Chapter 1 Boundaries For Me Alone
Chapter 1 Boundaries For Me Alone
A pileup happened on the viaduct, and Eliana Lyons was caught in it. When a steel bar from the car ahead pierced through the windshield into her chest, her face went ashen white.
At the edge of death, all she could think of was her husband and son. Fighting the terrible pain, she grabbed her phone and called her husband Logan Eliot.
It rang and rang. Watching the screen light up again and again, she felt complete despair. Tears filled her eyes as she whispered, “Please, Logan, pick up. Just pick up.” All she wanted was to hear their voices one last time.
Logan finally answered, sounding tired of the calls. “What is it?” His voice was cold and clearly annoyed. Eliana began to cry harder, but before she could speak, he cut in with an icy tone.
“Eliana, didn’t I make myself clear?” he said, his voice tight with impatience. “Can’t you respect my space? I told you after nine is my time. Is it so hard not to call? Even married people need time apart. You really need to learn that.”
Tears ran down Eliana’s face. She knew she was fading fast and had no strength left to fight. She said weakly, “Where’s Samuel? He’s with you, isn’t he? Can you let me talk to him? Please.”
Probably because her voice sounded so broken, Logan paused, then passed the phone over. A moment later, Samuel Eliot’s childish voice came through.
“Why are you so annoying? Do you even know how late it is? You call me whenever you want, but did you ever think I might be busy? You always mess with my own time. I said I’m not coming home tonight. Calling again and again won’t change that,” Samuel
said.
Samuel’s words were just as cold and sharp as his father’s. Each one cut deeper than the steel in Eliana’s chest. As blood kept pouring out, she felt herself fading. But she still clung to one last shred of hope and whispered, “Logan, Samuel, if I die today, will you two even miss me?”
But instead of an answer from Logan or Samuel, a soft woman’s voice came through the line. “Here, try this. I promise it’s good this time.”
“Everything you make is wonderful,” Logan said, in a tender tone Eliana had never heard from him.
“So yummy. Isabella, this is amazing. Even better than the bakery,” Samuel cheered, his voice bright and happy.
Their sweet talk filled Eliana’s ears. A sharp pain rose in her throat, a metallic taste filling her mouth. ‘So late at night,’ she thought. ‘They’re happy to stay with Isabella and
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Chapter 1 Boundaries For Me Alone
eat dessert, but they can’t even answer my call.
‘So all that talk about space and boundaries was just to keep me away. For Isabella, any rule can be broken. But why? I’m Logan’s wife. I’m Samuel’s mother. Why do they treat me like this?‘
Hate and anger flooded Eliana. She wanted to scream it all into the phone, but she had lost too much blood. Her mind grew dim, and her hand, still clutching the phone, went limp. As she watched the blood pour from her chest, her eyes turned red.
It all started three years ago, when Isabella Hewitt came into their lives. Slowly, Logan and Samuel began to change. They started talking about boundaries and private time. Little by little, in their home, she became the one who was always in the wrong.
Later, even needing comfort when she was sick, or asking them to be with her for her surgery, was seen as crossing a line. She had a husband and a son. Yet for three years, she had lived completely alone.
A chill from blood loss washed over her. Eliana closed her eyes in despair, yet a hint of relief touched her face. ‘My whole life has been about Logan and Samuel. What a miserable way to live. If there were a next life, I would live for myself!‘
Her sight blurred into white, her hearing faded, until only a low buzz remained in her ears. “Mom, why do you always have to pick on Isabella? Why are you so petty? You’re just jealous she’s prettier and better than you, so you find fault with her on purpose, right?”
Samuel’s words crept into her mind. Eliana gasped, her eyes burning as she stared at the scene before her. There was a beautifully decorated cake, with a candle shaped like the number five. Logan’s parents and Isabella were there too.
Eliana saw Isabella looking back at her with tearful eyes, wearing an expression of hurt innocence. A numbness spread through Eliana’s fingers, and memories came rushing
back all at once.
She remembered this day. It was three years ago, Samuel’s fifth birthday. Knowing Samuel was allergic to nuts, she had insisted on changing the cake when she saw it was covered in nut crumbs.
But because Isabella had bought it, everyone said Eliana was just trying to start trouble. Yet since Samuel was born, Eliana had been the only one taking care of him.
Logan and his parents were always talking about how much they loved Samuel, but they only played with him when it was easy. They never did the real work of raising him. That was why no one else in the family even knew about Samuel’s serious nut allergy.
‘In my past life,’ Eliana thought, ‘I changed the cake and Isabella got hurt. She ran out crying and was hit by a car. Just a small injury, but Logan made me apologize anyway. Even Samuel hated me more after that, saying he didn’t want a mother like me.
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Chapter 1 Boundaries For Me Alone
‘After that day, whenever they want out with Isabella, they’d bring it up. They kept saying I owed her, and that if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have these lasting problems and wouldn’t need someone to look after her all the time.‘
As these memories flashed through her mind, Eliana came back to the present. She looked at Logan again, her eyes now cold and hard. She spoke firmly, “I’m not joking. I‘ Il say it one more time. Samuel has a serious nut allergy. Are you really sure you want him to eat this cake?”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
