Chapter 51

Elle's POV That night, when the lights dimmed, Raymond pulled me against him in bed. His arm wrapped tightly around my waist, his hand resting over my stomach as though he could guard both of us even in his sleep. His breathing slowed, steady and calm, but mine never matched. The ceiling stared back at me, blank and unforgiving. The longer the silence stretched, the louder the ghosts stirred. My father’s face emerged from the dark corners of my memory, his sneer sharp as a blade. How many years had I prayed to escape him? And yet, here I was—still beneath a roof with him, still trapped in his shadow. When Raymond was home, it felt easier. My father’s words, his threats, his presence—they all faded into background noise when Raymond’s arms were around me. But if he left? My chest tightened, my hand clutching the sheets until my knuckles ached. Maybe Evans would ignore me. Maybe he would keep his distance. Maybe—it felt like I was just making wishes. Because I knew better.

Last Updated : 2025-08-24

Chapter 52

ELLEI shoved the door open, stepped inside—and the sight hit me like a punch to the gut.The living room was unrecognizable.People I had never seen before crowded every corner—laughing and shouting, drinks in their hands. The smell of whiskey and smoke hung thick in the air, clinging to the expensive drapes.Someone had dragged the coffee table away to make space for a makeshift bar, bottles and cups littering the surface. My sofa cushions were on the floor, stained. A cigarette butt smoldered dangerously close to the rug.I couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t just a party. It was an invasion.And then I saw him.My so-called father.He sat in an armchair like it was a throne, a glass of whiskey balanced loosely in one hand. Women draped themselves over the armrests, laughing at his words. Men gathered around him, nodding along, treating him like a king among thieves.My blood boiled so hot I thought I might explode.“What the hell is going on here?!” My voice sliced through the musi

Last Updated : 2025-08-25

Chapter 53

ELLEI blinked at Evans, horror flashing through me. “You can’t be serious.”“Oh, I’m very serious.” He leaned against the banister, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with sick amusement. “You wanted to play lady of the house? Then act like one. You’ll clean up after your guests. Alone.”I gaped at him, lost for words. For a moment, I thought I might faint.Then my hand brushed against my stomach—against the fragile, growing life inside me—and fear wrapped itself around my heart.That baby was all I could think of. So, I gave in.Evans had already threatened to kill me. Who knew what he would do if I refused to obey him now?***By the time I dragged the last garbage bag to the curb, my hands were raw from scrubbing, and my back screamed with every step I took. The mansion smelled faintly of bleach and stale liquor. The stench of spilled alcohol clung stubbornly to the curtains, no matter how many times I sprayed them.I leaned against the wall for a second, closing my eyes. My body tremb

Last Updated : 2025-08-25

Chapter 54

ELLEI wasn't sure if it was the first time Evans hurt me as a kid, but it was the first time I realized I didn't have a man as a father, but a monster.I remember it so clearly, even though I wish I didn’t.I was four years old, my small legs dangling from the chair that felt too big for me, a plate of food in front of me that I couldn’t finish fast enough. My father’s voice thundered over me, sharp and angry.“Eat faster, Elle! Don’t waste my time!”His tone made my chest tighten, and before I even realized it, I felt the warmth spread beneath me. Shame hit me like fire, and I froze, staring down at the puddle forming on the seat—slowly dropping to the floor.I had wet myself.The next sound that was heard in the house was the crack of his palm against my cheek. My tiny head whipped to the side, the sting burning across my skin. I burst into tears, the world blurring through the flood of them.“Disgusting,” he spat. He yanked me off the chair, his grip cruel around my arm. I whim

Last Updated : 2025-08-26

Chapter 55

ELLEI couldn’t focus.The meeting notes on my desk blurred into meaningless lines of text, the words swimming until they made my head ache. For the past hour, I had stared at the same page, pretending to work while my thoughts spiraled elsewhere.Raymond’s aunt’s call replayed in my mind, her warm voice asking him to attend the annual celebration in our hometown. Havenbrooke.The word still made my stomach twist.It couldn’t be a coincidence—him calling me Nuella, him slipping it out like a name he was familiar with, like he had known me far longer than I realized. The possibility gnawed at me until I felt like I was unraveling inside.I pushed my chair back with a scrape and stood abruptly, the weight of my thoughts pressing down on me. My legs carried me in restless circles around the office, each step echoing the storm brewing inside my head. My fingers brushed over the edge of the polished desk, the leather-bound chair, and the shelves lined with carefully arranged books and f

Last Updated : 2025-08-27

Chapter 56

ELLEMy hands tightened around the scarf until my knuckles ached.I pushed back from the desk and began to pace, my heels clicking softly against the polished floor. The walls suddenly felt too close and the air too heavy.“No,” I whispered to myself, shaking my head. “It’s impossible. It can’t be.”Raymond and I… we met years later. At the company. That’s where it all began—or at least, that’s what I had always believed. He was my boss, I... not some boy in a dark alley with broken glass in his hand.I stopped, pressing the scarf to my lips, trying to silence the trembling in my chest.But the problem was… I hadn’t seen that boy’s face. Not really. Just the blur of his figure, the way he moved, the sound of his breath as he stood over the man. In my panic, I hadn’t dared to look up long enough. My mind had been too full of terror, too full of the thought that I had been saved but ruined all at once.What if... what if it had really been him?The thought stole the air from my lungs. M

Last Updated : 2025-09-03