All Chapters of Torn between love and hate : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

The mark of pain I’ve lost track of how many days I’ve been here. I don’t even know if it’s day or night anymore. It’s been so long since I last ate anything. They only give me just enough water so I don’t die. Whenever my father is in a bad mood — which is often — he remembers that he locked me in the basement as some kind of punishment. To calm his nerves, he comes down here frequently. Only when he enters does the light turn on, and only then can I see the state my body is in — filthy, bruised, bloodied. Every time, he hits me with all his strength, and I don’t even have the strength to fight back.I couldn’t stop trembling from the cold. The thin clothes I wore were no match for the freezing air. I curled up on the cold floor and closed my eyes. I thought about my friends, knowing they must be scared because of my disappearance. I also knew they would start searching for me. I wiped away the tears from my face — my skin burned from the cold and crying — but I couldn’t do anything

CrushedI heard a knock on the door, and Emma walked in with clothes in her hands.“I came to help you,” she said softly.“Thank you,” I replied.She helped me change, carefully adjusting each piece of clothing, and while we talked, she mentioned that she’d soon be leaving. The thought made me strangely relieved. When I was finally dressed, she offered to do my makeup, but I refused — I wasn’t going to play along with my father’s little spectacle again.Once Emma left, I lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Why would she want to see me after everything? Perhaps to ask if I truly did it… if I really betrayed her son. A thousand thoughts swirled in my head, and not one of them had an answer. All I had were the words “I didn’t do it.” But would that be enough? I had no proof, nothing but my word. Dante didn’t believe me, so why would his mother?Suddenly, someone knocked on the door again. They told me Margaret was here. My breath caught.I walked out and climb

The Weight of SilenceI had just finished my day at the university—a meeting with the director had gone surprisingly well, everything as I hoped. Feeling a little lighter, I met my friends at the café, and we settled into our usual corner. The café was warm, but my chest felt frozen. I tried to smile. I tried to smile, but it felt fragile, easily shattered by the memories I still feared to face. My friends were here, just a few steps away, and that alone gave me something to hold onto.Jenny appeared from behind, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement.— “Well, look who decided to show up! We almost forgot you existed,” she said with a teasing grin.I gave a faint smile, shrugging.— “Things… just kept me busy,” I said softly. “A lot to catch up on at university.”She lingered for only a moment before heading off.My throat tightened, my heart hammering. The words were waiting, heavy and jagged, and I knew I had no choice but to let them out.I drew in a shaky breath, feeli

Too Late?I couldn’t sleep a wink all night. As soon as the sun rose, I headed to the bathroom, got ready, and called a taxi. The moment it arrived, I got into the black car and went to the university. My first lecture was with Mr. Davis. No matter how much I hated seeing him, I had to ignore him. All through the lecture, those words kept replaying in my head.As soon as the lecture ended, I barely had time to stand when he appeared next to me.“Are you okay, Miss Adams?” His gaze shifted to my hand. I looked at him seriously and calmly said I was fine, but he didn’t move from his spot.“I was worried about you… you haven’t shown up all this time. Is everything alright at the university?”Annoyance was now written all over my face, which made him stop smiling.“There’s no need to worry about me. I’m fine. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to head to my next class.”I tried to walk away, but he didn’t move. He was staring into my eyes, and suddenly a shiver ran down my spine. I felt fear—

Between Laughter and SilenceAfter the café, we went back to the university and attended the remaining lectures. I hated the idea of going into Davis’s class, but I had no choice. It was my final year, and I had to do everything I could to finish with high grades.After lectures, I went straight home to pack my things. I also needed to talk to Margaret and Lorenzo. When I arrived, Dante and Enzo were there too. Great — now I’d have to say everything in front of all four of them, especially since Noah and the girls would be here soon.As soon as they noticed me, I walked toward them. All four of them were watching me, which only made it harder to speak, but time was running out.“I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay here, and for treating me like your own,” I said. Dante’s eyes were fixed on me — he knew exactly what I was about to say. “But it’s time for me to leave. I really appreciate everything you’ve done. I don’t even know how to repay your kindness.”Margaret stood up