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burning ember

Author: Hestia
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-07-18 14:07:32

Sunlight filtered softly through the gauzy cream curtains of Ethan’s bedroom. The warmth touched Minnie’s face first, stirring her from sleep with a dull ache behind her eyes and a heaviness in her chest she hadn’t shaken in months. She blinked slowly, disoriented by the silk sheets, the faint scent of cedar and musk, and the stillness around her.

For a moment, she forgot.

And then it returned—like a wave slamming against her chest.

Her mother was dead.

The memory clawed at her as she sat up slowly, the blanket falling away from her shoulders. Her body ached, not just from the walking or the cold but from the sorrow that had settled deep into her bones. She looked around, noticing Ethan fast asleep in the chair beside her, head tilted uncomfortably, long legs sprawled out, one hand loosely curled on his lap.

He had stayed. All night.

Minnie’s throat tightened.

She turned away, easing off the bed as quietly as she could. The floor felt cold beneath her bare feet. She needed a moment—ne
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  • Masked Desires   Pride before a fall

    The storm hadn’t let up.Rain battered the windshield of the dark sedan as it idled near a lone gas station on the outskirts of the forest road. The flickering fluorescent lights overhead did little to break the gloom of the storm, casting the entire area in a sickly blue hue. Lightning streaked across the sky, followed closely by the rumble of thunder.Inside the car, Minnie’s wrists throbbed where the rough ropes had cut into her skin. Her lips were split and swollen from the earlier scuffle, and every inch of her body ached from being tossed around. Her dress was soaked, clinging to her like a second skin, and her hair was plastered to her cheeks.But none of that mattered.Because they’d made a mistake.The two thugs—brutish, unshaven men reeking of cheap cigarettes and violence—had stepped out to grab cigarettes and drinks from the gas station convenience store. They had assumed she was too tightly bound, too beaten, and too broken to do anything.They were wrong.Minnie’s eyes d

  • Masked Desires   Revenge after all?

    The forest had turned into a shadowy maze, every tree branch like the crooked finger of some cruel god, every snapped twig a heartbeat skipped. Minnie’s breath tore raggedly through her throat as she tried to crawl forward, but her body wasn’t responding fast enough. Her ankle throbbed from the fall, and the rain had turned the slope into a treacherous mire.Then—A harsh beam of light hit her from behind.“There she is!”Voices. Heavy boots crashing through the underbrush.“No—no, no, no!” she whimpered, trying to get up, slipping again, scraping her palms as she struggled to push herself off the ground.“Don’t run!” one of them barked.“I’m not—I’m not—please!” Her voice broke.But they were already on her.A strong hand grabbed her arm and yanked her upright.“Found the little thief,” another muttered, his voice rough and mocking. Rain slicked off his windbreaker as he leaned closer. His breath reeked of stale tobacco. “You gave us a nice chase, sweetheart.”“Let me go! You don’t h

  • Masked Desires   PR nightmare

    The rain had slowed, falling now in a soft drizzle that clung to Minnie’s hair and soaked through her clothes as she trudged through the undergrowth. Her shoes were caked in mud, and her legs ached from the frantic drive and the alcohol still muddling her blood. But she kept moving—because she had no other choice.She had veered her car off a forest maintenance road over half an hour ago and hadn’t dared return to it. The men—Amanda’s men—had followed her. They were watching. Waiting. Maybe even circling around.Now she was alone in the woods, without signal, without direction, trying to find the main road again before they did.Her breath misted in the cold night air, her coat plastered to her skin. Every snapped twig underfoot made her jump. Her throat burned with exhaustion, and the fog in her head refused to clear. But she pushed forward.Until she heard them.Voices.Rough. Male.Coming from the direction she had just left.She ducked instinctively behind a tree, heart pounding i

  • Masked Desires   chase

    The roads wound endlessly ahead, flanked by thick forests and rolling hills. Minnie gripped the steering wheel with both hands, the car humming beneath her as she followed the coordinates she had scribbled into a notebook taken from Ethan’s study.There had been a list — scribbled addresses of safe houses, old properties under Lockwood Enterprises' trust, one marked with a star and a single word beneath it: Peace.She hoped to God it meant something. Because it was all she had.The morning sun filtered through the windshield, casting soft amber over her face. She hadn’t slept. The adrenaline and panic from last night still throbbed in her veins. But beneath it all was one emotion: determination.She had betrayed Ethan. Lied to him. Let Amanda manipulate her.But she was done running. If she had any chance of forgiveness, she had to face him now—before everything else came crashing down.Because if Amanda found him first…Minnie’s throat tightened. She didn’t want to think about that.

  • Masked Desires   Diary

    Rain lashed against the windshield like relentless fingers trying to hold her back. The wipers smeared the downpour in jagged arcs, but Minnie Love barely noticed. Her grip on the steering wheel was tight, white-knuckled, as she drove through the empty roads that twisted up toward the Lockwood estate.A nearly empty bottle of rum rolled in the footwell, sloshing its last drops every time she hit the brake. Her hair clung to her damp face, makeup smudged from tears and alcohol. Her head was spinning, but her heart thudded with a singular purpose: to see Ethan. To beg, scream, cry—she didn’t know. All she knew was that she needed him.And that he was gone.Blocked her. Shut her out."You deserve it," a cruel voice whispered inside her. "You betrayed him."But she hadn’t done it out of malice. She did it because she’d been cornered. Amanda had threatened to leak the truth about Ruby—her truth. The one she’d buried deep enough that sometimes even she forgot.But it wasn’t forgotten now.N

  • Masked Desires   The spiral

    The knock on the cheap apartment door came just as Minnie was finishing her tea. She flinched at the sound—loud, firm, and final.Cassie looked up from the couch, where she’d been folding laundry. “You expecting someone?”Minnie’s blood ran cold. “No…”She opened the door slowly, heart hammering. A man and a woman in crisp gray suits stood before her. The woman held a clipboard and the man held out a thick, cream-colored envelope.“Minerva Love?” the woman asked.Minnie blinked. “Yes?”“You’ve been served.”The man handed her the envelope and turned without another word. The woman followed. No expressions. No kindness.“Wait—what is this?” Minnie called out, but they were already halfway down the hallway.She closed the door slowly, her hands trembling. Cassie was by her side in a flash, helping her to the couch as she peeled open the envelope with unsteady fingers.The name on the first page stopped her cold.Ethan Wolfe.And beneath it—Plaintiff: Wolfe International Holdings. Co-pl

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