جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 210

Olivia’s POVI had been pacing the living room for what felt like hours. Every sound of the floorboard, every distant car horn, made me jump. The clock ticked too slowly, the silence in the house almost unbearable. I kept glancing at the door, hoping that any moment, Elliot would come back. That he would walk through that door, tired and bruised from the night, and I could finally let out the breath I had been holding.I hadn’t sat down. I couldn’t. Every moment I did, I felt like I was giving up, like I was letting him slip away again. My hands were clenched, fingernails digging into my palms, and my chest felt heavy, tight, like it might crush me from the inside.And then, the sound of the door opening made my heart leap.I froze.At first, I didn’t see who it was. But then, two familiar figures appeared, their shapes framed by the dim light of the porch. Daniel’s calm, measured steps, the way he carried himself, and Elliot trailing slightly behind, head low, shoulders tense. Relief

River’s POVThe apartment building stood in front of me, tall and quiet against the night sky. Its windows glowed faintly, squares of yellow light in the dark, some open, some shut, lives stacked on top of each other like boxes. My breath came out pale in the cold air, fading as quickly as it formed. I stood there on the sidewalk, my hands deep in my pockets, not moving, not ready to go inside.I could have walked straight in, taken the elevator up to Noah’s floor, knocked on his door, and been warm by now. But something in me resisted. The walk here hadn’t been long, but it had been enough to stir up everything I thought I’d managed to quiet earlier. My chest still carried the echo of too many questions, too much anger I couldn’t set down.So I lingered.I leaned against the railing at the front steps, looking up at the rows of windows. The air bit at my skin, sharper the longer I stayed still, but it didn’t matter. The cold felt better than the noise in my head.That was when my pho

Noah’s POVThe night felt colder than it really was, or maybe it was just me. I kept my hood up as I walked beside River, trying to look like I was just another guy out for a late stroll, when really my head was far from calm. I could not stop replaying the words he had just read off his phone. Just because you expose one stalker doesn’t mean there isn’t another one. Be careful my lovely River.That message was like a knife pressed against my skin. Whoever sent it was mocking us, mocking him, trying to scare him. And worse, they had used the word lovely. That one word told me too much. It was not just a random threat, it was personal. Whoever it was thought they had some kind of claim on him. That made my chest burn with anger, and at the same time my stomach twist with dread.I glanced at River as we walked. He was quiet, too quiet. His face looked blank, but I could tell he was not really here. His eyes were somewhere else, somewhere dark. I wanted to take the phone from his hand an

River’s POV“I need you to fuck the shit out of me.”The words hung between us like I’d slammed a door shut behind me. No way back, no pretending I didn’t mean it. Noah froze, jaw tight, chest rising like he’d been sucker-punched. His eyes cut into me, dark and sharp, and for a heartbeat I thought he’d say no. He’d always been careful with me, too careful.But then he moved.His mouth crashed into mine, hard and messy, teeth clashing, tongues tangling. It wasn’t a kiss meant to soothe, it was a kiss that burned. His hands gripped my face like he owned it, tilting me back, his tongue forcing its way deeper, stealing my breath. I moaned into him, already giving up control, already begging for more.I clawed at his shirt, yanking it up, desperate to feel his skin. The fabric caught on his shoulders and he ripped it the rest of the way off, tossing it aside. His chest was hot and solid against me, every inch of muscle pressing me back toward the couch. His mouth broke from mine only to at

River’s POVMy body felt like fire and ice at the same time. The belt dug into my wrists, the sting of his hand still burned across my ass, and every thrust had left me trembling, undone. When Noah finally pulled out and collapsed against me, I could barely breathe. My face was pressed into the couch cushion, my chest heaving, sweat sticking my hair to my forehead.For a moment, everything was silent except for our breaths. Heavy. Uneven. The kind that made the whole room feel alive.Then his hand moved. Slow. Careful. He slid the belt free from my wrists, tossing it aside, and his fingers rubbed against the marks there. Gentle, rubbing warmth back into the skin.“River,” he murmured. His voice was different now, not sharp like before. Softer. “You okay?”I nodded weakly, my throat too tight to speak at first. Then, with effort, I whispered, “Yeah.”He turned me over carefully, like I was fragile now even though minutes ago he had wrecked me. His hands brushed through my hair, his lip