All Chapters of Love's Eternal Way: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

"That's why the woman offered you a choice," Louis continued, his voice growing stronger. "She knew. She knew I loved you, and she thought she could use that to drive a wedge between us. Make you choose between Thomas and me." "But you never said anything," I whispered, my heart breaking for him. "In either life." "Because you belonged with Thomas," Louis said simply. "Anyone could see that. The way you looked at each other, the way you fit together, I would never have stood in the way of that. But it doesn't mean the feelings weren't there." Ava was looking between us with growing alarm. "Okay, this is getting really intense. Are you guys actually talking about past lives? Like, for real?" I turned to her, seeing the fear and confu

Louis nodded, understanding dawning on his face. "The nobles needed a discreet way to get in and out of the maze without being seen. It was used for... well, for trysts and secret meetings." I felt my cheeks flush, remembering exactly how Thomas and I had used that passage in our past life. "It should be on the eastern edge of the maze. If it's still there." "Only one way to find out," Thomas said grimly. We moved cautiously through the maze, “Servants never used it; it was more of a noble joke for what was really called the lovers' passage or more commonly, the mistress's passage.” I told Ava. “It was usually more used by noble men’s mistresses; they could come have their private moments together, and then she would leave, and the wife had no idea that their

 Mr Blake's mouth twisted in a grim smile. "I was your father, Serenity. Lord Palmer. I arranged your marriage to Thomas."   I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. The man standing before us had been my father in a past life, and now he was Thomas's father in this one. The implications made my head spin.   "You've been having the dreams too?" Thomas asked, his voice unsteady.   "For years," Mr Blake confirmed. "Long before either of you. I recognised Margaret Hargrove the moment she applied for the teaching position at your school."   "And you let her teach there?" I asked incredulously. "Knowing who she was?"

Mrs Hargrove's smile widened. "Oh, you don't recognize them? How disappointing. They're my loyal servants from our first lifetime together. It seems obsession isn't the only thing that creates bonds strong enough to transcend death." The realization hit me like a physical blow. These weren't just random accomplices, they were the soldiers who had helped her murder us centuries ago, reincarnated just as we had been. "That's impossible," Thomas said, stepping protectively in front of me. "You can't control who gets reincarnated." "Can't I?" Mrs Hargrove laughed, the sound echoing off the cottage walls. "Hatred is a powerful force, Thomas. It binds souls together just as surely as love does. These three have followed me through every lifetime, just as faithful in death as they were in life."

"You let me handle that," Mr Blake said. "The official story will be that Mrs. Hargrove had a mental breakdown and threatened students. The rest of the class will be sent home tomorrow, and the four of you will be given time to recover from your 'traumatic experience.'" "And our parents?" I asked, thinking of my father who had no idea his daughter had nearly been murdered by her history teacher, again. "Your father has been informed that there was an incident," Mr Blake said. "Though not the supernatural details, of course. He's worried about you, but relieved you're safe." I nodded, grateful that at least one complicated conversation could be postponed. My phone buzzed again in my pocket, and I finally pulled it out to check. Dozens of messages from friends, a