https://wordcasters.jobzaps.com/silence-screams-the-loudest-bobby-wood-1/ On the fifth anniversary of their tumultuous relationship, the day Kaylee Maloney decided to introduce Jerome Felker to her parents, he presented her with two “gifts” that would forever alter the course of her life.

The first gift was nothing short of a nightmare. With a twisted sense of satisfaction, he bound her father, Cedric Maloney, to a chair, forcing him to witness the horrific act that was about to unfold. In a cruel display of power, Jerome ripped away Kaylee’s clothing, leaving her exposed and vulnerable before her father’s horrified gaze.

The second gift was equally devastating. With a calculated move, he flung open the front door, allowing her mother, Livia Maloney, who was lost in her own world due to Alzheimer’s, to stumble out into the torrential downpour.

Livia, oblivious to the danger, dashed into the street, her fragile form caught in the path of an oncoming freight truck. Cedric, helplessly bound to his chair, could only watch in utter despair as his daughter was stripped of her dignity and her mother was taken from her in an instant.

The sound of metal crashing against flesh filled the air, and Cedric’s heart shattered. Overcome with grief, he broke free from his restraints in a frenzy, and in a moment of desperation, he leapt from the 23rd floor, his body meeting the ground with a sickening thud. His blood mingled with the sizzling oil of the breakfast cart below, a grotesque reminder of the chaos that had unfolded.

In a single, harrowing night, Kaylee lost both of her parents.

Kneeling amidst the spreading pool of crimson, she turned to Jerome, her voice trembling as she asked, “Why?”

With a grip that felt like ice, he held her chin, his sneer cutting deeper than any blade. “Did you honestly believe I loved you, Kaylee? I came here for revenge.”

Ten years prior, Jerome’s father had died on Cedric’s operating table, a tragedy that spiraled into chaos, leading to his mother’s tragic suicide.

For five long years, Jerome had woven a web of deceit, crafting an illusion of love that would ultimately shatter Kaylee’s world, making her experience the unbearable pain of losing everything she held dear.

After that fateful night, he kept her trapped, a puppet in his cruel game, subjecting her to torment that felt endless. She had attempted to take her own life ninety-nine times, and each time, he had intervened, saving her from the depths of despair.

He had declared that they would torment each other for eternity, unaware of the secret she had kept hidden. During the year when their love had seemed to flourish, when he had desperately needed a heart transplant, she had quietly signed the donor agreement.

Now, within her chest beat an artificial heart, a ticking time bomb that would fail her in just seven days.

**Chapter 1**

Kaylee stood at the entrance of the villa, clutching the diagnosis like a lifeline. The words “artificial heart failure” burned into her vision, each letter a dagger piercing her soul.

The doctor’s voice echoed in her mind, a haunting reminder of her impending fate. “You have seven days at most. Prepare yourself.”

With a deep, shuddering breath, she pushed open the door. The raucous laughter that had filled the room fell abruptly silent, replaced by an oppressive tension that hung in the air.

Jerome lounged on the leather sofa, a glass of red wine swirling in his elegant fingers, surrounded by a gaggle of young women—her two cousins, her best friend, and a colleague. They were all clad in revealing sleepwear, their faces alight with eager flattery, a stark contrast to the turmoil within her.

“Ah, you’re back,” Jerome remarked, his thin lips curling into a cruel smile. “What impeccable timing—the game is just getting started.”

Kaylee’s nails dug into her palm, the pain grounding her amidst the chaos.

Over the past few months, Jerome had seduced every woman in her life, sleeping with them all, relishing in the agony of watching Kaylee’s heart fracture piece by piece. Now, they were hopelessly infatuated with him, their eyes shining with adoration that had once been hers.

“One minute,” he declared, setting down his glass with a finality that sent chills down her spine. “The first one to make her cry becomes my exclusive bed partner.”

The women’s eyes lit up with a twisted excitement, and they surged toward Kaylee like a pack of wolves.

Her cousin Rita Bickham was the first to reach her, delivering a sharp slap across her face that echoed through the room.

The sound was a jarring crack, and Kaylee’s head snapped to the side, the stinging pain a reminder of the past. As the hurt radiated through her, memories flooded back—last year’s birthday celebration, Rita holding a homemade cake, her eyes sparkling with joy as she wished her, “Kay, may you always be happy.”

