From Cell to Crown- The Disgraced Heiress Returns

Chapter 16

Drake spent his days holed up in Narissa's home, drowning himself in alcohol. One night, in a drunken haze, he thought he saw her—Narissa, standing right in front of him.

But as soon as she saw him, she turned and walked away. Panic gripped his chest. Desperate, he rushed after her, but before he could catch up, she disappeared into the night.

Every time he got close, she seemed to slip further away. After several failed attempts, Drake finally cracked.

"Narissa, please don't leave me! I'll do anything! Just come back. Please!" His voice trembled, and sobs broke free as he reached out for her, his blurry vision catching a fleeting shadow. "Please, don't go…"

Then, as if she were a ghost, she faded from view, and Drake, lost in his agony, stumbled and fell from the balcony.

The next day, the servants found him unconscious on the grass, still calling Narissa's name. He was rushed to the hospital, his legs badly injured.

At the hospital, his mother wept at his side, while his father seethed with anger. "Drake, for one woman? Get a grip!"

Drake lay pale, eyes closed, not responding. His father sneered, "If it weren't for the lawn and the servants finding you early, you'd be dead by now."

With tears streaming down her face, his mother begged, "Drake, don't go back to the Kingsley Family. The bad luck won't stop. First, you couldn't keep Narissa, and now she's gone… Just let it go."

Drake, his body wrapped in bandages, opened his eyes and glared at his mother. "Mom, Narissa isn't dead. I'll find her. She just doesn't want to see me."

His words were heavy with pain, his eyes bloodshot. "Narissa, what do I need to do to make you come back?"

Afterward, rumors about the Sterling Family's house being haunted spread like wildfire. But for Evan, it became an obsession.

He couldn't resist going into Narissa's room, and every time he looked at the familiar furnishings, memories of their time together came rushing back, leaving him teary-eyed.

While receiving treatment, his mind stayed foggy. He mumbled to himself, "Narissa, Drake said he saw you. Can you appear to me, just once? I need to see you… just one more time."

But soon, his expression twisted in agony, his voice choked with pain. "Narissa, I should've known. If you were alive and saw me like this… you wouldn't be so heartless. But I'd rather you be heartless and refuse to see me than for you to be gone."

He mimicked Drake, drinking himself into oblivion in Narissa's room. But when he woke, she was still gone.

He broke down, his sanity unraveling, screaming, "Why would you show yourself to Drake but not to me, your brother? Do you hate me that much?"

The servants watched in disbelief, some of them quitting in shock, leaving only the sickly Elowen and the mentally shattered Evan. They uploaded a video of Evan's breakdown online, but instead of sympathy, the public's response was scathing.

Some mocked, "This is karma."

After Drake's suicide attempt, the Kingsley Family confined him to the hospital, refusing him any freedom.

Evan came to visit him one day. "Drake, it's impossible to find someone if they're alive. But Narissa… maybe she's not here anymore."

Drake's fury exploded. He slammed his fist into Evan's face. "Shut up! She's not fragile. She's alive, and she'll never leave us!"

Evan closed his eyes, his voice cracked. "I wish that were true. But if she knew we were still looking for her, she wouldn't have been so cold. It's been more than a year, Drake."

He paused, his body shaking with exhaustion. "Narissa was always soft-hearted," he added quietly.

With a sad smile, Evan staggered away, leaving Drake alone in the room, tears brimming in his eyes. The weight of despair crushed him completely.