Novels by Joy Marvel

Chapter 31-EvelynI’d never been this confused in my life.Everything around me felt like a maze with no exits — every path led me to the same two names.Paul. Adrian.Brothers, enemies, both tangled in my life like thorns under skin.And I was bleeding in between them.The phone trembled in my hand. The voice I’d just heard still echoed in my ears.‘Mi amor… come home. Please don’t trust Adrian. He’s not worth it. I’ll tell you everything when you come home.’That was Paul’s voice — his real one. I’d know it anywhere.But how?“He’s alive,” I breathed, more to myself than to Adrian. “He—he asked if I was okay.”Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Of course he did.”“What’s that supposed to mean?”He didn’t answer right away. His eyes were on me. “You shouldn’t have answered that call.”“I didn’t know it was him!” My voice cracked. “Adrian, he’s alive! Don’t you understand what that means?”“Oh, I understand perfectly,” he said, folding his arms—his veiny hands crossed against his chest like eve

Chapter 30-AdrianShe hadn’t said much since morning. Just a few polite answers, then silence again. It wasn’t the kind of silence that brought peace — it was the kind that made you feel you’d done something wrong and didn’t even know what. Evelyn sat out on the balcony, legs stretched out on the lounge chair, a book in her hand. The sun kissed her skin like it wanted to stay. Her hair spilled over the armrest, soft and messy, and her legs were crossed in a way that left too much bare skin showing. Even the sunlight seemed to appreciate the view. And me? I was losing my mind. I leaned on the doorway, watching her flip a page, her lips curling slightly — she was smiling at whatever she was reading. That smile wasn’t for me, and somehow, that was worse than a knife to the ribs. She didn’t even notice I was standing there. I pushed away from the wall and walked toward her. The wooden floor creaked under my weight, and when I reached her chair, I crouched down behind her, braci

Chapter 29-EvelynI didn't even know what to do. Neither of us moved.Adrian's gaze stayed on me, steady and unreasonable, while mine flickered anywhere else but his eyes.“Adrian,” I whispered again, my throat dry.“Hmm?” His voice was a low hum, dragging over my skin like silk.I swallowed, trying to form words that made sense. “Can you let go now?”He didn't even respond or make any attempts to free me from his strong grip around my waist.“We should… get up.” I tried again. He didn’t move. Instead, his hand slid up just slightly, his thumb tracing an absent-minded circle at my waist — slow, almost like he didn’t realize he was doing it.My nipples hardened beneath his shirt on me — and I was sure he could feel it against his chest.“Right,” he murmured, but made no attempt to move. “We should.”His breath fanned over my lips now. The space between us was thin, almost nonexistent. My mind screamed for distance, but my body—traitorous—stayed still.“Adrian,” I said again, weaker th

Chapter 28-EvelynHeat rose to my cheeks as he said that. His voice was the kind that slipped beneath my skin and settled there. My fingers froze where I held the towel. The way he said baby made something twist in my stomach —half panic, half… something else I didn't want to name.I looked away quickly. “I guess you've been really affected by that dart you took,” I murmured, hoping my voice didn't sound shaky as it felt. “It seems like it has affected your brain.”From the corner of my eye, I caught how his tense expression softened into something… disarming. The sound of his laugh made me still; all I could think about was how unfairly beautiful his smile was. And I wondered why I had just noticed. I cleared my throat, determined to be unaffected. “Besides, you should be asleep by now. You lost quite a bit of blood.”He chuckled softly, the sound deep and lazy. “I’m fine. You should worry about yourself.”“I’m not the one who got shot,” I retorted, walking past him to hang the to

Chapter 27-AdrianThe car swerved once — just once — before Evelyn steadied it like she’d done this her whole life. My vision was blurring, but I wasn’t about to black out with her driving blind into God-knows-where.The car’s headlights cut through the dark, slicing across empty streets. Her knuckles were white on the steering wheel, her breathing loud and shaky.I could see the pulse in her neck beating faster than it should. She looked terrified, but focused.“Take the next left,” I muttered, my voice rough.She glanced at me quickly. “Are you sure?”“Yeah. And keep your eyes on the road.”She nodded, saying nothing. I could tell she was trying not to look at me, maybe because she didn’t know if I’d collapse — or worse, if she could still trust me.My vision swam for a moment, and I pressed my palm to the wound. My hand came away red. Damn. It wasn’t too deep, but it hurt enough to make me grit my teeth.She noticed. “Adrian, you’re bleeding again.”I looked down at my shoulder. Th

Chapter 26-EvelynFor a few seconds, I couldn’t speak. My mind couldn’t process what I was seeing.The shadows shifted again, and the figure moved closer, stepping into the light. My heart stopped.“Adrian?” I whispered.He looked the same — and yet, not. His shirt was half untucked, sleeves rolled, face streaked with something I couldn’t quite figure out not until he lifted his arm.Blood.My throat tightened. “What… what happened to you?”He didn’t answer — just looked at me with that blank, unreadable stare.My voice shook. “You have blood on you, Adrian. Why?”He looked down at his shirt as if noticing for the first time.“You shouldn’t be here, Evelyn.”The words hit hard. “Excuse me?”“You need to leave,” he said quietly. “Now.”I blinked, stunned. “You’re the one who called me here.”His jaw tensed. “No, I didn’t.”“Stop lying!” I snapped. “You sent the flowers. The message. The map. Telling me if I wanted to find Paul, I had to—”He stepped a little closer. I stumbled back ins