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2024-12-06 23:36:17
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The Loveless Contractive Marriage 35
Third Person's POVFive Years AgoThe streets were a labyrinth of cracked asphalt, broken glass, and desperate souls. Zia sprinted down a narrow alley, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her feet pounding the ground as if her life depended on it—which it did. She clutched a small packet of snuffed narcotics tightly in her hand, its weight burning into her palm like a brand.Behind her, a chorus of angry shouts echoed through the labyrinth. Junkie girls, lean and fierce, barreled after her like a pack of predators. Their leader, a wiry figure with sharp features and a cruel smile, stood at the entrance of the alley, her arms crossed. She didn’t run; she didn’t need to.“Zia!” the leader’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade. “You really think you can outrun me? Not on my streets.”Zia’s legs burned, but she pushed on, refusing to look back. She knew what awaited her if they caught up, but the hope of escape was quickly fading. The narrow path ended in a pile of garbage and rusted
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-06The Loveless Contractive Marriage 36
NowThird Person's POVZia’s head pounded as her eyelids fluttered open. The world spun in a haze of cigarette smoke, cheap perfume, and damp walls. Her body felt like dead weight, slumped against a rickety old chair.“Rise and shine, little sis.”The voice was raspy, smug, and painfully familiar. Zia’s head snapped up, and there she was—Nia. Leaning against the wall, dragging on a cigarette like she owned the air in the room.Zia blinked, her throat dry. “Nia?” she croaked, her voice raw.“Surprise,” Nia smirked, flicking ash onto the dusty floor. “Long time, no see, huh?”Six years. Six years since Zia had seen her sister, and she looked as chaotic as ever. Nia’s jet-black hair hung in jagged waves, her eyeliner smeared like war paint. She wore a ripped tank top, jeans that had seen better days, and an expression that screamed, trouble’s here.“What the hell are you doing here?” Zia snapped, her voice shaky but laced with anger.Nia shrugged, taking another drag. “Grandpa called. Sa
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-06The Loveless Contractive Marriage 37
Third person's POVNia and Zia sat inside the dim, grimy room that reeked of stale smoke and spilled liquor. The cracked walls seemed to sweat secrets no one dared speak aloud. Nia flicked open a battered pack of cigarettes and shoved one toward Zia. “Here, take the damn thing,” Nia muttered, already lighting hers. Zia waved it off, her other hand resting protectively on her rounded belly. “Can’t. You know why.” Before Nia could respond, the door creaked open, and a jittery junkie girl stumbled in, her eyes darting like a trapped animal. “Someone’s askin’ for Zia outside,” she rasped, scratching at her arm like she could dig out her demons. Nia was on her feet instantly, snatching her pistol from under the stained couch cushion. She cocked it with a practiced motion, ready for whatever hell might walk through that door. “Wait,” Zia hissed, eyes narrowing. “What’d they call themselves?” The junkie girl blinked, her lips twitching like she was piecing together half-forgotten wor
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-09The Loveless Contractive Marriage 38
Third Person's POVOutside the new hospital, the air felt too quiet, like the world held its breath for what was coming. Eight black SUVs roared up the drive like a storm, the engines snarling before they cut off in unison. Doors slammed, heavy boots hit the pavement, and out stepped Grandpa Edward Audrey, leading the pack like a goddamn warlord. His cane tapped the ground with authority as he strolled toward the entrance, his entourage a ripple of dark suits and watchful eyes.The hospital staff froze for a second, then snapped to action, ushering him inside. A medical supervisor, a lanky guy with a clipboard that looked like it weighed more than he did, hustled up to him."Mr. Audrey," the supervisor started, voice trembling just enough to show respect—or fear.Edward nodded but kept walking, his sharp gaze sweeping the hospital like he owned it. Maybe he didn’t on paper, but everyone knew that money and power made the rules, and Edward Audrey had both in spades.The supervisor
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-09The Loveless Contractive Marriage 39
