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Chapter 12
The air seemed to freeze. I sat motionless in my seat, a sudden sense of unreality washing over me.
Was I dreaming?
Why was Vaughn Sterling here?
Wasn’t he supposed to be in prison?
Elara.” Vaughn placed the cake in front of me, his voice trembling with agitation. “I know the terrible things I did in the past. I
now I broke your heart. You can hit me, you can scream at me… just please, don’t leave me. I worked so hard for a good behavior elease just so I could come out early and spend your birthday with you. Happy nineteenth, Elara.”
April 28th was my birthday. To get out as quickly as possible, he had ranked first in every labor evaluation during his sentence,
arning a two-month reduction.
He had finally made it out just in time for my birthday.
With a grim expression, I acted as if I hadn’t even seen him. I focused solely on slicing the cake in front of me and handed a piece to
eander Roth, who was sitting across from me.
Thank you.” Leander took the slice, then turned his gaze toward Vaughn. “Please don’t disturb us.”
Vaughn froze in place.
His eyes narrowed as he looked down at the man before him. Leander had an air of effortless elegance that sent a sharp surge of inease through Vaughn’s chest.
Who are you? She’s my girlfriend. Are you trying to be the other man?” Vaughn clenched his fists, the words spat through gritted
eeth.
Hearing that, I reached my breaking point. I stood up abruptly. “Follow me outside.”
didn’t want to cause a scene for the other customers, so I marched straight out of the cafe.
Elara…”
Vaughn finally saw me up close.
My hair had grown longer and was now dyed a soft chestnut brown. My face was as delicate and beautiful as he remembered.
n that moment, he realized exactly how much he had missed me.
t was an intense, suffocating longing-the kind that made him want to pull me into his arms and never let go.
But he knew he couldn’t. Not yet. He had to wait until my anger faded.
Vaughn Sterling, I honestly don’t get it.” I looked at him with cold, indifferent eyes. “How do you have the face to even show up
lere?”
I… Vaughn felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest from the pure disgust in my gaze.
His lips trembled as he tried to explain. “Elara, let me explain. I was kept in the dark back then. I genuinely thought that donor heart vas stolen by your father from under-the-table manipulation and given to your brother…”
So, because you felt bad for your little childhood friend, you intentionally approached me and dated me for three years? You really uffered for your cause, didn’t you, Vaughn?”
let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “You must have been so disgusted, forcing yourself to date me. You even sacrificed yourself.”
No, it wasn’t like that!” Vaughn shook his head frantically. “I know I deserve to die for what I did. My motives were rotten at the start, but I never expected to actually fall in love with you.”
16:27
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furrowed my brows, as if I had just heard the world’s biggest joke. “Fall in love with me? Let me guess how you show your love. By ilming private videos of me to broadcast to the world? By snatching my medicine to give to Corliss Mercer? Or by using your truth’ to spread rumors online and driving my father to his death?”
Vaughn was instantly rendered speechless.
He watched helplessly as my eyes began to well with tears. He looked as if a knife were being twisted in his heart. “Elara… please, don’t cry…
Vaughn realized then that he had absolutely no defense against my tears.
I know my stupidity caused a catastrophe. I can make it up to you. Just please, stop crying, okay?”
How are you going to make it up to me?” I grabbed Vaughn by the collar, all the suppressed agony finally exploding out of me. “Can you bring my father back? Can you resurrect the dead? If you can’t, then get the hell out of my sight and stay gone! I never want to see the person responsible for killing my father again! Get out!”
I screamed hysterically, my pulse throbbing in my temples. Because my emotions were so volatile, my chest was heaving, and my entire body was shaking uncontrollably.
‘Elara…
Vaughn saw me starting to collapse. Before he could reach out to catch me, a dark figure moved past him and pulled me firmly into a protective embrace.
Leander looked down at me. “I’m taking you home.”
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the tears from my face.
Vaughn’s eyes turned bloodshot with jealousy. “This is between us! Since when does an outsider get to interfere?”
He reached out to grab my hand, but Leander raised his arm, blocking him.
“Vaughn Sterling.” I looked back at him, my gaze freezing cold. “Do you know what I was thinking while you were in prison?”
Vaughn was almost too afraid to hear the answer.
‘I was wondering… if you were going to be beaten to death by the other inmates. Or if you’d catch some sudden disease and drop dead before they could get you to a hospital.” I gave a faint, chilling smile. “What a shame. None of that happened.”
A dull, heavy ache bloomed in Vaughn’s chest.
In my eyes, he saw hatred so raw it wasn’t even hidden.
“You want me to forgive you?” My eyes darkened. “If you died, then of course I’d forgive you. Jumping off a building would be even
better.”
Hat 2
“Madam, the abortion was Mr. Foster’s decision.”
In a private hospital, Luciana Holt lay in bed, staring at the gray ceiling. Her throat felt tight….
Abort Forced, His Chance Gone
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