She’s Back, and Hell’s Coming with Her novel Chapter 103

Celine forced down her emotions, masking them with a sweet, gracious smile.

“I just thought you should know something,” she began. “The Suttons and the Harpers have always had a marriage arrangement between the families. With you back, the engagement should’ve been yours. But…”

She paused, eyes glinting with challenge beneath her gentle tone, her smile never reaching her eyes.

“But Marshall says he’ll marry no one but me. He made it very clear—no matter who comes along, he’ll never change his mind. I just thought I’d warn you, Sabrina, so you wouldn’t be too upset when you hear it from someone else.”

With no one else around, Celine dropped the pretense. Her words, soft as silk, cut sharper than any blade.

She hated Sabrina. If Sabrina wanted to sleep peacefully tonight, Celine was determined to ruin it. She wanted to see her sister break—see her rage, her hurt, her despair. That would make Celine truly happy.

Marshall was the heir to the Harper family—a man countless women dreamed of marrying. But none of them had ever been so fortunate.

“Marshall only loves me. What am I supposed to do, Sabrina? I never meant to steal anyone from you, but his heart belongs to me.”

But instead of the breakdown she hoped for, Sabrina’s cold, mocking voice cut through the room.

“Get out. Say another word, and you’ll regret it.” Her eyes were icy, her voice void of any warmth.

Before Celine could respond, Sabrina slammed the door in her face.

She had no patience for Celine’s pointless theatrics.

So noisy.

In her previous life, Sabrina would’ve naively thought her little sister was only looking out for her.

Celine folded her arms across her chest, a smug smile spreading across her face.

Sabrina’s reaction—her sudden anger, her jealousy—was all Celine needed to feel triumphant. She’d gotten under her skin, just as she wanted.

Feeling on top of the world, Celine hurried back to her room and pulled out her phone to text Marshall.

[Marshall, are you still awake?]

Marshall was still up, finishing some paperwork for the company. When he heard his phone buzz, he glanced at the screen, saw Celine’s name, and picked it up to reply.

[Not yet. It’s late—why aren’t you in bed?]

Celine already thought of herself as the Harper family’s future daughter-in-law. As far as she was concerned, she was Marshall’s girlfriend in every way that counted.

A servant entered, wrinkling her nose at the stench, and tossed a stale bread roll across the floor.

“Disgusting. I hate coming down here every day.”

Pinching her nose, the servant added, “Eat up. You’ll be getting a bath soon.”

At the mention of a bath, the girl’s body flinched with instinctive terror.

A bath always meant a beating.

It hurt. It hurt so much.

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. She missed her mother desperately. Where was she? Why hadn’t she come to rescue her?

The little girl picked up the hard roll, gnawing on it—if she didn’t eat, she knew she’d starve.

Just then, a tiny mouse scurried over to her feet. She broke off a crumb and placed it on the ground. The mouse nibbled hungrily, its tiny mouth moving in a blur.

At first, she’d been terrified of the mouse—so much so, she cried. But as the days passed, she realized it came to her every day, lingering at her feet, squeaking as if it were asking, Why are you hurt? Why are you here?