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chapter 37: The shift

Author: Sophie keji
last update publish date: 2026-02-15 06:37:02

Morning came quietly.

Diamond woke before Josh.

She watched him sleep.

His face looked innocent when he wasn’t talking.

No lies in his breathing.

No secrets in closed eyes.

Just peace.

That annoyed her.

She slipped out of bed gently and went to the kitchen corner to make tea.

When Josh woke up, she was already dressed.

“You’re up early,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

“Couldn’t sleep well,” she replied.

He walked over and hugged her from behind.

She stiffened for half a second.

He didn’t notice.

“Y
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  • Pieces of Me He Never Protected   chapter 69: The weight she carried alone

    It didn’t break all at once.That would have been easier.Cleaner.Something she could point to and say, this was the moment.But Diamond had always been the kind of person who endured things quietly.So instead, it built up.In small moments.In passing words.In silences that lasted a little too long.Josh had just left.The door clicked shut behind him, and just like that, the room changed.It always did.When he was there, everything felt… full.Warm.Occupied.But the moment he left, it was like something got taken with him.Diamond stood by the door for a long time.Her hand still resting on the handle.As if part of her expected him to come back.He didn’t.Of course he didn’t.He never did.Not after.She finally let go of the handle and walked slowly back into the room.Each step felt heavier than it should.She sat on the edge of her bed.Then lay back.Then sat up again.Restless.Unsettled.Her phone buzzed.She didn’t check it.She didn’t need to.Because lately, every no

  • Pieces of Me He Never Protected   chapter 68:After the quiet

    The room was dim except for the soft yellow light from the bedside lamp.Josh lay beside her, breathing slowly now, one arm thrown lazily across the pillow.Diamond stared at the ceiling.Her skin was still warm, her heartbeat gradually returning to normal.Sex with Josh had always been… good.That was the inconvenient truth she never said out loud.He kissed like he meant it.Touched her like she was the only person in the world that mattered in that moment.When he held her during those minutes, it almost felt like love.Almost.Josh shifted beside her and pulled her closer instinctively, his arm settling across her waist.Diamond rested her head lightly against his chest.His heart was still beating a little faster.He traced slow, lazy circles against her arm, already drifting toward sleep.Josh wasn’t the type to say much after.No long conversations.No deep emotional check-ins.He didn’t know much about aftercare. She had realized that early on.But sometimes he would pull her

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  • Pieces of Me He Never Protected   chapter 66: A name that appears too often

    The campus road was quieter now.Most students had already returned to their hostels, leaving the walkways softer with scattered footsteps and distant conversations.Josh walked beside Diamond with his hands in his pockets.“Daniel talks too much,” he said suddenly.Diamond glanced at him.“He barely said anything.”Josh shrugged.“He was enjoying that situation too much.”Diamond smiled faintly.“You mean the part where you were interrogating me?”Josh frowned.“I wasn’t interrogating you.”Diamond didn’t respond.They kept walking.Josh glanced at her again.“You should still be careful around guys like Thelma.”Diamond raised an eyebrow.“Why?”Josh sighed.“Because not every guy has good intentions.”Diamond almost laughed at that.But she held it in.Instead she simply said, “Noted.”They walked a few more steps in silence.Then Josh’s phone buzzed in his pocket.He ignored it.Diamond didn’t look at him.But she heard it.A few seconds later the phone buzzed again.Josh pulled i

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