All Chapters of LOVE BENEATH RIVALRY : Chapter 61 - Chapter 67

The grand hall flickered with firelight, the once-proud banners of House Darkhorse stained with smoke and shadow. Men in black uniforms lined the walls, their rifles trained on William, Rebecca, and the household staff who had been herded like sheep into the center. The air reeked of gunpowder and fear, thick enough to choke on.And there, standing tall in the heart of it all, was Leonard.His wheelchair had vanished as if it had never existed. His broad shoulders gleamed with sweat beneath his shirt, his legs steady, his posture commanding. His eyes burned with the sort of triumph only a man who had deceived everyone could carry.Elisa stared, frozen, her heart hammering in her ribs. The blood drained from her face. The truth stared back at her like a monster revealed in daylight.“You’re walking,” she whispered, voice trembling.Leonard smirked, spreading his arms as though welcoming her disbelief. “Walking, standing, conquering. Take your pick.”William’s voice cracked through the

The smell of damp wood and boiled cabbage filled the air before she even opened her eyes. Elisa stirred, the faint murmur of voices somewhere nearby tugging at the edge of her consciousness. Her body felt heavy, limbs waterlogged, and when she tried to shift, pain rippled through her like a warning.“Careful now,” a woman’s voice snapped — sharp but curious. “She’s waking up.”Elisa’s eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was a low, cracked ceiling lined with spiderwebs. Then a shadow loomed over her — a woman with hard eyes and a smile that didn’t quite reach them. Her hair was streaked with gray and tied back in a ragged scarf, her dress faded from years of wear. Behind her stood a man whose beard looked as though it had been trimmed with a dull knife, his eyes small and calculating.“Well, look at that,” the woman said, voice softening into something falsely sweet. “It seems she has woken up after all.”Elisa blinked, disoriented. The last thing she remembered was fire — the

Elisa stumbled backward, hands raised. “Please, listen to me, I didn’t—”“Liar!” Marta spat, snatching the phone from the table. “All this time, we’ve been feeding you, housing you—what are you planning, huh? Kill us next?”“Stop!” Elisa cried. “I didn’t hurt anyone—my family—they’re dead but…but I didn't kill them! I’m—”But Garret lunged first.He charged across the room like a bull, tackling her to the ground. The breath was knocked from her lungs as her back slammed into the wooden floor. She clawed at his arms, panic twisting through her veins. “No! Let me go—please!”“Stay down!” he barked, pinning her wrists. His weight crushed her chest, the scent of fish and river mud choking her senses.Behind him, Marta was already dialing furiously.“Yes, yes—this is Marta Dray. We’ve found her! The wanted woman! Yes, Elisa Darkhorse—the one on the news! She’s here, at our house!”“No!” Elisa screamed, writhing beneath him. “You don’t understand! He’ll kill me! The man who killed my famil

Her lips trembled. She closed her eyes, whispering a broken prayer, a plea for the child within her. The sound of his finger sliding onto the trigger was deafening.But before the shot rang out, one of the officers shifted uneasily. “Sir,” he murmured, stepping closer. “There’s… there’s something you need to know.”Leonard’s hand paused mid-trigger pull. His eyes narrowed in irritation. “What could possibly be more important than this?”The officer leaned in, whispering something quickly, urgently. The words were too low for Elisa to catch, but she saw the instant transformation in Leonard’s face.His composure faltered.He went still, eyes widening just slightly before narrowing again with dangerous intensity. Slowly, he lowered the gun, his gaze snapping back to Elisa—sharp, focused, filled with a new, chilling awareness.The silence between them stretched, thick with something new—fear, perhaps, or realization.Leonard’s voice was barely a whisper, but it cut through the tension li