جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

The video started playing, and my stomach dropped.It was footage from a security camera. The timestamp showed the night before the wedding. I recognised the hallway outside my childhood bedroom. The quality of the video was grainy but clear enough to make out two figures.I and Elena.I watched myself grab Elena's arm. My face filled with anger while my mouth moved, but the video had no sound. I saw myself pointing a finger at her, and I saw Elena shrink back. She looked afraid.Then I saw myself push her hard.Elena stumbled against the wall, and I stood over her."This was taken from the security cameras at your father's house," Damiano said. His voice was flat.My hands started shaking. "That's not what happened; I was trying to talk to her. "So you pushed her?""She was laughing at me," I said. The words came out desperate. "She told me she was happy I was going to suffer instead of her. She said I deserved everything that was coming to me."Damiano's jaw tightened. His eyes nev

The door slammed shut, and I stood frozen in the middle of the room. My legs gave out, and I sank onto the bed, staring at the closed door.I pressed my palms against my eyes until I saw stars. My chest ached with every breath as the weight of everything pressed down on me, crushing me into a small, broken version of myself.I wanted to scream and break something, but I had no energy left. Elena had taken everything from me, my dignity, and my reputation.If you lied, I'll divorce you. "You'll leave with nothing." Those were Damiano’s words to me.I laughed, but the sound came out broken. I already have nothing and I had never had anything. My parents had stripped me of choices, Elena had stripped me of love, and Damiano was about to strip me of the only stability I had left.I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The fan spun slowly, making a soft clicking sound with each rotation. I watched it for a long time, letting my mind go blank.The sun came through the curtains the

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My brain couldn't process what he had just said,the sun felt too hot on my skin.“You can't be serious. " I moved away from him. "You want me to..." I finally managed to say.You heard me. "His voice was calm."We're married, and people will expect us to act like it. Servants talk, and the words may get out. If anyone suspects this marriage is a sham, our reputation will be destroyed."My stomach twisted. "So you want me to play pretend in private too?The thought made my skin crawl. Sleeping next to a man who saw me as nothing but a problem to be managed until I could be discarded.I wanted to argue and scream at him, but the words wouldn't come.One year," I whispered. "Just one year.""One year." He nodded. "And then you're free.”"Fine," I whispered. "Good." He turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the garden. Two hours later, I stood in De Luca's mansion in the middle of my new bedroom.It was beautiful; a massive bed sat against

Then came the knock."Gabrielle." The voice was familiar in a way that made my blood run cold.It was Rosa, Damiano's mother.I quickly got to my feet and wiped the tears from my cheeks. I smoothed down my dress and tried to fix my messy hair with my fingers. It didn't matter; nothing I did would make me look presentable.The door opened before I could reach it.Rosa De Luca stood in the doorway, her posture perfect, her dark hair pulled back in an elegant twist. She wore a cream-coloured pantsuit, and her eyes moved over me with obvious disgust."Gabrielle," she said, her voice flat. "I see you've made yourself comfortable."I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I was still wearing the cheap clothes I had brought from home, my hair was a disaster, and my face was blotchy from crying."Mother", I finally managed. "I didn't know you were coming.”She stepped into the room, her heels clicking against the floor. "This is my home, and I don't need to announce my arrivals."I f

I stared at the broken pieces lying all over the floor."Oh no," I whispered. "No, no, no.”The footsteps came closer with each step, sounding firm and full of authority. I knew who it was before I looked up.Rosa appeared at the end of the hallway. She looked at the broken plates and the bread on the floor. Finally, her eyes stopped on me. I was still kneeling."What is this?" Her voice cut through the silence like a knife. "What have you done?"I tried to stand, but my body would not obey me. My legs shook so badly that I had to hold the wall to keep myself from falling."I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to do it. I felt dizzy for a moment, and the tray slipped from my hands."Rosa walked towards me slowly and stopped in front of me and looked at the mess with disgust."Dizzy?" she repeated as if the word amused her. "You have only been working for a few hours, and you are already dizzy?""I haven't eaten anything today," I said quietly. "I only needed a moment."Her eyes became c