All Chapters of Echoes of Desire; Dance of Deception: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Rubbing at the chills that rose on my arms, I felt a wry smile cross my lips. It wasn't as if it were cold outside, for it was a sweltering eighty-nine degrees on a late June evening. Nonetheless, I wore a coat of goosebumps, for the memories were digging deep. Funny how they could do that, I reflected—so capable of making one feel as if they were still in that moment of occurrence. To feel every nuance, every smell, every taste, every bit of the happiness or the pain the person had endured.In a way, I supposed, that's exactly what a memory was. Nothing more than an echo of what used to be, a lingering of emotions. Ones that could either make a person stronger by teaching them how to move forward or break them if they chose to stay within the past. So, in which direction was I choosing—to move forward or stay broken? Before I could talk myself out of it, I picked up my phone and typed out.*I needed a break. I’m back in Oklahoma.*I was moving forward, I had to. I no longer had a cho

The house was so quiet that my footsteps echoed through the hallways, a haunting reminder of my solitude. The walls whispered secrets of the past, but it was the silence that screamed the loudest. It was a cacophony of unspoken words, of things left unsaid, of love and betrayal.As I moved into the kitchen, the room that had once been the heart of the house, now felt cold and empty. The warmth of my mother's cooking was replaced by the starkness of stainless steel appliances and the glow of the moon through the windows. I stared at the spot where she had once stood, her hands flour-covered, her laughter filling the room.But even as I sought comfort in the ghosts of the past, I knew I couldn't escape the present. I needed to figure out what I was going to do about the baby, about my future, about the love that had been torn apart by secrets and lies.The fridge hummed in the background, a reminder of the real world waiting outside the cocoon of the house.Taking a deep breath, I made

As the wail of the sirens grew louder, red and blue lights began painting the exterior of my home like a macabre disco. At the sight, I felt sick to my stomach, the gravity of the situation pressing down on me like a lead weight. My future, at my own hand, was now uncertain.Nathan's arm remained firmly around my shoulders as he gazed at the approaching vehicles. "We need to tell them everything, Bri. The truth," he said, his voice tinged with urgency.I nodded, unable to form words. The truth—how could I possibly explain the tangle of emotions and events that had led to this moment?The first officers to arrive were met by a scene of chaos. They found us on the porch, me in a daze, and Nathan with a look of grim determination etched into his features. He took charge, explaining the situation as succinctly as he could. The words "self-defense" and "fugitive" were thrown around like hot potatoes no one wanted to hold.As the night grew darker, more officers arrived, along with a medica

At my words, Arizona's eyes snapped to mine, the color draining from his face. "You what?""I had to," I said, my voice shaking. "He was going to..." I couldn't finish the sentence, the memory too raw, too painful.Nathan stepped closer to me, his hand landing on my shoulder. "It was self-defense," he said firmly. "And we've already spoken to the local authorities."Arizona's gaze jumped from me to Nathan and then back to me, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief. "Bri, why the fuck didn't you call me?""Because..." I trailed off, not knowing how to explain the tangled web of emotions and fear that had led me to pull that trigger.↜↜ 🖤🖤↝↝I took a deep breath, my eyes pleading with Arizona to understand. "I can't really explain, I just need you to understand that, okay?"He studied me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he nodded. "Alright. But you're going to have to fill me in eventually."With a slow nod, I began to talk. As I recounted t

~NATHAN~Hearing Brianna say she was leaving had devastated me—her whispered words, “I love you,” had killed me.After she’d quit the call, I’d jumped in my pickup, and like a crazed man, I’d broken every goddamn speed limit law there was between her place and mine. I hadn’t given a flying fuck if a patrol car had pulled in behind me. They would have had to chase me to Brianna’s because I wasn’t slowing down for any motherfucker. Now, pulling in before her home, I gazed at it, shattered. It sat, silent and empty of her presence, echoing the bareness that now ripped through my soul. However, its solitude appearance didn’t stop me and shoving the pickup’s door open, I jumped out of the cab and ran up the steps of the porch. My feet never slowed until I stood before the front door. Grabbing the knob, I twisted, but it didn’t give beneath my fingers. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, its beat, erratic, broken. Raising a leg, I kicked at the door, the force behind the blow one