Nobela ni Brookedavi

Later, I’m back in my room, fresh from nearly an hour in the bath. My hair still drips onto the collar of my bathrobe as I sit on the bed, staring at my reflection in the vanity mirror. I lift a hand and trace my freckles. Without my contacts, my reflection blurs, but I know what they look like barefaced. I’ve hidden them under makeup for so long.Except that night. The night Aleksei bathed me. My throat closes, memory clawing at me, and I drag in a breath to smother another wave of tears. After that night, everything shifted. No, Aleksei was kind after. He even came to me at the store. We made love before the chaos began. So what changed?Nothing. Nothing changed. Aleksei just remembered what was real for him. Who was real for him. After facing death, he realized who he truly loved. My throat burns as fresh tears spill, my chest aching. Why can’t I stop crying?Yes. I love him.The thought rips me open. I press my palms hard to my eyes, but it doesn’t stop the flood. I love him. I th

Niko leads me by the hand out of the forest into a wide clearing where two black vans and several cars are parked. Men dressed like him stand guard, rifles raised as they sweep the fields and tree line. When they spot us, their guns snap in our direction before lowering again. Even after Niko lifts his hand to signal them, their bodies stay tense, keyed up for another threat.Relief loosens my chest. They must be Aleksei’s men. A sigh slips out, but I don’t let myself fully relax. Not yet. Not until I’m behind walls and locked doors. I used to believe the Drognov estate was my prison, now I know it shielded me from horrors like this.Niko strides toward a soldier with a thick beard and steady brown eyes, the only one without headgear, and exchanges quick words. After hearing the man’s reply, he glances at me, then down at our joined hands.His face doesn’t give anything away, but I can feel his discomfort in the taut silence between us. Still, I can’t let go. My grip has turned into a

We run into the woods just behind the warehouse. "They can't chase us both," Katya tells me as she lets go of me. "Let's run as far as we can in two different directions.""No!" I grab her, not wanting to be alone. I wouldn't know what to do."You better run, Claire, or you will be killed." She shrugs my hand off and runs from me. I start running toward her when I hear the spray of bullets."Kill the red-haired one," cries one of the men. "The Zver will pay plenty for the blonde.""Isn't she the wife?" another calls as they start making it closer to where I'm just standing."Men don't like their wives. They like their side chicks." They're speaking deeply accented English, but I understand every word. I am the liability, I will be killed on sight. I start running.My chest fills too tight to take in breath, my body burns, my thighs hurt. I run without looking at where I'm going. The only thought in my head is that I have to get away, I have to run harder, faster. But I can feel them g

The skull guy from earlier comes into the room, the door clanging as it opens. He's still wearing the skull mask and he stands there watching us. Everything about him makes my skin crawl. He's wearing all black with a lion print jacket, and his hand stays on the door for a moment before he strides in.Thankfully he doesn't go behind me and instead half-sits on the table. "I got a reply so fast," he chuckles, his voice muffled behind the mask. "Apparently one of you is very important to Zver."Zver. My heart skips. There are only two people who call Aleksei by that title: his men and his enemies. This guy is without a doubt looking to get something from Aleksei. Well duh, Claire, I want to smack myself. Of course it's all about him. I don't know what I was thinking, that they were just normal kidnappers looking for a ransom. No, this is the turf war that Aleksei has going on, as much as I've managed to research anyway. I don't know the rules, but I understand how the Mafia world seems

She doesn't reply immediately, still paying attention to something or just plain ignoring me. I exhale, wariness and fear forming a twisted mess in my stomach. "How did I get into this? How am I going to get out of this? Just this morning, my only worry was how I was going to get Aleksei away from you, get us to a place where we could communicate, and now I'm trapped here with you where anything can happen."Katya's head snaps to me and her eyes are a little red, but they're mostly mean. This whole thing doesn't faze her, but she's irritated. "Are you usually this useless?" she asks me through seething lips. "Because if you don't shut up I will give you something to really worry about."I swallow, my eyes dancing on her face. She's a little scary. Why isn't she as frazzled as I am, as panicked? She's too calm. "I–I don't know what to do," I admit, my voice shaking. "If I don't talk I don't know how to take it.""I don't care how scared you are, Claire, but keep it together. I don't p

They take us away. Like Katya told me to do, I don't fight. They bark at us constantly, shoving me so hard I nearly stumble, and they just laugh, jeering behind their masks. We arrive at what looks like an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere. I see only dead grass and trees stretching for miles, brittle stalks flying in the air.I can't hear what they're saying as the one behind me shoves me again toward the open iron door that groans on rusted hinges. No matter how hard I try, I can't stop shaking, my heart hammering against my ribs, and I swear I'm about to faint. They speak Russian, it sounds so harsh it's scraping my ears, and I don't understand what's happening. What do they want! My eyes search for and find Katya often, it's the only way I can reassure myself that I'm not alone in this.Katya speaks to them, and whatever she says doesn't appease them at all. "I will give you money if that's what you want," she says, still calm despite the gun barrels pointed our way. "

