Lahat ng Kabanata ng SINFUL KNOT LUSTING FOR MY BEST FRIEND'S DAD: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

When Harold woke the next morning, he walked to pearl's room but the bed felt cold.At first, he thought she had just risen early. Pearl liked to walk in the gardens when her mind felt heavy, it helped her think. But as minutes turned into an hour and her shoes were still not by the door, something inside him began to twist.“Pearl?” he called softly, his voice echoing through the corridor. No answer.By the time Patricia and Brian came down for breakfast, Harold had already checked every room in the house. Her scent was faint, her presence gone.“She left,” he said finally, his tone low and measured, but his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the dining table. “She left sometime in the night.”Patricia frowned, glancing toward the staircase. “Maybe she went for a walk..”“She didn’t take her phone,” Harold cut in sharply. “She’s gone.”Silence fell. Even fake Pearl, sitting at the corner of the table, looked up with practiced surprise, her hands frozen around her cup.“Gone?” s

It was only an animal, relief settled on our features immediately.I should not have trusted him as quickly as I did, but something about the man’s eyes made the decision for me. Even with blood drying on his temple and exhaustion pulling at him, there was a sincerity there that reached for the small fragile part of me that still wanted to believe in something. Maybe it was because everyone I had ever trusted had suddenly begun to look suspicious. Maybe it was because Harold’s words had carved a hollow in my chest and I needed something, anything, to fill it before I broke again.We stood in the quiet of the cabin after I finished tending to his wounds. He watched me as though he were memorising every movement and I could not decide if that terrified me or made me feel seen for the first time in weeks.When he finally stood, leaning a little on the old table for balance, something about his presence seemed to grow. He was tall, very tall, and the strength under his injured body showed

We continued moving until the forest thickened. The moon peeked through the clouds, pale and watchful. Kade’s grip on my hand never faltered, even when he staggered slightly from the wound on his side.“You are still bleeding,” I said.“I have bled worse.”“Not comforting.”He almost smiled. It was small, very feeting. But felt real, so real it reminded me of Harold and my spirit sunk.When we reached a slope covered in moss, he stopped.“We rest here,” he said quietly.“No,” I whispered, fear curling back into me. “They could still be behind us. Or ahead of us. Or waiting.”“Pearl.” His voice softened. “You have been running long before tonight. Not only from vampires but from your own truth. Sit. Just breathe.”I didn’t want to. I wanted to keep moving. To keep distracting myself. But my legs were shaking too much to argue, so I sank onto a fallen log, hugging myself for warmth.The night felt heavy and quiet.Kade stood watch, scanning the darkness with eyes that seemed to see more

Moana’s cabin came into sight like a secret someone forgot to erase. It was tucked between two thick cedar trees, half-hidden under climbing vines and the soft glow of moonlight. It was not big, but it looked warm. A place meant for one person, not three.Kade stopped before the door, his eyes narrowing as if the building itself had betrayed him once before. He placed an arm in front of me without speaking, quietly measuring the perimeter. His instincts were sharper tonight. I wondered if he was still thinking about the creature he refused to let me see. The one he shielded me from in the forest.Moana turned the rusted lock with a small metallic click and pushed the door open. “Come in,” she said softly.The air inside smelled of dried herbs and old wood. A single lantern hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly, casting soft shadows across the narrow room. The floor was swept clean. A small bed sat in the corner with a knitted blanket tossed halfway off. Someone had been staying here

The Harold mansion loomed in front of me like a memory carved into stone. Too familiar, too loud, too sharp. I had spent days telling myself I would never step foot here again. But here I was, feet planted on the same gravel I once walked barefoot, heart pounding with the same rhythm of dread I thought I had killed.Moana walked slightly ahead of us, glancing back often as if she expected me to vanish into the trees at any moment. Maybe a part of me still wanted to. Maybe I was a fool for walking into the lion’s den twice in one lifetime.Kade remained at my side, posture calm but eyes alert. He looked at the mansion like it was beneath him, like every brick offended him personally. The guard at the gate froze when he saw me. A strange mixture of confusion and fear washed over his face.“Miss Pearl. You are alive.”His voice cracked halfway through.I did not bother to answer. I simply walked past him and let the gate click shut behind us.The moment my foot crossed the threshold, I f