EMKAYの小説

Maya didn’t wait for sunlight. She couldn’t sleep anyway. Every time she closed her eyes, she pictured that scrap of black hockey jersey on her floor. She kept replaying those nasty comments on the school website. Her secret letter to her dad—now everyone knew about it. It was like the whole world peered straight into her soul and decided to laugh.She moved quietly through the dark. Her room was dead silent, but inside her head, it was chaos. She grabbed her thickest sweater and shoved her old tablet into her pocket. No crutches tonight. She leaned on the wall, hopped along on her good foot, jaw clenched tight because her ankle throbbed with every step.At the window, the broken lock rattled. She eased it open and climbed out, careful not to fall. Her heart hammered against her ribs, wild and trapped. When she landed in the wet grass, her ankle screamed—sharp and hot, like a needle—but she just kept going.“I have to know,” she muttered, voice barely a breath. “I have to know if he l

The black car door slammed shut, loud enough to echo across the empty school yard. Two men stepped out—both in crisp, dark suits, faces set like stone. They didn’t look like teachers. They carried those sleek leather bags you only saw in movies, and they moved with a kind of cold purpose.Maya squeezed Julian’s hand tighter, her fingers trembling. She glanced over at Coach Miller, the teacher who’d been guiding her for years. She hoped he’d offer a smile or at least a little help, but he wouldn’t even meet her eyes. He only cared about the men in suits.“Maya Rossi,” one of them called out, his voice flat and bored. “I’m Mr. Sterling. We’re from the Northwood Athletic Board. We need to give you these papers about your scholarship.”“Right now?” Maya managed, her voice cracking. “In front of everyone?”Kids started crowding around, whispering, phones out, ready to film. The whole “fake date” thing with Julian already had her on edge, but this felt worse. This felt like a setup.“The bo

Maya’s mom didn’t waste a second. She snatched Maya off the ice so fast, Maya barely kept her balance. The metal gate slammed behind them—a sound that felt way too much like a prison cell.“Get in the car,” her mom hissed, face burning red, eyes narrowed with fury. “Now, Maya. Don’t make me lose my temper in front of all these people.”Julian stepped off the ice with a heavy thud, his hockey boots pounding the floor. He moved between Maya and her mom, blocking out the overhead lights. “She’s not finished,” he said. “We have an agreement with the school.”Bianca just laughed—sharp and mean. She waved her phone in the air. “The deal was for doctor stuff, Julian. Not midnight dates. I already sent this video to the whole school chat. By tomorrow, everyone’s gonna know the Ice Princess is dating a criminal.”The world tilted under Maya’s feet. Her reputation was the last thing she had left. If the school saw her as just another rule-breaker, there went her scholarship. She glanced at Bian

The locker room snapped with a sharp, heavy sound—a metal door slamming shut. Maya froze, clutching the thick sleeves of Julian’s black hoodie. The ice under her sneakers suddenly felt like a trap, just waiting to swallow her whole. Julian’s body radiated heat, but his muscles were stiff as stone. He pulled her closer, eyes darting over the dark rows of seats and into the black tunnels leading to the changing rooms.“Don’t move,” Julian whispered. His voice was so low it almost growled.“Julian, someone’s in here,” Maya breathed, barely louder than the hum in the arena. Her voice trembled. “We need to go. We should call the police or the guards.”“The guards are on the other side of the school, and the doors are locked from the inside,” Julian said. He didn’t sound scared. Actually, he sounded like he was hunting something. “Stay behind me, Maya.”He eased her toward the thick glass wall at the edge of the rink. Her legs felt useless, wobbly as jelly. Every step reminded her of her bu

Maya’s ankle snapped—sharp and ugly, like a dry branch breaking in a storm.One moment, she was flying. The next, the world spun out from under her. The bright lights in Northwood Arena smeared into white streaks. She hit the ice hard, sliding across the frozen sheet like a rag doll, only stopping when she slammed into the boards at the rink’s edge.The music kept playing, some cheerful violin piece that sounded like a sick joke.Maya tried to catch her breath, but her lungs refused to work. She stared down at her left skate. Her foot bent the wrong way, twisted and wrong. Heat and pain shot up her leg, loud and relentless."Maya!" her coach shouted, running toward her.Up in the stands, Maya caught sight of her mom getting to her feet. She didn’t look worried. She looked pissed off. She checked her stopwatch, shook her head, and glared. For her, this wasn’t a disaster—just a wasted performance.Maya’s hands shook as she tried to push herself up. "I can finish," she gasped. "I just… I

