INICIAR SESIÓNChapter 10: Home.Three months later, the townhouse no longer felt like Julian’s house.It felt like ours.My books were mixed in with his on the shelves. My favorite blanket was draped over the back of the couch. My clothes took up half the closet, and my shampoo sat next to his in the shower. Little by little, without either of us really planning it, our lives had blended together.And I had never been happier.It wasn’t perfect. We still argued — about work, about whose turn it was to do the dishes, about what to watch on TV. Julian was still stubborn and sometimes too controlling, and I was still independent and occasionally reckless with my feelings. But now, when we fought, we made up. We talked. We didn’t let things fester.We were learning how to be together.On a quiet Sunday morning in early fall, I woke up to the smell of coffee and the sound of rain against the windows. Julian was already awake, lying on his side and watching me with that quiet, intense gaze I had grown to
Chapter 9: Choosing Each Other.The days after my ex called were quiet, but not in a peaceful way.Julian and I moved through the house like we were both waiting for the other shoe to drop. We still slept in the same bed most nights. We still touched each other when the tension became too much. But there was an unspoken weight between us now — the knowledge that my ex knew, and that eventually, other people would too.I could feel Julian holding back.He was still protective, still attentive, but there was a carefulness to him that hadn’t been there before. Like he was waiting for me to change my mind. Like he was preparing himself for the possibility that I might walk away.I hated it.On a quiet Sunday morning, I finally decided I couldn’t take it anymore.Julian was in the kitchen making coffee when I walked in. He was wearing gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt, his hair still messy from sleep. He glanced up when he heard me, and the guarded look in his eyes made my chest ache.“M
Chapter 8: The Truth Comes Out.I should have known it wouldn’t stay a secret forever.Three days after Julian and I stopped pretending, my phone rang while I was at work. I didn’t recognize the number at first, but when I answered, my stomach dropped.It was my ex.“Lila,” he said, his voice tight. “We need to talk.”I stepped out into the hallway, my heart already racing.“About what?” I asked, even though I already knew.“About you fucking my brother.”The words hit like a slap.I closed my eyes.“How did you find out?” I asked quietly.“Does it matter?” he shot back. “Is it true?”I didn’t answer right away.“Lila,” he said, his voice rising. “Is it true?”“Yes,” I said finally. “It’s true.”There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line.Then he laughed — a short, bitter sound.“Unbelievable. My own brother. How long has this been going on?”“A few weeks,” I admitted.“Jesus Christ.” He sounded genuinely hurt, and that made the guilt twist even harder in my chest. “
Chapter 7: JealousyI needed space.After that night in Julian’s bed — the slow, emotional sex, the way he held me afterward like I was something precious — I felt like I was losing control of the situation. Of myself.I had moved into this house to get away from my ex and figure out my life. Instead, I was falling into something with his older brother. Something that felt dangerously close to real.So I did what any rational person would do when they were terrified of their own feelings.I tried to create distance.It started small. I stayed late at work a few nights in a row. I made plans with my new coworkers instead of coming straight home. I told myself it was healthy — that I needed to build a life outside of this house and the man who lived in it.But deep down, I knew I was running.On Friday, I did something even more drastic.I said yes to a date.His name was Ethan. He worked in the marketing department at my new job — tall, easygoing, with a nice smile and zero complicatio
Chapter 6: No More Pretending.We didn’t talk about it.After that charged conversation in the hallway, Julian and I fell into a strange, unspoken rhythm. We still lived together. We still had breakfast in the mornings and sometimes ate dinner together at night. We still argued about little things — who left the coffee pot empty, whose turn it was to take out the trash, whether the thermostat should be set at 72 or 74.But underneath all of it, something had changed.The air between us felt heavier. Every time we passed each other in the hallway, every time our hands brushed accidentally, every time I caught him looking at me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention — it all carried weight now.We were pretending nothing had happened.And we were both failing miserably.It all came to a head on a rainy Thursday night.I had gotten home late after a long day at work. My new job was demanding, and I was still trying to prove myself. By the time I stepped through the front door, I was e
Chapter 5: The Morning After.I woke up to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar curtains and the steady sound of someone breathing beside me.For a few seconds, I didn’t move. I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to piece together where I was and why my body felt so pleasantly sore.Then it all came rushing back.Julian’s kitchen. The kiss. The way he’d lifted me onto the counter and fucked me like he’d been waiting years to do it.My stomach twisted.I turned my head slowly.Julian was still asleep, lying on his back with one arm thrown over his head. The sheets had slipped down to his waist, revealing the hard lines of his chest and stomach. In the soft morning light, he looked younger. Less intimidating. Almost peaceful.I swallowed hard.What the hell had I done?I carefully slid out of bed, trying not to wake him. My clothes were scattered across the floor — my t-shirt near the door, my shorts somewhere near the bed. I gathered them as quietly as I could and slip
Riley's PoV:Professor Black’s finger teased my entrance under the warm water, circling slowly, not pushing in yet. His breath was hot against my ear, his voice low and dangerously calm.“Tell me the truth, Riley,” he whispered. “Are you still sick… or have you been hiding in this dorm because you’
Ciara's PoV:I didn’t sleep. Not really. Every time I drifted off, the glow of my phone pulled me back—the two messages glowing in the dark like accusations from God Himself. I kept reading them over and over until the letters blurred. By the time the sky outside my window turned gray with Boston
Chapter Three: The Water That Lied.Clara's Pov:The moment I stepped out of the sacristy and heard the lock click behind me, the cold Boston night slapped me awake. My legs still shook as I walked the six blocks home. The North End was quiet now—just the occasional car and the distant clatter of
Chapter one: The First ConfessionCiara's PoV: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." I uttered, voice barely above a whisper and not so sure what of myself.My cravings had been unhinged lately, as an aspiring nun, someone who wanted to devote her life to worship. I had told myself at first th