“Yes, Elena. I can’t believe it.” I let it all go, the shock, the ache, the confusion, and just feel. The joy of holding my sister again. The sound of her laugh, light and real in my ear.I am happy. God, I am. A weight lifts off my shoulders as I squeeze her tighter. Whatever I think of what Mom did, the truth is simple: My sister is alive.We pull apart, and Elena immediately tugs me onto the couch, scooting close, just like she used to when she had gossip to share.“So, tell me everything. Mom told me you’ve been living with Noah and William.”My heart jerks. My throat goes tight.Guilt slides down my spine like ice. “It’s true,” I say stiffly. “I’m living with them.”“Come on,” she laughs, shaking my arm. “Tell me what’s been happening. I’ve been trapped in this house for almost three months. Mom doesn’t want the neighbors to see me. I’m going insane, Ray. I need details.”Details.Noah kissing me in the hallway. Noah holding me in the kitchen, whispering against my neck. Noah car

It’s like staring into a mirror. If she hadn’t moved, if that wide smile didn’t stretch across her face, if she hadn’t rushed forward and thrown her arms around me, I would’ve thought I was hallucinating. Just a trick of light and memory.“Ray!” she cries, wrapping me in a tight, familiar hold. That warmth. That voice. That grip, like she never left. It shakes me to my core. I shove her out of my arms, out of reach.“Elena?” I whisper, my voice trembling, fragile. Just in case I’m wrong. Just in case this is some illusion made of fear and longing.“Yes, it’s me,” she says, nodding with a soft, trembly smile. Her eyes shimmer, the first sign of tears blooming there.“No,” I say, stepping back. “You died. You’re dead. How are you, ” My chest rises, a gasp chokes out. “Did I... die? Did I get into an accident and die so fast I didn’t even know?”She laughs. Light and ringing, like bells in a church. That’s her laugh. That’s my sister’s laugh.“No, silly,” she says, brushing a hand throug

It’s not me. It’s Elena. The woman in the photo, her smile’s too wide, too open. Her body too loose, too at ease. Her hair whips in the wind, longer than it should be.But I cut my hair. I cut it short. So when did it grow out? Why does she look so much like Elena? Why don’t I recognize my own face?My chest tightens. My breathing turns shallow. My vision tunnels. Am I… Ray?Or have I slipped so far into Elena’s life that I can’t tell the difference anymore?I’m sleeping with her husband. I’m cooking in her kitchen. Cleaning her floors. Her son called me Mommy last night without thinking.What if Noah knows, and he’s just going along with it? What if he’s pretending I’m Ray, just to avoid breaking the illusion?Maybe I’m not Ray at all. Maybe I’ve become her.“Breathe, Ray.”I’m bent over, hands on my knees, gasping. Noah’s hand rubs slow circles on my back, grounding me.“What did you just call me?” I lift my head, squinting up at him. The sun blinds me, and it casts his face into sh

I feel so happy. I don't want to admit it, but maybe I’ve become a slut for Noah. I never meant to lose my mind like that, but last night? I completely gave in. Gave up every ounce of sense I had. And now, I feel amazing. He didn’t use protection, but thank God I’m already on the pill.Oh my God, I can’t stop smiling.“You’re in a good mood,” Milly says, eyeing me as she pours herself a cup of coffee. The scent of roasted beans wafts through the teachers’ lounge. It’s warm, quiet, the buzz of the vending machine humming in the background.She’s my best friend from high school, well, used to be. We reconnected when I applied for a job here. She already worked at the school. We’re not as close as we were before I left for New Orleans five years ago, but we’re… good. Familiar.“You’re glowing,” she says, joining me at the small round table where I’m eating lunch.“It’s nothing,” I say, grinning into my sandwich.“Peter must be treating you right.”My smile fades. I duck my head, suddenly

She nods. I rise, grab her hand, and together we head up the stairs. We stop in front of William’s door. As I pull out the key, she stares at me, frowning. “You weren’t kidding.”“I kid about a lot of things,” I whisper, sliding the key into the lock. “But not about this. Also, his lamp? Works just fine. That kid lied last night just to come ruin our moment.”She snorts, trying not to laugh. “Stop it, Noah. You can’t get territorial with a child.”“Who says?” I open the door slowly. William’s curled in bed, completely fine. Lights on. Breathing steady.I quietly close the door and twist the key again.“Don’t lock it,” she scolds, swatting my hand.I grab her by the waist. “All clear,” I whisper, pulling her close. “Now, where were we?”She lets out a laugh, but I cut it off with a searing kiss.Her arms wrap around my shoulders, fingers slipping into my hair. I groan into her mouth, losing control fast. The kiss

She’s staring at me. “Noah…” she shifts her weight on the couch, eyes narrowed. “Are you serious?”I want to say yes, right away, no hesitation. But I know Ray. She doesn’t want some offhand reply. This isn’t just about telling our parents we’re together. It’s about everything that could come after, rejection, judgment, maybe even hate. I don’t think my parents would turn on me for this, but they might not look kindly on Ray. And that matters to me.I reach for her hand and squeeze it gently.“Yes, Ray. I’m serious. We’re not doing anything wrong, nothing that needs to be hidden. We love each other. This isn’t impulsive. It’s real. It’s the truth. So why not let them know? I hate the way I have to hold myself back around my parents when you’re near.” I shift forward and hold her gaze with every sense of sincerity.“ I don’t want to keep us a secret. I want everyone to know.”She doesn’t smile. Her gaze doesn’t even settle on me. Her eyes are f