All Chapters of The Heart That He Stole: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1 The Man Who Stole My Mother's Heart

I clung to the door handle until my knuckles blanched, nails biting into my skin. I barely noticed the pain. Silent tears traced cold paths down my cheeks, falling to the floor below. I finally understood. Ryan had never wanted me. His proposal, his patience, the three years he spent pretending to love me, all of it had been for Olivia. I was not his future. I was only his penance.The voices inside continued. Caleb spoke first, his voice heavy with something that almost sounded like regret. "For Olivia, I killed Emma's mother with my own hands. I still cannot forget the hatred in her eyes when she looked at me. Now that you are giving Emma a wedding, I suppose that counts as my compensation to her." Ryan let out a cold, humorless laugh. "If Olivia had been in love with me instead of you, do you honestly think I would have married Emma? You had better treat Olivia well. If you hurt her, I will not let you get away with it." "You too," Caleb replied. "Treat her well."

Chapter 2 The Woman They Chose

As dawn crept in, the bedroom door opened almost soundlessly. Ryan stepped inside and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, offering me the same effortless tenderness he had given me for the past three years. "Today is your mom's memorial day. I already prepared everything." His voice was low and gentle, his words wrapping around me like every peaceful morning he had ever given me. I nodded but said nothing. When we were about to leave, his phone rang. The screen lit up. It was Olivia. Just seeing her name felt like a blade cutting through me. Ryan's eyes narrowed. Almost instantly, he let go of my hand. "Give me a minute." He hurried out to the balcony. …Ten minutes later, he returned, panic etched across his face. "Emma, something urgent came up at work. I cannot go with you today." He turned away without meeting my eyes. I reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "Ryan, can you come with me today? Just today." My voice barely rose above a whisper, but those wo

Chapter 3 The Woman in My Home

I waited and waited, but Ryan never came to take me home. The thought of going home filled me with dread, so I lingered. I dismissed the driver and wandered off alone, craving the distraction of unfamiliar streets. As soon as I reached the mall entrance, there they were: Ryan and Olivia. They looked inseparable, the picture of perfection. Olivia caught sight of me, and a spark flickered in her eyes. She clung tighter to Ryan's arm and strode directly toward me. Her voice was sweet, but her gaze was sharp enough to cut. "Emma, why are you here all by yourself? That must feel so lonely." I mustered a brittle smile, though the act drained me. "Yes. My fiance is a little busy." I met Ryan's eyes. "Since he is busy entertaining you, I am left on my own." Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes. She released Ryan's arm as if my words had cut her to the core. Ryan moved in front of her at once, shielding her like a knight. When he looked at me, the warmth in his eyes was gone. Al

Chapter 4 The Day I Walked Away

I only answered calmly, "Okay." My quiet compliance made Ryan frown, frustration simmering beneath the surface. He grabbed my wrist, his grip a little too tight. "You are the reason Olivia's condition flared up again, and now you are acting like this. What exactly are you trying to prove?" I looked up and met his eyes. "This is your house. If you want someone to live here, do I have the right to say no?" He froze. His hold slackened, uncertainty flickering in his eyes, as if words hovered just out of reach. Then, Olivia's voice came from behind him. "Ryan, I should leave. I do not want you and Emma to fight because of me." She reached out and lightly tugged Ryan's sleeve. Ryan took her hand at once. "Do not worry. As long as I am here, no one will make you leave." He gave me a warning look, then carried Olivia upstairs. … The next day, sunlight still clinging to my skin, I stepped inside and found Ryan waiting in the living room. His gaze locked onto mine, hea

Chapter 5 The Price of Trust

A flicker of fear crossed Ryan's eyes. "How is that possible?" he muttered in disbelief. "Where else could she go besides staying with me?" Ryan had known the truth all along. He understood I was cornered. He knew I had nowhere else to go. He knew my mother was my entire world, the only family I had. He knew she raised me alone, weathering every storm for my sake. Still, he chose to shatter her life just to keep Olivia breathing. To him, nothing was truly unforgivable. He believed that as long as he tried to make amends, even my mother's death could be balanced out. Maybe he convinced himself her life with me was empty, or that an early death was a mercy, a chance for her soul to begin again. Ryan spiraled into madness, desperate to find me.… Meanwhile, I was on a flight out of the country. I had finally broken free, yet an ache still gnawed at my chest. Despite his cruelty, he had once been the only person I trusted, second only to my mother. I grew up with

