Fireflies in Midnight Silence By Aria Bennett 13

Fireflies in Midnight Silence By Aria Bennett 13 Summary

Maureen’s voice filled the quiet hospital room, shifting from vulnerable to cold and smug as she taunted Samuel. She accused Ms. Calvert of being discarded and claimed Samuel felt guilty toward her, suggesting he wanted to get rid of Maureen to make amends. Maureen admitted to manipulating Samuel by pretending to be hurt and even faking a suicide attempt, which led Samuel to violently defend her by attacking Paulette. Her cruel laughter echoed as she reveled in Paulette’s suffering.

 

Suddenly, Samuel’s calm broke, and he forcefully kicked open the door, startling Maureen and draining the pride from her face. She pleaded with him, insisting her earlier words were lies spoken out of anger and desperation to keep him by her side. Maureen portrayed herself as a loyal and obedient employee who only lashed out because she feared losing Samuel. Her tears and fragile demeanor were meant to evoke sympathy, but Samuel regarded her performance with disbelief and scorn, recalling how he had been blinded before.

 

Danna, watching Samuel’s internal struggle, interrupted with a satisfied smirk, warning him not to defend Maureen too quickly. She produced a large stack of documents and photographs, throwing them at Maureen’s face. The images showed Maureen in compromising situations with various men, heavily made up and seemingly willing participants in decadent behavior, starkly contrasting with the innocent image she projected to Samuel.

 

Maureen screamed that the photos were fake and photoshopped, desperately trying to collect them, but the evidence was too overwhelming and visible to all. Samuel examined the photos and documents, his anger and disbelief growing as the truth of Maureen’s double life became clear. Maureen broke down in tears, pleading for Samuel’s belief, claiming she was being framed, but his expression revealed the depth of his hurt and betrayal.

 

Continue Regular Chapter Reading Below

Maureen’s voice lingered in the quiet room, her tone shifting with each word. At first, there was a hint of vulnerability, but gradually, it transformed into something colder—more self-satisfied, almost smug.

“So, what about Ms. Calvert?” she sneered. “She’s still discarded like garbage, isn’t she?”

Samuel listened silently, his expression unreadable as Maureen continued, her voice dripping with calculated malice. “Right now, Samuel feels a twinge of guilt toward her. He wants to get rid of me just to make amends with her. But if I put on a little show—cry a bit, act hurt—he’ll swallow it whole without a second thought and take my side.”

She paused, a cruel smile tugging at her lips. “If he didn’t have feelings for me, why else would he have taken my side when I said Paulette hit me? Why would he have gone after Paulette himself, just to defend me and keep me around?”

“And when I pretended to harm myself, even faked a suicide attempt, what did he do? He actually cut Paulette with a knife—for me.”

Maureen’s laughter filled the sterile hospital room, sharp and triumphant. “I only cut myself once, but he stabbed Paulette three times! Hahaha! Just picturing Paulette’s miserable face makes me so happy.”

Samuel’s composure shattered in an instant. Without warning, he raised his foot and kicked the door to the hospital room with a loud bang.

The door flew open abruptly. Maureen’s scream pierced the air as she jerked her head toward the doorway, eyes wide with shock. The pride that had once radiated from her vanished instantly, replaced by a ghostly pallor that drained all color from her face.

“Mr. Lloyd…” Her voice trembled, a flicker of hope shining faintly in her eyes. “When… when did you get here?”

Samuel’s gaze was icy as he looked down at her. “We arrived just as you were scheming against me.”

Panic overtook Maureen. She scrambled off the hospital bed in a desperate rush, collapsing to her knees before him with a heavy thud. “Mr. Lloyd… please, let me explain! I was just babbling nonsense—I didn’t mean any of it.”

She slapped her own mouth as if trying to silence herself, her voice trembling with urgency. “None of it’s true. I only said those things because I didn’t want to lose you. I was angry, that’s all.”

“You know me—I’ve been with the company for six months, always obedient, always well-behaved. I admired you, wanted to stay by your side. So when you said you wanted to send me away, I got upset and said those things in anger. I swear, I had no other intentions.”

“Please believe me, I’m begging you…” Maureen’s tears streamed freely now, her face a portrait of fragility and desperation.

Samuel watched her sudden shift in demeanor with a mixture of disbelief and scorn. The rapid changes in her expression struck him as absurd, almost laughable.

Her performance was clumsy, yet he had fallen for it before—enough to hurt Paulette repeatedly for a woman like this. How had he been so blind?

Meanwhile, Danna observed Samuel’s inner turmoil with a satisfied smirk. Calmly, she said, “Don’t rush to defend yourself. There’s plenty more where that came from.”

With that, she pulled out a thick stack of documents and photographs, tossing them directly in Maureen’s face.

The papers scratched her skin, drawing a thin line of blood. Ignoring the sting, Maureen bent down quickly to examine the photos, but as she did, a scream tore from her throat.

“No! No! These are fake! All of them! They’re photoshopped!”

Desperately, she lunged forward to gather the scattered images, but there were too many. Their contents lay exposed for everyone in the room to see.

Samuel bent down to look at the photos littered across the floor.

Each one showed Maureen in compromising situations—being kept by different men, accompanying older gentlemen to drink and gamble repeatedly, and even some deeply private shots.

In every picture, her makeup was heavy, her expression intoxicated and willingly engaged, utterly devoid of any hint of reluctance.

The gold-digging, decadent woman in those photos was a stark contrast to the pure, fragile image she always presented when by Samuel’s side.

Maureen broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. “Please, Mr. Lloyd, believe me! These are all fabrications—someone’s trying to frame me! I never did any of this…”

Samuel’s veins bulged on his forehead as he picked up the documents scattered on the floor, his eyes dark with anger and disbelief.

Conclusion

 

The chapter closes on a raw and intense confrontation, peeling back the layers of deception and emotional manipulation that have long clouded Samuel and Maureen’s relationship. Maureen’s shifting facade—from vulnerable to cruel, then desperate—reveals the depths of her desperation to hold onto Samuel’s favor, even as her true nature is laid bare through the damning photographs. Samuel’s turmoil and growing disillusionment underscore the painful realization of betrayal, as the fragile trust between them crumbles under the weight of truth and lies.

 

Amidst the chaos, the emotional stakes are heightened by the stark contrast between appearance and reality, loyalty and deceit. The chapter leaves readers suspended in a moment heavy with tension and heartbreak, where the consequences of past actions come crashing down. It is a poignant reminder of how fragile love can be when entangled with manipulation and falsehood, and how the quest for truth can shatter illusions, no matter how painful that truth may be.

 

What to Expect in Next Chapter?

 

The next chapter promises to delve deeper into the tangled web of deception and betrayal that has ensnared Samuel, Maureen, and Paulette. As Maureen’s carefully constructed facade begins to crumble under the weight of undeniable evidence, Samuel’s internal struggle will intensify. Readers can expect to witness the raw emotional fallout as trust shatters and loyalties are tested, leaving Samuel at a crossroads between past blind devotion and harsh reality.

 

Meanwhile, the presence of Danna and her calculated reveal hints at further manipulations yet to come, suggesting that the battle for truth and control is far from over. The emotional stakes will rise as characters confront the consequences of their actions, and the line between victim and villain blurs. Tensions will simmer, promising moments of confrontation and heartbreak that will keep readers eagerly turning the pages.