Alle Kapitel von BURNING THE LINES BETWEEN US : Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 10

Jerome barely slept.He spent most of the night lying awake in his apartment, staring at the ceiling while questions twisted like thorns in his mind.Why was Vanessa’s voice so strange?Who was that man in the background?Why did his mother suddenly back down from telling him whatever she planned to say?By 7 AM, he gave up on trying to rest.He showered, dressed in a crisp charcoal suit, and headed straight to his office before rush hour even began. The quiet building didn’t comfort him today. It felt hollow, cold, echoing the uncertain beat of his heart.At 8:12 AM sharp, his phone buzzed.Mother: Come to my office. Now.He inhaled deeply.So she hadn’t changed her mind after all.Jerome walked across the executive floor with measured steps, but his heartbeat was anything but composed. He stopped at Miranda’s door, took a breath, and knocked.“Come in,” she called.He entered, and immediately sensed a shift. Miranda stood near the window in a tailored ivory suit, her posture poised,

The dinner had been cold in every sense of the word.On the surface, it sparkled, chandeliers dripping with gold, glasses clinking, guests laughing politely. But beneath the pristine tablecloths and polished smiles, Jerome felt something rotting, something hidden, something dangerously close to the surface.Vanessa barely touched her food.She barely spoke.And every time Akihiko shifted in his seat, she stiffened like a trapped bird sensing a hunter.Jerome wanted to reach for her, to comfort her, but he couldn’t ignore the feeling gnawing at him,a silent, ugly truth whispering at the back of his mind.There was something between them.Something he wasn’t supposed to see.And tonight, he would.When the dinner ended and guests began to disperse, Vanessa rose quickly, almost too quickly, her movements sharp and tense. She excused herself, claiming she needed a moment alone.But Jerome knew her well enough to recognize a lie.So, after a minute, he followed.He kept his footsteps quiet

Jerome’s car skidded into the driveway of the Liu penthouse, tires squealing against the marble, his hands clenched so tightly on the steering wheel that his knuckles were white. Every heartbeat felt like a drum of war inside his chest.He didn’t knock when he stormed through the front door. He didn’t pause to greet the familiar smell of jasmine that always meant home. Tonight, there was no home. There was only fire, rage, betrayal, and grief all intertwining into one suffocating storm.“Mother!” Jerome’s voice echoed sharply, bouncing off the marble walls. “Mother, I need to talk to you!”Miranda Liu emerged from the living room, her poised elegance unchanged, but her eyes narrowed slightly, sensing the tension radiating off her son.“Jerome,” she said carefully, keeping her voice calm, “what’s wrong?”“What’s wrong?” he repeated, almost laughing bitterly. “Do you want me to start from the beginning, or just jump to the part where your fiancé is sleeping with my girlfriend?!”The wor

The sky had already darkened by the time Miranda arrived at Jerome’s apartment complex. The rain had slowed to a thin drizzle, but everything around her felt unbearably heavy like even the air was reluctant to breathe.She stepped out of her car, heels clicking sharply against the pavement, the sound slicing through the night. Normally, Miranda Liu walked with confidence, elegance, and control. But tonight, her steps felt uneven. Her pulse was too loud. Her breath was too shallow.The building’s automatic doors parted with a soft hiss, welcoming her into the quiet lobby. But even the warmth inside did nothing to settle the cold knot twisting in her stomach.She didn’t know what she expected…Only that something was wrong.Terribly, painfully wrong.She pressed the elevator button, and the doors slid open. Her reflection stared back at her,poised, perfectly styled, every hair pinned into place. But there was a shadow in her eyes she hadn’t seen in years.Fear.Real fear.She closed her

Silence hung in the apartment, heavy and suffocating, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. The locksmith stepped back nervously after the door finally opened wider, revealing only darkness and the faintest trace of disarray inside.Daniel swallowed hard and reached for his wallet. “Thank you… you may leave now.”The locksmith nodded quickly, clearly eager to get away from whatever unsettling quiet clung to the apartment. After he left, Daniel shut the door behind him, sealing Miranda and himself into Jerome’s silent world.The moment the latch clicked, the smell hit them.Thick. Sour. Sharp.Alcohol.Miranda flinched, her hand instinctively covering her nose. Her son didn’t drink,not like this. Not enough to fill an entire apartment with the stench.Her heels clicked forward slowly. Each step felt heavier than the last. Daniel followed close behind, his phone gripped tightly in his hand, ready for whatever came next… or maybe too terrified to drop it.The living room