Lahat ng Kabanata ng Broken Bonds: Beyond Destiny: Kabanata 181 - Kabanata 190

Sophia The silence in the room was so fragile it could shatter with the faintest sigh. I held it with my uneven breathing, as if I didn’t want to disturb it, though in truth my heart was already tearing it apart with its frantic, restless beats. They knew why, and I didn’t need to feel more vulnerable than I already did in front of them. I didn’t want to talk to any of them, not James, not my mother, not my father. Things with Mom weren’t terrible, but with James… they weren’t good. And with my father, they were even worse. I didn’t want to force myself into doing something I didn’t want to do. It didn’t come naturally. I didn’t feel comfortable enough to start a conversation.I felt the gaze before I saw it, that heavy presence, impossible to ignore. When I lifted my eyes, they met his, and the discomfort deepened. He was still standing in the doorway, watching me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.I froze. Part of me wanted to scream at him to leave, to tell him he had no ri

SophiaThe interrogation room smelled of dampness and cold coffee. I felt trapped, the air growing heavier with every question. Across from me, the officer studied me with inquisitive eyes, pen poised, waiting for me to say something that could clarify what had happened.“Miss Sophia,” his voice was firm, though not aggressive. “We need you to tell us exactly what you talked about with Stefan the last time you saw him.”I swallowed hard, my fingers interlaced on the table to keep them from trembling.“It wasn’t anything important,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “We just talked about... about us, about what could have been. He was sad because we didn’t go out again, but I made it clear to him that I’m married. That was all.”I felt the weight of their stares pressing down on me. The officer nodded slowly, though he didn’t seem entirely convinced.“Are you sure you didn’t notice anything unusual about him?” he pressed.I shook my head.“No,” I said firmly. “He was just... d

SophiaThe silence inside the car grew so thick that even the hum of the engine felt like an intrusion. I closed my eyes again, trying to sort through my thoughts, but it was useless: James’s face —so certain, so relentless— kept appearing in my mind like a shadow refusing to fade.It wasn’t just about protection. It wasn’t just about safety. It was control. And deep in my chest, something told me that, even if Bright believed he was holding the reins of the situation, James had already trapped us in his invisible threads.The drive home felt endless. When we finally parked in front of the building, I noticed how the dark car stopped a few meters behind us, as if marking territory. I didn’t like that constant surveillance, even if I understood its purpose. It was like living inside a cage with invisible bars: you couldn’t touch them, but you knew you were locked in.“Go up first,” Bright said softly, in that protective tone he used whenever he was more alert than usual.I nodded witho

Sophia The silence in the room was so dense I could hear the creak of the wood beneath our slightest movements. My father was sitting across from me on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together. Mine lay on my lap, fingers interlaced with a tension that betrayed just how uncomfortable I felt. I knew Bright was behind the door; I could feel him, as if his energy seeped through the wood. That silent presence made me more alert, as though every word I spoke was not only a confession to my father but also to him. “Sophia,” my father said, his voice more broken than I had ever heard it. “You don’t know how sorry I am.” I lifted my eyes and saw him looking at me with a mixture of shame and regret that startled me. He had never been a man to show weakness, especially not in front of me. I swallowed hard, clasping my hands tighter. “Dad…” I murmured, unsure of what to say. “I know I wasn’t there when you needed me most,” he went on, the words dragged out as

SophiaThe pain began as a sharp prick, brief, just a reminder that something inside me was changing. At first, I didn’t pay much attention to it. I had learned to live with the ups and downs of my body since I found out about the pregnancy, the dizziness, the fatigue, that feeling of fragility that never matched the image I always wanted to project. But this time was different.It was a pain that didn’t fade away.I was in the kitchen, trying to make some herbal tea, when a sudden wave of heat rushed to my head, and I had to grip the counter to keep from falling. The air felt heavy, and every breath slipped away halfway, as if my lungs refused to cooperate. Fear, silent and relentless, slid into my chest and settled there.“Please… not now,” I whispered under my breath, as if I could bargain with my own body.My hand went instinctively to my belly, protective. I still hadn’t had the courage to say out loud the word that scared me the most: child. My child. And yet, with every stab of