He Turned My Love Into a Grave Chapter 04

He Turned My Love Into a Grave Chapter 04

The surgical light burned an angry red.

Elara sat on the cold metal bench in the hallway, her eyes hollow.

That untamable pride she’d worn like armor—Silas had ground it down to dust.

Now, she only wanted two things: her father alive and well, and that document secured so she could leave Silas forever.

The elevator doors slid open. Silas stepped out in a custom black suit, every inch of him radiating cold composure.

He sat beside her and slid an arm around her shoulders.

His voice came soft, gentle. “He’ll pull through. I spoke with the doctors. They got to him in time. If he makes it through tonight, he’ll be okay.”

“Elara, don’t test my patience again, alright? Be good.”

She nodded in silence, like every drop of strength had been drained from her body. A puppet, waiting for the next pull of the string.

Her father’s surgery ended successfully. They moved him to the ICU.

Silas arranged everything. Then he took an elegant box from his assistant’s hands.

“The Voss banquet is in two days. I want you there with me.”

He paused and wrapped his fingers around her icy hand.

“Lila will be attending. I hope you won’t make things difficult for her.”

He was putting his mistress on full display now. He didn’t even pretend to care about Elara’s dignity.

Elara lowered her gaze and took the box. Her smile made her eyes ache. “Understood.”

Silas was satisfied. His personally trained wife, now so obedient, so measured.

But when he looked at the dead light in her eyes, something sharp and restless twisted in his chest.

…

The banquet was held on a Private Cay.

When Lila walked in with her arm hooked through Silas’s, the room plunged into a suffocating silence.

Countless stares—shock, pity—landed on Elara. Everyone was waiting for the show, hungry to see her crumble.

She stood like a carved figure, her gaze blank, staring at nothing.

“Pathetic. She was on top of the world back then. Now look at her.”

“Such a joke. Everyone swore Silas was crazy about her. Then he turns around and cheats, parading the mistress right in front of her.”

“You’ve all got it wrong. With that temper of hers, Silas was bound to get sick of her. The affair was inevitable. Remember when she dragged him on some week-long hike overseas just to chase a meteor shower? He fell off a cliff protecting her. Broke his leg. She didn’t even show up once during the entire month of his recovery.”

“Cold like that, no wonder a man like Silas eventually froze over. She deserved to get tossed aside.”

The venomous gossip drilled into her ears.

Elara stared at the pale floor tiles and felt the bitter laugh rising in her throat.

They knew nothing. When Silas broke his leg, she’d thrown herself into learning an entire Rehabilitation Therapy program so he’d recover faster. That was why she hadn’t visited. He hated being touched by strangers.

After his discharge, she massaged him every day and guided his recovery. Within two months, all ten of her fingers were covered in blisters from gripping the rehab equipment.

She was spoiled. She was reckless. But she loved him with everything she had. Otherwise, this wouldn’t hurt so damn much.

“Elara, let me make a toast to you. Thank you for keeping Silas warm all these years.”

Lila appeared in front of her, chin raised, voice dripping with provocation.

Elara didn’t move. “You’re not worth my time.” Her cold words left Lila stranded in the middle of the room.

Snickers erupted around them. “Oh, wow. The mistress trying to step to the wife? And getting shut down? Embarrassing.”

“The old Elara would’ve clawed her eyes out. Lila should be grateful she’s getting off easy.”

“What a joke.”

Lila’s face drained of color. She retreated in humiliation.

A few moments later, Elara spotted her nestled against Silas’s chest, weeping softly.

His expression hardened. His cold gaze cut across the room and landed on her.

Minutes later, an assistant escorted Elara to the second floor. She pushed open the door and found a room full of unfamiliar faces.

Silas lounged on the sofa, his gaze lazy and indifferent. “Elara, these are my business partners.”

“Keep them company. Be good.”

The last word hit like a threat.

Elara lifted her glass and turned toward the first man. A hot palm slid up her thigh. She looked up into a pair of leering eyes.

She jerked upright, the blood draining from her face. “Silas, I’m not some toy you can pass around your little power games.”

He crossed his legs and smiled. He tossed a document onto the table in front of her.

“Do Not Resuscitate Order.”

“Sweetheart, I told you. Don’t go after Lila.”