All Chapters of When the Stars Betrayed Us: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

My whole body went cold, and then thunderous laughter came from inside. "Eve, remember what you told him back then? You said it was a test. You were afraid Zack's feelings wouldn't last, and that his addiction might make him hurt you someday. And he actually treated your words like a divine command!"Another person added, "Exactly. Eve never fights for anything, but Zack spent the last five years trying every possible method to control himself. And even then, he only kept one little bird by his side—the one who happened to look like you. If that isn't devotion, what is?""Didn't you see the videos he sent to the group? He tortured that bird every single time, and even when she passed out, she couldn't get away from his lust.""He did everything to prove he's normal and can love you for life. You have to admit, that's pretty convincing."I knew these people. I used to see them at the mall, but Zack never introduced them to me. He only brought them up when he came back home to tortur

The moment I turned away, Zack grabbed my wrist in an iron grip and snatched my suitcase. He weighed it casually. "That's barely anything, Ivanna. This is an act, isn't it?"He pushed me down on the couch and climbed on top, then he started tearing my clothes. "Even if you're trying to pull away, you shouldn't push too far.""Let go, you bastard! Let go!" I screamed and thrashed and kicked, but he grabbed my wrists easily and held them over my head. He kissed me hard, as if it was a punishment. "You scream, but your body is reacting differently."His lips moved to the side of my neck, leaving something wet and warm. "You melt right away. There's no way you can leave me, Ivanna. Open your eyes. You can't live without my body, my money, and everything I've given you. Not just anyone can spend 500 million on you like pocket change, get it?"He held himself against me, and his breathing was heavy. "Are you throwing a tantrum because I haven't been giving it to you tonight? Can't get us

Zack froze, and his heart skipped a beat. Then his voice took a darker turn. "What do you mean, MFM? She's pregnant? Explain!"The doctor sounded stunned. "You're her family, aren't you? She's about six weeks pregnant. What exactly have you been doing? The first trimester is critical, and the fetus isn't stabilized yet. She needs rest. She's wounded and is emotionally turbulent. The fetus didn't look good during her checkup either. She nearly miscarried."Every word hit Zack like a sledgehammer. He nearly fainted, but he clenched the phone tightly until his knuckles were white. Then he remembered that one time he took me with force. He was reminded of my pale face and my silent tears.After that session, he took me into the bathroom for a shower. When he saw the bruises and wounds on my body, he felt uneasy and beat himself up a little. Then I tried to take some morning-after pills, but he tossed them into the bin.He promised, "If you get pregnant, carry it to term."At the time,

All the color drained from Yvonne's face. Even her lips turned white. She looked at him as if she had never seen this side of him before. The man who was gentle and did everything she wanted was being distant and firm with her.And he was doing it because of another woman. More specifically, because of the child that woman was carrying—the child he had never expected."You're taking responsibility?" she muttered, and tears slid down her cheeks. "What about me? We just… you proposed to me, and everyone knows that."Her tears softened Zack's heart, but it also frustrated him, and he was reminded of what I said to him. It was then he realized he never thought about losing or abandoning me.Confusion grasped his mind. He thought Yvonne was the one he loved. He thought he loved the bright, proud, innocent, and cheeky girl. The mischievous girl who had smiled at him beneath the sunlight and become the first love of his youth.Displeased by her family's arranged marriage for her, she sai

Another year had gone by. I was travelling through rural Toucany, Romagna, searching for inspiration, and had temporarily settled into an old stone house in the countryside.It was late at night, and the aging circuit ended up causing a fire, and the flames quickly spread from the workshop next door. When the thick smoke woke me up, choking and coughing, the fire had already blocked the exit.I covered my mouth and nose with a wet towel and desperately tried to search for other exits, but the lack of any hit me with hopelessness. Then a silhouette charged into the fire and ran into the house.Zack. He somehow managed to track me down every time. There were obvious burns across his arms and back, and his face was streaked with soot. He did not seem to notice any of it. He wrapped a drenched coat around me, pulled me tightly against his chest, and shielded my body with his own. Then he carried me to the second-floor window. Before I could react, he jumped.There was already an in