All Chapters of TRAPPED BETWEEN HIM AND WANT: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Summer’s POV The night was quiet, too quiet. The kind of silence that pressed against my chest and made it hard to breathe. I turned restlessly under the sheets, trying to shake off the heaviness that had been haunting me since Katherine left my room earlier. The ticking clock echoed faintly, matching the rhythm of my heartbeat. But the moment I closed my eyes, the darkness wasn’t empty anymore. It began like a faint whisper, a child’s voice, crying. Then, the sound of footsteps on gravel. My chest tightened as an image flickered in my mind, blurred and distant… but familiar. I knew this place. The cold, rain-soaked courtyard. The sharp smell of gunpowder. The trembling of my small hands. And then I realized, this wasn’t just a dream. It was a memory. --- I was eight years old again. The world around me was chaos, shouting, running, the sound of guns echoing in the night. My mother was there, her long hair tied back, a pistol clutched in her hand. I remember how fierce

Summer’s POV The morning light crept slowly through the thick curtains, painting faint gold streaks across the marble floor. Everything in the mansion was still, too still. The kind of silence that followed after a storm, thick and uneasy, as if the air itself was waiting to exhale. I woke up with a heaviness pressing against my chest. Sleep hadn’t come easy last night. Every time I closed my eyes, the dream came back, the gun, the scream, the look in the Montalban girl’s eyes. Even after Lucien comforted me, his words echoing softly that it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t stop the guilt from clawing through my ribs. Now, as I slipped into a white sweater and stepped out of my room, that same silence followed me down the long hallway. The smell of brewed coffee drifted faintly from the dining area, but there were no voices. Usually, Alexander’s commanding tone or Lucien’s teasing laughter would fill the air by this hour. Today, nothing. When I reached the corner, I froze. Lucie

Summer’s POV The afternoon sun was still warm as Mrs. Katherine’s car sped down the long, familiar road toward the mansion. The air inside the car was thick with tension, no music, no sound except the roar of the engine and the faint hiss of wind seeping through the windows. I pressed a blood-soaked napkin against my shoulder. It wasn’t deep, but it wouldn’t stop bleeding. The dull throb was constant, and the smell of iron made my stomach twist. Mrs. Katherine’s hands were tight on the wheel, her knuckles pale, jaw clenched. “Keep pressure on it, Summer. We’re almost home.” I nodded, my voice trembling. “I’m okay, Mrs. Katherine.” Her eyes flicked toward me for a second, sharp, worried, and full of guilt. “You’re not okay,” she muttered. “You were hit because I wanted to buy a damn dress.” I tried to smile, though my lips were trembling. “You didn’t know someone was following us.” She didn’t answer. Her silence said everything. The mansion gates came into view, tall,

Summer’s POVThe mansion had gone quiet. Too quiet.Everyone had retreated to their rooms after what happened, after Alexander’s fist met Lucien’s jaw, after the shouting, the shock, and the heavy silence that followed. I could still hear it in my head, the sound of knuckles hitting skin, the gasps that echoed down the hallway.Now, it was just me, alone in my room, with nothing but the echo of my heartbeat and the weight of everything pressing on my chest.The air felt heavy, like grief. I sat by the window, the moonlight spilling across my lap, painting my nightgown in soft silver. My arms were wrapped around my knees, my fingers digging into the fabric as if holding myself together could stop the ache inside me.It didn’t.No matter how hard I tried, the pain didn’t ease.It wasn’t just about what happened tonight, it was everything. The gunfire, my mother’s death, the blood on my hands from years ago, the truth about who I was… and now this endless tug-of-war between two brothers

Summer’s POVThe hum of the engines filled the air, low and steady beneath the chatter inside the private jet. The sunlight from above the clouds poured through the windows, turning the cabin into a soft gold glow.For once, there were no alarms, no chaos, just the comfortable hum of air-conditioning, the faint clinking of silverware, and the sound of Mom's voice echoing through the cabin like she owned the sky itself.Which, knowing her, she probably did.I sat near the window, my eyes wide with wonder. The view was breathtaking, clouds stretching endlessly like white cotton seas, the sky a bright blue ocean above.“First time on a private jet, sweetheart?” Mom asked, settling beside me with her signature grace, though her sunglasses made her look more like a movie star than someone’s mom.I smiled sheepishly. “Yes… It’s so beautiful. Like we’re in another world.”Lucien, who was sitting across from us, leaned back with a grin. “Wait till you see Spain from above. It’s even better