The elevator doors slid shut, sealing June inside the cold, metallic box. The air was thick with the scent of polished floors and her own mounting panic. She stared at her phone, her thumb pressed hard against the glass, where Leo’s sleeping face glowed softly. He looked so peaceful, utterly unaware that his own grandmother hovered nearby, all shadow and menace, ready to strike.“Why?” she whispered, her voice barely audible, thin and unfamiliar. “He’s your grandson, Eleanor. Dante’s your son. How can you do this to your own family?”On the screen, Eleanor Romano’s lips curled into a sharp, cruel smile. She dangled a tiny silver remote in her hand, the gesture taunting. “Dante’s weak, June. A Romano who chooses love over power doesn’t deserve to lead. If he survives, he’ll hand the company over to you—a nobody from a bakery. I built this empire from nothing. I won’t stand by and watch you tear it down.”“You’re working with the Vancents,” June said, her fist tightening around the heav

The ballroom doors didn’t just swing open—they exploded. Silas Avery stormed in, all sharp edges and swagger, waving a yellow sheet like a battle flag. He didn’t look like a dad rushing in to help. He looked like a predator finally cornering his prey. His mouth twisted into a cruel, crooked grin.“Stop the music!” Silas bellowed. His voice was rough and harsh, scraping every ear in the room. “This wedding’s a lie! She’s a thief, and that boy—he doesn’t belong to the Romanos!”June’s lungs emptied. She stumbled back, heels clicking too loud on the wooden stage, suddenly tiny and powerless. Then she felt Dante’s hand at her back—steady and warm, holding her up, keeping her from crumpling.“Get him out of here,” Dante ordered. He sounded calm, but his eyes were all threat. His grip on June’s waist said, Don’t move. Stand tall.“You’re not throwing me out, Romano!” Silas shouted, pushing right up to the stage. He ignored the security guards closing in. He jabbed a shaking, grimy finger at

The hand over June’s mouth reeked of fancy tobacco and cold rain. She tried to scream, but the sound just stuck in her throat. Her heart pounded against her chest, wild and frantic. Someone shoved her into the shadows, away from the bright lights and blaring music of the gala.“Be quiet, June! It’s me!”The shadow shifted, and she caught a glimpse of a face in the dim light. Her breath caught. Marcus. Dante’s younger brother—the one who’d vanished years ago and turned into the family’s black sheep. He looked worn out, haunted almost, with fear swimming in his eyes.“Marcus?” June whispered when he finally released her. “What are you doing here? I have to get to Leo! Someone texted me, said they were in his room!”“No one’s in his room, June. That text was a setup. I sent it to get you away from the cameras,” Marcus said, fast and urgent. He gripped her shoulders, staring straight into her. “Listen. Dante didn’t bring you back because he loves you. He brought you back because he needs

The diamond necklace on June’s neck felt like a frozen fist, squeezing tighter with every breath. Each icy facet seemed to press harder into her skin, a physical reminder of the price she was paying just to stand by Dante’s side, under the unyielding scrutiny of New York’s most ruthless elite.“Smile, June,” Dante murmured in her ear. His hand clamped around her waist, steady as iron, as they waited in front of the massive golden doors to the Grand Ballroom. “Everyone’s watching. If you look scared, they’ll eat you alive. But if you look like you own the place, they’ll bow down.” His tone was soft enough for her alone, but there was iron beneath the velvet—a command wrapped in concern, or perhaps a performance for the cameras he knew were trained on them even now.“I’m not some queen,” June hissed back, her heart racing. “I’m just the woman you dragged here in a dress worth more than my entire life.” Her voice trembled with the effort of keeping her composure, but she straightened her

The knife pressed against Leo’s throat froze June in place. Her little boy sobbed, clinging to the sleeves of the masked man, terror making his small body shake. That was it. The June Avery who spent years crying in a kitchen was gone. In her place stood a mother who’d burn the world down for her child, who would give up everything she’d ever known to save him from this nightmare.Dante looked like death itself—still as stone, gun raised, finger curled and ready, every muscle tense and coiled like a predator about to strike.“Let him go,” Dante growled, voice so low it barely sounded human, the kind of voice that sent chills down June’s spine. “You hurt him, I’ll do more than kill you. I’ll wipe out everyone you’ve ever cared about.”The man’s hands shook, sweat gleaming at his hairline beneath the mask. “Drop the gun, Romano!” he shouted, trying to sound tough, but his fear gave him away in the tremor of his voice. “The Vancents want the boy. If I can’t have him, nobody does!”June s

The car was cold, silent—felt more like a cell than anything else. June pressed herself against the door in the back seat, holding Leo tight. He glanced up at her, all confusion in his eyes. Out the window, her life faded away: the bakery, her tiny apartment, her peace—gone in a blur.Dante sat across from her. The man she once loved was long gone. He used to be warm, quick to smile. Now, he was all ice and expensive suits. He stared at Leo, not with love, but the way a general might study a map.“The boy needs new clothes,” Dante said, voice cutting. “He needs a doctor. I want a full report on his health by tomorrow morning.”“He’s healthy, Dante,” June whispered. Her words just evaporated in the huge car. “He doesn’t need your doctors. He needs his home. He needs his toys.”Dante’s eyes flashed. “This is his home now.” He jabbed a finger at the window as they rolled through massive iron gates. “And don’t forget—I own your old home. It’s nothing but bricks now. This? This is a palace