Third Person’s POVNia’s place was a damn pit—a cramped room with mismatched furniture, ashtrays overflowing with cigarette butts, and the faint stench of spilled booze and stale sweat. The kind of place where the air felt thick with stories no one wanted to tell.Zia sat on a lumpy couch, her knees pulled to her chest, glancing sideways at Nia and Mira. The two hadn’t said much since Mira arrived, their awkward silence heavier than the smoke clouding the room. Mira flipped through an old magazine like it owed her money, while Nia cleaned her nails with the edge of a battered pocketknife, looking bored as hell."You two gonna act like strangers all night?" Zia asked, breaking the quiet.Mira snorted. “Ask your sister. She’s the one with the attitude.”Nia didn’t even look up. “Don’t come in here acting like you know me, princess. This is my space, not your high-rise drama.”“Alright, alright, enough,” Zia said, her voice low but firm. “I didn’t come here to babysit your beef. We’ve
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-09The Loveless Contractive Marriage 40
Third person's POV The man didn’t get far before Grandpa Edward Audrey’s men tackled him to the ground after a wild chase down the hood. A sharp gun butt to the head silenced his struggle, leaving him sprawled on the pavement. Moments later, another SUV screeched to a halt nearby, and the men roughly dragged the intruder into the vehicle before peeling off toward Nia’s place.Back at the scene, Grandpa Edward Audrey stood composed, Zia nervously at his side, while one of his enforcers, a stocky man with a cigar clenched between his teeth, approached. “We’ve got him,” the man said gruffly. “What now?”“Interrogate him,” Grandpa replied coldly. “Make sure he talks. I want everything.”Turning to Zia, he motioned toward a sleek black SUV parked a few steps away. “Get in,” he said. “Let’s get that drink.” Without waiting for a reply, he climbed into the vehicle, and Zia hesitated briefly before following, her mind racing with unease.The bar was dead silent, a hole in the wall that scr
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-09The Loveless Contractive Marriage 41
Chapter 41Zia was damned gone from the flips, head fogged as the SUV rattled to a stop in front of Nia's run-down, junkied-out building. The zicky looked worse every time she showed up, like the concrete itself was getting high and crumbling under the weight of its sins. She stumbled out, gripping the SUV door for balance. The stench of piss and rot wafted in the breeze, mixing with the distant sound of someone shouting obscenities. Classic Nia’s territory.She took a deep breath—regret instantly—and headed inside, her boots clunking on the uneven stairs. The door to the apartment was ajar, a faint cloud of smoke seeping out. Zia pushed it open, and there they were.Mira and Nia. Kissing.Zia blinked, the scene in front of her like a twisted fever dream. Nia, her sister who couldn’t keep her shit together long enough to stay clean for a week, and Mira, her so-called best friend, tangled on the couch like teenagers sneaking behind their parents’ backs. Nia broke the kiss, her lips sme
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-20The Loveless Contractive Marriage 42
At the New HospitalZia stepped out of the cab in front of the new hospital, pulling her hijab closer around her face. She wanted to stay unnoticed. Her eyes scanned the entrance before she walked in, her steps steady but careful.The hospital was big and clean, with shiny floors and the smell of disinfectant in the air. Zia walked through the hallway, keeping her head down. She didn’t want anyone to recognize her.At the reception desk, a nurse looked up from her computer.“Can I help you?” the nurse asked.“I’m here to see Lorenzo,” Zia said, her voice quiet.“Lorenzo who?” the nurse asked, her eyebrows raising slightly.“Lorenzo Audrey,” Zia replied.The nurse paused, her eyes narrowing a little. “And you are?”“I’m… family,” Zia said.The nurse didn’t look convinced. She picked up the phone and made a call. Zia stood there, her hands tucked under her coat, waiting.After a moment, the nurse hung up and turned to her. “I spoke with Mr. Edward Audrey. You’re allowed to visit. Lorenz
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-04
Bab terbaru
The Loveless Contractive Marriage 62
