جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

When Nina reached the formal dining room, Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock were already seated, their faces calm but composed, surrounded by an impressive spread of food. It was clear they had just settled in and were still adjusting themselves in their seats before they began their meal. She stopped short for a moment, taking in their appearance. They weren’t dressed casually as she was. Mr. Whitlock wore a tailored suit, his tie perfectly knotted, while Mrs. Whitlock looked equally polished in an elegant dress and a strand of pearls. They looked like they were ready to attend a business meeting, not a family breakfast. Suddenly, her simple house dress felt glaringly out of place. No one had told her there was a dress code, but she immediately regretted not asking. A wave of awkwardness hit her as she stepped closer, the sound of her own footsteps echoing in the silent room. “Good morning,” she said, her voice measured, as she approached the table and pulled out a chair. Mr. Whitlock lo

The ride to the mall was quiet, filled only with the steady hum of the engine and the rhythmic clicking of the turn signals. Outside, the city rolled by in a blur, but Nina’s mind refused to settle. Instead, it replayed her encounter with Axel like a broken record. His voice, his eyes, the way he had said “D” with that raw vulnerability—she dissected it all. What had been his plan if she’d said yes? Would he have explained himself? Apologized? Or would it have been just some carefully worded excuse wrapped in charm? She shook her head and muttered under her breath, “He’s not your problem.” Saying it aloud felt like an attempt to anchor herself, to remind herself that her priorities lay elsewhere. Nathan. Adelaide had loved him—or at least, that was what she had to project. If she wanted to pull this off, her focus had to stay on Nathan, not Axel and his maddening allure. Soon, the mall came into view, an architectural marvel gleaming under the afternoon sun. Its modern façade

As the car pulled away, Nina sank back into the seat, her mind racing. Sean’s words replayed in her head over and over, but no matter how she turned them around, she couldn’t make sense of them. His words occupied her mind throughout the drive home, so much so that she didn’t even realize they had arrived until Martin opened the door for her. Once inside her room, she had barely settled into bed when a knock broke the silence. At first, she considered ignoring it, sinking deeper into the mattress as her thoughts spiraled around the incident with Sean at the mall. His bitter words still lingered, gnawing at her mind. What did he mean? Why that level of resentment? But then the knock came again, this time accompanied by a voice—a low, deep voice that made her breath catch. Axel. As much as she wanted to deny it, she recognized him immediately. He hadn’t left? Panic gripped her, sharp and insistent. She bolted upright, glancing around the room as if she might find an escape

The moment Nina stepped back into her room and shut the door behind her, she let out a slow breath. Her hands were slightly clammy, her mind racing with everything Axel had said. If his expression had been anything to go by, Adelaide’s condition had been far worse than she had originally thought. And she had just declared herself cured. She needed answers—fast. Moving toward the mirror, she steadied herself before calling, “Adele?” At the sound of her name, the smart AI embedded within the mirror blinked to life, its soft blue glow illuminating the dim room. After a brief booting sequence, her voice chimed through the speakers. “Adele at your service. How may I be of help?” Nina swallowed hard before speaking. “Tell me everything I need to know about Adelaide’s illness. And… if there’s a cure for it.” Adele’s digital eyes flickered as if deep in thought. “Working on it…” Nina gripped the edge of the dresser, her heart pounding as she waited. A few moments later, Adele’s

Somehow, she had made it back to her room in one piece, though she had no recollection of the walk. The weight of Mrs. Whitlock’s accusations still pressed against her chest, suffocating, while the unspoken tension from the dining table clung to her like a second skin. Her body had moved on autopilot, dragging her away from the wreckage of that conversation before she could fully process the damage left behind. Now, lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, the full weight of her choices settled on her like an anchor. Becoming Adelaide Whitlock had once felt like survival—a way out. But now, every step felt like walking a razor’s edge, slipping into shoes that had never been her size. And the worst part? She didn’t know how much longer she could walk in them without falling. Questions churned in her head, tangled and relentless. They chased her deep into the night, twisting, turning, until her thoughts blurred into exhaustion. She had no idea when she finally drifted off, but wh