Filed To Story: The Broken-Hearted She and The Icy He Book PDF Free
James scoffed. “Give her another chance? So she can hurt someone else?”
He had never believed that showing mercy to the wicked was an act of kindness.
Turning a blind eye to evil only ensured that more innocent people got hurt.
His lip curled into a cold sneer. “You’re overestimating yourself. No one in the Luke family plays saint.”
It was a clear declaration: the Luke family would pursue justice, no matter what-it was too late for mercy. Elsa’s fingertips trembled.
She knew then-there was no changing James’ mind.
She didn’t want to lower herself in front of Lily, a woman she despised.
But Lily had been the victim this time, and only Lily had the power to decide whether or not to press charges against Wendy. If Wendy were to avoid prison, it had to be Lily’s choice.
So Elsa clenched her teeth, swallowed her pride, and forced herself to face her.
“Lily. I’m sorry. I didn’t know my mom would hurt you.”
Even in apology, Elsa carried herself like a cold, proud rose-beautiful, aloof, and unwilling to bend.
She looked directly into Lily’s eyes, trying to sound sincere.
“I’ll make sure my mother apologizes properly. And we’ll compensate you however you want. But she’s old now. Her health isn’t good. If she goes to prison, she won’t survive it. I’m begging you… please, show her some mercy this once.”
But Lily wasn’t listening to her.
She was lost in a daze, eyes fixed on the pendant in her hand. didn’t seem real.
A delicate circle of gold filigree wrapped around a flawless piece of white jade-so exquisite, it almost
Her parents had spent weeks learning traditional handicraft techniques just to make it for her by hand. e, 22 JUI
It was a memory. A piece of them she could still hold.
Four years ago, she had been stabbed twice while saving John. In the chaos, someone had stolen the pendant.
John had promised to get it back.
He had found it.
But because Elsa said she liked it, he’d broken that promise-he’d handed it over to her without hesitation.
And now, the one who returned it… was James.
The man who had always seemed to hate her.
The man who had once promised to never care.
His values. His decency. The way he saw right from wrong…
James was a truly good man.
What a shame he couldn’t stand her.
“Lily…” Elsa’s voice came again, softer this time, still clinging to a thread of hope. “Please don’t force my mom into a corner. I’m begging you.”
At the sound of Elsa’s voice, Lily finally came back to herself.
She lifted her eyes and looked at Elsa, who stood coldly before her, unwilling to yield but cloaked in an air of pitiful grievance. Then, all of a sudden, she laughed.
“Elsa, when have I ever forced Wendy into anything? It’s always been you all-determined to target me, to ruin me.”
She’d long since grown accustomed to keeping a miniature camera on her, a last line of defense. This time was no exception-and she wasn’t about to naively reveal that trump card to Elsa.
“If it hadn’t been for that camera in my car, Wendy would’ve destroyed me. With her methods, I would’ve been condemned, smeared as a criminal, and thrown behind bars for years. You were trying to cut off every path I had left, to make sure I could never rise again. And now you want my help? You think I’m some kind of saint? The evidence will be sent to the police. Criminals deserve to be punished!”
Elsa could taste blood on her tongue from how hard she was gritting her teeth.
Lily really was as selfish and vicious as she’d imagined-utterly unwilling to show mercy to her mother. She hated Lily’s hypocrisy, her ruthlessness.
She wanted nothing more than to rush over and tear that disgusting, smug face apart.
But she knew that acting on impulse now would only backfire. Lily would take the moral high ground and make her look even worse.
She didn’t have the strength to go up against the Luke family. Not yet.
So even with all her pride, she had no choice but to appear meek and let Simon and John stand up for her. She stopped speaking to Lily. Her gaze fell to the ground, her voice soft and trembling with sorrow.
“I don’t want my mom to go to jail… I don’t want her to miss being with me in her final days… What can I possibly do to save her…”
Her voice grew shakier by the second. More blood oozed from the corner of her lips. Her mouth trembled in pain-and then she collapsed to the floor, motionless.
“Elsa!”
“Lizzy!”
Both Simon and John’s expressions changed instantly as they rushed toward her.
Simon’s phoenix eyes were full of anguish. He caught Elsa carefully, then glared at Lily with deep hatred.
“I won’t let you hurt Wendy! Don’t you dare pressure my cousin or Ivan into posting that video online! If you keep pushing Wendy and something happens to Elsa… I won’t forgive you!”
John was just as unhappy with Lily’s refusal to show mercy.
After Simon handed Elsa off to him, he quickly scooped her into his arms and held her tightly.
From above, he looked down at Lily.
He still ached at the sight of her injured arm.
He still felt guilty for the way he had wronged her.
But Elsa was on the brink of death. He couldn’t bear to see Lily torment someone in their final days. With that in mind, he no longer tried to console her. Instead, his voice rang out, harsh and accusatory.
“Lily, Elsa already apologized. You shouldn’t keep pressing her. She only has a few months left. In the time she has left, she wants her mother by her side. I don’t want her to die with regrets. Wendy isn’t an evil person by nature. I believe she understands what she did wrong and will sincerely apologize to you. You’re only suffering from superficial injuries. There’s no life-threatening danger. I hope you can let this go.”
Lily burst out laughing again.
Let it go…
Wendy had deliberately hurt someone-breaking the law in a serious, violent way. She belonged in jail. That was justice.
And now she was the one being told to let it go?
There was nothing more to say to John.
She didn’t waste another word. Her tone was icy and mocking as she said, “I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. I fully intend to pursue this to the end.”
“Lily!”
John’s voice exploded in fury.
There was a sharp warning in his eyes. “This is your last chance. If you agree to make peace with Wendy, I’ll marry you. But if you insist on targeting her-and Elsa-then we’re through. For good.”
Lily smiled.
This time, her smile came from the heart-genuine and full of joy.
She had never liked dragging things out.
When she told John they were over, it hadn’t been a game. It wasn’t about playing hard to get.
When she ended it, she meant it. She had already let go, and she was never going to look back.
The only reason things had dragged out this long was because John kept clinging to her.
It had become exhausting.
Now, finally, he was offering to cut ties once and for all.
Perfect.
She lifted her gaze and smiled sincerely at him.
“A clean break? I’ve been hoping for that.”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.