The whispers rose quickly, spreading like wildfire.
“She was in a wheelchair just yesterday!”
“I thought the doctors said she would never walk again, two years ago.”
“This is impossible.”
I kept my expression calm as we walked forward together.
Her mother was the first to rush toward us.
“Sonia?” she called out, her voice trembling.
Sonia stopped and faced her.
“Yes, Mother.”
Her mother’s eyes dropped immediately to her legs. She stared openly, as if afraid to blink.
“You’re… standing,” she whispered.
Then, as if needing proof, she reached out and touched Sonia’s arm. “Walk again,” she said quickly. “Take a few steps.”
Sonia hesitated for a second, then slowly walked forward.
One step.
Two steps.
Three.
Her mother covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes.
“This… this cannot be real,” she said. “The specialists told us your nerves were permanently damaged.”
Her father approached more slowly, his expression controlled.
He looked at Sonia’s legs carefully, then at the crowd gathering around us.
“This is unexpected,” he said thoughtfully. “Very unexpected. How did this happen?”
Sonia looked slightly overwhelmed by the attention.
“I… I don’t know,” she admitted honestly. “I woke up this morning and I could feel my legs again. I stood up, and they supported me.”
Gasps erupted around us.
“A miracle…”
I stood beside her the entire time.
Yet it was as if I did not exist.
Conversations flowed around me, not to me. I was present, but irrelevant.
“What a shame,” someone whispered nearby. “Now that she can walk again, she is still tied to that useless man.”
“She deserves better than him.”
“When she was crippled, he was suitable. Now? Not anymore.”
I smiled faintly to myself.
When she could not walk, they pitied her and mocked her marriage. Now that she could stand again, they were already calculating her value.
Sonia heard the whispers too. I saw her shoulders stiffen slightly, though she tried to maintain her composure.
Before anyone could speak further, the crowd suddenly parted.
A tall man in a perfectly tailored black suit walked confidently into the hall. His posture was filled with pride, and his presence carried weight. Conversations lowered automatically as he passed.
Greg Winchester.
The only son of the powerful Winchester family and heir to their vast business empire.
His name alone carried influence.
Her mother’s eyes immediately brightened.
Greg was the original plan, the man the Davenport family wanted Sonia to marry, but when she became crippled, he walked away with the excuse that he was no longer ready for marriage.
Now… he was back.
“Sonia,” Greg said warmly as he approached, his smile was charming and effortless. “It has been a long time.”
I could almost swear Sonia would ignore him because he walked away from her when she became crippled. But even before the thought fully formed in my mind, I heard Sonia respond to him with a smile, and I was shocked.
“Greg Winchester!” she exclaimed. “We did not know you would be attending tonight. What a pleasant surprise.”
Greg gave a polite nod. “I try not to miss important gatherings.”
His eyes shifted back to Sonia.
“But I must say,” he continued smoothly, “this is the biggest surprise of the night.”
He looked down briefly at her legs, then back up at her face.
“You’re walking.”
Sonia offered a small, polite smile. “Yes.”
“That is incredible,” Greg said. “I remember when the doctors announced that the damage was permanent. No one expected this.”
Neither did you, I thought quietly.
“How did it happen?” Greg asked, stepping slightly closer. “Did you undergo some experimental treatment overseas?”
Sonia shook her head. “No. I honestly don’t know how to explain it.”
Greg laughed softly. “Then it truly is a miracle.”
Her father chuckled approvingly. “Sometimes fate changes without warning.”
I noticed the way her father’s eyes scanned me up and down, and moved to Greg, doing the same thing. He was clearly comparing us.
With Sonia walking again, her value in the social circle had instantly risen.
Greg’s gaze lingered on her longer than necessary.
“You look radiant tonight,” he said. “Even more than before. You look beautiful, Sonia Davenport…”
Sonia shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable with the intensity of his attention. “Thank you.”
Only then did Greg’s eyes flick toward me.
It was brief and a little dismissive.
As if confirming that I was exactly what he had expected, nobody.
“You should join us at the central table,” Greg suggested casually. “Everyone important is seated there. It would be good for people to see you.”
Sonia instinctively looked at me.
Our eyes met for a brief moment.
I shook my head slowly in disapproval.
Her parents noticed the exchange immediately, and her father’s expression became harsh.
“That is an excellent idea,” he said quickly, smiling at Greg. Then he turned toward me.
“Leonard,” he began in a tone that sounded polite but carried no warmth, “you won’t mind, will you?”
I already knew what he was about to say.
“It’s simply a matter of seating arrangements,” he continued smoothly. “You can take a seat over there.”
He pointed toward the far corner of the hall, where the servants sat.
“That area should suit you better,” he added. “The people there are… more in your category.”
Several guests pretended not to listen while listening very carefully.
“Of course,” someone murmured.
“He should know his place.”
Sonia’s expression changed.
“Father,” she began, clearly uncomfortable.
“It’s fine,” I said calmly, cutting in before she could continue…
Every head turned toward me.
Perhaps they had not expected me to respond so easily.
I met her father’s gaze without looking away.
“I don’t mind,” I repeated.
Relief washed across his face.
Greg finally looked at me properly for the first time. His eyes scanned my suit, my posture, my calm expression. Then he looked away, uninterested.
Sonia looked confused.
There was no hatred in her eyes when she looked at me. Only conflict.
“I’ll be right there,” I said quietly to her.
She hesitated for a second before nodding.
