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Chapter 6: The Trap
Last Updated:
2025-12-04 04:24:52
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SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 22: Night Falls
LILA’S POV I stayed locked inside the apartment all day with the curtains drawn and my phone face down on the nightstand. The room smelled like stale coffee and damp clothes from yesterday’s rain. I didn’t eat. I didn’t shower. I just lay on the bed staring at the ceiling while tears dried on my cheeks and new ones took their place. My life used to feel hard but manageable but now everything felt stolen. My job. My dignity. My future. All gone because I let myself get tangled with the Callahan men.I blamed myself the most. I should have said no that first night. I should have walked away after the family dinner. I should have fought harder when Ethan slapped me. Instead I stood there crying while his mother smiled. Zane was right, I’m weak, pathetic, and worthless. The walls started closing at around three in the afternoon. I couldn’t breathe in that room anymore. I needed air. Noise. Anything except silence and my own thoughts.I dragged myself up and pulled on jeans and a hood
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 21: Damage Control
ZANE’S POV I stepped into the family estate the next morning and felt the air change. The house smelled like coffee, old money, and tension thick enough to choke on. My father stood at the head of the long dining table with papers spread out in front of him. Mother sat to his right looking calm and composed in her usual silk blouse. Victoria was already there with her arms crossed and her face set like stone. Sophia Lang waited on the far side wearing a cream gown, with diamonds, and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. I stayed in the doorway a second too long. My father looked up first. “You’re late.” “There was traffic.” I walked in and took the empty chair at the opposite end. No one offered coffee. No one smiled. Father pushed a folder toward me. “Sign.” I opened it slowly. It was an engagement agreement, more like a merger term. Sophia’s name was beside mine in crisp black ink.I looked up. “This is bullshit.” “Watch your language,” Mother said quietly. Father leaned for
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 20: Downward Spiral
LILA’S POV I rode the bus home in soaked clothes and ruined makeup with blisters burning on both heels. The driver kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror but said nothing. I sat in the back row and stared out the window watching rain streak the glass while my body shivered from cold and shame. My dress clung to my skin like a second layer of regret. Every bump in the road jolted the soreness between my legs and reminded me of Zane’s hands and mouth and the way I’d begged for more. I hated myself for it.When I finally reached my stop I walked the last three blocks in barefoot because my heels hurt too much. I had blisters split on my feet and the rainwater didn’t help with the pain. But I didn’t care because pain felt deserved.I climbed the stairs to the apartment and let myself in quiet. I dropped my bag on the floor as I started peeling off the wet dress, it landed in a heap with a soft wet slap. I left the heels by the door and padded barefoot to my room.I collapsed on the
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 19: Rain and Regret
ZANE’S POV I followed her because I knew Ethan. I knew how he treated things he thought belonged to him. I knew the look on his face when he felt ownership slipping. And I knew Lila wouldn’t back down easy, which meant things could turn ugly fast. Victoria called me on my way to the rink. She sounded pissed and worried at the same time. She said Ethan and his mother had summoned Lila to La Grenouille for a lunchtime meeting to discuss the wedding. I made a U-turn without thinking twice and broke every speed limit getting there. I walked in just as Ethan raised his hand again. The first slap still echoed in the air and Lila stood frozen with her cheek red as tears shone in her eyes. The whole restaurant looked like it was a theater. I didn’t even think. I just moved. “Get your hands off her.” My voice cut through the murmurs. Ethan froze mid-swing. His mother’s wine glass paused halfway to her lips. Lila looked at me like she couldn’t believe I was real. I crossed the room fast
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 18: A Marriage With Thorns
LILA’S POV Zane pulled away from the curb and drove through the snow without another word. The city lights blurred past the windows and the heater blasted warm air that did nothing to thaw the chill inside me. His words echoed loud in my head. You’re not marrying him. It is now. He said it like he owned the decision, like he owned me.I stared at his sharp profile, it was unreadable in the dashboard glow. He kept saying things like that as if declarations fixed everything. As if he could snap his fingers and erase four million dollars and a family that saw me as property. Men always talked big when they wanted something. And Zane wanted sex—not just any sex—great and mind-blowing sex. Despite having his own fiancée waiting somewhere or at least the expectation of one, he still claimed my body. I know Sophia Lang wasn’t going away quietly. I wasn’t stupid enough to believe he meant anything more.The Rover turned into his underground garage after we grabbed something to eat and he
SHADES OF ICE AND ASHES Chapter 17: Game Day
ZANE’S POV I walked into the locker room as the noise hit me like a wall. Guys shouted over each other as music thumped from someone’s speaker, the air smelled like sweat, tape, and adrenaline. I dropped my bag on the bench and started stripping down. My shoulder still ached from yesterday’s practice but I ignored it because pain was part of the deal. The coach clapped his hands sharply in the middle of the room as everyone quieted fast. “Listen up. Tonight we play Toronto. They’re fast and they hit hard. Callahan, you’re on the first line with Reyes and Thompson. I want you finishing checks and screening the goalie. No pretty plays tonight, just grind.” I nodded and pulled on my base layer. Reyes bumped my shoulder as he passed. “Ready to carry us again, Princess?” he said sarcastically. I flipped him off without looking but the other guys laughed like it was supposed to be funny. My head wasn’t here to catch the joke. It was still in that conference room watching Lila try to a
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