Chapter 6 The Man Who Came Too Late

It did not take long for Ryan to track me down. I was not surprised. With his wealth and influence, finding me was only a matter of time. What caught him off guard was just how far I was willing to run. Panic pushed him to the edge. He was desperate to confront me, to uncover what I had learned. Why had I sued him? Why was I ready to walk away so easily?… Meeting my father shattered every expectation I had built over the years. The arrogance, icy distance, and pride of a wealthy man were gone. He now appeared merely as a father waiting for his daughter to return. He had already learned about my mother's death over the phone, so when we met, his expression was heavy. I could tell his thoughts were still with her. He let out a long sigh. He did not bring up his past with my mother or force me to listen to anything painful. He only patted my shoulder gently. "You are here now. That is enough. I failed you before, but I will not let anyone hurt you again." Those w

Chapter 7 The Heart He Stole

Ryan gazed at the face that had haunted his thoughts for months. The storm of panic raging inside him finally began to quiet. Then, he pulled me into a crushing embrace, his voice shaking. "Emma… You finally came back." To him, I was a treasure he had almost lost forever. To me, his presence was a curse I could not escape.I shoved him away with every ounce of strength I had and tried to slam the door in his face. He asked, "Emma, what happened? Please tell me. Why is this happening? Whatever it is, we can fix it if you just talk to me." A bitter laugh nearly escaped me. Even now, he clung to his act of innocence. So I looked him straight in the eyes and spoke slowly, making sure every word landed. "Fine. Then, tell me—how did my mother really die? And whose chest is her heart beating in now?" For the first time, true panic flickered across Ryan's face. He fumbled for words, unable to find a single excuse. Finally, he offered the weakest excuse imaginable. "I never wan

Chapter 8 When Her Tears Stopped Working

Ryan stood there with one hand pressed against his cheek, staring at me in disbelief. In his eyes, I had always been the gentle one—soft-spoken, calm, the kind of woman who would never raise her voice or raise a hand at anyone. Least of all him. Ryan had always floated through life, the golden son who never heard the word no. No one had ever dared to defy him. So what if a life was lost along the way? To him, Olivia's life mattered more. In his mind, trading my mother's life for Olivia's seemed like a fair bargain. A smart one, even. He convinced himself that it would guarantee my comfort for the rest of my life. Surely, that was enough. He probably even believed that if my mother had been given the choice, she would have sacrificed herself without hesitation. However, no one had asked me whether I was willing to lose my mother. I shoved Ryan out and locked the door with shaking hands. As soon as I collapsed onto the couch, trying to catch my breath, my father

Chapter 9 The Lie That Destroyed Him

That tone shattered the fragile patience Ryan had been clinging to. Emma's slap from earlier still burned on his cheek, and his anger had been simmering beneath the surface with nowhere to go. Now, Olivia had given his fury a direction. He grabbed her wrist hard and snapped, "Why? I am not your boyfriend. I am a person, too. If you feel wronged, why don't you go cry to Caleb?" Olivia's eyes went blank. Tears streamed down her face unchecked. For the first time, all Ryan felt was disgust. He flung her hand aside. "Get out!" After that, Olivia vanished from Ryan's world, but suspicion gnawed at him, driving him to dig into her secrets. What he uncovered made his blood run hot with rage. Olivia's so-called heart condition had been a fabrication from the very start. She had never been sick. She never needed my mother's kindness. Every word she spoke to them had been an act. All she wanted was to watch me unravel after my mother's death. She wanted to prove that every

Chapter 10 My Life Did Not End With Him

Ryan's fury left him speechless. All he could do was seize Olivia by the hair and smash her head against the floor, over and over. At first, Olivia hurled curses at him with what strength she had left. But as the blood pooled beneath her, terror finally eclipsed her defiance. Perhaps it was simply the most primal instinct to survive. Tears streamed down her face, splattering onto the floor. "Ryan, please let me go. Please. I know I was wrong." Her pleas vanished into emptiness. Ryan was swallowed whole by his rage, not a trace of mercy left in him. In the end, Olivia bled out, her life stolen by Ryan's own hands. Only when her breathing faded did Ryan seem to grasp the horror of what he had done. He suddenly let go of her and screamed, "It was not me… Not me!" He stared at her lifeless body and let out a jagged laugh, as if relief had curdled inside him. "That bitch deserved it. That is exactly what she deserved." I gazed at Ryan's face and, for a fleeting moment, s

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