Requiem of a Broken Heart

Chapter 785:

Samira picked up her glass and took a sip, catching Rachel off guard. The image she had of Samira in the past didn’t quite match what she was seeing now.

Rachel clearly remembered that Samira wasn’t one for alcohol. She used to avoid it completely, only drinking when absolutely necessary at business events. Even with soft drinks, she wasn’t fond of them. She always chose water.

But now, Rachel watched in shock as Samira effortlessly finished three glasses in a row, as if she were used to it.

Noticing Rachel’s surprise, Samira set down her glass and gave a small, apologetic smile. “Sorry, Rachel. I didn’t mean to startle you. But if I don’t drink these three glasses, I’m afraid I won’t have the courage to say what I need to.”

Rachel quietly poured her a glass of warm water and slid it over. “Take your time. If you don’t feel ready to talk, don’t push yourself.”

Samira lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening around the glass. She stayed silent for a long time.

When she finally lifted her head, tears were already rolling down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away and took a shaky breath before speaking. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t ignoring you on purpose all this time. I just… I couldn’t bring myself to reach out.”

Rachel’s heart clenched as she reached out, gently brushing Samira’s hair back. “What happened?” she asked softly.

Samira inhaled deeply and started explaining, “When I first went abroad, all I wanted was to come back. Every day felt like a struggle. But then, I met someone. I fell for him, and because of him, I decided to stay. At first, everything seemed fine. But as time passed, I started to see the truth—he wasn’t independent at all. He relied too much on his mother, and she controlled every aspect of his life. I realized there was no future for us, so I ended things. I was ready to come back, but then I heard about your illness. It shattered me. At the same time, my career was taking off—I had just gotten a promotion and a raise. So, I made a selfish choice. I stayed, thinking it would be easier to deal with everything if I kept my distance. But I never expected him to turn into someone so terrifying. Maybe because I was earning well, he wouldn’t leave me alone. Initially, he tried to win me back with sweet words. When that didn’t work, he started harassing me with threats, manipulation, anything to keep me under his control. He had private photos of us… and used them to blackmail me. I was terrified. I had no one to turn to, no way out. I had to do whatever he said. He forced me back into the relationship. Then he stopped working altogether and relied on me to support him. In the beginning, he still had some sense of responsibility… he cooked and did laundry. But I knew I couldn’t stay trapped forever. Whenever I got the chance, I searched for those photos, hoping to destroy them. He never stopped me, only laughed and said I’d never find them. This went on for over a year. Then, his mother fell seriously ill and needed a lot of money. I had nothing left to give, so he started hitting me. After she passed away, he became even more violent and treated me like I was nothing. From that point on, every time I tried looking for the photos and he caught me, it ended in a beating. This relationship was just suffocating me. And then, things got…”

𝗢𝗻𝗅𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗀𝖺𝗅𝖓𝗈𝗏𝗲𝗅𝗌⍿ⅽ𝗈𝗆

Worse. He got hooked on online gambling, borrowed from loan sharks, and racked up tens of thousands in debt. The interest kept piling up, and in the end, he didn’t even know how much he owed. To pay it all off, he did something I never imagined—he sold me. He forced me into a situation so desperate that I could see no way out. I was at the edge, ready to end it all, when the police found me and rescued me. They helped me, Rachel. They put me through therapy, and after months of recovery, I finally found the strength to come back to you.

.

.

.noveldrama