All Chapters of Daddy's Little Secret : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Melissa's POVI did not budge from the mirror for what seemed like an eternity, even when Jamal shoved me away from it, even when his hand pushed hard against the small of my back, my eyes kept straying back towards the glass as if the reflection would magically come to life again.It did not.It was just me now, shattered, fractured and haunted.Jamal sat me down on the bed, getting down on his knees in front of me. His eyes swept over mine with a mix of anger and despair I'd never witnessed from him before. "Melissa," he said, grasping my knees, "listen to me. There was no one there. I looked around every inch of that room. You were seeing your own fear looking back at you... that's all.".No, i gasped. My throat was sore, my voice barely there "It wasn't me. He smiled, Jamal. My own reflection smiled when i didn't."His jaw locked but he did not argue. Instead, he placed my hands on his chest and his heart thundered under my touch "This is real. That voice, that… shadow, whatever

Melissa's POVMorning came too early as the Mediterranean sun poured over the villa, golden light spilling through the curtains like heaven-spilled heat and Birds trilled from the lemon trees outside the window, their song cutting through the soft hush of waves below and the entire day cried out beauty, safety, new beginnings and my body was weighed down, lashed by shadows that sunlight could not scorch even though Jamal had already risen from bed before me, his steps quiet and deliberate but i pretended to be asleep when he kissed my temple, the roughness of his stubble scratching against my skin "Rest," he whispered softly, his voice softer than anyone else ever got to know, then he slipped out of the room silently, leaving behind his cologne and the fading echo of his heat.I simply stayed there for a bit, eyes closed, heart racing as last night replayed itself in my head.That glance and that whisper.Rapidly, Melissa. Rapidly you'll understand why you were never his. You've alway

Jamal's POVMelissa's lips trembled as she said that name, so gentle it was almost overwhelmed by the fire raging in the library hearth but i heard it and it was like a hand had reached into my chest and encircled their fist around my heart.The name did not fit in this house. Not on her lips and not on Annabelle, Michael or the ghosts of Whitmoore Estate and yet it sat here.I froze, my muscles braced, my head whirling between horror and shock and my voice was sharper than i intended "Say it again." i demandedMelissa's eyes widened with a mix of shame and terror present within them "I no Jamal, you don't know." i said"Mellissa" I leaned in with my voice dropping into that dark tone that always seemed to send her fleeing from me or tumbling into me "I want you to say it again without hiding anything and don't hide anyone. Say it again" i demandedHer fists were clenched at the bottom of her dress, her knuckles as white as stone "It was Eleanor," she whispered finally, the syllables

Jamal’s POVThe door cracked wider, the wood groaning like it hadn’t been touched in years. My gun was already drawn, steady in my grip, though my pulse thundered hard enough to rattle my ribs. Melissa clung to my arm, her breath shallow, quick, trembling.The figure stood in the doorway, framed by that narrow beam of light. Cloaked, hood shadowing her face, hands hidden inside the folds of fabric. Not moving. Not speaking. Just… watching.“Who are you?” I demanded, voice cutting through the silence like steel.No answer.“Step inside. Slowly. Hands where I can see them.”The figure obeyed, but in a way that made the hair at the back of my neck rise—deliberate, measured, as though she wanted me to see how unbothered she was. Her movements whispered with silk against wood as she crossed the threshold.Melissa’s nails dug into my arm, her voice barely audible. “Jamal… is it her?”I didn’t answer. Not yet. I couldn’t afford to—not until I knew.The hood tilted, a faint smile visible bene

Jamal's POVThe footsteps came first—slow, methodical and clomping down the hallway in a countdown i couldn't stop.They weren't in any rush. Whoever was coming wanted us to hear them and wanted us to hear every step as if it thudded into our chests.Melissa stiffened behind me, her fingers locked onto the back of my shirt as she gasped in ragged breaths and i could feel her racing heart pounding almost as frantically as mine.The hooded woman, so self-assured, so unattainable when she first appeared, stood quickly and her head whipped towards the door with her easy calm that she radiated was gone in an instant, replaced by something more basic and fidgetiness.The other man, the one who'd spoken only parables also shifted as his position changed placing his body, bracing as though he'd sensed the storm approaching but wouldn't let himself believe it would hit, then the tension wrapped around the air like barbed wire and my grip on the gun tightened until the trigger bit at my finger