Alle Kapitel von She died a wife, Returned a flame: Kapitel 41 – Kapitel 50

Vanessa’s POVI had grown used to Adrian’s distant glances, the ones that skimmed over me as if I were a shadow in his house rather than his wife. But lately, those glances had sharpened in a way that made my chest burn. Not for me. For her. For that maid.Rachel.I caught it again tonight at dinner. The way Adrian’s gaze lingered when she poured his wine. The way his voice softened, almost unconsciously, when he asked her to bring him the files from his study. I sat there with my fork poised in the air, my nails digging into the polished wood of the table, while the two of them exchanged glances like I did not even exist.The humiliation curled in my stomach like poison. I was his wife, the one who had sacrificed reputation and dignity to stand beside him. And yet here I was, watching him lose himself over a servant who dared to look him in the eyes.When Rachel left the room, I slammed my fork down so hard the silverware clattered. Adrian barely flinched.“You are making a scene,” h

Vanessa’s POVAdrian had left for another late meeting, Rachel had disappeared into her endless chores, and the halls seemed colder than ever. I paced in front of the vanity, my reflection glaring back at me like a stranger. My face was drawn, my lips bitten raw, my eyes ringed with sleepless shadows.I hated her.That maid. That snake. That Rachel.Since the day she stepped into this house, my life had begun to unravel thread by thread. Adrian’s eyes lingered on her when he thought I did not notice. He defended her when I spoke against her. And nights ago, he had humiliated me, accused me, screamed at me, all because of files I had never touched.I knew she had planted them. I knew she had set me up.And Adrian had believed her.My fists clenched as I grabbed a crystal perfume bottle from the dresser and hurled it against the wall. It shattered into glittering shards, the scent of roses filling the air.That was when my phone buzzed.The name flashing on the screen made my heart skip

Sheila’s POVEvery step I took, every movement of my hand, even the way I brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, none of it was mine anymore.The cameras had turned this place into something far worse than confinement. It wasn’t just bars and chains, it was a mirror, a reflection that could betray me at any moment.I told myself I was being paranoid at first. But then I noticed the tiny glint above the grand staircase, tucked just beneath the chandelier’s shadow. A camera, cleverly disguised, yet its glass eye flashed faintly when it caught the light. After that, I began spotting more: near the gallery hallway, in the corner of the lounge, and most chilling angled at the second-floor corridor that led straight to Adrian’s study.That study held everything. Secrets. Documents. Proof of the empire he had built on betrayal. My revenge depended on what was behind that locked door, and now… now a camera stood guard like a loyal sentinel.It was the perfect prison, and I was the prisoner.

Vanessa’s POVI used to think I could control everything. Adrian, the house, even how people saw me. But the moment I saw those tiny black lenses glinting from the corners of the hallway, I realized I had lost control of everything.Cameras. Everywhere. Watching. Recording. Listening.At first, I thought I was imagining it. Maybe the light just caught something shiny. But then I saw another one above the staircase, and another near the kitchen. Each one aimed perfectly toward the spots I moved through the most. The places I used to whisper on the phone, the places I used to hide little things Adrian didn’t need to see.It was like being stripped naked in my own home.I stood there in the middle of the hallway that day, staring up at one of those cameras, my breath caught in my throat. The red light blinked once. It was alive. It was looking straight at me.From that moment on, I felt trapped.I couldn’t breathe without wondering if Adrian was watching. Every word I said, every loo

Sebastian’s POVI had told myself this would be the last time I came to the Drake mansion. Every visit seemed to leave me more unsettled than the last, but something about that girl; Rachel had been gnawing at the back of my mind for weeks.When I’d first met her, she was quiet and frightened, with a haunted look in her eyes that didn’t belong to someone so young. I remembered how she’d stared out the hospital window, saying she had nowhere to go. I’d helped her find a job through one of my contacts, never realizing it would be in this house. The Drake mansion wasn’t exactly a safe haven, and the more I saw of Adrian Drake, the less I trusted him.The mansion stood at the end of the long, tree-lined road, surrounded by walls so tall they seemed built to keep more than intruders out, they were built to keep secrets in.I parked near the fountain and walked up to the entrance. The butler recognized me immediately and led me through without a word. That silence told me everything. It was