All Chapters of Signed to Suffer, Destined to Love: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

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

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

Silvia found Ralph standing alone at the rear border of the estate, under a cluster of oaks. His back arched, shoulders hunched from unseen weights, as he stared out into nothing in particular, lost in thoughts that seemed to drift like clouds across the sky.She made her approach, deliberately rustling the fallen leaves beneath her feet, each crunch announcing her presence, ensuring he would sense her coming before she reached him." I'm fine," he said before she could utter a word, never even turning his head."No, you're not," she said softly. "You don't have to be."The leaves whispered above, creating mottled patterns on Ralph's face as he finally looked around. His public persona had worn off, and something vulnerable and wounded had been revealed underneath."We're expected at the reception," he told her, his tone firm, though strained. "We have to go back."Silvia nodded her head. "I texted your secretary. She can handle it."She took a deliberate step closer, her hand outstret

Silvia woke up to Ralph’s nose buried in her neck. With a small laugh, she squirmed underneath him, warmth still lingering from sleep. “Where are you going?” Ralph tutted and tightened his arms around her.She blinked once, then again, realizing his belt buckle was digging slightly into her hip. She glanced down. He was wearing dark slacks and a tucked shirt, his cufflinks already fastened. His tie hung loose around his neck like an afterthought. Ralph was fully dressed. Of course, he was. It was so like him to rise early, get ready, and then come back to bed to hold her one last time.She had woken up in his bed more times than she could count, and the times she had in the recent days were so light and happy that she could nearly forget what it had been like, all those months ago, to wake up here sore and tense, with his sharp words still ringing in her ears.The first two times had been filled with insults, pain, and humiliation. She’d been drenched by a gallon of water, drowned

Silvia was assaulted like a slap in the face by the antiseptic smell of the hospital room, utterly contrasting to Ralph's warmth just hours previously. Warmth that was now nothing more than an illusion, an apparition only by way of memory of what was now gone in the screams of skidded tires and breaking glass.Rebecca's grin grew wide, like a snake uncoiling in triumph. Her words oozed syrupy sweetness, every line a planned stab in Silvia's belly: "I told you, sweetheart. He knows whose side is next to him."Silvia found her voice, though her voice shook. "Ralph, it's me. Your wife. Silvia." She took a step closer, her gaze locked with his vacant eyes, hoping for a flicker of recognition, a spark of her beloved husband.He furrowed his brow, a wrinkle of confusion tracing its way across his face. "Wife?" He used the term as though it was unfamiliar, his tone coarse. He looked at Rebecca with a silent questioning gaze. Her other hand gripped his more firmly. "Don't strain yourself, m