####Chapter 7
After that day, Marissa barely left her room.
Until dinner that evening–when Celeste suddenly clutched her stomach and collapsed pale–faced into Declan’s arms.
“What’s wrong?” Declan panicked, instantly calling for family doctor.
After the exam, the doctor’s face darkened. “She’s been poisoned.”
The entire estate erupted into chaos.
The housekeepers stood trembling in the corner, and the butler had already begun interrogating the kitchen staff about dinner prep.
“I… I saw Miss Wynn add something to the soup…” one of the younger maids stammered.
Declan’s expression iced over.
He stormed over and grabbed Marissa’s wrist, the pressure so fierce it felt like her bones might
snap. “You tried to kill her over a brooch? Marissa, what the hell have you become?”
Marissa looked up at him, her voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t.”
“Still lying?” Declan’s tone turned razor–sharp. He turned toward the staff. “Bring the leftover
soup.”
Marissa’s pupils contracted. “What are you doing?”
“Teaching you a lesson,” Declan growled. He grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look at him. “So you’ll finally learn what lines not to cross.‘
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The housekeeper brought the remaining soup, and at Declan’s signal, two bodyguards pinned her down and forced it down her throat.
She choked, coughing violently, but they didn’t stop.
The effects hit fast.
Marissa doubled over on the floor, her entire back soaked in cold sweat as the pain tore through
her. She curled up, fingers digging into her palms, still whispering hoarsely through the didn’t poison her…”
agony, “I
Declan didn’t even glance at her.
He stayed at Celeste’s bedside the whole time–gently helping her drink water, wiping her sweat with a damp cloth, his gaze soft enough to melt.
“Declan…” Celeste’s voice trembled as she weakly clutched his hand. “Marissa… she-”
“She’s not your concern right now,” he said gently. “Just rest.”
Marissa’s vision blurred as the pain took over, and the last thing she remembered before blacking
out was being thrown into the back of an ambulance.
She spent the entire night in the hospital.
Not a single person came to check on her.
When she returned to the estate the next morning, the place was silent and empty.
Her phone buzzed. A photo from Celeste.
Under a cloudless blue sky, Declan had his arm around Celeste’s waist, both of them smiling
radiantly at the camera.
Caption: “He said I needed a break after the scare–so he brought me to the coast to relax-”
So they went to the beach after Marissa was taken to the hospital.
Marissa locked her screen in silence and began packing her suitcase.
As she zipped it shut, it suddenly struck her–after living in this place for three years, everything
she owned fit into a single 24–inch suitcase.
She’d never truly belonged here.
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Just like she’d never truly belonged in his heart.
“Have you learned your lesson?”
Declan’s voice rang out behind her.
She turned to see him standing at the doorway, suited up as always, his brow faintly furrowed, gaze
scanning her like a judge issuing a verdict.
“I have,” she answered softly.
I was wrong to love you.
Wrong to waste all these years holding on.
His expression eased slightly. “Good. Get changed. We’re going to the party.”
“Party?” she echoed, momentarily stunned.
“You forgot today’s my birthday?” His frown deepened, like her forgetting was some unforgivable
offense.
And suddenly, she remembered.
Of course today was his birthday.
–
In the past, she would’ve had the cake baked, the gift wrapped, the decorations arranged down to
the tiniest detail.
She always remembered his favorite flavors, the color themes he hated, every wish he’d ever made
each year.
But this year… she’d forgotten.
“You go ahead,” she said quietly. “I’ll get changed and bring your gift.”
“Declan!” Celeste’s voice floated up from downstairs, light and sweet. “Everyone’s waiting for
you!”
Declan nodded, glanced at Marissa one last time. “Hurry up.”
Then he turned and walked away, his footsteps fading down the hall.
Marissa stayed still, watching his figure disappear.
Chapter 6
