WHEN HIS HEART GOES WRONG のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

LEONARD: The door cracked open. “Mr. Hays?” Erica said groggily. I stared at her. Once again, I was met by those lifeless eyes—not the ones that happily served me dinner, or the ones that quietly admired me afterwards. I am not insane. I am not stupid. “Where is she?” I asked. I stormed past her and yanked the wardrobe. It was filled with nothing but clothes. I ducked under the bed. No one. In the bathroom, the same. “What is the meaning of this?” she barked, all traces of fake sleep gone. “Where is who?” I gripped her jaw and pulled her close. “I don’t like to be made a fool of, Erica. Erica 1 or 2?” I said, barely keeping it together. “Where is she?” She shoved my hand off her face. “What the hell are you talking about? Are you drunk, Mr. Hays?” See? Dâmn it! I should have known! One Erica calls me Mr. Hays. The other calls me Leonard. And last night? I almost got chills hearing her say my name. Fine. Let’s see how they want to play me. I reached for the cup of ice crea

ERIC:Clubbing is life.The loud music, the alcohol, the lustrous stares darting from one body to another— that’s the real essence of living.Too bad Lucas didn’t join me tonight. He refused to take part in my little diversion, claiming he needed to rest after the exhausting days of apartment haunting. A lie, but I let him think he fooled me.It felt weird clubbing without him for the first time, and weirder wearing plain trousers, a shirt and a cap, looking like I’d wandered in from a church picnic. But the bubbling atmosphere was enough to drown that discomfort.That’s when I saw him. Another fallen archangel after Leonard, walking past my booth toward the counter, bringing with him a rush of air scented like trouble I wanted to taste.I downed my drink in one gulp and followed.This wasn’t like me. Chasing after men was never my style. But when you cross paths with an extraordinary being, you improvise.“One piece of ice in it, and the taste hits differently,” I said, sliding in be

LEONARD:The exact explosive rush I’d felt the day we kissed in front of the reporters surged through me again as I kissed her in my bedroom.Breathing into her mouth, my gaze locked on those tender, lively eyes I had come to recognise. “Am I taking advantage of you? Abusing you like I did the first time we kissed?” I whispered.“Never took it as an abuse,” she murmured.I smiled.I knew it was the lifeless Erica who had considered our first kiss an abuse. If only she knew…“I am glad to hear that. Because it was my first kiss.”“What?” She gasped, shock flashing in her eyes.…If only she knew that was my first kiss, she wouldn’t have labelled it so.I’d never felt the urge to kiss anyone before. But with her, Erica 2, around me, all the emotions I’d lacked for years crash in forcefully, stripping me of my ability to think. Just as I’d boldly walked out of the bathroom unclad. Although I heard her calling, I overlooked my towel hanging on the pole and entered completely naked. I was

ERICA:Ever since I returned from Panila, Nathan had been cold, different. It was in his eyes, in his actions…a quiet, deliberate distance. I wasn’t expecting a huge hug, but his frosty demeanour was far from what I’d hoped for. He wasn’t happy to see me again, though I was too in love to admit it. I told myself he was just being careful, avoiding being seen with me so rumours wouldn’t stir Leonard’s anger.I wanted to tell him about Eric. I knew it would make him less fearful about our relationship, give him hope. If Eric officially became family, I’d have no reason to marry Leonard. Juana would crumble at the sudden appearance of my father’s long-lost son, and every plot she’s made for the Gerux inheritance would collapse. My father’s attention would shift entirely to Eric, someone he might see as the capable heir Pedro never was, and he wouldn’t care if I married Leonard or not.In his greed and selfishness, I still believed my father would let me off the hook if a son emerged who

ERICA:I stayed in bed for two days—crying, swaying into shallow sleep, waking up only to cry again. The ache was constant, like a sickness in my bones. I half-hoped I’d fall asleep one night and never wake up. But morning always came, cruel and steady.Leonard never knocked. Never came to ask about Nathan, not that I thought he cared about Nathan, but he had been worried about me that night. Part of me had expected him to at least try. Maybe even mention the kiss. He let it sit, unspoken…after all, we’d kissed once…in the shadow of my brother.I managed to connect my phone to a charger, but I didn’t take any calls. Lucas and Eric called over and over, and when I didn’t answer, they left me be.Nathan didn’t call either. I hadn’t expected him to. Still, the silence cut deeper than seeing him with his cousin.By Monday morning, I’d run out of tears, but I had no strength to go to work. I couldn’t risk seeing him—not when I might crumble like the fool I’d always been for him.I got up e