All Chapters of My Love; You Were Never Meant To Be A Substitute : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

That evening, the quiet returned before the storm. I heard the front door creak open , a familiar sound, Elijah’s arrival. I stayed in my room, trying to breathe, trying to push away the weight of everything that had just happened. But something felt… off. Something sharp lingered in the air.Then I heard it , a voice, low at first, then cracking into desperate sobs. Vanessa. I rose instinctively, moving toward the hallway just as her door clicked shut again. Whatever performance she had just given, it ended when she heard my steps. I didn’t need to see her face to know what she had done.Minutes later, I was still standing at my window when I heard his voice very loud, thunderous, shaking the walls I had built around my heart. “Nina! Nina, where are you?!”The panic in his tone wasn't concern , it was rage. I turned just in time to see him slam the bedroom door open with enough force to make the frame rattle. His eyes were fire.“What the hell is wrong with you?” he roared. “Why are

Nina's POV “I’ve been searching for another pair of eyes,” Elijah said, his voice low, almost hopeful. “The doctor said… as soon as we get a donor, the surgery will commence.” “We’re almost there,” he added, gently. “Soon we’ll have it, and everything will be back as it was.” Back as it was? A hollow silence bloomed inside me, it was cold and wide. But before I could make sense of that last part, his phone rang, slicing through the moment. “Yes,” he answered, his tone sharp now. “Alright, hold on.” Then to her, he added, “I’ll be with you shortly.” I heard the rustle of his footsteps fading, he was stepping away to take the call. Without thinking, I turned and walked briskly toward my room, my fingers trembling against the doorknob. The click of his study door closing behind him echoed like the slam of a verdict. I stood still in the center of my room, breath shallow. He’s searching for eyes for her… eyes that will finally let her see everything. Every room. Every look. Every mome

Vanessa’s POV The sun had sunk into the skyline, bleeding red and gold across the glass walls of the penthouse. It was beautiful. Mockingly so. Elijah still hadn’t returned. I hadn’t left this room in hours, not since my brief call with Charles. This house, Nina’s house… breathes her. Every corner, every quiet creak in the floors, every scent woven into the silk cushions. I’m still here. With her. But not for long. The first stage of my plan is simple: Get Elijah away from here. And make sure he takes me with him. Nina has to be left alone. Alone long enough to start sinking into herself. Into the silence. Into the weight of knowing he’s somewhere else with me. And not just anywhere. Caldreath Cove. The name itself sounds like memory. The kind that tastes like salt and secrecy. The beach house. The hidden one. I remember hearing it only once, whispered on Elijah’s lips like something sacred. But sacred things leave marks. Nina… has a piece of herself there. That place has meant

Nina’s POV Darkness. Heavy, suffocating darkness. That was where I was, where my body had fallen, where my soul felt stuck. It was endless, like I was floating in a cold void where time didn’t exist. There was no sound, no warmth, only the pounding of my own heart echoing in my head. For a moment, I thought this was death, that I had finally crossed into the nothingness people fear. But then… slowly, very slowly, the black began to fade. A faint beep… beep… beep pulled me from the void, each sound dragging me closer to the surface. My eyes fought against the heaviness that sealed them shut. When they finally opened, the light burned, weak, but blinding to me. The world didn’t come back all at once. It crept in, like morning light sliding through a crack. The ceiling above me was blurry, a pale color I couldn’t place. It shifted and swam in my vision as if I were underwater. My lashes felt heavy as I blinked, over and over, but the blur remained. Everything was so still. To

…my hands gripped the thin sheet, knuckles white, as my breathing grew shallow. Then I heard muffled voices. They were close. So close. My heart jumped into my throat, my ears straining to catch what they were saying. But I couldn’t make out the words, but the tone chilled me. Calm, controlled, and almost… satisfied. The door creaked open slowly, the light from outside spilled into the room, cutting a sharp line across the floor. My breath caught as I squinted, trying to make out the figures moving toward me. My vision was still blurred, but I could see enough, one shadow leading, the other following carefully behind. Footsteps. Slow and steady, almost too calm for the fear curling inside me. Then I tried to lift myself, every muscle screaming in protest. My arms gave out, and I sank back into the thin mattress, weak and trembling. I couldn’t stay down, not now. I forced myself again, my fingers clutching the sheet, but my body refused to listen. The only thing that moved was my he