[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-bound-to-my-enemy":3,"chapter-bound-to-my-enemy-bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-264":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},1599936,2067,"Chapter 264.","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-264",264,"\u003Cp>\"I gave that family everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every word comes sharper now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I protected Zane, I cleaned up his messes and I stood beside him through everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bitterness in his voice is terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And what did my family get in return?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shake my head immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because whatever he’s about to imply.....No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absolutely not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Thomas steps closer anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your husband destroyed my mother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anger flashes through me instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No he didn’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He absolutely did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He was a child!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas’s jaw tightens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And yet she still died because of what happened at their site.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence crashes heavily into the room, my heart pounds painfully hard now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside me, Aria looks pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait. Aria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holy shit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turn toward her again slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re really Aria?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She swallows hard before nodding faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stare at her in disbelief, everybody thought she was dead for years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zane mourned her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas mourned her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire world thought she died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How?\" I whisper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain flashes across her face but Thomas answers instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I took her before anybody could find her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You kidnapped her?\" I snap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\" His expression sharpens dangerously. \"I saved her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria finally speaks quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He did save me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blink at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes look glassy now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was hurt really badly,\" she says softly. \"I barely remember anything from that night.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas watches her carefully while she speaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He took care of me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something about the way she says it twists uneasily in my stomach. Not fear exactly, soomething stranger, like confusion mixed with loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I look between both of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then suddenly realization slams into me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my God.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stare at Thomas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All the attacks...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He says nothing but he doesn’t deny it either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The poisoning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aaron.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You did all of this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas finally sighs softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I did what I had to do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My skin crawls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re fucking insane.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression hardens instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" he says sharply. \"I’m a son who watched his mother die while powerful people walked away untouched.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I yank hard against the ropes again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You kidnapped a pregnant woman!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And yet you’re perfectly unharmed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For now!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria suddenly shifts beside me looking uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thomas...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately softens slightly at her voice, which somehow makes this all even creepier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stare at them both in horror. Then one terrifying thought crashes into me fully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh God. The second he realizes I’m gone...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything is going to explode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stare at Thomas in complete disbelief, the man standing in front of me doesn’t even feel real anymore, nothing like the Thomas I knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the calm, quiet, dependable man that stayed beside Zane for years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This version of him feels... brokenn and twisted, like grief rotted him from the inside out slowly until there was nothing left but anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My wrists ache against the ropes as I shift slightly in the chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bulb above us flickers faintly and for a second nobody speaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then finally I swallow hard and ask quietly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas looks at me and I force myself to continue despite the fear clawing at my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s your reason for doing all this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something shifts in his face immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not rage exactly but Pain, raw and ugly pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looks away from me briefly before speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re not in any position to ask questions but I’ll humor you for now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Years ago,\" he says quietly, \"when Zane’s father was still running the company and preparing to hand things over to him...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pauses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"An incident happened at the old site.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stay silent listening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My mother worked there,\" he continues. \"She was just a cleaner but sometimes she handled paperwork too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His jaw tightens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And one day she stumbled onto something she wasn’t supposed to see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chill crawls slowly down my spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of something?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Illegal,\" he says flatly. \"Big enough that powerful people wanted it buried.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas laughs softly then but there’s no humor in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After she saw that everything changed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes darken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cars started following us, people watched our house and my mother became paranoid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice cracks slightly there before he steadies himself again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She kept saying we were in danger.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stare at him quietly now, trying to imagine him younger and scared, watching his family fall apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he says softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One day she went to work.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression empties completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the site caught on fire and somehow she was locked inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas swallows hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She burned to death alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words hit the room like a punch, even Aria lowers her eyes immediately. For a second all I can think about is how horrifying that must’ve been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How painful and terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And despite everything...despite what he’s done...My heart aches for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m so sorry for your loss,\" I whisper honestly. \"Really I am.