Novels by Penwitch

Annabel’s gaze lingered on the blur of trees flashing past the car window, an uneasy knot tightening in her stomach. Something was off. She turned to Albert. His hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles pale, eyes fixed on the road ahead.“Albert… I think you took the wrong turn.” Her voice was careful, almost testing.He didn’t answer. A faint smile tugged at his lips as though she hadn’t spoken at all.Her brow furrowed. “Didn’t you hear me? You’re going the wrong way.” This time her words were sharper, louder, but he still didn’t glance at her.“I’m not lost, Annabel.” His grin widened slightly, his tone smooth, deliberate. “I’m right on track.”A chill slid down her spine. She knew this road—knew it led nowhere near the hospital. Heart thudding, she dug into her purse and pulled out her phone. The screen was spiderwebbed with cracks, black streaks crawling through it like veins.“What the—” She turned it over in her palm, baffled. “My phone’s broken… I don’t even remember droppi

Andrew thought he might have misheard, and for a moment he considered leaving it alone. Yet the nagging feeling in his chest told him something wasn’t right. He lingered in the shadows before Zachary could notice him. When Zachary headed toward his car, Andrew knew this was his chance. Quietly, he slipped into his own car and followed, careful to keep enough distance so his presence wouldn’t be detected.Zachary finally pulled into the lot of a restaurant. Andrew parked a short distance away and entered after him. The moment he stepped inside, he froze. There she was—Tracy. Her face lit up as she threw her arms around Zachary, smiling as though she belonged there. Andrew’s eyes widened, his pulse spiking with fury. His fist curled so tightly that his nails dug into his palm.“How dare they…” he muttered under his breath, his voice low and sharp with anger. He took a step forward but forced himself to stop. Instead, he pulled out his phone, raised it just enough, and snapped a picture.

Albert lounged on the edge of the bed as though the conversation bored him. The dim light from the lamp cut across his jaw, sharpening the smirk he wore like armor.“You heard me right, Tracy. I’m not a Torres. I was adopted.”The words struck like a stone tossed into still water. Tracy blinked, her confusion rippling into laughter that sounded too sharp, too forced. “This—this is your way of telling me you don’t want to marry me, isn’t it?”Albert tilted his head, amused. “I never said I’d cancel the wedding.” He spoke with the ease of someone announcing the weather. “I’m just letting you know the truth. I’m not their child.”Tracy stared at him, her voice faltering. “That’s not possible. Not after all these years. You can’t just—Albert, this isn’t true.”He stood then, brushing his palms together as though dusting off the weight of her disbelief. “Think of it as freedom, Tracy. You don’t have to keep up the act. You don’t have to marry me out of duty, or to please your parents. Just

Andrew stood frozen, confusion etched across his face. His brows knit together, lips slightly parted as he stared at his brother. “What the hell are you talking about?” he asked, his voice low and tense.“Albert, you should stop talking nonsense, okay?” he snapped, his annoyance slipping through.Albert let out a bitter scoff, the sound sharp in the heavy silence. Without another word, he turned his back and walked over to the bed, sitting down heavily on the edge. His head hung low, eyes fixed on the floor like he was searching for answers in the carpet.Annabel stood a few feet away, eyes wide, her chest rising and falling a little too quickly. She didn’t understand what was going on—none of them did—and the sudden shift in Albert’s behavior scared her.Andrew approached his brother, his footsteps soft but purposeful. He paused beside him, let out a long sigh, and said, “Fine. I shouldn’t have hit you. I was angry, okay? You know how much I care about Annabel. Seeing you kiss her ma

It had been three weeks since Albert discovered that he and Andrew might not be brothers. He didn’t want to believe it. He couldn’t believe it. But the results on that piece of paper refused to lie. They stared back at him like a slap to the face, each word echoing doubt and disbelief.He’d thought about telling his parents. Maybe they could clear it up, say it was a mistake, something easily explained. But fear tangled in his chest—because they’d want to know how he got the information, why he even looked in the first place, and what had pushed him that far.Now, here he was, standing in front of their bedroom door, fist raised, hovering—frozen. His heart pounded, knuckles trembling ever so slightly. He was about to knock when the door swung open.Albert jumped.His father stood there, brows furrowing.“What’s the matter, Albert? Is there something you need?” His voice was gentle, laced with concern.“Huh—Can I come in?” Albert managed, his voice barely above a whisper.“Of course.”

Albert’s POV“This has to be a joke, right?” I said, laughing—but it was the kind of laugh that bordered on hysteria. My hands trembled slightly, fists clenched at my sides. The doctor didn’t flinch. He just sat there, calm, composed, as if he hadn’t just turned my world upside down.“I’m talking to you,” I snapped, my voice rising. “Tell me this is a joke!”He met my eyes, unfazed. “Trust me, I ran the tests more than once because the results confused me too. But I can’t lie to you, sir. There is no blood relation between you and your brother.”My heart dropped. I stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. “You must think I’m a goddamn joke,” I muttered, storming out of the office without another word.I reached my car, jaw clenched and mind racing. My fingers found their way to my mouth—I bit down on a nail, something I hadn’t done since I was a kid. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t.The drive home was a blur, my thoughts looping in chaotic spirals. By the time I walked