Semua Bab LOVE ME, THEN DESTROY ME: Bab 1 - Bab 10

The first thing I saw that morning was blood. Not mine. At least, not yet. It was splattered across the white marble floor outside my father's study, mixed with the broken pieces of a glass vase. I stopped walking so abruptly that the heel of my shoe scraped against the floor. For a few seconds, I simply stared. The blood was still wet. A small drop slid slowly along the edge of a broken piece of glass before falling onto the marble. My stomach turned. I looked around the hallway. Two guards stood a few feet away, their expressions unreadable as they stared straight ahead. Neither of them looked at the blood. Neither of them looked at me. That was when I became more nervous. “What happened here?” My voice came out quieter than I intended. The guards didn't answer. I looked from one to the other. “Whose blood?” Still nothing. Of course. In this palace, silence was practically another language. I took another careful step, making sure not to st

Still, for some strange reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that those masked eyes would follow me long after the car disappeared. I stayed by the window for a little longer, watching the empty road as if the car might suddenly reappear. It didn't. “Are you planning to keep staring at the road?” Michelle's voice came from behind me. I glanced at her. She was leaning against the doorway, holding her arms across her chest. There was a small smile on her lips—the kind that usually meant she was about to say something I wouldn't like. “No.” I said it a little too quickly, and judging by the way Michelle's eyebrow lifted, she noticed. “Then why are you still standing there?” I glanced back at the window before looking at her again. “I was thinking.” “About the masked man?” She smiled wider. That smile alone told me I had made a mistake by answering her in the first place. I sighed and folded my arms across my chest. “Why do you look so happy?” “Because you're acting weird.

“Three months.” Celine smiled as she said it, one hand resting protectively over her stomach. For a second, I just stared at her. “You're pregnant?” “I am.” A laugh escaped her before she could stop it, her eyes immediately turning glassy. She looked happier than I had seen her in months. I blinked a few times, trying to process it. Three months. “You didn't tell me.” “I wanted to.” She reached for her glass of water, suddenly looking a little guilty. “But I wanted to tell you in person.” I leaned back against my chair and studied her. “You flew all the way here just to tell me you're pregnant?” “Partly.” “Partly?” She smiled. “There are other things I need to tell you.” Of course. With Celine, there was always a but hiding behind the good news. I glanced at her stomach again. Three months wasn't showing much yet, but somehow, knowing there was a tiny life growing inside her made everything feel different. “You're really going to be a mother.”

I hated parties, Argh. Especially the kind where everyone looked like they had been born knowing exactly which fork to use and which smile to wear. Unfortunately, tonight, I had no choice. Father had made that very clear. “Attend the Henderson party.” This was my punishment. Apparently, being forced to spend an entire evening surrounded by people I barely knew was supposed to teach me something. I still hadn't figured out what. The Henderson estate was already glowing when I arrived. The entire place looked less like a house and more like something built specifically to remind ordinary people that they could never afford it. Warm lights lined the driveway. Expensive cars filled the front lawn, while men in black suits and women dressed in gowns walked through the enormous entrance. Music drifted from inside. Not too loud. Just enough to make conversations feel more expensive. I stepped out of the car and immediately regretted coming. I adjusted the sleeve

The cool outside air brushed against my skin as Luxxe carried me away from the noise of the party. The moment we stepped outside, the loud music became nothing more than a distant thump behind us. Everything felt quieter here. The lights around the pool reflected against the dark water, dancing across the surface whenever the wind moved. The air smelled faintly of chlorine and the flowers scattered around the garden. I should have been more aware of my surroundings. I wasn't. All I could focus on was the warmth of Luxxe's arms around me. My head rested against his shoulder as he walked, and every step made me feel lighter and dizzier at the same time. I didn't know if it was the alcohol. Or him. Probably both. He carefully lowered me onto a bench near the pool, one hand remaining behind my back until he was sure I was steady. I blinked up at him. "Are you leaving?" The question came out quieter than I intended. Luxxe looked at me for a moment. "No." Hi