Delivered Silence.

Catherine had never known silence could be this loud.Every time her phone buzzed, she hoped it was him. But it never was.She had texted once. Then twice. Then deleted the third before it sent.I didn’t choose James. I was forced into it.Please, Elijah. Talk to me.But her messages went unread.Her calls rang out, unanswered.The rooftop stayed in her dreams — beautiful and broken, like everything else between them.⸻Elijah hadn’t left his suite in two days.Not since the night she didn’t show.Not since the picture.The wine bottle on his desk was nearly empty. He wasn’t drunk — not fully. But just numbed enough not to feel the full weight of her absence.He didn’t blame her entirely.But the pain? It was too sharp to ignore.He kept hearing her voice from that night in his bed. “I love you, Elijah.”Was it real?Was any of it?He picked up his phone again — not to reply, but to re-read her last message.Please, Elijah. Talk to me.He closed his eyes.Then his screen lit up again.

Dernière mise à jour : 2025-07-14

The Quiet That Shattered.

Catherine hadn’t wanted to come.She’d begged, fought, even locked her door.But her mother’s voice was sharp and final.“You’ll attend the Brenton Foundation brunch. You’ll wear the dress. And you’ll be seen with James. Do you understand me, Catherine?”She didn’t answer. She just nodded, dead behind the eyes.So here she was — on the sun-drenched terrace of a glass garden, surrounded by the city’s most powerful names, wearing a pastel gown that hugged her waist too perfectly and heels she didn’t remember putting on.The champagne was warm. The air smelled like roses and rich people pretending to care about the world.She smiled at strangers. Posed when cameras clicked. Laughed when her mother gave her that warning look across the lawn.But inside?She was a cracked porcelain doll trying not to fall apart in public.⸻Then she saw him.It was like a punch to the chest.Elijah.Standing near the white fountain at the far end of the terrace, wearing a charcoal suit that looked carved t

Dernière mise à jour : 2025-07-16

The Sound of Something Breaking.

Catherine didn’t go home that night.She didn’t say goodbye.Didn’t answer her mother’s texts.Didn’t let James escort her anywhere.She simply… left.Walked out the back of the garden brunch like a ghost with no name.The city air was warm and fast, rushing past her like it had somewhere better to be. But she moved slowly, like her body was finally carrying the weight of everything her heart refused to say.Her heels clicked against the pavement until she couldn’t take the noise anymore.She stopped. Pulled them off.Then she walked barefoot down the street.A woman in silk, diamonds, and heartbreak — invisible in a city obsessed with image.⸻She ended up at the pier.The same one Elijah had taken her to on their fourth unofficial date. When he still smelled like engine grease and told her that the stars only looked like that when she was around.She sat there now, curled up on the edge of a bench, eyes fixed on the dark water.She didn’t cry.She didn’t need to.Because the crying

Dernière mise à jour : 2025-07-16

Scandals Don’t Sleep.

The bags weren’t many.Just two — the black duffel she used during college summers and a small Louis Vuitton she hadn’t touched in months. Catherine didn’t even pack makeup.She didn’t care.Not anymore.She tossed her phone into the side pocket and slipped into the back of a waiting black car she had ordered herself. No security. No chauffeur. No James.The driver asked for the destination, and she answered softly:“Anywhere no one will find me.”⸻The apartment she ended up in was small — by her family’s standards. A penthouse in a less flashy part of town, high enough to keep the noise low and private enough to keep questions out.It had once belonged to her late aunt — the only person in her family who ever understood softness wasn’t a weakness.There were still paintings on the walls and a faint scent of lavender that hadn’t faded over the years.She breathed in.Home.Not the one she was born into, but the one she was finally choosing.She dropped her bags, collapsed onto the co

Dernière mise à jour : 2025-07-17

Her Voice, Her War.

The cursor blinked like a dare.Catherine sat on the edge of the vintage velvet couch in her aunt’s apartment — barefaced, barefoot, and furious. The laptop balanced on her knees felt heavier than her thoughts, but her fingers didn’t tremble.Not anymore.She had been crying for days. Quietly. Invisibly.Now, she wasn’t crying.She was writing.The words came slow at first, like peeling back something raw. But with every keystroke, she took something back — her name, her version, her right to feel.To those who think they know my story:You don’t.You know the dresses. The dinners. The diamonds.You know the photos you’re allowed to see.But you don’t know the man who loved me when I wasn’t polished.The one who saw me — not as an asset, or a daughter, or a pawn — but as a woman. A person. A choice.Yes, I loved him. Still do.Yes, I lied to protect him. And yes, I regret not choosing him when I had the chance.But I’m done being managed. I’m done being branded. I’m done being silence

Dernière mise à jour : 2025-07-17

The Cost of a Choice.

There were six missed calls when Catherine woke up.All from her father.Three from her mother.And one, unlabelled — but she knew the number.James.She didn’t listen to any of the voicemails. She didn’t need to. The silence following her post had cracked something open, and the noise now flooding her phone only proved one thing:She had touched a nerve so deep they couldn’t hide it anymore.The news was still running her words on the screen like a looped confession. Analysts debated whether she was brave or spoiled. Talk shows speculated about Elijah’s real identity. Her old classmates posted photos of her from boarding school, trying to cash in on the storm.Even her charity work had become a topic of public dissection.Catherine didn’t flinch.She just stood by the window of the loft, tea in her hand, watching the city below move like it had somewhere to be. Fast. Unbothered. Loud.Her phone buzzed again.A message from an unknown number:You’ve made enough of a fool of yourself.

Dernière mise à jour : 2025-07-17

Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 26

Delivered Silence.

The Quiet That Shattered.

The Sound of Something Breaking.

Scandals Don’t Sleep.

Her Voice, Her War.

The Cost of a Choice.