Semua Bab Hate To Love: The CEO's Regret: Bab 41 - Bab 50

The Mask Behind the SmileLAURA’S POVWhy did Richard walk in like that?The question wouldn’t leave me. It crawled under my skin, coiled in my chest, and refused to let go.Even as Elijah’s shower hummed behind the frosted glass, even as warm steam fogged the mirrors and the scent of sandalwood clung to the air, my mind was somewhere else. My body was still trembling—not from Elijah’s touch, but from the invasion that followed.Richard had knocked.He’d paused.And then—he’d entered anyway.Not like a professional.Not like the man who had once pledged to protect me with his life.He entered like a man expecting something—hoping for something.Something forbidden.Something he believed he still had a right to.I sat on the edge of the bed, fingers clenched into the wrinkled fabric of my blouse, heart hammering. The way his eyes lingered on me before darting to Elijah—there had been something dark there. Not loyalty.Possession.I couldn’t stay still. I grabbed my coat and left the ro

Shadows Between UsLAURA’S POVThe morning light was supposed to bring clarity.Instead, it brought silence.Not the peaceful kind. The kind that wraps around your ribs and tightens every time you try to breathe. The kind that makes even a child’s laughter sound far away.Luna was humming to herself at the dining table, dragging her spoon through a bowl of untouched cereal. Elijah sat across from her, flipping through a folder without really reading it.I stood at the kitchen counter, gripping a mug of lukewarm coffee I hadn’t sipped. I couldn’t. My throat was too tight.Ivy’s voice echoed in my mind like a haunting melody.> “I didn’t mean for it to go this far.”“He said he had information… about your mother’s condition.”My stomach turned.How many lies had been circling me all this time? And how many truths had I been too afraid to chase?I was exhausted. Emotionally scraped raw. It wasn’t just Ivy’s betrayal—it was the weight of everything. My mother still lying in that hospital

What We Leave UnsaidLAURA’S POVThe sound of the front door slamming behind me echoed through the mansion like a thunderclap—loud, jarring, and final.The echo bounced off the high ceilings, raced down the hallways, and settled in my chest like a bruise. I didn’t even realize I’d been holding my breath until I was already halfway down the corridor, my heels striking the marble floor like hammer blows, my hands clenched into trembling fists at my sides.God, I hated this silence.It wasn’t the kind of silence that brought peace. It was the kind that screamed. The kind that sank into the wallpaper, into the polished floors, into the very bones of this house like rot. It wrapped around me, tight and cold, reminding me that beneath all the grandeur and money and sparkling chandeliers, something vital was missing.Love.I reached the window near the staircase and braced my hands against the sill, pressing my forehead to the cold glass.Outside, the world was perfect. The garden basked in

Fractured SilenceLAURA’S POV“You think he’ll ever make you his priority?”Liam’s voice was calm—too calm—but his eyes were anything but. They flared with something dark, dangerous… and disturbingly right.“He won’t,” he added, stepping closer. “He’ll keep you hidden in the shadows, like some fragile little secret. You’ll never be his equal, Laura. Just a convenient placeholder until the next scandal hits.”“Stop.” My voice was barely above a whisper, but it trembled with effort. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”“Don’t I?” Liam scoffed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “He let that photo go viral. He hasn’t come forward to clear your name. He hasn’t even apologized, has he?”My throat tightened.No.No, he hadn’t.“He’s just… overwhelmed right now,” I tried, but even I didn’t believe the words. “The press is ruthless. He’s handling it his own way.”Liam stepped even closer. The sunlight bleeding through the curtains caught the flecks of gold in his brown eyes.“

The Scent of SecretsLAURA’S POVThe small recorder sat in my palm like a confession.I stared at it, stunned into silence. A black device—neatly stitched into Elina’s favorite stuffed bear—small enough to be missed, dangerous enough to change everything.Someone had been listening, and spying on us. With trembling hands, I opened the window of my study and, without a second thought, I crushed the recorder under my heel and tossed its broken pieces into the darkness beyond the hedges. It landed with on the soft grass outside, but the weight of it lingered in my chest.I stood by the window, letting the cool breeze brush over my skin. But the quiet didn’t last.“Elina still asleep?”I turned sharply. Elijah stood by the door, arms crossed. His eyes flicked to the open window, then to my empty hand.“What are you doing?” he asked.I forced a smile. “Nothing. Just letting in some air.”His expression didn’t soften. “Dinner’s in thirty. I’d appreciate if you joined me.”His voice was sti