The second slap came swiftly, blood spilling from Kaylee’s mouth and dripping onto the delicate bracelet she had gifted Rita, a token of her love purchased after months of saving.

“Fifteen slaps and she still isn’t crying?” Rita huffed, glancing back at Jerome, who watched with a predatory gaze.

“Next,” he commanded, his voice devoid of any compassion.

Before the word had fully left his lips, her other cousin, Nylah Maloney, seized Kaylee by the hair, dragging her into the kitchen.

The sharp tug on her scalp ignited a fire of pain, but in that moment, she was transported back to college, where she had defended Nylah against bullies, standing firm in the face of adversity.

Now, the cousin she had once shielded was forcing her face into a pot of boiling chili water.

“Ah!” Kaylee cried out, the scalding liquid burning her skin and searing her eyes. She convulsed in agony, gripping the edge of the table so tightly her nails split, blood mixing with her tears.

“Boring,” Jerome remarked, glancing at his watch as if she were merely a clock ticking down to her demise. “Next.”

Kaylee’s best friend, Delaney Lavelle, stepped forward, brandishing sewing needles with a sinister smile. One by one, she pierced them into Kaylee’s fingertips, each stab sending shockwaves of pain straight to her heart. In the haze of suffering, memories of sophomore year flickered in her mind—Delaney, heartbroken and drowning her sorrows in alcohol, while Kaylee had stayed by her side for three long days, offering solace.

“Time’s up,” Jerome’s voice sliced through the haze, cold and unyielding. “Last chance.”

The final girl dashed downstairs, clutching a cardboard box that made Kaylee’s heart plummet. It was the very box she had hidden beneath her bed, filled with her parents’ cherished keepsakes.

“No!” she screamed, desperation clawing at her throat.

But her protest came too late. The girl laughed maniacally as she smashed the picture frame on the floor, shards of glass scattering like her shattered dreams.

Cedric’s watch was trampled, Livia’s comb snapped in two, and when the silk scarf that Livia adored was ripped apart, Kaylee’s tears finally fell, a cascade of grief and loss.

“I win!” the girl shouted, racing to Jerome, her face alight with triumph. “Now you can only have me!”

Jerome’s laughter was cruel as he gripped her chin with a possessive force. “How naïve. Anyone connected to Kaylee disgusts me. Why would I want any of you?”

With a merciless press of the button, he summoned the bodyguards. “Throw them all out.”

The guards seized the screaming women, dragging them away, while Kaylee remained kneeling in the wreckage, trembling as her fingers brushed against the shattered remnants of her parents’ belongings.

She picked up a half of a faded family photo, Livia’s warm smile still lingering in her memory, a bittersweet reminder of love lost.

“Jerome,” she sobbed, clutching the relics to her chest, her voice raw and broken, “someone like you can’t love anyone. You should never have meddled in other people’s lives!”

“Who says I can’t love?” Jerome retorted, his sneer sharp enough to cut. Just then, the door swung open.

A girl in a white dress entered, dragging a suitcase behind her. “Jerry, I brought my things. Which room am I staying in?”

Jerome’s expression shifted instantly, softening as he pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head with an affection that burned Kaylee’s heart. “With me, of course.”

He wrapped his arm around her slender waist, then turned to Kaylee, his gaze turning icy once more. “Let me introduce Emmaline Tanori, my fiancée.”

“Remember the car accident three years ago? I was on the brink of death. Emma saved me—she gave me her heart so I could continue my revenge against the Maloney family.”

“You said I couldn’t love?” Jerome tightened his embrace around Emmaline, his eyes boring into Kaylee’s. “Watch closely. I’ll show you exactly how I love someone.”

Kaylee’s body trembled, a tempest of shock, fury, pain, and despair crashing over her like a tidal wave, threatening to swallow her whole.

She bit her lip until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, and then, in a moment of clarity, she snapped awake.

And then—she laughed.

She laughed until her entire body shook, until she coughed up blood, until her tears splattered onto the floor, mingling with the remnants of her shattered past.

How utterly ironic.

She had given him her heart, yet he cherished another’s as if it were a treasure beyond compare.

The doctor had promised, time and again, to keep the donor’s identity a secret.

Who could have foreseen that this would lead him to mistake someone else for her?

But she wouldn’t explain.

What was there to explain? Was that the heart beating in his chest hers? That she had only seven days left because of him?

Two lives from the Maloney family, two from the Felker family—the blood feud between them had long since severed any possibility of a future together.