THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Ethan looked surprised by the question and glanced around too.

“She was just here a few minutes ago,” he said, confusion clear in his voice.

James shrugged casually. “I saw her walk off. Don’t know where she went.”

Stefan and Ethan both stared at him in disbelief.

“And you let her go?” they asked in unison.

James looked genuinely confused by their reaction. “I thought she needed space. Wasn’t I supposed to let her have some time alone? I mean, wasn’t she the one who caused all this trouble in the first place?”

“Are you serious right now?” Ethan said, his voice rising with anger. “She just watched her best friend bleed and almost lose her baby. Don’t you understand that she’s not in her right state of mind? She could do something stupid, something dangerous.”

“But she’s the one who caused all of this,” James said, his own voice getting defensive. “If she hadn’t opened her big mouth and said those things…”

“No,” Ethan interrupted, his face flushing red with anger. “You caused all of this. You and your inability to see past your own nose. You blame everybody but yourself for the mess we’re all in.”

James’s face changed, confusion replacing his defensive anger.

“How is any of this my fault?” he demanded. “Should I have faked feelings I don’t have just to make Elena feel better? Should I have babied her and pretended to love her? Should I throw away what I actually feel for Sienna just to spare Elena’s feelings?”

“You could have been kinder,” Ethan shot back. “You could have tried to understand that she’s grieving the person you used to be. You could have shown some compassion instead of treating her like she was nothing.”

“Didn’t I already pay for whatever I did with my life?” James asked, his voice getting louder. “I lost my memory, my identity, everything I used to be. How much more am I supposed to sacrifice?”

Stefan, who had been watching this exchange with growing concern, finally decided to step in. This was neither the time nor the place for this kind of argument.

“My pregnant wife is inside that room,” he said quietly, but with enough authority to immediately shut both men up. “And she doesn’t need to hear you two fighting in the hallway.’

Both Ethan and James looked appropriately ashamed.

”

“Ethan, go see your sister,” Stefan continued. “She’s been asking for you. And don’t tell her about Elena disappearing. I don’t want her getting worked up and stressed.”.

“What about Elena? She might be…..”

“Don’t worry, I’ll look for her and bring her back. I promise.” Stefan assured cutting him off.

Ethan nodded gratefully. “Thank you. I’ll make sure Mia stays calm.”

As Ethan disappeared into Mia’s room, Stefan turned to James.

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144 DO YOU WANT TO KILL YOURSELF WITH GUILT?

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“Wait here,” he instructed. “If anything comes up, if any of the doctors need to talk to us, let me know immediately.”

Then he walked away without waiting for a response, his mind already focused on finding Elena before she did something they would all regret.

Stefan searched everywhere he could think of. The hospital cafeteria, the chapel, the parking garage, even the gift shop. But Elena was nowhere to be found. As time passed without any sign of her, his worry began to override his

anger.

She was in no state to be alone right now. The guilt and shame of what she had done, combined with watching Mia collapse, could drive someone to desperate measures.

He had seen it before, had watched people destroy themselves over things that seemed insurmountable in the

moment.

Finally, there was only one place left to check. The cathedral across the street from the hospital. It was an old building that served the neighborhood, a place where people often went when they needed to think or pray or just sit in quiet contemplation.

When Stefan pushed open the heavy wooden doors, he heard it immediately – the sound of someone crying. Not just tears, but deep, wrenching sobs that seemed to come from the very depths of a person’s soul.

He found Elena in one of the back pews, her head bent so low it was almost touching her knees. Her entire body was shaking with the force of her grief, and the sound of her crying echoed off the stone walls and vaulted ceiling.

He stood there for a moment, just watching her. All the anger he had been carrying, all the blame and resentment, seemed to dissolve in the face of her obvious anguish.

She looked so small sitting there alone, so broken and lost. This wasn’t the Elena who had once stood up to him fearlessly when Mia had been kidnapped.

This wasn’t the sharp-tongued woman who could hold her own in any argument. This was someone who had been worn down by months of heartache and disappointment until there was almost nothing left of who she used to be.

Stefan walked quietly down the aisle and slid into the pew beside her. He cleared his throat softly to let her know she wasn’t alone anymore.

Elena looked up, her face streaked with tears and puffy from crying. When she saw Stefan sitting there, widened in confusion and something that might have been fear.

her

eyes

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice hoarse from sobbing.

“What are you doing?” Stefan replied gently. “Do you want to make yourself sick? Do you want to kill yourself with guilt?”

Elena just stared at him, unable to understand why he was talking to her instead of screaming at her or telling her to leave and never come back.

“You want to die so that Mia has to live with the guilt of your death on top of everything else?” Stefan continued.

Elena shook her head quickly, horrified by the thought.

Then Stefan did something that shocked her completely. He reached over and took her hands in his, holding them gently but firmly.

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