Chapter 52

I loved him, though I couldn't pinpoint exactly when it began. Perhaps it started when he pretended to be gravely ill, yet always greeted me with that tender smile, vowing to protect me from my mother-in-law's cruelty. Or maybe it was those nights when he slipped into my room, claiming my body with an almost possessive intensity, only to cradle me gently afterward until I drifted off to sleep. It was a terrifying habit—one that ensnared me, unraveling my heart until I was utterly lost. At first, this love was twisted, unnatural. It gnawed at me like two separate agonies, day and night, eroding my will. I drowned in the warmth of his daytime smiles, only to surrender to his nighttime dominance. I loved him. I finally understood that. But what good did it do? What use was it now? Ethan, this time... I've truly failed you. My body—it's about to be defiled. My clothes were torn away. Despair sealed my eyes shut as I mustered the last of my strength and bit down hard on my tongue. Ethan, I'