Teach me to sin II (Sins of the past) のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 81 - チャプター 90

The storm outside had been raging since dawn, a steady, low growl that rattled the edges of the glass walls surrounding my office. The windows looked out over the city — a glittering sprawl of power and poverty — the kind of view that made men like me feel like gods. I sat behind a desk carved from black oak, cigarette smoke curling lazily in the still air, papers and digital screens laid out before me. Every sheet, every number, every map represented a lifeline in the quiet, bloody empire I had built. My phone vibrated once. A coded alert. Shipment cleared Bogotá. Two containers rerouted through Cartagena. The Colombian intermediaries had done their part — almost perfectly. But “almost” was never good enough. I felt jaw tense. I leaned forward, scanning the report. Someone had tried to alter the manifests, hide a crate under the wrong serial. Someone who thought they could skim from my operation.Someone was going to pay.I smiled thinly — the kind of smile that never rea

I can’t sleep. The ceiling fan hums lazily above me, spinning shadows across the walls, but my mind won’t stop spinning with it. Every thought leads back to Eloise. Her laugh. Her stupidly perfect hair. The way her eyes soften whenever she smiles at me. And then, like a bad dream I can’t shake, Ruby’s face slips in. Ruby Padre.Ugh that bitch. That obnoxious bitch that glides through the hallways like she owns them. Confident, smart, reckless in that effortless way that makes everyone pay attention. Even Eloise. Especially Eloise. I squeeze my pillow and sigh. “God, what is wrong with me?” It’s not like Eloise is mine. We’re friends — best friends, maybe — but lately, it’s like she’s slipping further and further away. It’s Ruby this, Ruby that. Tutoring sessions, secret smiles, inside jokes. I can see it happening right in front of me, and I hate it. I reach for my phone on the nightstand and scroll through our chat. *Eloise : Heyy, Don’t forget to eat something, idiot.

The front door was still open when I walked in, the echo of Tristan’s voice still hanging in the air like smoke. “Eloise!” he had shouted from the doorway. Oh for fuck’s sake. And just like that, the world came crashing back — the thrill of the ride, the smell of Ruby’s perfume, the heat of her body pressed against mine, the promise that almost hung between us before the door opened. Now, all of it — gone. Thanks a lot, Walker. I shut the door behind me, heart still racing from My almost kiss. I could still hear the faint sound of the bike fading away down the street. My hands trembled as I set my bag down on the console table by the door, trying to steady my breathing. In the living room, the TV flickered with soft colors — some light sitcom playing — and Alex and Marilyn were nestled on the couch, legs tucked together, laughing over something that probably wouldn’t be half as funny in any other setting. They always seemed more of mother and son than she and Tris

The sunlight spilled lazily across the courtyard, filtered through the tall oaks that leaned over the far end of Heldon High’s west garden. Hardly anyone came out here anymore. Hardly anyone had a reason to. It was one of those forgotten areas.The benches were chipped, the grass uneven, and the fountain had stopped working last term — but it was quiet. And for me, that was enough. Or at least it used to be. Because now Eloise Perkins sat across from me, her hair tied up in a way that left soft curls loose at her temples, her brows drawn together in concentration as she underlined something in her textbook. The late morning breeze caught strands of her hair, and I watched them move — slow, golden, like sunlight made human. I wasn’t even pretending to read anymore. Her lips moved silently as she read, and I caught myself tracing the shape of her mouth with my eyes.I was wondering what her voice sounded like when she wasn’t being careful — when she wasn’t speaking for teachers

I didn’t even remember how I got home. The entire ride felt like one long blur — my head against the car window, my reflection staring back at me with puffy eyes and smeared mascara. I had done the best I could and held myself together until school was over but now I could feel the pain rising up to swallow me whole. By the time we pulled up to the house, I could barely breathe from holding everything in. Hadiza met me at the door, her phone in one hand, her hair wrapped in a scarf. “Hey you,” she said, then she stopped frowning immediately. “What happened to you?” “Nothing.” “Aisha.” She stepped closer. “You’ve been crying.” “I said it’s nothing! God, can you leave me the hell alone please!” I snapped before I could stop myself. My voice came out louder than I intended, sharp enough to make her flinch. Hadiza stared at me for a moment — then sighed and stepped aside. “Fine. Go inside. Slam your door or whatever, deal with your shit but don’t take it out on m