Novel-novel oleh Eunice.A.

Brandon’s POVThe moment my uncle said those words, I felt like someone punched me in the chest.“Laura’s father betrayed your dad.”I stared at him, not blinking, not breathing. The room suddenly felt too small, too heavy. I looked at Laura. Her face had gone pale. Her lips trembled, and her hands clutched the edge of the chair like she was trying not to fall through the floor.“No,” she whispered. “That’s not possible.”I wanted to believe her. I wanted to scream that it couldn’t be true. But something inside me—something cold and sharp—started to believe it might be.I stood up, took a step back. My mind was racing, but I couldn’t think clearly. I couldn’t even feel my own heartbeat.“My father loved him,” I said. “He trusted him.”The old man nodded, eyes tired. “And that’s why it was easy.”I looked at Laura again. She was crying now, but silently. Her eyes searched mine like she was begging me not to hate her. But I didn’t hate her. I couldn’t. Not even if this truth were real.

Laura’s POVMy legs felt numb as I stared at Damien lying on the floor, bloody and weak, saying the one thing I never expected—Brandon’s mother was still alive. And somehow, she was connected to all of this. My throat felt tight. My thoughts were racing like wild horses, crashing into each other, refusing to stop.I looked at Brandon. He hadn’t moved. He was frozen like a statue, his jaw clenched, eyes wide but empty. He didn’t speak, didn’t blink. I reached out and touched his arm, gently. His muscles were stiff, like he was holding back a scream. Or tears. Or both.“Brandon…” I whispered, but he didn’t answer.He turned away, walked to the window, and leaned against it like the cold glass could calm the storm inside him. Outside, the sky was still dark, not morning yet, but not quite night either. That strange, quiet hour when everything feels uncertain.Damien coughed again behind me. I grabbed a towel and pressed it against the wound on his side. He winced but didn’t push me away.

Brandon’s POVI didn’t notice Laura had gone out until Damien touched my arm and said quietly, “She needed air.” But something in his face made my stomach tighten. He looked tense, like his mind was stuck somewhere far off. I turned to the table again and stared at the letter, the handwriting, the truth that now stood like a wall between us. My heart was fighting everything my head was trying to accept. And still, all I could hear was her voice, shaking as she asked if we were siblings. I wanted to scream no. I wanted to burn the letter. I wanted to punch a hole through the wall and drag time backwards. But I couldn’t. Because the truth had already crawled out. And I could feel it breathing down my neck.I should’ve gone after her.I should’ve never let her leave my sight.The door swung open with a sudden wind, and I turned, expecting to see her walk back in. But it wasn’t her. It was a man. Tall. Hard eyes. Black coat wet with snow. Behind him were two others, both masked, both arme

Laura’s POVThe photograph shook in my hand, however, it wasn’t the cold air that made me tremble. It became the person staring lower back at me from the picture—his arm wrapped tightly around my mom’s waist, his face so close to hers, smiling like he had no care in the world. I had in no way seen this image before. but… I had. In pieces. In reminiscence shards. In the traces of Brandon’s face.Because the man beside my mother in that picture… wasn’t a stranger. It becomes Brandon’s father.And abruptly, everything inside me broke open.“No,” I whispered, losing the photo on the ground as if it burned. “No, that couldn’t be.”Brandon looked Pale. He said nothing, simply stared at the photograph finding it irresistible became some form of a ghost that had crawled out of the beyond to spoil us.Damien stepped forward, putting a hand on my shoulder, however, I shrugged it off. I couldn’t be touched. I couldn’t even breathe.“This… this isn’t real,” I stated, my voice getting louder, sha

Brandon’s POVThe pain came in waves. Hot. Then bloodless. The thing in between that made me feel like I wasn’t even inside my very own body. But I hung on, due to the fact I could pay attention to her. Laura. Her voice became like a rope pulling me out of the dark. I wanted to speak. I wanted to inform her not to open that door. But my mouth got dry. My lips wouldn’t flow the manner I needed them to.I may want to hear the girl out of doors talking. She knew matters—too much stuff. About Laura. About me. And what she stated ultimately made my blood flip to ice.“I realize who your actual father is, Laura. And it’s no longer the person who just shot Brandon.”It felt just like the air in the cabin iced up.Laura’s hand was at the lock. She stood frozen, her face faded and eyes huge, like she’d stopped breathing. I desired to s

Laura’s POVI screamed so loud it felt like something ripped into my chest.Brandon hit the wooden ground hard, blood speeding from his shoulder like a red river. I dropped to my knees beside him, pressing my arms to the wound, however it wouldn’t forestall. My imagination and prescience blurred from tears and fear, and I could barely breathe as I shouted his call over and over. His eyes rolled lower back for a second, then flickered open simply enough to discover mine.“I’m ok,” he mumbled, while his blouse soaked through with blood. “It didn’t hit the heart.”I didn’t believe him. I may want to feel the warm temperature of his blood below my fingers and see the light coloration of his pores and skin. He wasn’t okay. None of this changed ok.My palms were shaking so badly I couldn’t think. But then I remembered wh