Chapter 62 – The Smoke Beneath the Boardroom TableBoardroom, Audrey Co-opZia was pacing like a lioness denied blood.The boardroom air felt thick—too many emotions rubbing against each other like dry wires, and something was bound to spark.Zac sat at the edge of the table, arms folded, jaw tight like he was trying not to react.But Zia? She had no such self-control.“You’ve got the audacity to act like you care?” she snapped. “Why would you come back here and start stirring ghosts from the past? If you know Nia has finally found peace—finally—why the hell would you want to mess that up?”Zac looked up slowly, like a man who’d swallowed a bottle of whiskey and was still thirsty.“Because I never stopped loving her.”Zia froze. “What?”“I never stopped,” Zac said, standing now. His voice low, dangerous. “I was stupid. I let her go. And then you—her loyal, protective, damn near judgmental twin—waltz in here like you're the morality police when all of you are neck-deep in secrets, murd
The Loveless Contractive Marriage 61
Chapter 61: Blood, Bruises & the Softness Between Her ThighsHenry didn't do soft. He never had.But tonight, with Sophia bent over the edge of that mahogany table, her moans drowning out the jazz music playing from the vintage stereo in the corner, he did something dangerously close to worship.Her skin glistened, slick with sweat and his saliva. He gripped her hips like they were handles made for him, hips that rocked back against him with zero shame, all rhythm, all need.“Jesus, Soph,” he growled, sweat dripping down the curve of his spine. “You’re trying to make me die happy tonight, aren’t you?”She arched her back, glanced over her shoulder, lips swollen from too many kisses and teeth bites. “Or maybe I’m just making sure you remember who the hell helped you hide all these years.”He grinned, twisted, evil, raw.“Oh, I remember,” he whispered, before slamming into her one more time—rough, deep, final. She came undone like a secret. And he came undone right after her.They staye
The Loveless Contractive Marriage 60
Chapter 60: Trail of the Tinted GlassThe air was thick in the Traffic Surveillance Division. The hum of outdated computers and the low chatter of officers filled the background. But when he walked in—clean-cut, dark specs, grey jacket hugging his sharp shoulders—there was a shift in the room.Gabriel Cruz. Grandpa Edward Audrey’s most trusted IT specialist. The man moved like he had access to more information than anyone dared to know, because… he did.He walked past the reception with no need to explain himself.“Good morning, Mr. Cruz,” a uniformed officer greeted nervously.Gabriel offered a tight nod. “Who’s handling License Plate Footage Archive today?”“That would be Officer Darlington. Room 14.”“Perfect.”Within minutes, Gabriel was seated in a dimly lit room, the door shutting behind him with a click.Officer Darlington raised his brow. “What’s a top-tier Audrey man doing digging through street footage?”Gabriel leaned in. “A woman’s missing. I need access to all outbound ve
The Loveless Contractive Marriage 59
Grandpa Edward Audrey's OfficeAudrey Co-opLorenzo, Nia, and Zia sat in the assistant’s reception, the air thick with tension. The receptionist at the desk barely spared them a glance, her perfectly manicured fingers clicking away at the keyboard.Nia huffed, arms crossed. “Can’t the damn receptionist just tell your grandpa that we have to see him now?”Lorenzo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Nia, everything has a procedure. He might be in an important meeting right now.”“More important than my mother?!” Nia snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. “I don’t have anything to say to you, Lorenzo. This is Zia’s fault anyway. She’s the one who dated you. She’s the one who let you put a baby in her belly.”Zia whipped her head around, her eyes narrowing. “Oh, shut the hell up, Nia! Are you seriously blaming me for this? Are you trying to say I’m the reason our mother is missing?”“Of course! You heard what he just said! His grandad can’t come out yet because he might be in
The Loveless Contractive Marriage 58
On the Way to the Police Station, Zac’s fingers tapped against the steering wheel as he sped down the road, the city lights reflecting off the windshield. Mira sat beside him, one leg crossed over the other, her knee bouncing like she had energy to burn. She was watching him, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she could see right through him.“How did you meet Nia?” Zac asked, his tone light but probing.Mira scoffed, rolling her eyes. “What do you mean? I’ve known Nia for a long time. Not her entire life, but I’ve been friends with her sister, Zia, for more than a decade.”“I see.” Zac nodded, shifting gears. “I heard she isn’t entirely about that lesbian life.” His words were careful, but he threw them out like bait.Mira’s head snapped in his direction. “Excuse me?”“You know,” Zac shrugged. “That she’s a normal girl.”Mira’s lips curled, not in a smile but something close to irritation. “First of all, what the hell does ‘normal’ mean? Second, what exactly are you trying to say?”Z
