Lahat ng Kabanata ng LOVE BENEATH RIVALRY : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

I wasn't certain my ears were playing tricks on me, or at the very least she was only saying this to mock me, refusing to fall into her trap. I got up, heading straight for the door without even sparing her another glance. “Please, don't go!!!” She yelled out, falling out of her wheelchair in the process of trying to stop me. “I don't want to be alone anymore, please, don't leave me here, don't abandon me.” she pleaded, sobbing uncontrollably as she struggled on the floor, trying to crawl over to me, her eyes were bloodshot, her tear stained cheeks completely pale. I hadn't noticed until now, how undead she looked, it was almost as though she could break at any given moment. Against my better judgement, I returned to her side, scooping her gently into my arms, returning her to bed to rest instead of her wheelchair. I had some many questions flooding my mind but only managed to ask the one that seemed most obnoxious. “Do you really want me to stay?”. She nodded her head frantically, be

(4 WEEK AGO/ DAMIAN'S POV)I had only taken a few steps back into the west wing when a blood curling scream echoed across the entire estate, my heart went into chaos as I recognized the all too familiar voice. “Elisa!” I yelled out, with the intention of sprinting back to the outhouse when I was caught and restrained by the guards. “Where do you think you're going Damian?” Great grandma questioned, emerging from the halls, looking greatly displeased, her brows furrowed in anger as she took one look at me, observing the bruises on my face from my fight with Leonard. “Haven't you offended your uncle enough by trying to covet his wife in his absence? Did you seriously think I wouldn't find out about your ill intent? I thought I raised you better, so why do you insist on constantly putting yourself at odds with your family all for that wretched girl?!!! If you're so desperate for companionship then I promise to find you a nice girl, someone far superior to that spoiled brat of the darkhor

(BACK TO THE PRESENT)Leonard then turned to the guards, passing down his order. “Have this place cleaned up, reward the rest of the maids and throw that wretch into solitary confinement for 4, her wounds are not to be treated a second before she's to be released, after her time there comes to term then I'll decide a proper punishment for her”. “Understood master Leonard” they chimed in unison before getting to work. Just as he was about to head back to their bedroom and tend to Elisa's needs, the voice of an obviously unwelcome guest echoed across the northern wing. “Leonard, you bastard. What have you done to my son?!!!” Nicholas Greyhound stormed down the hall as if it were a living thing that owed him answers. The late afternoon sun slanted through heavy curtains and painted the room with a smudged amber. He had the air of a man used to giving orders and being obeyed — accustomed to the kind of respect money and old blood can buy. But that day the air around him was not respect b

Elisa sat on the edge of her bed, the dim candlelight throwing shadows across the walls, her trembling hands clutching the picture frame she had stolen from that forbidden room. She turned it over once, twice, as if doing so might make the blurred details of the woman’s face come alive.Then her gaze shifted to the mirror across the room.Her reflection stared back, pale, exhausted from restless nights, but unmistakably hers. She lifted the frame slowly, aligning it against the glass. The outline matched too perfectly — the tilt of the chin, the shape of the eyes, the slender figure wrapped in white silk. The only difference was the fiery red hair that cascaded over the woman’s shoulders in the painting.Elisa’s own chestnut locks looked dull in comparison.Her lips parted slightly as a faint whisper left her throat. “So it’s true…”The comments she had once dismissed as cruel jabs from the Greyhound family members replayed in her mind.“No wonder Leonard tolerates you.”“Like a ghost

Elisa slammed the lock behind her and slid down against the door. Her breaths came fast and shallow, trembling through her body until her teeth chattered. She pressed her palms to her face, as if she could block out the echo of Leonard’s cries still ringing in her ears.Her heart hadn’t slowed since she’d wrenched herself free from his drunken grip. The memory of his tears, his desperate pleas, his madness—it clung to her skin, suffocating. She needed it gone.She stumbled into the bathroom, clawing at her reflection in the mirror. The red hair stared back at her mockingly, fiery strands matted from sweat and his tears. It wasn’t her anymore. It was her. Annalise.“No…” Elisa whispered hoarsely. She twisted the faucet on full blast, steam billowing around her. She stepped under the scalding spray and scrubbed furiously, nails raking over her scalp until her skin burned raw. Red bled out into the water, circling the drain in streams, until only her natural dark hair remained plastered