Chapter 140: I Never Stopped Loving You

I stood frozen in place, disbelief tightening my chest as I watched Jacob approach the door of the old house. My hands trembled, a gnawing unease rising in my gut. Why was Jacob here—of all places? It felt wrong. And then he knocked. The door creaked open, and Lily Brinson emerged, a wide, unsettling smile spreading across her face as she welcomed him inside.

Tristan yanked me back, pressing me against the barn wall just out of sight. My head spun, a wave of vertigo washing over me. “Don’t let Jacob destroy you,” Tristan muttered, his grip firm on my arm. “Let him be with Lily Brinson.”

“No,” I whispered fiercely, my whole being rebelling against what I was seeing. “I have to know why he’s here.” Ignoring Tristan’s caution, I slipped away from his grasp, my heart pounding.

“Rose, come back! ”He hissed after me, his voice laced with urgency. But I couldn’t stop myself. I needed answers. Tristan was quick, though, catching up and pulling me away from the front of the house. Instead, he led me around the back, the air thick with tension.

We entered the kitchen unobserved. The stench assaulted me: rotten rubbish pouring from the trash, filthy dishes stacked everywhere. The dining table was filled with half-finished takeout containers. It reeked of neglect and disorder.

From the living room, I heard Jacob’s voice. “Where’s Rose, Lily? ”It echoed through the grimy walls, a sliver of warmth breaking through my fear. He was still looking for me.

“I’m Rose, Jacob.” Lily stepped toward him, her voice dripping with a sinister charm.

“No, you’re not,” Jacob shot back, his voice steady and unwavering. “You can’t fool me, Lily. Now, tell me where my wife is.”

There was a dangerous pause before Lily’s sharp reply cut through the air. “She’ll die if you don’t agree with me, Jacob.”

My blood ran cold. How could she be so sure of my death? What power did she think she had over me? Before I could process her threat, I felt cold steel press against the back of my head. I stiffened. One of Lily’s men had slipped up behind me, his gun aimed squarely at my skull. Across from me, another man held Tristan at gunpoint.

“Salvador,” Lily’s voice rang out from the other room. “Bring Jacob’s dear wife in. Let him see her before she dies.”

The men were relentless, shoving Tristan and me forward into the room. Jacob’s eyes widened in shock as they landed on us, his confusion palpable. “What the…? ”He stammered, disbelief etched on his face.

“That’s your wife, Jacob,” Lily purred, her voice dripping with venom, “with another man.” Her smile twisted into something sinister, like she was savoring every second of the scene she had orchestrated.

Jacob’s gaze turned sharp, piercing through me as if demanding an explanation without saying a word. I felt the weight of his unspoken questions.

“Jacob, it’s not what you think,” I began, trying to steady my voice. “Tristan helped me save my mother. We’re only here because—” My words were cut short by the crack of Lily’s hand across my face, a brutal slap that sent my head reeling.

“Stop lying to your husband! ”Lily hissed, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking me toward her. Tristan struggled against Lily’s men, but they held him back, their loyalty to her unquestionable.

“I know all about you and Tristan,” Lily sneered, her grip tightening painfully. “A little bird told me everything. This is delicious, isn’t it? We’re all here for a confrontation—right, Rose? ”She laughed, a wicked, hollow sound that echoed in the room.

I forced myself to meet her gaze, trying to keep calm. “Where’s my mother?” I demanded, my voice firmer than I felt inside.

“Don’t worry about her,” Lily replied coldly, releasing my hair and circling me like a predator. “She’s in deep sleep. She won’t be able to witness what happens next, but don’t worry. She’ll have plenty of time to cry over your grave.” Her smile turned crueler, as if she’d already made peace with my death.

“You can have whatever you want, Lily,” I spat back, desperate. “Just leave my mother out of this. You don’t need her—you hate her.”

“I don’t hate her,” Lily screamed suddenly, her voice rising with unbridled fury. “She hated me! ”Her face twisted with rage and something else—something raw, vulnerable. “I wanted her with me, by my side. But she pushed me away. She hated me because I’m not you!”

Her voice cracked, revealing a deep, festering wound. “Why did she choose you? ”Her words, though filled with venom, were also drenched in pain. “Why not me? ”

The room fell silent for a moment, her outburst echoing in the air between us. For the first time, beneath her anger, I saw the twisted ache of her jealousy—her desperate need for something that had never been hers.

“I asked her so many times,” Lily grumbled, her voice low and bitter.

"Why did she choose to save you and not me?" Her words were dripping with resentment, her anger barely contained. "It's been a riddle all my life—why did she let Aunt Lucia sneak you away from our father's demonic plans while I was left behind?" Her rage softened, turning colder, more calculating. "If she had chosen to love me more than you, you wouldn't be standing here now, about to die by my hands."

I swallowed hard, feeling the intensity of her twisted pain. "Whatever regrets you have about our mother, there has to be an explanation," I responded cautiously, attempting to balance survival with sympathy. "I was not saved, Lily." I was abandoned in an orphanage far away from her. That was not a better fate than yours. We each suffered in unique ways."

“You weren’t abandoned,” Lily snapped, her voice full of venom. “You were hidden from him. And I was the one who suffered, alone, in his hands. I faced the monster every day while you were tucked away safely.”

Her eyes burned with a fierce, wounded fire, and I could feel the bitterness she had carried all these years. “But I didn’t just suffer. I fought. I found my own way to win.” Her lips curled into a dangerous smile. “I followed him, learned his every move, and in the end, I outsmarted him. I was the one who survived him.”

There was pride in her voice, but beneath it, a deep scar that still bled. She had turned her pain into power, her suffering into something sharp and dangerous.

“So, you see,” she continued, her voice steady now, “I earned my place. I’m not the helpless girl our mother left behind anymore.” She stepped closer, her gaze hard. “But you... you were always the favored one, weren’t you? The one she chose to save.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy with accusation and years of buried hurt, as I stood there, realizing the true extent of her torment.

“You always had it easy,” Lily spat, her eyes burning with envy. “You got everything without lifting a finger—like marrying the man who was meant for me.” She glanced over at Jacob, who stood silently in the corner, listening but not engaging.

“Do you even know why I ran away from you, Jacob? ”Her voice softened, almost tender, as she addressed him. But he remained silent, his jaw tense, eyes locked on her.

“I ran because I didn’t want you to get hurt,” she continued, stepping closer to him, her fingers grazing his chin. “The Triple King gang was after me. They were a threat, and I couldn’t risk your life. I left to protect you, to keep you safe on our wedding day.”

Her words hung in the air, laced with regret and manipulation. “I sacrificed everything for you, Jacob. I thought I could come back once the danger passed. But when I finally could... this bastard twin of mine had already stolen my place.”

Her voice dripped with venom as she looked back at me, resentment seething beneath her calm exterior. “You stepped into my life, into my marriage, without earning it. I left to save Jacob and you. You took him away from me.”

There was a dark glimmer in her eyes, as though she believed every twisted word she said. She turned back to Jacob, her expression softening once more. “I did it for you, Jacob. I never stopped loving you.”