Lahat ng Kabanata ng Ruined By My Brother-In-Law : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

The door to the rooftop creaked open and Anna stepped out, a folded yoga mat under her arm and Jason's jacket still around her. The cool air brushed against her neck and cheeks, tousling the strands of her hair around her face. She stepped further out, noting how quiet it really was up here, the hum of the city below coming from afar. It felt like she was floating from above, watching life go on. Everything seemed small from up here but beautiful. The muted lights from the street, from the surrounding apartment buildings—each window aglow, life moving on behind them. She shut her eyes, tilted her head back and let the wind wash over her, a smile curving her lips. The air up here felt fresher and lighter. She inhaled deeply, the first real breath she’d taken all day.She'd been breathing though, it just felt… different now. She made a mental note to send a thank you gift to the man in the elevator. He had gotten on the elevator on the third floor, she'd have to ask around on tha

His lips were cold—shockingly so, but the moment they parted, heat broke through Anna in a way that stole her breath.It sent a shudder through her as he deepened the kiss, their tongues brushing. He didn’t kiss her with certainty.He kissed her like a drowning man clinging to the only thing keeping him afloat, even if that thing was the very wave swallowing him. He had never kissed her this way before. It felt foreign, yet intoxicating and… wrong. Wrong in a way that felt right. She didn’t know whether to melt into it or shove him away. If she had an ounce of self-preservation, she should do the latter. As if sensing her tension, Jason pulled back with a wet pop. They stared at each other, their chests rising and falling in unison, breaths feathering their skin. Jason leaned in again but Anna pulled back quickly. “Jason, I… we shouldn't.”His eyes swept her face and then he pulled away, returning to his side on the mat. She straightened, clasped her hands in her lap, and tri

The smell hit Anna before the light did. She rolled onto her back with a soft groan, her nose twitching. Something rich… savory… definitely food.She blinked awake, frowning at her ceiling. Her ceiling. She didn’t remember coming back to her room. She remembered the rooftop, Jason’s arm around her… then nothing.Did she sleepwalk back? She wasn't a sleepwalker though. Did Jason leave? Or maybe he brought her back? But he didn't know her door code. So… how? A sudden whirring noise—loud, violent, definitely a blender—snapped her fully upright.Someone was in her kitchen. Pushing off the bed and rubbing sleep from her eyes, she padded out of the room… and stopped dead.Jason stood at her stove, a towel slung low around his hips as if this were his apartment, not hers. Her face burned as her eyes trailed all over him. She could get used to this sight—if it didn't give her a heart attack first. He was toned—too toned for someone who supposedly spent most of his time behind a desk. Maybe

With a hesitant hand, Anna clicked on the email. A block of dread settled like lead on her chest as she quickly skimmed the email. Subject: Eastwood High — Class of 2014 GatheringHi Anna,I hope you’ve been well.We’re organizing a small reunion for the Eastwood High Class of 2014 and are reaching out to former classmates we were able to locate. Your email came up through an old alumni contact list.The event is planned for thirteen days from now. It’s meant to be casual—a chance to reconnect and see familiar faces after all this time.Some people mentioned you when we were putting the list together, so I wanted to make sure you received the invitation as well.If you’d like details or prefer not to be contacted again about this, just let me know. Either way is completely fine.Best,Rachel MooreClass of 2014 Reunion Committee. She quickly clicked her phone screen off, her stomach dropping before her mind could process it. A reunion? Her classmates? How had they found her after

Jason's grip on Anna's wrist as he steered her to the hospital’s stairway was firm but careful. The stairwell door swung shut behind them, sealing with a muted thump, cutting off the noise from the hall.It was quiet—underused, as always. The fluorescent lights above were harsh and their footsteps echoed. This was very much the place staff ducked into when they needed thirty seconds to breathe, argue or cry.She remembered breaking down here a few times herself when she was still a junior resident—from the stress, the harshness of the attendings and senior residents, the self-doubts, from… losing patients. She remembered it all, which was why she went out of her way to be kind, encouraging, and supportive to the juniors. “Jason… why are we here?” Right as the question left her lips, he backed her into the wall, knocking the breath from her lungs. She licked her lips as her gaze lifted to meet his piercing eyes—they bored into hers, as if seeing straight through her. She averte