Obsession His Runaway Bride (Noelle and Adrian) novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Unveiling

Marco scoffed and the sound was harsh and disbelieving. His eyes flashed with rage as he took a step toward her, refusing to let her pain drown out his fury.

“Do you think you’re the only one who suffered because of this so–called love?” he snarled. “You killed Faith! And she was the woman I loved!”

Grace flinched as though struck.

“She was not wild, or rowdy, or loud–unlike you!” he continued, the words spilling out, unfiltered and cruel.” Faith was well–behaved! Graceful! She didn’t go around making scenes or testing people’s patience. She knew her place!”

He then stepped closer, his voice a low growl. “You’re not a woman as she was. That’s why I loved her over you.” As soon as those words left his mouth, silence swallowed everything. A cold, suffocating stillness settled between them. Even Marco’s breath hitched faintly startled by the cruelty of what he had just said. He hadn’t meant it to come out like that. Not like a knife.

But it was too late.

Grace didn’t speak. She didn’t cry. She simply stood there, unmoving.

Even her tears had stopped.

Her hands, which had been trembling just moments ago, felt weak as they kept her ripped dress intact. Her gaze drifted downward, unfocused, as if she were staring through the floor. And for a terrifying moment, it looked as if her soul had quietly left her body.

The silence was deafening. It stretched on for seconds that felt like hours.

Then, slowly, Grace lifted her eyes.

They weren’t filled with rage. They weren’t wet with sorrow. They were empty–like something inside her had shattered beyond repair.

And when she finally spoke, her voice was no longer trembling.

It was quiet, cold, and calm.

“You’re right. I…” she whispered, the words fading into nothingness as her limbs grew heavier, her body weaker by the second. A strange lightheadedness overtook her, and before she could even grasp what was happening, a warm trail trickled from her nose.

Blood.

Marco’s eyes widened in alarm the moment he noticed it. “Grace?”

He moved quickly, his breath catching in his throat. But before he could reach her, Grace’s knees buckled beneath her. Her eyes fluttered once, then rolled back, her body collapsing like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

“Grace-!” Marco lunged forward just in time, catching her limp body in his arms.

Panic surged through him, drowning out every coherent thought. “Grace! Help! Ugh, fuck!” he cursed under his breath, struggling to lift her properly.

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Chapter I: Unveiling

+25 BONUS

Marco’s heart pounded in his chest as he clutched Grace closer. The moment her body went limp in his arms, his fury had vanished, replaced by an emotion far more terrifying. And it was his fear.

“Grace… stay with me,” he muttered, voice shaking as he tried to reposition her in his arms. But when her satin dress slid lower across her shoulder, revealing skin that should have been unblemished, he froze.

His breath caught.

Purple. Blue. Yellowed edges. The bruises weren’t just scattered, they were blooming. Hidden beneath the silk. “Bruises…?” he whispered, eyes wide as he stared. “What the hell…?”

He immediately looked around the room, spotting a throw blanket on the chaise. With one hand still holding her, he stretched to grab it, wrapping it around her trembling body with a gentleness that didn’t match the rage he had displayed moments ago.

His mind raced. Someone had hurt her. Someone had dared to put their hands on her–hadn’t they?

But the bruises weren’t fresh. Some had faded, others were more recent. There was no pattern of a single strike. No imprint of fingers or violence. It looked wrong in a different way. And that was when a sickening realization began to creep beneath his skin.

“Grace…? Gracie…”

A soft, echoing voice threaded its way through the haze.

Grace’s eyes fluttered open slowly, her lashes damp with unseen tears. The world around her was awash in a warm, golden glow–too soft to be daylight, too surreal to be real. She blinked, adjusting to the brightness as the scent of damp earth and blooming flowers grounded her senses.

And then, she saw her.

“Faith?” she whispered, barely breathing the name.

There she was.

Not the Faith she had seen in her nightmares–not broken, not bloodied or weeping. This version of her sister stood before her, bathed in light. A gentle breeze stirred her hair, her white dress billowing slightly as if the wind itself was reverent. Her smile was tender, familiar. Whole.

Faith walked toward her, kneeling beside where Grace lay on the grass. “Grace… what are you doing here?” she asked in a trembling voice, deep with unspoken ache. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

Grace’s lips quivered. “I… I don’t know,” she murmured, her throat tight. “Everything hurts. I think… I fell.”

Faith exhaled a slow breath and reached out to touch her cheek, brushing a strand of hair aside. Her touch was warm and it felt real for a dream.

“You did,” she said softly. “But you need to get back up, Gracie. It’s not your time yet.”

There was a long pause as Grace sat upright, taking in the surreal world around them. Rolling hills stretched out in every direction. A swing hung from the tree nearby, swaying gently in the breeze. The sky above was the softest shade of blue, with clouds drifting like whispers.

“I missed you so much,” Grace finally said, her voice breaking. “I’ve missed you every day.”

“I know.” Faith’s smile didn’t falter, but her eyes shimmered. “I’ve been with you the whole time.”

Chapter II: Unveiling

“You haven’t,” Grace said as a sharp, sudden breath escaped her. “You’ve only come in nightmares.”

+25 BONUS

Faith nodded. “I know. Because that’s how you remembered me. As your last memory of me–when we were both broken. But that’s not all we were, Gracie. You just… forgot the rest.”

Grace turned her face away as shame crawled up her throat. “I can’t forget the accident. The fight. The things I said.”

“We were sisters,” Faith said simply. “We fought. We hurt each other. But I never stopped loving you. Not even in that moment.”

Tears stung Grace’s eyes.

“I thought you hated me,” she whispered. “Everyone did. Father. Marco. They still do.”

Faith’s expression softened. “What they think doesn’t matter. What matters is what you believe.” Grace lowered her gaze, her voice barely a whisper. “I believe… I don’t know who I am without guilt.”

Faith reached out and gently took her hands, warmly reassuring her. “Grace,” she said with a gentle smile, “you are my little sister. Don’t you ever forget that. Before the guilt. Before all the regrets. You were mine, and I loved you.”

Grace’s grip on her sister’s hands tightened. Her throat closed with emotion. “I… I don’t want to go back,” she said, her voice cracking. “Let me stay here with you.”

Faith sighed as her eyes drifted toward the endless golden horizon. “There are things bigger than you and me, Gracie,” she said softly, as though she were speaking to both the wind and her sister. “Things we don’t always understand. But listen to me… don’t trust your heart the way I trusted mine.”

“What do you mean?” Grace blinked, confused.

Faith turned her gaze back to her and replied. “The heart is a beautiful liar. It tells you what you want to feel, not what you need to hear. I let mine blind me, and I paid for it. But you… you still have time to choose differently.”

“I don’t know how,” Grace admitted.

Faith gently cupped her cheek. “Start with the truth. The truth you’ve buried. The truth no one else knows. It’s time to let it breathe. Let go of what’s been weighing you down before it crushes you entirely.”

A long silence stretched between them, filled only by the soft rustling of leaves.

“Will they believe me?” Grace asked, looking at Faith with hopeful, innocent eyes

“Oh, my sweet little Gracie… They might not,” Faith said honestly. “But that doesn’t make the truth any less real. And it doesn’t make you any less brave for finally telling it. Now let me tell you the truth before you go back… Grace…”

Chapter 112. Anger

Chapter 112: Anger