All Chapters of When Love and Hate Rise Like the Tide: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

By the time Riley woke again, it was already the following day. She was lying in a guest room, her wounds treated and wrapped in clean white bandages.Her hand went to the family photograph tucked against her chest, reminding her of the five-year promise she'd made to her parents.Six days left. She had to keep her promise and do her best to find a reason to live.Then she noticed the date circled on the calendar. It was Xavier's birthday.Maybe she could give it one last try.Despite the pain in her injured hands, Riley spent the entire day in the kitchen. When she burned her fingers badly enough to raise blisters, she simply bandaged them and carried on. She burned the cake layers twice, but patiently started over each time.By evening, she'd finally finished a beautiful chocolate cake. She then dug out a photo album she'd treasured for years, selected several pictures of herself and Xavier when they were younger, and put together a handmade scrapbook.With everything ready, she fina

After the surgery, Riley was wheeled back to her hospital room. As the anesthesia gradually wore off, pain radiated from the incision, leaving her trembling all over. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out.While tending to her wounds, two nurses chatted quietly."Mr. Parker is so devoted to his wife. He stayed right outside the operating room the whole time. He wouldn't leave her side.""I know! He's handsome, rich, and such a loving husband. I'm so jealous of their relationship. Miss West is one lucky woman."Riley could no longer hold back her tears. "I'm his wife..." she whispered weakly.The nurses froze before hurriedly leaving in embarrassment.Silence settled over the room again, broken only by the steady drip of her IV.Struggling to sit up, Riley tried to make her way to the bathroom. But the moment she got out of bed, her legs gave way. She collapsed against the bed frame, striking her surgical wound so hard that her vision went black with pain.The door opened a cr

"Xavier..." Lily leaned weakly against his chest. "My leg hurts so much..."He kissed her forehead tenderly. "Hang in there, sweetheart. I'll take you to the hospital right away. First, though, why don't you decide how we should punish her?"Still nestled in his arms, Lily replied feebly, "Maybe... lock her in the basement without food for a day? Give her some time to think about what she's done.""All right." Xavier lifted Lily into his arms and walked away without looking back. "Lock her up."Riley was thrown into the basement, where everything was dark, damp, and freezing cold.She had no idea how much time had passed when the door finally opened.Somewhere in her feverish haze, she felt someone gently lift her into their arms. A damp towel brushed the grime from her face, followed by the careful application of ointment to the wound on her forehead."Riri..."The familiar voice carried a tenderness she hadn't heard in so long.Was she dreaming?Riley struggled to open her eyes, but

Xavier hadn't slept all night. Pushing Lily away from where she lay in his arms, he watched the sun slowly rise outside the window, an inexplicable uneasiness settling over him.There was a strange emptiness in his chest, as though he'd just lost something terribly important, something he could never get back.He frowned, trying to shake the feeling, when a call came from Martha Collins, one of the servants at home."Mr. Parker, Mrs. Parker hasn't come home all night. Do you think she's secretly run away because she can't take the punishment anymore? Should we send someone to bring her back?"At Martha's anxious words, Xavier's expression darkened."Get someone looking for her immediately! Lock down the airports and every other transportation route as fast as possible. Until you find Riley, don't let so much as a fly slip through! She's never getting away from me, not in this lifetime!"He hung up, his chest heaving with anger. For some reason, the uneasiness he'd felt earlier had only

Lily couldn't sit still any longer. She changed into a pink dress in a style Riley had once loved, then carefully styled her hair and makeup until she looked almost exactly like Riley in her younger days.Satisfied with her reflection, she went to find Xavier."Xavier, you must be hungry by now. I'm absolutely starving! Can we go get something to eat? I want you to come with me!"She pouted playfully and wrapped her arms around his, coaxing him in a sweet voice.When Xavier turned toward her, he almost thought he was looking at Riley.Was she alive?For one fleeting moment, hope stirred in him, only to vanish as reality came crashing back. The woman standing before him was Lily, not Riley.His expression darkened, and he roughly shook off her hands, his voice colder than she'd ever heard it."Get out! Who gave you permission to come in here? This isn't somewhere you belong."Your contract is up, Lily. I don't need you pretending to be Riley to upset her anymore. It's time for you to le