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas says nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But do you actually think Zane had a hand in this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That finally makes him laugh bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on now, Elaine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looks at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know he can’t be that heartless.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relief flickers briefly through me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why....\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t care!\" he suddenly snaps violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I flinch hard at the sheer force in his voice as Thomas starts pacing now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Agitated wnd emotional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just want them to suffer,\" he says angrily. \"The same way I did.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stare at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Them?\" I repeat carefully. \"What do you mean them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He doesn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s Zane you’re hurting now,\" I continue softly. \"It’s him carrying this pain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glance toward Aria beside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You made him believe his sister died.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas’s face hardens instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You made him carry that guilt for years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something dangerous flashes across his expression then and he suddenly moves toward me so fast my breath catches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For one terrifying second I genuinely think he’s going to hit me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria stiffens beside me immediately but Thomas stops himself at the last second though.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand clenches tightly at his side instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t know how I feel,\" he says through gritted teeth. \"So don’t tell me shit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallow thickly as he steps back again, my heart pounding painfully hard against my ribs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence afterward feels suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then quietly I ask:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did you even pull that off?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas frowns slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pull what off?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Her being alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glance toward Aria again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did you do all this without Zane or Lucas suspecting anything?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas exhales slowly before leaning back against the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When the accident happened,\" he says quietly, \"Aria was rushed to the hospital.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria looks down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zane was devastated,\" Thomas continues. \"You have no idea on how he was back then. He was hotheaded, emotional and violent when angry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nod slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He went to fight Lucas.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aria flinches slightly at Lucas’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And while he was gone...\" Thomas shrugs lightly. \"I switched the bodies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words make me feel physically sick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The accident had already caused heavy burns,\" he explains. \"The body was barely recognizable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh my God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told Zane the burns had disfigured her badly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression remains eerily calm now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He was drowning in grief and guilt already. He couldn’t bear seeing her body one last time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The horror of it settles heavily inside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jesus Christ.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I handled the burial preparations myself,\" Thomas says quietly. \"Everything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest hurts listening to this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And Zane had already cut ties with Lucas by then,\" he adds. \"Luckily he stopped him from attending the funeral, so Lucas couldn’t know too.....then eventually I pitch the two I against each other.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I close my eyes briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was easy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word makes my stomach turn violently as I stare at him in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t you think that was too much?\" I whisper. \"Why would you do that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Genuine emotion cracks fully across his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain....devastating pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So he could feel what I felt.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room goes quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My mother died,\" he says hoarsely. \"And after her... my little sister followed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My throat tightens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She stopped eating,\" he whispers. \"Stopped talking.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes look glassy now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She died from a broken heart...causeed by my mother’s death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence crashes into the room heavily and suddenly I understand....Thomas lost everyone. His mother and sister, somewhere in all that grief...he broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I shake my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you have to know Zane didn’t do this....so I still don’t get why you are making him suffer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas’s face immediately hardens again\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t care!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice echoes loudly through the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He shares the same blood as his father.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His breathing grows heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Someone has to pay.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hatred in his voice terrifies me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then suddenly another thought slams into me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tessa.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thomas looks at me calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What did you do to her?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why would she bring me here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh.\" He shrugs lightly. \"She didn’t want to help me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My stomach drops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So I had to gjve her a little motivation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear flashes through me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What motivation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pretends to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are their names again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My entire body goes cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thomas.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"June and Lila yeah?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes meet mine calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I kidnapped them for a while and threatened to kill them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rage explodes through me instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You better not touch my friends!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I yank hard against the ropes again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Leave them the fuck alone!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My voice breaks sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Leave them out of your twisted games, Thomas!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Relax,\" he says coldly. \"They’re safe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then after a pause:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The threat settles heavily into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just needed them to get you out of the house.\"j\u003C\u002Fp>",1594,"2026-06-06T09:39:37.420Z",1,"novelbin.me","edccb5ea48545ea937f33193518c497400169b94ec8480bb881e3cdea627780e","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-265","bound-to-my-enemy-chapter-263",266,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbound-to-my-enemy-cover.jpg"]