all I can, Christie. You've been through quite enough.