Lahat ng Kabanata ng Finding Home In Him: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

I sat alone in my dark room, which had very little light. It wasn't really a home for me. There was a poor, off-white couch in the corner with tattered edges, and the scent of yesterday night's pizza still hung in the air. I held my phone tightly in my hand, which was the only way I could communicate with the outside world. I scroll through social media over and over again. Every new post on my feed reminds me of what I've lost. Friends at family events. Smiles that I used to be a member of.I can't stop looking at the images of my family. My mother seems so beautiful and warm in every picture, and my father looks so serious and in control. They've gone on. They've made lives without me, and I'm just not a part of it anymore.I close my eyes and try to forget the memories, but they keep coming back. When they kicked me out, my mother had tears in her eyes and wanted to know why. Even now, I can still hear my father's icy comments."You are no longer welcome here. Not after this.It hu

I sit on the side of the bed in this cheap motel room. The damaged lamp's wavering light makes long shadows on the peeling wallpaper. The air is thick with the stench of old cigarettes and remorse, and the weight of my own failure. My phone is next to me on the bed, and it buzzes every now and then with notifications that I don't want to see. The screen, which used to be full of messages from family and friends, now seems like a harsh reminder of everything I've lost. I can't help but notice my old friends and relatives going on with their life when I scroll through social media. My mom's face is smiling in pictures of family get-togethers, and my dad's tight hold around his new wife's waist. I can almost hear my dad's voice saying, "You're no longer welcome here," over and over in my brain. I shove my fingers into my temples to try to get rid of the memories. My body feels like a stone because of how hard the truth is that I'm facing. I never thought I would be sitting alone in a r

The quiet in Charles Thorne's stately guest chamber is made worse by the faint buzz of the city below. The room is spotless, so clean that it seems like a hospital. The sheets are too silky and the bed is too comfy. It feels like I'm lying on a cloud, yet it doesn't help the pain in my chest at all. I roll over and think about what happened that day. Charles was cold, bossy, and distant. I couldn't really figure him out. All the money, the power, and the mansion are too much for me. He treated me like an object, like a deal, like I was nothing more. I get out of bed and sit up in the dark room, looking out the window at the city lights that are flickering. This is the first time I've ever been in a place like this. It feels like a cage made of gold, and the walls are closing in with every breath I breathe. I stand up and walk around the room. I guess I need to leave. But where would I go? If this man doesn't take me in, who else would? I say to myself, "Damn it," and run my finger

I stand in front of the big window in my study and look out at the city below, but my mind is somewhere else. I can hear Jackson's footsteps in the corridor, and I feel that old pull in my chest. For years, I haven't let myself feel this way. Weakness. Want. But now that he's in my mansion, I can't ignore it any longer. I have always kept a tight grip on everything—my career, my life, and my feelings. I had to. That's how I got this empire going. That's how I made it through. But Jackson... Jackson is not the same. He makes me feel something inside that I haven't felt in a long time. It's the way he makes me think. How he stands up for himself, even when he knows he's not in the right place. I can see the fire in his eyes. It's not just a survival instinct; it's something more. Something about him makes me want to push him, test him, and see how far he will go. I've been careful too careful—staying away, but I'm not sure I can keep this up. I want more when I watch him. Not only hi

Tonight, the mansion's air feels thicker. The typical icy, premeditated silence is broken by a particular stillness. I'm standing in front of my room's mirror, adjusting my shirt collar. I'm not sure why, but something about Charles' invitation makes me think twice about how I appear tonight. A private meal. Only the two of us. I wasn't prepared for him to extend such an invitation. I sharply exhale and run a hand through my hair. From the start, this system has been biassed. However, tonight... It feels different tonight. I have no idea why. Perhaps it's because he's been observing me. Or his self-perception—always remote, always in charge. But perhaps, just possibly, he will show me something different tonight. I walk along the corridor, my footsteps reverberating in the deserted room. With its marble flooring shining in the gentle illumination, the mansion appears even bigger at night. It has the atmosphere of a prison, a palace, and everything in between. It's Charles' world, t