THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 145

Chapter 145

“I had no idea she was an addict,” he said. “I knew she drank, sometimes more than she should, but I thought that was all it was. I was just a kid, working two jobs to help pay our bills. I wasn’t paying enough attention.”

Elena found herself leaning forward, drawn into Stefan’s story despite her own pain.

“She overdosed because she had finally figured out the truth about Jeremiah,” Stefan said. “That he never had any intention of making her his wife. That she had wasted years of her life waiting for him to choose her over Annabelle. It was always going to be Annabelle. Always.”

Stefan’s voice grew quieter, more reflective.

“My mother spent twenty-four years of her life loving a man who would never love her back the same way. She gave up everything for him – her dreams, her independence, her self-respect. Do you know what her real mistake was?”

–

Elena shook her head, her own sobbing having quieted as she listened.

“Her mistake wasn’t falling in love,” Stefan said, looking directly at her. “Loving someone isn’t a mistake, even when they can’t love you back.”

Elena looked up in surprise.

“Love doesn’t make you smaller,” Stefan continued. “Real love doesn’t reduce you or make you a lesser person. Love should lift you up, make you grow, turn you into a better version of yourself than you were before.

That’s how love is supposed to feel. When you start feeling like you’re disappearing, like you’re becoming someone you don’t recognize, then what you’re experiencing isn’t love anymore.”

Stefan made sure Elena was really listening before he continued.

“You don’t have to fight for love. Real love fights for you. The only thing you should ever have to fight for is yourself, your own dignity and self-worth.”

Elena felt fresh tears starting to fall as Stefan’s words hit home.

“You’ve changed so much over these past months that none of us recognize you anymore,” Stefan said gently but firmly.

“Even if Mose were to regain all his memories tomorrow, this broken person sitting here isn’t the Elena he fell in love with. He fell for that sharp-tongued woman who stood up to me without fear when her friend was in danger. The one who never backed down from a fight when something important was at stake.”

Stefan’s voice grew softer, more compassionate.

“You’re physically here with us, but sometimes it feels like the real Elena disappeared months ago. I pity you more than I pity Mose, and Mia feels the same way.

She watches her best friend – this strong, independent woman she’s looked up to for years – turning into someone who begs for scraps of affection from a man who can’t even remember her.”

Elena looked up at him, confusion and guilt evident in her tear-stained face. Mia looked up to her? She’d been the one looking up to Mia all these years.

“Mose would be disappointed if he knew that the person he nearly died protecting has spent all these months

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145 GOING AFTER MIA WOULD HAVE MEANT WAR

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destroying herself,” Stefan said.

“But…. Mose….said… before…..the….he called….me..” Elena started, then stopped, trying to gather her thoughts.” He did all of that to protect Mia, that he risked everything because Samuel was the mastermind, the one that had ordered him to commit the murder.”

Stefan shook his head.

“Do you really believe that Mose went through all of that just to protect Mia?” he asked. “Think about it, Elena. Even if the Santiagos had found out that Samuel was the one who ordered the hit, who do you think they would have gone after first? The man who gave the order, or the man who actually pulled the trigger?”

Elena’s eyes widened as understanding began to dawn.

“Mose knew they would come for you no matter what,” Stefan continued. “He could have run. He could have disappeared, and hidden somewhere else for years. The Santiagos might never have found him. But he didn’t run, not because he couldn’t but because you were also in danger.”

Elena shook her head slowly.

“He said all that because he knew you would only agree to let him fake his death if you thought Mia’s life was in danger,” Stefan explained. “But the truth is, Mia was never the primary target. She’s not just a Meyer, Elena. She’s also a Sterling now. Do you understand what that means?”

Elena was beginning to, and the realization was making her feel sick.

“No one in their right mind would go after someone who has the backing of both the Meyer and Sterling families, “Stefan said. “Not even the Santiagos. They’re dangerous, but they’re not stupid. Going after Mia would have meant war with two of the most powerful families in the city.”

Elena felt like the ground was shifting beneath her feet as all the pieces clicked into place.

“Mose knew that,” Stefan continued. “He knew Mia would be protected by family connections and resources. But he also knew that you wouldn’t be. You were the vulnerable one, Elena. You were the one they would use to get to him.

11

“So he…” Elena started, then stopped, unable to finish the thought.

“So he chose the most dangerous, most painful path imaginable to keep you safe,” Stefan said simply. “He nearly died to make sure the Santiagos would never come looking for you.”

Elena buried her face in her hands as the full weight of what Stefan was telling her sank in.

He knew she was hurting, but he needed to wake her up. To make her see the consequences of her actions. This last piece was either going to make her or break her, it’s her choice.

“Do you know why Mia had been on birth control for a year now?”

Elena looked up at him through her tears.

“Mia has been on birth control all this time not because we wasn’t ready to have children,” Stefan said. “She’s been taking it because she didn’t think she had the right to be happy and start a family while you were in so much pain.

She’s been putting her own dreams on hold because she couldn’t bear the thought of celebrating a pregnancy while watching her best friend fall apart.”

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145 GOING AFTER MIA WOULD HAVE MEANT WAR

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