Todos los capítulos de Ten Years Loving the Man Who Hated Me: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Both Joe and Aaron froze."Layla, you—"I interrupted Aaron softly. "Mr. Turner Senior, forced love never lasts. I don't want to marry a man whose heart belongs to someone else."After turning to Joe, I looked at him calmly. "Joe, you're free."His face darkened instantly. He clearly hadn't expected me to walk away so easily.He took a step forward and grabbed my wrist tightly. "Layla, what kind of game are you playing now? Playing hard to get? You know Rebecca's about to go to prison, so you're saying you want to break off the engagement to drive her over the edge?"A sharp pang struck my chest.In his eyes, I would always be the scheming villain."If she doesn't go, I will. Does that mean I'm the one who deserves to suffer?" I retorted coldly.His eyes flickered, but he stubbornly pressed on. "Rebecca's fragile! She'd never survive a place like prison! You're different. You're…"I was strong. I could take it.I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.Right. I was always

Joe frowned at me. "Rebecca's already taking the fall for you, and you can't even tolerate her for a few days? How could you push her down the stairs?"Clutching my bleeding head, I stared at him in total disbelief. "I didn't push her. She dragged me down—""Shut up!" His eyes were ice-cold, as if he were looking at a monster."When did you become so malicious and jealous? I am so disappointed in you! How can you look at yourself in the mirror after doing this? What would your late mother say if she knew what kind of daughter—"I summoned every last ounce of my strength, stood up, and delivered a ringing slap across Joe's face.He froze, his hand snapping up by instinct as if to strike back, but it hovered in midair before dropping.I glared at him with pure venom and ground out each word through clenched teeth. "Nobody gets to bring up my mother. Especially not you! Get this through your head, Joe. The one going to prison this time is me! Not Rebecca!"The moment the words left

The pain was so agonizing that I nearly blacked out, but I bit my lip hard, refusing to let out a single groan.I knew that the second I showed any sign of weakness, I'd never have a single day of peace.In my past life, Rebecca was targeted and tortured to death precisely because she was too soft."Throw her bedding by the toilet," Evelyn ordered coldly.That spot was the filthiest, foulest-smelling area in the entire cell.I quietly dragged myself up, gathered my bedding, and walked to the corner beside the toilet.That night, after everyone had fallen asleep, I lay on the freezing floor, breathing in the stench, and stared into the darkness until dawn.I reminded myself that I'd already died once. What was there left to fear?Over the next few days, Evelyn came up with every trick in the book to torment me, from forcing me to take freezing showers and dumping out my food to making me scrub the entire cell by myself.I endured it all without saying a single word, never fight

Evelyn said nothing more, simply handing me an apple.In prison, an apple was a rare commodity.I took it and bit into it. It was incredibly sweet.It was the first taste of sweetness I had experienced since entering this place.…My body slowly began to recover.Evelyn and I grew much closer as well.She stopped targeting me and even started looking out for me behind the scenes.I knew that in a place governed by the law of the jungle, I had to prove my worth.I began using my background knowledge to help the inmates write appeal letters and analyze their legal cases.I'd majored in law in college. Although I'd never practiced as an attorney, my legal knowledge was still solid.My composure and professionalism earned their respect.They even started calling me "Ms. Clarke".I had finally secured my footing behind these bars.Joe continued to visit on a regular schedule, but I kept turning him away.Until one day, a guard informed me that Joe had brought along Mom's belo

Joe froze, the light in his eyes instantly dimming. "Layla, I'm here to take you home.""Home?" I let out a faint laugh. "I don't have a home.""You do! My home is your home!" he said desperately.I shook my head. "Joe, we're over."I stepped past him and walked forward."Layla!" he called out behind me. "Where are you going?""Somewhere without you."Following the address on the card, I found Evelyn. She had opened a restaurant, and business was booming."You made it." She smiled when she saw me."Yes." I smiled back.I stayed at the restaurant and started working as a waitress.I cut my hair short, stripped away all my pretense, and began a new life.Joe came to see me a few times, but I refused to meet him every single time.Eventually, he rented an apartment directly across from the restaurant and silently watched me every day.However, I treated him like a ghost.One day, I ran into a beggar on the street.It was Rebecca.After her failed escape attempt, her legs