Chapter Eleven

Leila's POV

That bastard! I growled, my fist pounding onto the soft mattress beneath me. The tears streamed relentlessly down my face as a wave of helplessness drowned my chest. I couldn't fight any of it, couldn't stop the flood of emotions crashing against the fragile walls I had built. My heart raced with fury, with hatred. Everyone around me… all betrayals.

You all are betrayals! The words broke free in a guttural scream, raw and untamed, filling the room with the taste of venom. I closed my eyes, desperate to shut it all out. But my cries didn’t stop.

It wasn’t just the words that had cut me so deeply; it was everything. Sebastian—my supposed mate, the one I had given my heart to—had chosen her. My best friend, the one I trusted above all else. I was nothing to him.

Suddenly, a voice broke through my chaos.

“Not all, my lady.”

I froze. The anger clenching my chest loosened just enough to let in the flicker of fear. Slowly, I turned, the sobs still shaking my shoulders uncontrollably. The familiar figure of one of the servants stood in the doorway, her hands clasped in front of her, her gaze lowered.

I didn’t even know why she was there.

“What do you want?” I rasped, my voice barely recognizable, laced with an edge that could cut through glass. My breath caught in my throat. How did you even get in here without knocking?

Her face blanched, eyes wide with panic. She immediately bowed her head, stepping back slightly as if I would lash out at her. “I—I’m sorry, my lady.” She stammered. “I heard your voice… and I— I thought you might need someone.”

I blinked, my gaze searching hers, and for a moment, I was lost in the softness of her expression. She didn’t look at me like I was some broken thing. She looked at me as if I still mattered. Her presence felt like a strange kind of comfort amid the storm.

"You are hurting," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly, but her words… they weren't just empty pity. They held something—concern, something rare and genuine.

I let out a shaky breath and, at that moment, I could feel the tension in my body ease, ever so slightly. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, the overwhelming grief that was starting to press in on me, but I nodded and motioned for her to come closer.

“Come in…” My voice broke on the words, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at her fully, my head still spinning from the cruel, callous words that echoed in my mind.

The servant hesitated, then slowly crossed the threshold, still careful with each movement. She stepped closer to me, watching as I crumpled in on myself. My hands shook uncontrollably as I tried to wipe away the tears, but they only seemed to fall harder, more furiously.

I was a mess. An emotional wreck.

Without another word, she set about lighting a small lantern, the flickering flame adding warmth to the otherwise cold, lifeless room. The silence between us was heavy, and suffocating, as if the world outside had disappeared.

Sebastian, I thought. The anger surged again, thick and bitter in my veins.

I couldn’t shake the image of him… standing there, his eyes cold, cruel. The words he’d said to me were like daggers, piercing into everything I had ever believed in.

“I’m done with you, Leila.”

“I’ve found someone better. Someone who doesn’t break.”

His words, spoken with so little emotion, had shattered me. He hadn’t even cared to explain, to try and mend things.

And worst of all, I saw her—the betrayal of my best friend.

How could they do this to me? How could they betray me so completely?

I grabbed a flower vase from the bedside table, my fingers trembling violently. It was a beautiful thing, delicate petals spilling out like a burst of color in the quiet room, but all I could see in its elegance was my shattered heart. I threw the vase against the wall, the glass shattering on impact. A jagged shard caught my palm as it fell, and I barely felt the pain as blood welled up, spilling down my wrist.

Pain… it was all I could understand right now.

I gasped, my breath ragged, and watched as the blood trickled, staining the floor with its red trail. The sight was numbing.

The servant gasped, rushing to my side with a frightened look on her face. “My lady, you’re hurt.”

I stared at the blood. It was a stark contrast against the pure white of my skin, and yet it almost seemed fitting. The blood, the pain, the betrayal. They were all the same.

But then the servant gently took my hand, her grip warm and firm. “Please,” she whispered, as if afraid I might push her away. “Let me help you.”

I couldn’t speak. I just watched her carefully clean the cut with trembling hands, her soft, unspoken care so different from the coldness I’d received from everyone else in my life recently. She worked quietly, her movements measured, soothing.

“You’re burning up, my lady,” she murmured as she pressed the back of her hand to my forehead.

I hadn’t noticed the fever until she mentioned it. It felt like my whole body was consumed by a simmering heat.

“I’ll fetch something for you to eat, my lady. Please, just… try and rest,” the servant said, her voice full of worry.

She rushed to the small kitchenette, moving with urgency. I sat on the bed, still in a daze, my mind swirling with fragmented memories of Sebastian’s words, the betrayal of my best friend, the weight of everything crashing down on me like an avalanche.

I could still feel the pain.

The servant came back with a small bowl of soup and some bread. She handed it to me, and though I felt too sick to eat, I took it from her out of sheer politeness, knowing she meant well.

“Thank you,” I whispered hoarsely, my voice sounding foreign to my ears.

The servant sat beside me, offering a small smile. “It’s my duty, my lady. Please, don’t worry about anything. Just focus on getting better.”

I nodded, barely able to stay awake as my head grew heavy. I felt the warmth from the soup settle inside me, fighting off the chills. Her gentle care, her unwavering kindness in the midst of my turmoil, was a reminder that not everyone would turn their back on me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I never thought I would feel like this. I thought he was the one. I thought I could trust her.”

The servant, who had been quiet and attentive, looked at me with sadness in her eyes. “People make mistakes, my lady. And sometimes… the ones we love cause us the most pain. But that doesn’t mean you’re unworthy of love or happiness.”

I swallowed hard, her words sinking in.

“I don’t know how to move on from this damage” I confessed. “It hurts too much.”

She placed a hand on my arm, her grip warm and reassuring. “You don’t have to figure everything out right now. Just take it one step at a time. You’re not alone.”

I met her eyes, seeing the genuine kindness there. And for the first time in what felt like forever, I believed it. Maybe… maybe I wasn’t as broken as I thought.