All Chapters of LOVE BENEATH RIVALRY : Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

He held her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck, his grip firm but trembling, as though she were the only thing anchoring him to the present. Elisa could feel the damp warmth of his tears against her skin, soaking slowly into the fabric of her nightgown, each silent tear carrying the weight of years he had never allowed himself to grieve. She said nothing. She didn’t dare interrupt that fragile moment, afraid that even a whisper might shatter him completely. So she remained still, her arms loosely around him, her breathing slow and measured, offering comfort through presence alone.Her mind, however, was anything but still.She felt his pain as if it were seeping into her own chest, tightening around her heart. She wondered how long he had been carrying this alone, how many nights he had spent haunted by guilt, by rage, by memories he could never undo. And despite everything—the fear, the tension, the heaviness—she didn’t pull away. Not yet.When she finally did begin t

Before he could even finish his sentence, Elisa cut in.“There is a way.”Her voice was calm—too calm—cutting cleanly through the air before Rowan could complete his thought. The sudden interruption startled him, not because of its volume, but because of its certainty. The words carried no doubt, no hesitation, as though she had already reached a conclusion long before he ever voiced his concern.Eager to please her, desperate even, Rowan pulled away slowly, though not completely. One hand remained firm at her waist, anchoring her to him as if letting go entirely might make her disappear or change her mind. He looked down at her, searching her face, his brows drawn together with cautious curiosity.“What way?” he asked gently, his tone careful, encouraging. “What are you talking about?”But nothing—nothing—could have prepared him for the words that came out of her mouth.She spoke softly, almost childlike, her tone deceptively light, the contrast between her voice and the meaning of h

Elisa stared at the screen long after the message had been sent.The words were still there. Small. Plain. Almost mocking in their simplicity.“It’s done.”Her thumb hovered just above the glass, trembling faintly, as if her body already knew what her heart refused to accept—that this wouldn’t end the way she’d been promised. The message showed as seen almost immediately. The speed alone made her chest tighten, her breath hitching as anticipation curled sharply in her stomach.She waited.Seconds passed.Then a response appeared.“Good.”Just that.One word.No punctuation. No elaboration. No acknowledgment of what she had sacrificed, of the weight of what she had done, of the day she had spent drowning in guilt and fear and hope all tangled together. Elisa stared at the word as though it might change if she looked long enough, as though more text might suddenly follow if she waited patiently enough.Nothing came.Her heart began to pound harder, confusion bleeding slowly into hurt. H

“I’m sorry,” she whispered again, the words breaking apart. “I’m so, so sorry. Rowan… I swear, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I didn’t think— I didn’t know it would—”He said nothing.Not a single word.He only held her tighter.His arms locked around her like iron, crushing her against his chest, as if he were afraid that if he loosened his grip even slightly, the world would take her too. His fingers trembled against her back, not with weakness, but with restraint — the kind that came from holding something together by force alone.The silence hurt worse than if he had screamed.It pressed down on her ears, filled her head, made every thought louder, uglier, heavier.She buried her face into his shoulder, sobbing harder, her breath coming out in broken gasps as the guilt finally tipped into something unbearable. Her mind spiraled, racing, dragging her back to Leonard, to their deal, to his fake promises, so convincing — promises she had been stupid enough to believe.His b

Leonard chuckled.It was not loud at first. It wasn’t explosive or manic. It was slow, deliberate, almost lazy—like he was savoring something sweet on his tongue. His shoulders lifted slightly as the sound left him, his lips curving into that familiar, cruel smile that had haunted Damian’s childhood and ruined countless lives since.“Did you really think,” Leonard said slowly, drawing out every word, letting it sink in, “that Elisa ever truly loved you?”Damian stiffened, his jaw tightening, his entire body going rigid as if bracing for impact.“She was using you,” Leonard went on, his smile widening, eyes sharp and merciless. “Every smile, every touch, every soft word you clung to like it meant something—none of it was real. She was doing exactly what I told her to do. Following instructions. Playing her role beautifully.”Damian’s fists clenched so hard his knuckles burned, his breath turning shallow, but Leonard wasn’t finished.“You really thought,” Leonard scoffed mockingly, a lo