Lahat ng Kabanata ng Jacob Hale: Enemy’s Secret Toy: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

Jacob Once, I figured normal was out of my grasp. Given what I'd endured… the pains, the betrayals, the nights spent curled up in the dark, praying for silence… I'd assumed I'd spend my life feeling numb, armored against love.I had built walls so high that even the thought of someone scaling them seemed laughable. Then came Nathan, a man unlike any other I’ve ever met.He didn’t demand anything from me. No treating me like a mystery to unravel or a trophy to show off. No prying into the parts of me I wasn’t ready to share. He didn’t push when I clammed up about my past, didn’t flinch when I recoiled from unexpected touches. He just stuck around, his presence alone scratching away at my defenses, brick by stubborn brick. His hand in mine in public didn’t scream possession. It whispered pride… not the kind that bragged, but the kind that said, ‘I’m lucky to have you.’ His eyes flickered when he spoke, like every topic, no matter how boring, had a secret worth sharing. He talked ab

JacobTen years. It felt like an eternity.Never thought I'd lay eyes on him again. I had convinced myself it was a good thing, that those years had brought peace. A fresh start in a new town, a job that paid the bills, and Nathan… steady, kind Nathan… who made me feel safe in a way I hadn’t known was possible. I had built a life that didn’t involve looking over my shoulder every minute of every fucking day, waiting for the past to catch up. The nightmares, once deafening, had faded to mere whispers. But then, on a typical day, class and then hanging around before work.The sun shone so brightly, as I leaned against the wall outside the hall, lost in my phone, scrolling through texts and replying to Nathan’s messages. Nathan had texted that he’d meet me in school, so he could take me to the pub, and I was waiting for him. “Need to quickly grab something at the store”, he’d texted. I’d smiled, typing a text to send to him, lost in my music, oblivious to the world outside my lit

Jacob I should've tossed the damn key. The sensible choice, the respectable one. The action of a man with self-respect and a stable relationship.But I kept it. In my back pocket, burning like a guilty secret. A physical weight that pressed against me with every step, a reminder of my weakness. I didn’t breathe a word to Nathan. I wore a smile like a mask, practiced and deceiving, while inside, my mind was a battlefield. I let him hold me when he sensed my distance, his arms warm and safe, his touch everything Daniel’s wasn’t. And I despised myself for it. All day, my heart only betrayed me, yearning for a touch I had craved for years. I told myself I wouldn’t go. That I was stronger than this. That Nathan deserved better than a man who still trembled at the thought of his past abuser. But the key remained in my pocket, a silent accomplice to my brewing betrayal. I didn’t decide. No grand moment of surrender. Instead, I drifted through the hours in silent agony, my body

JacobI had no clue where I was heading. The city stretched before me, a maze of glowy lights and shadow, each step carrying me further into the unknown. My feet moved without thought as if guided by something deeper than conscious will…something primal, something desperate. Every step felt like a betrayal, moving me further from something unknown, something I didn’t wish to face. But the truth was sharp, as loud as my pulse, as undeniable as the night air I gulped. I was running. Not just from a place, but from myself. From the memories that clung to my skin like a cold sweat, from the revenant ghost of a man who refused to let me go. I’d convinced myself over and over that I’d had enough of Daniel. That I’d had enough of his deceits, his obsession, his twisted mind games. I’d moved on. I had Nathan. I had a life not centered on him. Nathan, who was sweet and steady, who didn’t play games, who looked at me like I was something precious instead of something to be possess

JacobThe voice was barely there, a murmur in the shadows, too faint to grasp at first. But it sliced through the thick tension like a dagger. I felt the hairs on my neck rise, my body stiffen without warning. Maybe I was hallucinating, losing it in this hellish maze of deceit and treachery. Maybe the adrenaline, the suffocating weight of Daniel’s presence, the way Nathan’s fury still crackled in the air… maybe it had all finally pushed me over the edge. But then it came again, clearer this time. “Jake.”A whisper, but unmistakable. I froze solid. In the doorway stood Will, my old friend, a memory from the past, but he wasn’t just a memory anymore. He was there, his face chalk-white, eyes wide with something I couldn’t pin down. Fear? Worry? Or was it just the weariness of the chaos that had become our lives? Which by the way was his fault, so whatever trouble he was in. I didn’t care. He looked like she hadn’t slept in days. His dark hair was tangled, his lips chapped, h