All Chapters of Love Came Too Late: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

Third Person's POVAfter the call ended, the warehouse at the abandoned dock stayed silent for a few seconds.Leander Croft sat in a chair with his hands loosely tied by rope. Even the streak of blood on his face had only been painted on by Katrina Byrne.Katrina removed the voice modulator and let out a quiet laugh. "Think she'll actually come?"Leander kept his eyes lowered and said nothing.A few of their childhood friends adjusted the surveillance camera angles nearby. One of them snickered."Mila Carver worships the ground he walks on. She loves him more than her own life. If she heard something happened to him, she would crawl here on her hands and knees."She proved it seven years ago. She sold the piano her dad left her just to pay his ransom."During the fire, her right hand was destroyed, and she still cried while asking if he was okay."Leander's brow furrowed. "Shut up."The warehouse went quiet instantly.Katrina watched him, and a flash of resentment crossed he

Chapter 2

Mila's POVBy the time I reached the dock, the rain was coming down hard.The kidnappers told me to park 1,000 feet from the warehouse and walk the rest of the way in.My heels sank into the mud with every step, and the white hem of my dress became filthy within seconds.If this had been earlier, I would have been shaking and telling myself not to be afraid. I would have reminded myself that Leander was waiting for me.I only felt contempt for my own blind and foolish trust.Inside my bag was the ransom I had taken from the safe, along with the final operation plan. The page read, "If Mila Carver is willing to trade her life for Leander Croft's, the Carver family's old debt will be considered settled, and the wedding will proceed as planned.""The wedding will proceed as planned."When I read those words, I nearly laughed.Leander had finally agreed to marry me. It was not because he felt guilty about the miscarriage that left me unable to conceive again, and not because he la

Chapter 3

Mila's POVThe moment the warehouse door swung open, the stench of rust and damp hit me in the face.Leander was tied to a chair. He looked up and saw me, and something in his eyes loosened for a split second before turning tight again. "Mila, why did you come?"It was a good performance. He sounded exactly like a fiancé who never wanted the woman he loved anywhere near danger. If I had not seen those documents, I probably would have thrown myself at him in tears and asked if he was in pain.I stood in the doorway and looked at him.His face was pale, and blood sat at the corner of his mouth, but I knew the blood was fake. The ropes were loose. If he wanted to, he could stand up at any time.He did not, because he was waiting for me to walk forward. He was waiting for me to complete the final sacrifice he had arranged.One of the kidnappers stepped out of the shadows and tossed a knife at my feet. "Mila Carver, do you want him alive? It is simple. Stab yourself once, then jump o

Chapter 4

Mila's POVWhen I woke up, I was on a small boat.Soren Vail was leaning over me and treating the scrapes on my arm. He let out a breath of relief when he saw my eyes open. "Another half a minute and you would have been gone for real."I coughed up water, and my throat felt raw as though it had been scraped with sandpaper. "It needs to look real."Soren frowned at me. "Mila Carver."I closed my eyes. "That name is retired."He stayed quiet for a moment, then handed me a set of new identification documents. "Starting today, you go by Ella Rose. The boat will take you to the port, and someone will be waiting to get you out. I will make sure your death certificate holds up."I looked at the new name on the card and ran my thumb across it slowly. Ella Rose, a softer name. No more putting someone else first, and no more making someone else the reason I lived.By the time dawn was close, a news alert lit up my screen. "Croft heir kidnapped before wedding. Fiancée falls into sea, wher

Chapter 5

Mila's POVOn the day originally set for the wedding, Leander held a funeral instead.There was no body, only a black‑and‑white photograph. In the picture, I was sitting at a piano and smiling brightly without a care in the world. That was the nineteen‑year‑old Mila Carver, before she fell in love with Leander Croft, before she lost her hand, her mother, and her child.Leander's mother, Cordelia Logg, refused to let the funeral go ahead. She stood outside the memorial hall and said coldly, "A Carver girl does not deserve to be honored under the Croft name."In front of every guest in attendance, Leander knocked over the Croft family's old case memorial display beside the altar.Cordelia shook with rage. "Have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten how your father died?"Leander looked at her with bloodshot eyes. "That is exactly why I got Mila killed. Are you satisfied?"The question drained every drop of color from Cordelia's face.Inside the memorial hall, the guests whispere

Chapter 6

Mila's POVThree years later, I came back.My right hand still could not play the piano, but after years of rehabilitation, it was steady enough to hold a pen.I had founded a music fund that sponsored young musicians who had lost the ability to perform because of accidents. The fund's first charity gala was booked at a hotel owned by the Croft Group.That was not my choice. It was Soren's. He said, "You have been hiding for three years. It is time to let them see you are doing just fine."I stood in front of the mirror and adjusted my earrings. The woman in the reflection still bore a strong resemblance to Mila Carver, but her eyes were colder. The long hair was cut short, and a black glove covered the old scars on her right hand.My name was Ella Rose now.Before the gala began, a staff member brought over the guest list. Leander's name sat at the very top. I stared at it for a long time, then quietly closed the folder."He's coming?"Soren gave a small nod. "The Croft Group

Chapter 7

Mila's POVThe second event of the charity series was a public concert. I had invited a number of young performers, and the final piece on the program was one I had composed when I was seventeen.I had originally planned to play it at the international competition. After my right hand was destroyed, the piece was never performed in full.Tonight, the girl playing it in my place was someone who had also injured her right hand, but through hard work and treatment, managed to overcome the obstacle.She sat at center stage. When the first note landed, my eyes stung.Leander was in the front row. He watched the stage without moving, rigid as stone, because he knew that piece.Years earlier, I had curled up in his arms and told him excitedly, "When I come back with the trophy, I'll play it for you."He said, "I'll be in the front row."He made it to the front row. It only took far too many years, and he was no longer the one I was playing for.When the piece ended, the large screen

Chapter 8

Mila's POVAfter the concert, the police arrested Katrina and several others who had been involved in the operations over the years.Leander did not leave. He stood outside the backstage door like a statue that had lost its soul. When I passed him, he reached out and caught my wrist. His grip was barely there, as though he feared any real pressure would break me."Mila.""Do not call me that."Something in his eyes flinched, and he slowly let go. "Ella."I stopped walking.His voice was low. "I will transfer every share of the Croft Group to you. I will turn myself in. I will have headstones made for your mom and the baby."I will not show my face in front of you again. I only need you to not say it. Please do not tell me you never loved me."I looked at him. In that moment, Leander was so small he was almost pitiful. Then I thought of Mom's hand pushing me away before she died. I thought of the night my child bled out of me. I thought of the piano that was never played again.

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