Lahat ng Kabanata ng I NEED YOU, ELENA: Kabanata 111 - Kabanata 120

Chapter 111UNVEILING SHADOWSELENA,The dusty envelope felt heavier in my hands than I expected. Ryan had pulled it out from a drawer the night before, the one he usually kept locked tight. Now, here we were, sprawled across his cluttered living room floor, the city lights casting a muted glow through the window, and the past was unfolding before us in crumpled letters and faded photographs.I hesitated for a moment, fingers trembling, then carefully unfolded the first letter. The paper was brittle, the ink smudged in places, but the words cut sharp and clear."To my brother," the letter began, "I trusted you more than anyone, but your betrayal has left me a ghost of the man I once was..."I looked up at Ryan, who was watching me with an unreadable expression. His jaw was tight, his usual guarded demeanor cracked just enough to show the weight he carried. I felt a pang of something—sympathy, fear, hope—all tangled together.“Tell me everything,” I whispered. “I need to understand.”H

Chapter 113TRUST SCATTEREDELENA,I didn’t see it coming.If I’m honest, I should have. The signs were there—subtle inconsistencies, half-answers, the way his eyes lingered too long when he thought no one was watching. But I ignored them. I let my hope blind me. I convinced myself I was paranoid, that I couldn’t afford to push away another ally.But this wasn’t paranoia.This was betrayal.“I trusted you,” I whispered, my voice strangled, barely audible above the wind whipping down the alley. “You—you were the only one who knew. The only one.”Liam didn’t flinch. If anything, he looked bored.“There’s a reason I was the only one, Elena,” he said flatly. “Because I earned that trust. Just like they paid me to betray it.”My heart plummeted.“I told you things I never told anyone,” I said, the words cracking with disbelief. “I told you about New Haven. About the child. You said you understood—”“I lied.”The simplicity of his answer struck like a slap. It was a confirmation, not just o

Chapter 115THE THREATENING WHISPERELENAThe café was quiet, almost too quiet. Soft jazz hummed from the speakers overhead, the scent of roasted coffee beans hanging in the air. Charlotte Grant, my legal advisor and one of the few people who’d believed me from the beginning, sipped her espresso with a furrowed brow. She glanced at her phone, then at the door, as if expecting someone to walk in.I wasn’t there, but she’d told me to stay back—to let her handle a strange request for a "friendly chat" from someone who wouldn't disclose their identity. That in itself was odd. Charlotte was cautious, and she never walked into anything without a plan. But Emily had found her way through the cracks.The woman who sat down across from Charlotte looked poised, serene even. But under the polish, she was a viper. Emily. My former stepsister, my betrayer. I didn’t need to be in the room to imagine the way her smile didn’t quite meet her eyes."Charlotte," Emily began, folding her hands over the t

Chapter 117THE BREAKTHROUGHELENAThe weight of the folder was nothing compared to the weight in my chest, but both pressed down on me relentlessly. I sat stiffly at the long, cold conference table in the cramped room, its sterile walls echoing the months of silence and secrets I had been desperate to shatter. The fluorescent lights flickered faintly, buzzing in a way that made the silence heavier, like the whole building was holding its breath. The thick folder in front of me, stuffed with the evidence I had fought tooth and nail to gather, suddenly felt like a lifeline—a chance to breathe again after being underwater for so long.I ran my fingers over the edge of the folder, tracing the papers inside like I could will them to do more—force open the doors that had been slammed shut on me time and again. The proof was all here, clear and irrefutable. Bank statements revealing countless hidden transactions. Emails encrypted with codes that only now were beginning to make sense. And th

Chapter 119BECOMING HER.ELENA,The quiet in my apartment felt almost unnatural, like the calm after a storm that hadn’t quite passed yet. Outside, the city throbbed with life—cars honking in the distance, muffled conversations spilling from open windows, the faint hum of late-night footsteps on pavement—but inside, the stillness was a weight I couldn’t shake. I sat on the edge of my couch, my fingers curling around a mug of cold coffee I’d long since abandoned, my eyes fixed on the pale wall before me, yet not really seeing it.The truth was, my mind was far from peaceful. It was swirling with memories, reflections, and the heavy realization of how much my life had shifted—and how much I had changed.I thought back to the woman I used to be, the version of myself who had lived in shadows and fear. The girl who had been broken by betrayal, crushed by lies, and paralyzed by grief. I was still that woman in many ways—the scars on my soul hadn’t faded—but she was no longer who defined m