Lahat ng Kabanata ng Chasing Midnight Promises : Kabanata 151 - Kabanata 160

“Why did I run?” she whispered. “Why couldn’t I just stand there?”Her throat tightened. The question that followed came like a betrayal.“Am I… still in love with him?”The words echoed in the small space, and her chest heaved. She shook her head fiercely, trying to dismiss it, but the ache wouldn’t go away.She rested her forehead against her knees, fighting the tears pricking her eyes. For weeks, she had convinced herself she was moving forward. That cutting ties, burying herself in her work, meant she was free.But one look from him, one pull from the past, and everything was breaking open again. Somewhere beyond the bathroom walls, life carried on. Voices echoed down the corridor, footsteps hurried past, and the world refused to pause for her pain. Yet outside, another storm brewed, one carrying its own fire.The car door slammed shut behind Ava, but the echo of Noah’s words followed her like a curse. She sank into the backseat of the Bentley, ripping off her sunglasses and toss

The rooftop of the penthouse was breathtaking, a sanctuary of luxury against the late afternoon sky. Glass railings wrapped around the wide expanse, offering an unbroken view of London’s skyline—towers glittering in the fading sunlight, the horizon brushed in hues of gold and rose. Soft couches framed a sleek fire pit, and polished marble flooring gleamed under the glow of hidden lights.Ava sat on one of the couches, her back sinking into the plush cushions, a glass of red wine in hand. For a moment, she allowed herself to smile. At least one thing had gone right. The penthouse was hers now. Her money had spoken louder than any hesitation, louder than any man’s voice. She sipped slowly, savoring the taste of control.But the calm did not last.Her countenance shifted, lips tightening, her chest rising with uneven breaths. Her grip on the glass trembled. In a split second, the mask cracked—Ava stood, and with a sharp cry, hurled the wine glass across the rooftop. It crashed against th

The laughter only swelled, rolling over her words like a wave. Her rage boiled higher, her throat tightening as though the air itself was mocking her. She had never been laughed at this way. Not in public. Not in private. Not by nobodies.Then, as abruptly as it began, the laughter stopped.Rayna’s smirk returned, calm and deliberate.“I hope you’ve learned something new,” she said, her tone cool, amused. Then she tilted her head slightly. “Now… what do you want this time?”Ava’s lips parted, but no words came. The heat of humiliation clung to her skin, and she refused to give Rayna the satisfaction of an immediate answer.Rayna scoffed at her silence. With a flick of her wrist, she signaled to the girls.“We can’t be late for lectures. Move out, everyone.”The girls stood, scraping their chairs against the cracked floor, and began filing toward the door. Rayna followed, her steps unhurried, her cigarette smoldering between her fingers.As she passed Ava, a hand shot out and grabbed h

Mia burst into her apartment, her breaths coming in shallow gasps, as if she had been chased all the way home. She dropped her bag carelessly by the door and ran straight into the bathroom. Her hands shook so badly she almost slipped on the tiles, but she caught herself and kept moving.Clothes flew off her body before she twisted the shower knob, cold water rushing down her skin. She scrubbed at herself frantically, desperate to wash off the vile stench.But when she stepped out minutes later, wrapped in a towel, the odor still clung to her. Her heart dropped. She leaned closer to her arm, sniffed, and almost gagged. It was still there. Strong. Putrid.“No, no, no…” she muttered under her breath, tears burning her eyes. Without hesitation, she rushed back into the shower. This time she scrubbed harder, digging the sponge into her skin until red marks appeared. Her sobs echoed off the tiled walls as water mixed with her tears, streaming down her face. She didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Sh

Mia stayed at her desk, staring at the handbook with wide, unblinking eyes. Her fingers tapped against the edge of the table as she fought to remember.She couldn’t accept that she had simply made such a careless mistake. Something had pushed her into it.She closed her eyes, forcing herself to retrace her steps.The first flicker came from a week ago. She was in the garden, sitting under one of the trees with her lunch. A group of female master’s students had walked past, their voices carrying across the breeze. She remembered hearing one of them say something about a “major test coming up on Monday.”She hadn’t thought much of it then, but the words must have planted a seed.Her breath hitched. “That was it,” she muttered.Then another image rushed in—she was in the studio later that day, working on her assignment. The same topic came up again. A pair of students were talking near the door, one of them complaining about not being ready for a test. Their voices were low, but clear en