The Loveless Contractive Marriage 57
Raymond stormed into his office, slamming the door shut so hard the glass panel rattled. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, jaw locked so tight it could crack a damn tooth. He’d spent the last thirty minutes arguing with his father, and the bastard had the audacity to tell him to back off? To leave Lorenzo alone like some kind of untouchable golden boy? Yeah, right. Like hell that was happening.Yanking his phone from his pocket, he hit Henry’s number and pressed it to his ear, pacing the length of his office like a caged animal.Henry picked up after one ring. “What now, Ray?”Raymond exhaled sharply. “Dad just left my place.”There was a pause. Then, “And?”“He thinks we should leave our half-brother alone. That it’s some kind of cosmic mistake to mess with Lorenzo because Grandpa Edward Audrey has declared him the golden boy of the damn century.” Raymond let out a humorless laugh, running a hand through his already-messy hair. “Can you believe that?”Henry sighed. “You’re
The Loveless Contractive Marriage 56
AfternoonHospitalRaymond sat in the hospital room, his posture sharp, calculated, like a man who never let his guard down. The patient in front of him—Mr. Tade, mid-fifties, a little too thin for his age—watched him with tired, expectant eyes. The steady beep of the heart monitor filled the silence between them.Raymond adjusted his wristwatch before clearing his throat. “Mr. Tade, we’ve gone through all the necessary tests, and based on the results, I believe we have a clear path forward.”The older man exhaled slowly. “And? What’s the damage, doc?”Raymond glanced at the clipboard in his hand, though he had already memorized everything. “Your liver function is severely compromised. If we don’t act fast, it could get worse. I’m putting you on a high-dosage medication plan. It will stabilize things, but it’s not a cure. We need to consider a transplant in the long run.”Mr. Tade chuckled bitterly. “Transplant? You think I got time and money for that?”Raymond’s jaw tightened. “Right
The Loveless Contractive Marriage 55
The morning sun filtered through the tall windows, casting golden streaks across the dining table where Zia sat. A plate of toast, eggs, and a half-empty glass of orange juice sat untouched in front of her. She idly swirled the juice, staring at the table like it held answers to questions she hadn’t yet asked.Then, the door creaked open.Lorenzo walked in, his movements careful, as if stepping into a space where he no longer belonged. He was dressed in black joggers and a plain white t-shirt that clung to his frame, his hair still damp from a morning shower.His eyes flicked to her, hesitant. "Hi."Zia glanced up briefly before looking away. "Hi."The air between them thickened. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm either—it was that uncomfortable limbo of two people who used to share everything but now felt like strangers.Lorenzo cleared his throat and walked to the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of water and cracked it open. As he took a sip, he turned back to her. "You need a drink, Z
The Loveless Contractive Marriage 54
Chapter 54: Past Reunion.Zac’s Apartment – MorningThe kitchen smelled like fresh citrus and regret. Nia stood at the counter, slicing lemons with the precision of someone who had seen too much, been through too much, and now wielded a knife like a final punctuation to past conversations. Zac walked in, rubbing the back of his head, his eyes scanning the room like he had just stepped into unfamiliar territory—though he had been here countless times before.He leaned against the fridge, arms crossed. “What’s with all the lemons? Planning to blind someone with citrus acid?”Nia didn’t even look up. “Maybe.”Zac smirked. “Still got that thuggery vibe, huh?”She finally turned to face him, a faint smirk on her lips. “What do you want, Zac?”Zac exhaled, running a hand down his face. “I dunno. Maybe closure?”Nia chuckled, a low, dry sound. “Closure? That’s rich. What, you suddenly woke up and thought, ‘Oh shit, let me go find Nia and explain why I abandoned her like some unfinished mixta
