Chapter 403 Recounting the Assault\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing Damian, Scarlett called back, \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll be right out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She then turned to Claire with concern. \u201cDo you feel up to seeing Felix?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire paused, took a steadying breath, and nodded. \u201cYes, I should.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett helped her into a robe and supported her as they walked out to the living room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(55),\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felix was already seated on the couch. Zachary was handing him a glass of water, and Damian was speaking to him in a low voice nearby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of the bedroom door opening made Damian stop mid\u2013sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once Scarlett had guided Claire to an armchair, Damian and Zachary quietly moved toward the kitchen, giving them space.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett had meant to leave too, to let Claire and Felix talk privately, but Claire held onto her hand tightly, a silent plea for her to stay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, Scarlett settled on the arm of Claire\u2019s chair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felix asked Claire what had happened. She hesitated for a few seconds before beginning, her voice quiet but clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That day, she had gotten dressed up for her date. But as soon as she stepped out of the elevator in her building, Elias was there, blocking her path.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire had cried out, but he forced her back into the elevator.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It went straight back up to her floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elias found her keys and used them to open her apartment door, dragging her inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once the door was shut, the interrogation began.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why wasn\u2019t she answering his calls?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was she breaking up with him, or was marriage suddenly back on the table?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why was she seeing other guys?\u00a0<\/p>\n
What did she actually want?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Had she found someone else?\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
21:03 Wed, Jan 14 d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 403 Recounting the Assault\u00a0<\/p>\n
55\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back then, even through her terror, Claire had found a shred of courage. She told him, \u201cGet married? After all this time? I waited for you for years, Elias. I\u2019m done waiting. I don\u2019t want to\u00a0<\/p>\n
marry you anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou love your freedom, so I\u2019m setting you free. You can be with whoever you want, without me in the picture. Isn\u2019t that what you always said you wanted?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cElias, we\u2019ve been living in different worlds. I don\u2019t love you anymore, and you never really loved me. I don\u2019t even want to rehash the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust leave. I can pretend tonight never happened.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire had pointed to the door, her gaze cold and distant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once, her eyes had always been soft with affection for him. Even after his countless betrayals, she had found ways to forgive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, she was just exhausted. Done. She wanted nothing more to do with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her words didn\u2019t make him back down. They only made him angrier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Elias\u2018 expression darkened. He grabbed her arm, yanking her close, and kissed her\u2014a hard, biting, possessive kiss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wouldn\u2019t let go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire hit him, pushed at his chest, cried, and struggled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Elias showed no restraint, no mercy. He forced her onto the sofa and assaulted her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He did it twice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Zachary hadn\u2019t shown up when he did, there likely would have been a third time, a fourth\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Remembering these details now made Claire feel suffocated, a fresh wave of pain and panic washing over her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett, sitting beside her, could feel Claire\u2019s body trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Telling the story was like tearing open a wound that hadn\u2019t even begun to heal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Felix was a lawyer. He\u2019d heard countless tragic stories and met every kind of client.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s experience sickened him, but what was done was done. They couldn\u2019t change the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After listening carefully, Felix finally spoke, his voice gentle but firm. \u201cYou need to file a police\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
21:03 Wed, Jan 14.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 403 Recounting the Assault\u00a0<\/p>\n
report. I\u2019ll represent you through the entire process.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire nodded. \u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the past two days, Scarlett and Zachary had barely left her side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
55\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire told herself she had to be strong. She couldn\u2019t let the people who truly cared for her keep worrying like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, she had made her decision. She would go to the police.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Felix finished speaking, Claire reached for her phone and powered it on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hadn\u2019t dared to look at it since the incident.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now, she had found a sliver of courage. She was determined to start facing things again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the phone booted up, notification after notification flashed on the screen\u2013social media likes, news alerts, app updates\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among them were dozens of text messages from Elias.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claire\u2019s finger hovered, then she opened them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first ones were frantic apologies. \u201cClaire, I\u2019m so sorry, please forgive me. I was out of my mind that night, that\u2019s the only reason I did what I did. But we\u2019ve been together so long, it\u2019s not like we haven\u2019t been intimate before\u2026 Please don\u2019t be angry with me, okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, why aren\u2019t you answering? Please don\u2019t tell anyone about what happened, okay? Please.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I know I was wrong. Just forgive me. I promise, it will never happen again. I swear, from now on, you\u2019ll be the only one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 403 Chapter 403 Recounting the Assault\u00a0 Hearing Damian, Scarlett called back, \u201cOkay, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27767\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}