[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-bound-to-my-enemy":3,"chapter-bound-to-my-enemy-bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-171":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Bound to my Enemy",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1600109,2067,"Chapter 171.","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-171",171,"\u003Cp>Memories keep flashing through my head, all the sleepovers we had, the night phone calls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now every single one of those memories feels poisoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you have any idea how messed up that is?\" I ask him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zane watches me carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I had my reasons...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word comes out like a warning but he keeps going anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t understand the situation back then.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That does it, I laugh again but there’s nothing funny about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh I understand it perfectly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice trembles slightly now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You wanted information about my family.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He says nothing but silence says enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you used someone I trusted to get it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elaine.....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I said shut up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shout echoing through the dining room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest hurts now, not just from yelling... from everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have endured everything you’ve thrown at me since this marriage started,\" I say, my voice shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fingers curl tightly into fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your attitude, your stupid temper and your stupid revenge against my brother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My throat feels tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I tolerated it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zane’s expression shifts slightly but I keep going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told myself it was part of the deal, that it would get better eventually.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shake my head slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest rises and falls heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the height of it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room goes quiet again as Zane is still watching me but I can see something shifting behind his eyes now...Something calculating because for the first time since this started.... He’s realizing just how badly he’s screwed this up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest is rising and falling hard, like I’ve just run a mile. My hands are still shaking at my sides, the anger hasn’t burned out of me yet. It’s still there, sitting hot and heavy under my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Claire is leaning against the dining table, one hand pressed to her scratched arm, breathing unevenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then Claire says....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my gosh get over it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words sound so casually that for a second I’m not sure I heard her right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My head turns slowly toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Claire pushes herself away from the table and straightens. Her face is still blotchy from crying, but something ugly has crept back into her expression now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Annoyance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You heard me,\" she says.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re acting like you’re the victim here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My eyes narrow at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Excuse me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Claire scoffs under her breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You weren’t the one who got used.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a second I just stare at her, trying to process the sheer audacity of what she just said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re serious right now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Claire gestures toward Zane with a bitter little laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He used me for years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My hands slowly curl into fists again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And then he threw me away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice rises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So forgive me if I don’t feel too bad that our little friendship turned out to be fake.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did I not see this bitch for who she was all these years...something in my chest snaps again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You fucking bitch!.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words rip out of my mouth before I can stop them and Claire lifts her chin like she’s daring me to do something about it....And that’s exactly what I try to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I move toward her again, my body is already coiled with anger and the moment she opens her mouth again......\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elaine, you...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I lunge at her.... I don’t get far, a pair of arms suddenly grab me again from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My body jerks to a stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let go of me!\" I shout instantly... my rage exploding all over again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t you fucking touch me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I start thrashing immediately, trying to rip myself free from him, my elbows shoving him backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My hands claw at his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get your hands off me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His grip tightens slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"El...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I said don’t touch me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I twist violently in his hold, trying to break free so I can get back to Claire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My eyes are still locked on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You think you can say that and just stand there?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Claire actually takes a step back now, maybe she’s finally realizing I’m not bluffing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zane isn’t letting me go, his arms stay locked around me while I struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop this,\" he says sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I almost laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You think I’m done with her?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shove backward again, trying to break his hold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me go!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice is getting hoarse now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me fucking go!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I try to twist sideways to duck out of his grip but he’s stronger and the harder I fight, the tighter his arms seem to get.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elaine,\" he says again, his voice lower now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t you dare tell me enough!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My hands slam against his arms again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You started all of this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest is heaving so hard it hurts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Claire is watching from across the room now, her expression tight, but I barely see her now, all I can feel is Zane’s arms around me and it makes my skin crawl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me go!\" I shout again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shove backward one more time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t fucking touch me again!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then.....Another voice cuts through the chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"El....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound freezes me mid-struggle, because it isn’t Zane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s familiar and calmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, hey \"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My body stills slowly as my head turns and that’s when I see him standing a few feet away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aaron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must have come in during the shouting and I hadn’t even noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes move between me and Zane’s grip on my arms, then back to my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Easy,\" he says quietlt, likr I’m a dog he’s trying to calm\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just breathe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something about hearing his voice instead of Zane’s does something strange to my chest and the fight drains out of my muscles all at onc\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breathing becomes uneven as Aaron takes a slow step closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s okay,\" he says gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those two simple words hit something inside me that I didn’t even realize was barely holding together and my lips tremble suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hate that he can see it.... I hate that anyone can see it.\u003C\u002Fp>",1004,"2026-06-06T09:39:37.420Z",1,"novelbin.me","76a8116fb01c7f44d957b46f85d0f239851d95b62307ed6ec6a94508bfa140aa","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-172","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-170",266,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbound-to-my-enemy-cover.jpg"]