All Chapters of I Took The Bullet He Lost His Mind: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Elara’s POVTwo years later. A small coastal town in Oregon."Elena, you're a miracle worker," the client said, admiring her newly restored painting."Thank you," I smiled, packing away my tools. "Remember to keep it out of direct sunlight."After the client left, I looked at myself in the mirror.Short, neat hair. A clean, makeup-free face. A simple white shirt.No one would ever recognize me as Elara Vance, the woman who died in a plane crash two years ago.Now, I was Elena Morrison, owner of a small design studio.Antonio had used the Torrino family's connections to create a flawless new identity for me.Elara Vance was dead and buried, along with her hellish past.But some scars are carved into the bone.Like the nightmares that woke me up every night: the cold muzzle of a gun, Dante's indifferent eyes, the metallic feel of handcuffs on my wrist.Like the physical fear of men getting too close.If a man stood too close, my lungs seized. My muscles locked.I was an island, and the w

Elara’s POVAfter that community meeting, the tide in town began to turn.Julian's words were like a stone dropped into a still lake, sending out ripples.The strange looks didn't disappear completely, but the open hostility did.I knew it was only temporary.As long as those photos existed, I would always be the "tainted woman."The turning point came three days later.A new post was pinned to the top of the forum. A public apology. From Isabella Rossi.【A PUBLIC APOLOGY TO MS. ELENA MORRISON AND THE RESIDENTS OF THE OREGON COASTAL TOWN】【I, Isabella Rossi, acted out of personal malice toward Ms. Elena Morrison (formerly Elara Vance). I maliciously collected and distributed her private photos and false rumors. This has caused severe damage to her reputation and life, and has disturbed the peace of your community. I deeply regret my actions and now formally apologize. I promise to take full legal responsibility...】I read the letter again and again, my mind reeling. Even Julian was sho

Elara’s POVFebruary 15th. My twenty-eighth birthday.I had never wanted to celebrate it.For me, birthdays were just another painful reminder.A reminder of how I was ignored, how I was a meaningless decoration during my years with Dante.But when I got home that day and opened the door, the entire living room lit up.Julian had turned my living room into a galaxy. Thousands of tiny star-lights glittered from the ceiling, the windows. A universe just for me.The air smelled sweet, of cream and chocolate.He walked out of the kitchen holding a lopsided, homemade cake.A smudge of flour was on his cheek. "Happy birthday, Elena," he said, his voice nervous.I looked at the sea of stars, at this brilliant surgeon who had fumbled to give me a surprise, and tears streamed down my face.All the pain, fear, and loneliness of the past two years melted away in the warm ocean of light he had created for me.I threw myself into his arms, sobbing like a child."Thank you..." I choked out. "This is

Dante's POVI had spent two years weaving a massive net, trapping the Rossi family inside.I cut off their deals, funded their enemies, and let them suffer a slow, agonizing death.I thought I was doing it for my own pride, for the Costello family name.Until Luca placed a two-year-old, dust-covered investigation report in front of me."Don, according to our latest findings... the photo leak at the hotel ceremony, and the Russian Roulette game... they weren't accidents."I looked up, a flicker of confusion in my eyes.Luca swallowed hard, his voice strained. "It was all Isabella, Don. She bribed the tech crew to publicly humiliate Miss Vance. She conspired with Valenti to set up that game. She played you. You were the weapon she used to torture—and maybe kill—Elara."CRASH.The whiskey glass in my hand shattered.Shards of glass dug deep into my palm. Blood mixed with liquor dripped onto the expensive carpet. I felt nothing.My mind was blank.All this time, I thought I was in control.

Dante's POVA coastal town in Oregon.For three days, I was a ghost in her new life. A voyeur in the shadows, starving for a glimpse of her.I saw her. Her hair was short and sharp now. She wore simple white shirts.The afternoon sun spilled across her focused profile, coating her in a halo of gold.She wasn't the girl who always seemed on edge by my side. She was glowing.I saw a kind man come to pick her up from work every evening.He would take her tool bag from her hands and then take her hand in his.She would intertwine her fingers with his. Naturally.I saw them shopping at the supermarket, arguing playfully over a brand of milk.Every smile she gave him was a hot knife twisting in my gut.Jealousy was a poisonous vine, strangling my heart until I could barely breathe.But at the same time, a sick sense of satisfaction washed over me.She was okay. She was happy. She was alive.Until that snowy night.Her birthday.Through her window, I watched him propose to her.I watched him