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Chapter Fifty-five
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2025-01-27 06:16:41
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Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter Fifty-Six
The alley was dark, the only illumination coming from a flickering streetlamp a few yards away. Anton moved quickly, his strides long and purposeful as he carried Odette in his arms. The icy wind whipped through the narrow passage, biting against their skin, but Anton didnโt falter. Odetteโs head rested against his shoulder, her breaths shallow but steady. The wound on her side throbbed, sending sharp waves of pain through her body, but she forced herself to stay conscious. The sound of gunfire from the warehouse grew fainter with every step, but she knew they werenโt in the clear. โAntonโฆโ Her voice was barely audible over the pounding of his boots on the wet pavement. โDonโt talk,โ he said sharply, his gaze focused ahead. His tone was clipped, but there was an undercurrent of something elseโsomething she hadnโt heard from him before. Fear. โI can walk,โ she protested weakly, trying to push against his hold. โNo, you canโt,โ he snapped, his grip tightening. โYouโre losing blood
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-01-27Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter Fifty-Seven
The safe house was nestled in the shadow of an abandoned industrial district, a modest brick building that blended seamlessly into the forgotten landscape. Anton parked the car in the alley behind the structure, his eyes scanning their surroundings for any signs of pursuit. Satisfied that they hadnโt been followed, he turned his attention to Odette. Her head lolled against the seat, her breaths shallow and uneven. Blood had soaked through the makeshift bandage at her side, the crimson stain stark against the pale fabric of her shirt. โOdette,โ Anton said, his voice tight with urgency. He reached out, gently shaking her shoulder. โStay with me.โ Her eyelids fluttered open, her gaze unfocused. โIโmโฆ Iโm here,โ she murmured, though her voice was barely audible. He didnโt waste another second. Moving quickly, he stepped out of the car, rounded to her side, and scooped her into his arms. Her weight was light, too light, and it only deepened the knot of fear in his chest. The back doo
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-01-27Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter Fifty-Eight
The faint hum of machinery filled the quiet room as Loganโs fingers danced across his keyboard. Screens flickered with data feedsโemails, security footage, and communication intercepts. The safe house had grown quieter as the night deepened, though the tension remained thick, hanging like a storm cloud over the group. Damien leaned against the far wall, arms crossed as he watched Logan work. โYou got anything yet?โ Logan didnโt respond immediately, his sharp eyes glued to the screen. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple, though he didnโt seem to notice. โIโm in,โ Logan finally said, his voice tinged with triumph. โIโve cracked into one of their internal communication channels.โ Anton, who had been sitting near Odette, immediately stood and strode over. His commanding presence filled the room, his silver-grey eyes locked on the screen. โWhat are they saying?โ Anton asked, his tone sharp and precise. Loganโs fingers moved rapidly, translating the intercepted message. โItโs co
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-01-27Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter Fifty-Nine
The warehouse interior was a labyrinth of towering shipping containers stacked in uneven rows, each bearing faded logos and coded labels. Anton led the way, his movements precise and calculated, while Damien followed closely, his steps light despite his usual cocky demeanor. Every creak of the metal floors, every faint echo of their breaths, felt like a potential giveaway in the oppressive silence. Anton paused at a corner, holding up a clenched fist. Damien stopped instantly, his eyes following Antonโs sharp gaze toward a pair of guards patrolling the far end of the row. The guardsโ conversation was muffled, but their relaxed posture suggested they werenโt expecting an attack. Anton motioned for Damien to circle left, signaling that he would take the right. Without a word, Damien nodded, a smirk tugging at his lips as he slipped into the shadows. Odetteโs voice crackled through the comms in Antonโs ear, soft but filled with concern. โTwo more guards are heading toward your positi
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-01-27Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter Sixty
The drive back to the safe house was cloaked in silence, save for the hum of the carโs engine and the occasional rattle from the gravel roads they traveled. Damien was behind the wheel, his knuckles tapping rhythmically against the steering wheel, a stark contrast to Anton, who sat in the passenger seat, staring out into the dark abyss of the night. The mission was a success, but Antonโs mind remained restless. Destroying the shipment at the port had been a critical blow to their enemies, but it wasnโt the end. They would retaliate. He knew it, and the thought gnawed at the edges of his resolve. โYou gonna brood all night, or should I crack open a bottle to celebrate?โ Damien quipped, glancing at Anton with a grin that didnโt quite reach his eyes. Anton turned to him, his expression unreadable. โWeโre not in the clear yet. Their next move is comingโsooner than we think.โ โRelax, mate. Weโll deal with it when it comes. We always do.โ Anton didnโt respond, his gaze shifting bac