As I walked toward the corner table, I heard someone scoff.
“What a useless husband.”
“Standing there like decoration.”
I took my seat without reacting.
From where I sat, I could see everything clearly.
The admiration surrounding Sonia.
The careful smile she wore to hide her discomfort.
The way Greg leaned slightly closer each time he spoke to her.
The satisfaction in her parents’ expressions as they imagined new possibilities.
They believed this was the beginning of something better.
They believed Sonia had outgrown me the moment she stood up from that wheelchair…
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 31
I stepped out of the Norman mansion with the locket resting in my palm.Behind me, I could hear hurried footsteps approaching, light but urgent, and I did not need to turn to know that it was Britney trying to catch up with me.I continued walking for a few steps, my fingers absentmindedly rolling the Norman Locket between them.Feeling its weight, its texture, and more importantly, the ancient presence sealed within it. To anyone else, it would appear to be nothing more than a beautifully crafted heirloom, perhaps valuable due to its history or design. But to me, it was something far more significant. It was a reservoir, one that had been quietly storing power for generations without anyone truly understanding its nature.As I slowed my pace, I allowed my senses to focus fully on the locket. The moment I did, the energy within it revealed itself more clearly, like a dormant force waiting to be acknowledged. It was ancient, refined, and incredibly potent, far beyond what most wou
CHAPTER 30
Only moments ago, they had been certain that the man lying on that bed was dead. Now, he was sitting upright, breathing steadily, and looking around as though he had just awakened from a long and deep sleep.Britney was the first to move.“Grandfather!” she cried out again, her voice trembling with emotion as she rushed forward and threw her arms around him.The old man let out a soft, astonished laugh as he embraced her weakly, still trying to process what had just happened. His hands trembled slightly as he held her, but there was life in them now—strength that had not been there before.“I… I cannot believe this,” he said slowly, his voice still rough but filled with wonder.“One moment… I was slipping away. I could feel it. It was as though I was standing at the edge of something dark, something endless. And then…” He paused, pulling back slightly to look at Britney’s face. “And then I was pulled back. Just like that.”His gaze shifted around the room, confusion settling in as he
CHAPTER 29
I did not say a word after the doctor declared the patriarch dead. I did not argue, nor did I attempt to defend myself .Even when Britney’s step-grandmother raised her voice and called for the police with so much certainty, as she had concluded that I killed the patriarch.Britney stood near the bed, her body rigid, her eyes fixed on her grandfather’s unmoving body. The color had drained from her face, and her lips trembled slightly.She was on the verge of speaking but could not find the strength to do so. The two doctors, on the other hand also concluded. To them, this was final. They had examined him enough to believe that the old man’s life had come to an end.But I knew better.I turned my gaze away from the bed and looked directly at Britney.“Bring me the Norman locket,” I said calmly.It was steady, and firm.Britney blinked, clearly confused by my request. For a moment, she simply stared at me, trying to make sense of what I had just said.“…What?” she asked softly, he
CHAPTER 28
As I placed my hand on the handle, I heard Britney’s voice behind me, softer than before but sharp.“I’m coming with you,” she said.I paused briefly, then turned slightly to look at her. Her eyes filled with determination, but beneath that determination, I could see the fear she was trying so hard to suppress. “No,” I said calmly. “You will wait outside.”She frowned, clearly unwilling to accept that so easily. “Leonard, I—”“If you trust me,” I continued, cutting her off gently but firmly, “then you will do exactly as I say.”For a moment, she said nothing. Her lips parted slightly as though she wanted to argue further, but the words did not come. Instead, she stared at me, searching my face for reassurance, anything that would make this decision easier for her.Finally, she exhaled slowly and nodded.“…Alright,” she said quietly. “I will wait.”Before the moment could settle, a sharp and disapproving voice broke through the air.“Have you completely lost your senses?”I did not
CHAPTER 27
I let out a quiet scoff under my breath as I turned toward the exit, fully prepared to leave the Norman mansion behind. The air in that place had become suffocating, not because of the illness in the room, but because of the ignorance that surrounded it.I had not come here to be insulted, doubted, and ridiculed by people who understood nothing about what I could do, yet spoke as though they knew everything.Britney’s voice followed me almost immediately, trembling with desperation.“Please, don’t go,” she pleaded, her footsteps quick as she moved after me. “Leonard, I am begging you… just give me a moment. Please.”I did not stop.At least, not at first.Then, just as I was about to reach the hallway that would lead me out of that house, another voice cut through the tension in the air.It was sharp, commanding, and filled with something far more calculating.“Wait.”The single word was enough to halt my movement.I stopped, but I did not turn around immediately. Instead, I stood
CHAPTER 26
I raised my hands slowly, not in surrender, but in restraint, as I turned to face Britney. The tension in the hallway had grown worse, and it was becoming increasingly clear that I had been brought into the middle of a situation where I was neither trusted nor respected. I let out a faint breath before speaking, my tone calm but firm.“I did not come here to be insulted,” I said, meeting her gaze directly. “If this is what you brought me here for, then I would rather find my own way out.”The moment those words left my mouth, Britney’s expression changed completely. The composure she had been struggling to maintain crumbled, replaced instantly by panic. She stepped forward quickly, as though afraid that I might disappear the very next second.“Wait, please,” she said urgently, reaching out slightly as if to stop me from taking another step. “Do not leave. I am sorry about them. Please just… give me a moment.”Before I could respond, a burst of laughter broke through the tension. On
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