Semua Bab Crossing The Line With My Hockey Stepbrother: Bab 21 - Bab 30

ElizabethIt’s strange how silence can be louder than words. I know it’s a common saying but when it gets real, the noise of silence is unbearable.My mind travels back to Granny’s tree, a horror movie replaying in my head. Ever since that day my world had gone quiet. No arguments, no explanations, just a constant, dull ringing that filled the space where his voice used to me.Left with the memories of his smile, his laughter, his thumb tracing circles around my hand, all I could do was smile to myself. Defeated.There was nothing left. He didn’t want me, he wanted my peace, but not me, my comfort, but not me, my happiness, but not me. He didn’t know he was all those things to me.And I died everyday, slowly. I gave up. I would be paired with Anthony and fulfill duty, secure a future for my family in nobility. Practice grace and poise everyday and perfect a role of misery. What else was there to resist? And yes I knew it was unhealthy to give a man that much power over you, but I ha

Elizabeth The hardest part wasn’t losing him, it was pretending I hadn’t lost him. While I woke up every morning with the ache of the truth, I still played with fantasies as a coping mechanism. A very unhealthy one.Maybe he’d come to his senses and run to me, and pick me up and twirl us around. Maybe he’d get on one knee and apologize, and say ‘consequences be damned’. Maybe he’d steal me away in the middle of the night and mark me even amidst my struggling, but inwardly I wouldn’t have it any other way.I scoffed at my own fantasies. Vivid imagination that made the getting through the day somewhat bearable but took my senses with it.After classes, Tricia jingled her car keys in front of me, flashing her usual bright smile. “You’re not going home yet?” she asked.I hesitated, books clutched to my chest. “I just.. need a walk.” I said. It was Friday after all, so I had all the time.Her brows pulled together, concerned with clouding her expression. “You sure?”“I’m sure,” I lied w

ElizabethMy heart stilled, then began to race again. The look on his face was raw and intent, like he crossed a battlefield just to get here. Seeing him melted every line of reason I’d tried to draw. For a second, I forgot the world around me. Then reality crashed back in.He couldn’t be here.“Phillip please,” I whispered, panic clawing at my throat.“I had to see you.” His voice was rough.He took a step closer, eyes fixed on mine. There was such a resolve in them that made fear look small.I brought my hands up to his chest in a bid to push him into the hedges at the side of the house, looking back occasionally at the front door. Should someone open it, I’d be dead. “Someone could see you. Please.” I said, half-begging, half-hoping he would ignore me, still. “If my mother..”But he wasn’t listening. Although he was moving in the direction I was taking him, he took both my hands and held them firmly. “Please, Elizabeth.”His eyes bore into mine, pleading more. “Fine. Just.. not h

ElizabethThe world did seem to change. It was lighter, brighter, more colourful and generally better. I wanted to squeal, twirl, hug a pillow.. it was insane. How can one person make me feel so.. wonderful. I twirled, right there in the middle off the narrow road, and a girly giggle escaped in the process. I didn’t need a tiara or gown, I felt like a princess already, and wasn’t that all that mattered? Of course I replayed every scene like a favourite movie. From the walk through this very woods, to his confession and then the sealing kiss. My heart was still thrumming from the memory of his arms around me, the warmth of his hands, the tremor in his voice when he said he couldn’t function without me. It was surreal, and yet nothing was real. The last of the sunset brushed the treetops in gold, and for a fleeting moment, everything was perfect. Then the wind changed, the air shifted, sharp and metallic. The forest suddenly went still, the leaves stopped rustling and the birds stop

ElizabethThree days had passed since that cruel night. The wounds had healed nicely and I was feeling much better, but they all still tiptoed around me.It felt like I was living in a dream, or maybe a care padded cage. Mum hardly mentioned duty or pairings or the Elders, instead she brought me breakfast every morning and asked, “How are you feeling today, sunshine?”It was strange because I was already used to “sit up straight” and “Don’t slouch,” but I could get used to this. Dad hovered constantly, offering to get me anything.. as in anything. I joked once about craving snow cherries and he was about to place a call to the market in Northgate when I begged him to stop. Even Reagan was softer. He’d come by every few hours with snacks or water, and ask if I needed anything at all. When I teased him about finally turning into a decent brother, he rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t get used to it.” But he didn’t stop checking on me either.“By the way, Phillip’s been asking about you