MATED TO MY BULLIES 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 21 - 챕터 24

Maya's POV Every eye in the room seemed to turn toward me for a moment. I kept my gaze fixed on the floor, my face burning with shame and rage. The doors at the far end of the hall opened, and the brothers entered in formal procession. They were dressed in matching dark suits, their hair perfectly styled, their faces radiating confidence and happiness. They looked like they belonged in a magazine, not like men who were betraying their true mate. Stephen led the procession, his easy smile making my heart clench. Behind him came Nathan, practically glowing with joy. Karl followed with his typical measured grace, and Elijah brought up the rear, more relaxed than I'd seen him in months. They took their places at the front of the hall, and I felt the mate bond stretch and strain as they actively worked to suppress their connection to me. Each rejection felt like a knife twisting in my chest, but I forced myself to stay upright, stay silent. Then the music began, and Seraphina made her

Maya's POV Everything I never was and never could have been. The words hurt, but they were probably true. I turned away and went back to washing dishes, trying to focus on the mechanical task instead of the conversation in the dining room. The dinner lasted until nearly midnight. By the time I finished cleaning the kitchen and washing the last plate, I was exhausted and my hands were raw from the harsh soap. All I wanted was to collapse on my thin mattress and sleep until Mrs. Harrow woke us for another day of invisible servitude. But as I made my way through the castle's corridors, I realized I'd left my cleaning supplies in the main hall. If Mrs. Harrow found them there in the morning, she'd make my life even more miserable than it already was. I trudged back through the darkened hallways, my footsteps echoing softly on the marble floors. The castle was quiet now, the guests gone, the family presumably asleep. I gathered my bucket and rags from where I'd left them near the main