[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-bound-to-my-enemy":3,"chapter-bound-to-my-enemy-bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-210":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},1600148,2067,"Chapter 210.","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-210",210,"\u003Cp>He watches me for a second longer then shakes his head slightly like he’s done with this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eat your food, Elaine,\" he says, picking up his fork again. \"It’s getting cold.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that...He shuts it down, like none of this happened, like he didn’t just crack something open between us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stare at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At how easily he retreats back into that controlled, distant version of himself and something in me twists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I don’t know what’s worse,..The version of him that hurts me openly Or this one...that pretends not to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time I get back to my room, the house is quiet, the kind of quiet that presses in on you, makes everything in your head louder than it should be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shut the door behind me and lean against it for a second Just... breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dinner sits heavy in my stomach, untouched tension curling tighter the more I replay it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zane’s voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You came back... but not for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I squeeze my eyes shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No. Not that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because there’s something else, Something that’s been sitting at the back of my mind since earlier, scratching and scratching, refusing to let me rest\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I push off the door and walk toward my bed, grabbing my phone from the nightstand. My fingers hover over her number for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s late but I don’t care, I need answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hit call and It rings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once.Twice.Three times.....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hello?\" her voice comes through, groggy, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then.....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Madam?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way her voice shifts....alert, nervous....it makes something in my chest tighten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elaine?\" she says again, softer this time, like she’s not sure if it’s really me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another pause....then everything comes rushing out of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Madam I’m so sorry.....I am so, so sorry.....please forgive me, I didn’t know what I was doing, my son.....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice cuts through her rambling and she goes quiet immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhale slowly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn’t call for that,\" I say quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But madam I....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Softer this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stops again and I press my fingers to my temple, trying to steady my thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I need you to answer something for me,\" I say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"O-okay,\" she replies quickly. \"Anything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When you were meeting the person...\" I start slowly, choosing my words carefully, \"the one who was giving you the poison...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even saying it still feels unreal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...did you ever see his face?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s silence on the other end, longer this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, madam.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My grip on the phone tightens slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Never?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Never,\" she repeats. \"He... he made sure of that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nod slowly, even though she can’t see me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He always came covered,\" she says. \"Face... cap... sometimes even a mask. I couldn’t see anything clearly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small knot forms in my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then how did you know it was...\" I hesitate for just a second before finishing it, \"....Zane?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He told me,\" she says quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He told me his name was Zane,\" she continues, her voice trembling slightly now. \"He made sure I knew. Every time we spoke... he would remind me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That doesn’t sit right.At all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Remind you?\" I repeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, madam,\" she says quickly. \"He said I should never forget who I was working for. That I should remember the name.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something cold settles in my stomach and I star ahead, my mind starting to piece things together.....or trying to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you ever... question it?\" I ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I did,\" she admits quietly. \"At first. But he... he sounded convincing. And I was desperate, madam. I didn’t think too much. I just....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know,\" I cut in gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She goes quiet again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I take a breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s something else,\" I say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When you finally saw Zane... my husband... in person,\" I continue slowly, \"did anything feel off?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, she doesn’t answer immediately and that makes my heart start to beat faster\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mia?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I...\" she hesitates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Say it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice drops, almost like she’s afraid of what she’s about to say\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was surprised.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She exhales shakily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He was taller,\" she says. \"Much taller.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sit up straighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The man I was meeting...\" she continues, her words coming more carefully now, like she’s thinking through them properly for the first time, \"he wasn’t that tall. Not at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fingers curl tighter around the phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shorter?\" I ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How much shorter?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t know exactly,\" she says. \"But... enough that I noticed. Immediately.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart starts pounding now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you sure?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, madam,\" she says, more firmly this time. \"I remember because when I first saw your husband, I was confused. I thought maybe... maybe I had misunderstood something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why didn’t you say anything?\" I ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was scared,\" she admits. \"And everything happened so fast. You got married, moved... and I thought maybe I was overthinking it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I press my lips together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.This isn’t overthinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anything else?\" I ask quickly. \"Think, Mia. Was there anything else different?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She goes quiet again and I can hear her breathing on the other end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I...\" she starts, then stops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His voice,\" she says finally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It didn’t match too\" she says softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest tightens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In what way?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The man I met...\" she hesitates again, \"...his voice was rougher. A bit deeper, but not like your husband’s. Your husband’s voice is... clearer and much deeper.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I close my eyes slowly as every thing inside me starts shifting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about the way he spoke?\" I push.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He was careful,\" she says. \" Like he didn’t want to say too much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That doesn’t sound like Zane well nit the Zane I know. Not even close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And you’re sure,\" I say again, quieter this time, \"that the man you met was shorter than Zane?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, madam.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No hesitation this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhale slowly, my head spinning slightly, Silence falls between us\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this...This changes everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or at least... it should.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Madam?\" Mia’s voice comes again, small, unsure. \"Did I... did I say something wrong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shake my head instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" I whisper. \"No, you didn’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything..,,She just said something very right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallow, my throat suddenly dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get some rest, Mia,\" I say softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But madam.....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’ll talk later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hang up before she can say anything else and for a long time....I just sit there, phone still in my hand staring at nothing. Because one thought keeps repeating in my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over and over again, if it wasn’t Zane...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then who the hell was it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t even realize I’m already dialing Lucas until the phone is pressed against my ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The call rings once. Twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elaine?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picks up fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You okay?\" he adds immediately, his voice sharp, alert. \"What’s wrong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallow, pushing myself up from the bed, pacing slowly across the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just spoke to Mia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a pause then his tone hardens instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I needed to ask her something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of something requires you calling her at this time of night?\" he presses, already on edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stop pacing and close my eyes for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lucas, just listen to me first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.But I know he’s listening. I take a breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She said she never saw his face.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whose face?\" he asks, impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The person who was giving her the poison.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another pause....shortwr this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And?\" he pushes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And she said he made sure she knew his name was Zane.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas scoffs lightly on the other end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course he did,\" he mutters. \"That’s what we already....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She also said,\" I cut in, my voice tighter now, \"that the man she met was shorter than Zane.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That shuts him up Completely and k grip the phone tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She said when she finally saw Zane in person, she was confused. Because he didn’t match. Not his height, not his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s a longer uncomfortable silence now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elaine,\" Lucas says finally, slower this time, more careful. \"You just went through a lot. And Mia.....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I knew you’d say that,\" I cut in again, my voice sharper than I intend. \"That she’s confused. Or scared. Or mixing things up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because that’s the logical explanation,\" he fires back, not raising his voice but firm. \"She lied once already. You expect me to take her word as fact now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turn away, staring at the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" I say quietly. \"I expect you to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhales sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am thinking.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then think about this,\" I push, my voice low but steady now. \"What does she gain from lying about this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence. I don’t let him escape it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What does she gain, Lucas?\" I repeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s already been caught. She’s already been thrown out. She has nothing left to protect.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He doesn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She admitted everything else,\" I continue. \"The money, the poisoning, jhr reasons. Why would she suddenly decide to lie about this one part?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still nothing.....i press harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And not just lie....but make it more complicated? Say it was someone else pretending to be Zane? For what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can hear his breathing now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She said the man was shorter,\" I add quietly. \"She said his voice didn’t match. She noticed it immediately when she saw Zane.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas exhales again, longer this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...shit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I close my eyes briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1560,"2026-06-06T09:39:37.420Z",1,"novelbin.me","aaf3437389283216e0429e4d19c80cc1dc02e064a308d5cbfd40ea45f3f072cf","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-211","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-209",266,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbound-to-my-enemy-cover.jpg"]