บททั้งหมดของ BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US : บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

The doctor arrived quickly, his presence filling Jerome’s dimly lit bedroom with the crisp scent of antiseptic. He moved with quiet efficiency, his medical bag clicking softly as he opened it. Miranda stood rigidly beside him, arms folded, her expression unreadable but her eyes betraying a storm she fought desperately to control. Daniel hovered near the doorway, tense and restless, as though afraid his every breath might shatter the room’s fragile air.The doctor knelt beside the bed, checked Jerome’s pulse, examined his pupils, and touched the empty bottles on the nightstand with a faint frown. After several long, heavy minutes, he straightened up.“He’s fine,” the doctor said calmly. “Just exhausted. Emotionally and physically drained. He’ll wake up soon.”Miranda exhaled softly,quiet enough that no one would notice unless they were watching her closely. Daniel’s shoulders loosened slightly, but no one spoke. The tension sat in the air like smoke.When the doctor packed up and left,

Vanessa Sato had never known a silence so loud.She sat alone in her apartment, legs pulled to her chest, her fingers trembling as she clutched her phone. The city lights blinked beyond her window, but tonight, Tokyo’s glow felt harsh… accusing… suffocating.News traveled fast in their world,too fast.And earlier that evening, one quiet message had shattered whatever was left of her composure:“Have you heard? Jerome hasn’t been to work in days. His mother called a doctor.”Vanessa’s breath had stopped.The words hit her with a force she wasn’t prepared for, knocking the air from her lungs, making her vision blur. She had read the message again and again until the words became blurry streaks across her screen.Jerome.Sick.Collapsed.Alone.Because of her.Vanessa pressed a shaking hand to her mouth as tears slid down her cheeks, hot and relentless. No matter how she tried to steady herself, her heart refused to calm. Her mind replayed the thought over and over again until she felt p

Jerome sat alone in his dimly lit bedroom, a stack of important company documents spread across his desk like a battlefield he no longer had the strength to cross.He should have been focusing,he needed to focus.There were deadlines to catch up on.Contracts to review.A board meeting is coming up in seventy-two hours.His company couldn’t afford a distracted CEO.But tonight, the words on the pages blurred into meaningless lines. His mind kept drifting against his will, against his logic, back to the one name he’d tried so hard to erase.Vanessa.Even thinking it made his chest tighten painfully.He clenched his jaw, pushing the papers away.He hated how easily she occupied every corner of his thoughts.Hated how even after everything, after the lies, the betrayal, the days he’d spent unconscious on his bathroom floor,she still had the power to break him a little more each day.He shouldn’t care.He shouldn’t feel anything.He should be angry. Furious. Done.But the truth clawed at

The tablet slipped from Hana’s hands and clattered onto Miranda Lui’s desk.“Ma’am… you need to see this.”Miranda didn’t like interruptions.Especially not when she's busy.Especially not when she was reviewing confidential merger documents.But one look at Hana’s pale face made her stop.“What is it?” Miranda asked, voice cool, controlled.Hana turned the screen toward her.And the Dubai skyline lit up the office along with Vanessa's smile.Photo after photo.Expensive rooftop.Designer dress.Champagne glass poised like a declaration.And standing beside her…A figure like Akihito Tanaka.Miranda’s grip tightened on the tablet.Not a reaction of jealousy.Not a shock.Something far more dangerous.Calculation.Hana whispered, “It’s going viral. People are already making connections between her and…”“Don’t.”Miranda’s tone sliced clean through the sentence.She didn’t need explanations.She could read the battlefield instantly.The world wasn’t reacting to Vanessa’s beauty.They we

The airport doors slid open and the chaos hit them instantly.Cameras flashed like a lightning storm.Reporters shouted over one another.Security struggled to keep the gathering crowd at bay.Vanessa froze for half a second, sunglasses in place, suitcase rolling behind her. Akihiko instinctively stepped in front of her, shielding her as the noise grew louder—sharp, relentless, hungry.“Vanessa! Why did you go to Dubai?”“Who was the man with you?”“Are you cheating?”“Is it true the company is in crisis because of your post?”Every question sliced through the air.And through her.It had been only three days, yet the world looked different,hostile, heated, watching.They had rushed home the moment Miranda called, her calm voice surprisingly urgent:“Your post is causing trouble for my son. Come back immediately.”That was all it took.Now here they were,walking through flames they didn’t expect.Her bodyguard tightened his grip on her hand. “Don’t stop. Just walk.”She nodded, swallo