A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 373

Chloe's eyes were red as she locked gazes with Declan. He had threatened her more times than she could count. Given her utter lack of power against him and her sense of resignation, she forced a smile and said, "Mr. Yeager, my life is yours, isn't it?"

But every time she put on that insincere, ingratiating smile in front of Declan, it irked him profoundly. It wasn't just her guardedness that bothered him—it was her continued resistance towards him that truly got under his skin.

Declan remained silent for a long moment as the ash from his cigarette fell. With a forceful swipe of his finger across Chloe's lips, his voice was soft but his words were venomous, "Sometimes, I really wish I could turn that smile of yours into tears."

Chloe shivered but did not resist, her gaze piercing into Declan's.

Declan scoffed and released her, turning his attention to the window.

As late autumn approached, heralding the onset of winter, the air turned chilly, and the streets busier.

Chloe wondered when this captivity would finally end.

...

During Matilda's second month in the hospital, Yvan often came back late at night, sometimes drenched from the storm, to find Matilda awake due to insomnia. Her wounds had healed by then, and Logan often comforted her by suggesting they could cover the scars with a tattoo of wings on her back once she was discharged.

Matilda had also noticed a line of intricate script tattooed along her waist, but the design was too elaborate for her to decipher. She suppressed her curiosity, thinking it might just be a remnant of her rebellious youth.

One rainy night, Yvan returned, his shoulders slightly damp. Matilda, who had been trying her hand at cooking, felt a bit embarrassed when she saw Yvan, "Mr. Boyd, you always come from the next town over so late..."