Lahat ng Kabanata ng HE LEFT ME FOR MY STEPSISTER, I MOVED ON TO THE NEXT: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Chapter 32Nathan sat by Elena’s bedside, his eyes red and swollen, his fingers gently wrapped around hers. The rhythmic beeping of the monitors filled the sterile hospital room, but all Nathan could hear was the pounding of his own heart.Tears spilt freely down his cheeks as he stared at her pale face, her body still weak from the ordeal. He leaned closer, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. “Maybe we were never destined to be together, Elena,” he whispered, his voice barely audible, trembling with heartbreak. “I saw this coming and that’s why I tried so hard to stay away from you but I couldn’t. You drew me in with every breath, every look, every word.”He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, his tears wetting her skin. “Now I have to leave before you wake up. I know it’ll hurt you, but please... please find a place in your heart to forgive me.”He stood, hesitating at her side. His heart rebelled against every step away from her. When he reached the door, h

Chapter 34I was heartbroken. I felt shattered in places I didn’t know that I could break.Nathan’s words played in my head like a cruel echo. “I never cared for you. I was just using you...”I couldn’t believe it. I refuse to believe it.Didn’t I just see him yesterday? Didn’t he hold my hand like I was the last thing keeping him in this world?Why did he do this to me?I curled up in the hospital bed, knees tucked into my chest, hugging myself like I could hold all my broken pieces together. My chest hurt, my wound pulsed in rhythm with my sobs, but the ache in my heart swallowed everything else.Something must be wrong. This wasn’t Nathan.He wasn’t like Jasper.He wouldn’t be like Jasper.I reached for my phone and dialled Ava’s number with trembling hands. The moment I heard her voice, I broke.Tears fell faster than words. I couldn’t speak. All I could do was cry.“Leni? What happened? Talk to me!”I couldn’t mutter a single word.“Calm down, Leni... I don’t know what happened b

Chapter 36The day they finally wheeled me out of the hospital, the air outside felt foreign. It was lighter, fresher, and yet there was a heaviness inside me that the breeze couldn’t touch. Ava was right there beside me, pushing my wheelchair towards her car with that protective determination in her eyes.... the kind that dared anyone to even breathe wrong in my direction.Not once during my stay had my adoptive mother, Mrs. Rivers, or my “sister” Cas come to see me. Not a single call. Not a single bouquet of flowers that wasn’t from strangers or Nathan. I wasn’t expecting warmth from them. I’d given up on that kind of hope years ago but some small, ridiculous part of me still thought they might come. Maybe out of duty, maybe just to keep up appearances.They didn’t.When Ava pulled up to my family’s house and helped me inside, I didn’t even have to go looking for them. My mother and Cas were in the living room, their faces already set like masks carved out of disdain.“Well,” my m

Chapter 38I could feel the tension before the police even spoke. The air in the hospital lobby was heavy, like everyone’s breath had decided to hold itself hostage.One of the officers, tall with sharp eyes, stepped forward. “We are looking for Mia Collins,” he announced.Dr. Bertham, our hospital manager, raised an eyebrow. “May I know what she has done?” Her tone was polite, but there was a nervous twitch in her jaw.“Call her here,” the officer said. “Then we’ll tell you exactly what she has done.”Dr. Bertham gave a small nod to a nearby nurse, who ran upstairs to fetch Mia. I folded my arms and leaned slightly against the wall, my heartbeat thumping against my ribs. I already knew what this was about, but watching it unfold was something else entirely.A few moments later, Mia came down the staircase, her heels clicking against the polished tiles like a countdown. She wore her usual smug expression, as if the hospital itself belonged to her.“Mrs. Bertham, you asked for me?” she

Chapter 40After fifteen minutes of waiting, I gave up. My apartment wasn’t that far. It was just a twenty-five-minute walk but the road leading home was not one I liked walking at night. It was too quiet, flanked by stretches of overgrown bushes and abandoned buildings where shadows pooled.Still, I didn’t have much choice.I started walking, hugging my bag close to my side. My footsteps echoed faintly against the cracked pavement, the sound far too loud in the emptiness. Every now and then, the wind would stir the bushes, and I’d find myself glancing over my shoulder.I tried to tell myself I was being paranoid, but the silence felt… wrong.The road’s streetlights were sparse, some flickering weakly, others dead completely. I stayed in the light as much as possible, quickening my pace. I could almost hear Ava’s voice in my head: If Mia’s still out there, she’ll come for you.My heart picked up speed.I was about ten minutes away from my apartment when I noticed something. The road a