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-01-28Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter Sixty-One
The city never truly slept. Even at this late hour, New York pulsed with lifeโheadlights weaving through the streets, distant sirens wailing, shadows shifting in alleyways where secrets thrived. Odette stood by the window of the safe house, watching as the lights flickered against the glass. The room behind her was dim, illuminated only by Loganโs monitors, each screen displaying a constant stream of dataโmovement reports, intercepted messages, financial transactions. Evidence of the war Anton had been fighting for years. The weight of it all pressed against her chest. Anton was across the room, leaning over the table, fingers tracing over the map spread out before him. His silver-grey eyes were focused, calculatingโalways thinking ahead, always ready for the next battle. She could see it now, clearer than ever. The exhaustion he hid so well. The burden of leading this fight. โYou should rest,โ she said softly, stepping closer. Anton didnโt look up. โThereโs no time for that.โ
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-02Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter Sixty-Two
The factory was a labyrinth of towering crates, rusting machinery, and the lingering scent of gasoline. The air was thick with tension, each shadow a potential threat. Anton moved ahead, his movements precise, deadlyโevery step calculated. Odette stayed close, gripping the small handgun Damien had given her, though her fingers trembled slightly.This was real. No more sidelines. No more watching from the safety of a hideout. She was in the middle of it now, and there was no turning back.Loganโs voice crackled through the comms. โTwo more guards on the upper walkway. They havenโt spotted you yet.โAnton signaled Damien, who nodded before slipping into the shadows. A few moments later, there was the soft thump of bodies hitting the floor.โWalkwayโs clear,โ Damien whispered.They pressed forward, inching closer to their real targetโthe shipment of trafficked victims Dmitri Petrov planned to move by morning.Odetteโs pulse pounded in her ears. She had spent years trying to forget her ow
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-02Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter Sixty-Three
The ride back to the safe house was suffocatingly quiet.Odette sat in the passenger seat of Antonโs car, staring out at the rain-slicked streets of New York. The city blurred past, headlights casting streaks of light across the wet pavement.Her fingers still trembled.She clenched them into fists, willing the shaking to stop.She had fired a gun before. She had trained, learned how to handle a weapon. But shooting at a target in an empty warehouse was nothing compared to pulling the trigger when someone was trying to kill the person youโShe shut down the thought before it could fully form.Anton was silent beside her, one hand gripping the wheel, the other resting on the gear shift. His jaw was set, his eyes focused on the road, but she could feel the tension radiating off him.He hadnโt said much after the fight.None of them had.Damien had driven the freed captives to a safe location. Logan was handling damage control from his end. And Anton had simply led her to his car and sta
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-02-02
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Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Final Chapter
Anton had spent months proving himself.Months of waiting.Of constantly showing up.Of continually choosing her, over and over again.And Odette had spent those same months resisting.Not because she didnโt love him.But because loving him had never been the problem.Trusting him was and she is so scared of giving out her heart again. But trustโreal trustโwasnโt won overnight.It was built, brick by brick, moment by moment.And Anton?Anton had laid the foundation, patiently and relentlessly.Until finallyโOdette let herself believe it.Believe him.Believe everything he has been trying to prove. And for the first time since this all beganโshe let herself want him again, this time with no doubts. Really, truly, want him.Not as a ghost from her past.Not as a memory she tried to bury.But as a man who had fought for her.And won.A man whom she has given her heart to. The first time they went out in public together, the world noticed.Odette hadnโt wanted a spectacle, but she di
Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter One Hundred-and-Sixteen
Odette had spent months convincing herself she could live without Anton.That she was better off without him.That she had moved on.But every time she saw him, every time he showed up and didnโt push, every time he justโฆ waitedโHer resolve cracked.And tonight, it finally broke.It had been a long day.Her body ached, exhaustion pressing against her limbs like a weight she couldnโt shake.She had spent the afternoon organizing the nurseryโfolding tiny clothes, arranging baby books, trying to ignore the growing sense of anticipation and fear inside her.She wasnโt ready.Not for motherhood.Not for Anton.Not for any of it.But time didnโt care if she was ready.Time kept moving, pulling her forward whether she liked it or not.And now, as she stepped out of the building, the cool night air brushing against her skin, she felt so unbearably lost.Then she saw him.Anton stood near the curb, his presence as steady as ever.He didnโt say anything.Didnโt move toward her.He just waited.
Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter One Hundred-and-Fifteen
Odette was tired.Not physicallyโher body had adjusted to the pregnancy, the nausea had faded, and for the first time in weeks, she felt stable.No, this exhaustion ran deeper.It was the kind that weighed in her chest every time she saw him.Every time Anton appearedโsilent, steady, unshakenโstanding just close enough to remind her that he was still there.That he wasnโt leaving.Not this time.And she hated it.Hated that he made it so damn hard to push him away.Hated that he was doing everything right.And most of allโshe hated that it was working.It started with small things.Little gestures that she didnโt notice at first.Or ratherโrefused to notice.Anton always kept his distance.But when she went to the grocery store, he was thereโpretending to be occupied by something else.When she went to the doctor, he never followed her inside.But every time she stepped out of the clinic, she felt his presence.Like he was watching, waiting.Like he was protecting her.Like he was sti
Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter One Hundred-and-Fourteen
Odette stared at Anton, her heart hammering violently in her chest. Iโm leaving it all behind. The words still echoed in her mind, pressing against the walls of her carefully built defenses. He was saying everything she had once wanted to hear. Everything she had once prayed for. But now? Now, it felt like too little, too late. Anton watched her, waiting. Giving her space. Giving her a choice. Odette inhaled sharply, forcing herself to steady. And thenโ She turned away. Her voice was quiet but firm. โYou canโt just say things like that and expect me to believe you.โ A muscle in Antonโs jaw tightened. โIโm not expecting you to believe me.โ She looked back at him, eyes narrowing. โThen what are you expecting?โ He held her gaze. โTo prove it to you.โ Odette clenched her fists. She hated that he was calm. She hated that he knew she wouldnโt walk awayโnot yet. Because she had questions. Because she still wanted answers. Becauseโ**despite everyth
Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter One Hundred-and-Thirteen
Anton hadnโt spoken to Annika in weeks.Not because he didnโt trust herโbut because he knew what she would say.He had been watching Odette.Keeping his distance.Waiting for the moment she would come to him.But she never did.And when Annika finally reached out, her voice was sharp with frustration.โYouโre an idiot.โAnton pinched the bridge of his nose. โAnnikaโโโNo. Listen to me,โ she snapped. โIโve kept my mouth shut long enough.โAnton exhaled slowly. โI donโt have time for this.โโYou donโt have time?โ Annika let out a bitter laugh. โYouโve had months. And youโre wasting all of them.โAnton didnโt respond.Because he already knew where this conversation was going.He could feel it.The shift.The weight of something inevitable.And thenโAnnika spoke the words that shattered him.โSheโs pregnant.โSilence.The kind that suffocates.The kind that crushes.Antonโs grip tightened around the phone.His breath was slow. Controlled.But insideโinside, everything was collapsing.โSay
Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter One Hundred-and-Twelve
Odette had felt it the moment she stepped outside her apartment.The weight of eyes on her.A presence lingering just out of reach.At first, she had convinced herself it was paranoia. A trick of her mind.But as the days passed, it became harder to ignore.Anton was watching her.She felt it in the way certain shadows lingered longer than they should.In the subtle hum of something just beneath the surface.In the way her instinctsโso finely tuned from months of survivalโrefused to let her dismiss it.And yetโฆ he never approached her.Never confronted her.He justโฆ watched.As if waiting for something.As if waiting for her.She first noticed it at the bookstore.A small, quiet shop tucked between a bakery and a florist. She had been running errands, determined to settle into her new normal.She was reaching for a book when a shift in the air made her glance toward the entrance.Anton stood outside, across the street.His hands were in his coat pockets, his sharp gaze unreadable.He
Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter One Hundred-and-Eleven
Odetteโs breath caught in her throat.Anton stood across the cafรฉ, his broad frame unmistakable even from a distance. He was mid-conversation with someone, but the second their eyes met, the world tilted.She knew this feeling.The sharp pull in her chest, the way the air seemed to thin around her, the sudden weight of everything unsaid pressing down on her shoulders.Antonโs expression was unreadable.But his storm-gray eyesโthey saw her.Not just physically.He saw her.For a moment, neither of them moved.Odetteโs fingers tightened around the strap of her purse. Every rational thought screamed at her to walk away.She could do it.She could turn around, push open the door, and pretend this never happened.But her legs wouldnโt move.Not yet.Antonโs posture shifted, his weight moving slightly forward.A hesitation.A decision.Then, before she could react, he started toward her.Odetteโs pulse spiked.Her heart slammed against her ribs, and suddenly, she wasnโt ready.Not for this.
Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter One Hundred-and-Ten
Odette ran her fingers along the edge of the ultrasound photo, tracing the faint outline of the tiny life growing inside her.It had been a week since the scare.A week since she heard the heartbeat.A week since she had finally stopped lying to herself.She was going to be a mother.And for the first time since she found out, she let herself feel it.It was terrifying.But it was alsoโฆ undeniable.She wasnโt sure when the fear started turning into something elseโsomething quieter, something warmer.But it had.And that was enough.At least for now.She pressed the ultrasound photo between the pages of her notebook, closing it carefully before pushing it aside.Amerie walked in just as she finished, holding two cups of coffee. โAlright, I caved and smuggled this in. If they catch us, we were framed.โOdette snorted, taking the cup with a grateful nod.Amerie settled into the chair beside her. โHow are you feeling?โOdette exhaled, wrapping her fingers around the cup. โBetter.โIt wasn
Rediscovering Odette ย ย ย Chapter One Hundred-and-Nine
Odette wasnโt sure when she started holding her breath.Maybe it was when the dizziness hit, sharp and sudden, making the walls of her hospital room blur.Maybe it was when she pressed a hand to her stomach, her heartbeat thundering beneath her palm.Or maybe it was when the pain startedโnot unbearable, but deep and sharp enough to make her panic.She sucked in a slow breath, forcing herself to stay still.This was nothing.It had to be nothing.She was fine.She repeated the thought over and over, but her body didnโt believe it.The pressure in her lower abdomen twisted, sending another dull ache through her.Odette clenched the sheets, her pulse hammering.No.Not this.Her fingers shook as she reached for her phone, nearly dropping it before managing to press Amerieโs contact.It barely rang before her best friend answered.โWhatโs wrong?โOdette tried to swallow the lump in her throat. โIโโ She broke off, inhaling shakily. โI need you to come.โAmerieโs voice immediately sharpened
