The Lover Behind my Back のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

Helena’s POVI knew something was wrong the moment I opened my banking app.Not wrong in the way that makes your stomach drop instantly.No, this was slower, heavier. Like my mind saw it… but refused to understand it.I sat still on the edge of my bed with my phone clutched in my hand and my thumb hovered just above the screen.Don’t overthink it, Helena.Just check it.Just confirm it.But something in me hesitated, cause deep down… I already knew this wasn’t going to be normal.A strange tension burned in my chest as I finally looked down.My eyes scanned the numbers once, then again, then a third time.And just like that, everything inside me went completely still.$800,000.I blinked.No. That wasn’t right, that couldn't be.My brows pulled together as I leaned forward slightly as my heart began to beat louder in my ears.“That’s not…” I whispered.My throat went dry and I swallowed hard, refreshing the screen.I did it once, twice. And again.But it was still the same.$800,000.

Helena's POV I remained rooted where I was, nothing in me made to reach for the seat.And after minutes later, his voice came again, slightly higher than it needed to be. “I said you need to take a seat,” he said. It carried his usual weight of authority that he used on me. That he used on me that particular day I ran away.It pressed against my chest and made it harder to breathe, but yet, I didn’t move.“I’m fine standing,” I countered firmly.“You’re not,” my grandfather replied evenly. “And neither is this conversation for that.”My fingers flexed slightly at my sides with my nails digging into my palms as I held his gaze. There was something different about him now. It was no longer just the seriousness in his eyes, it was something I hadn't seen before. This was heavier, like whatever he was about to say had been sitting on his chest for years.“Just say it,” I muttered. “You’ve already gone this far,” I added stubbornly.A brief silence stretched between us. Then, slowly, h

Helena’s POVI couldn’t breathe.It felt like the walls were closing in, like the air itself had grown too thick for my lungs to take in properly.“Well?” My grandfather’s voice came again, breaking through my thoughts even as he remained calm but expectant. “Helena,” he added when I didn't say a word.But that single word felt heavier than it should have.I tightened my grip on the arm of the chair with my gaze fixed somewhere on the floor, though I wasn’t really looking at anything.He was waiting, probably for an answer, for my decision.And I had none to give.My mind was a mess, a mess of thoughts overlapping each other and emotions clashing together, even memories that refused to stay buried.Liam.B.My past.My present.One familiar, one unknown.“I…” My voice came out weak, barely holding together. I swallowed, trying again. “I need a moment.”Silence followed, and I didn’t look up, but I could feel his eyes on me.“You’ve had enough moments,” he said gently.That did it.My

Helena’s POVHer words wouldn't have done much if not for the face she kept giving me.The look she only gave when she had something crazy planned.Or when she was about to say something I wouldn't like.I blinked, staring at her with my head tilting to the side, trying to see through her smile.“A favor?” I repeated, and she nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.She then leaned back in her chair with that same annoying, confident smile. “Yes. A very important one,” she added.I narrowed my eyes slightly. “Why do I suddenly feel like I should be worried?”“You shouldn’t,” she said quickly, and that alone made me more suspicious.“Tessy,” I called out carefully.“Wharrttr?” She slurred, shrugging innocently. “I’m trying to help you out here,” she added rather too excitedly for someone trying to help me.“By doing what exactly?” I asked carefully and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and locking her eyes onto mine.“Well, I’m getting you out of this h

Helena's POVI almost didn’t say it.Even when the words pressed hard against my throat, demanding to be released, I hesitated.Cause saying it would make it real, and once it gets real… I wouldn’t be able to take it back.Tessy was still watching me closely, carefully. Not teasing this time, not pushing either, just waiting for my next words.And somehow, that made everything harder for me.I exhaled slowly with my fingers tightening slightly around the edge of the table.“I…” I choked out as my voice came out softer than I expected. Then paused and tried again. “It’s… family,” I finally said.Tessy didn’t say anything, she just nodded once, giving me the room to continue.I swallowed hard before I did.“My grandfather,” I said with my gaze dropping to the table, “he’s been… making decisions for me.”That was the safest way to put it. I didn't need to give out everything, didn't need to give out much. Just enough.“What kind of decisions?” Tessy asked gently.And a small, humorless l