บททั้งหมดของ The Sin Behind His Door: บทที่ 141 - บทที่ 150

I waited around the clock for good twenty hours or more before the evening finally came and I finally left my bed, washed up and dressed to go see Ms. Illya. They were all stunned to finally see me stepping out of my room after two weeks of cutting myself away. And I didn't want to speak with anyone as I headed towards the location I was supposed to meet with Ms. Illya. The bar she had chosen was a dim, subterranean spot where the lighting was designed to hide faces and the music was loud enough to swallow whispers. She was already waiting, tucked into a corner booth with a hoodie pulled over her head. She was already sipping an espresso through a straw, her eyes shielded by dark glasses. Even with half her face covered, I could see the toll the last few days had taken. She looked frayed at the edges; my mother’s public shaming and the loss of her career had clearly been rough on her.I slid into the chair next to her, crossing my legs and leaning back. I couldn't say a word at fir

"Collect evidence. Document every conversation, every transaction, every shadow of a lead. Record everything. It’s the only currency that matters now. I will keep in touch."She stood up abruptly, the legs of her chair scraping harshly against the floor. Without another word, she turned and vanished into the dim light of the bar.I sat there for a long time, staring at the empty seat across from me. I took a sharp exhale, trying to piece the fragments of my life back together. First love. Jake’s sacrifice. My mother’s monstrous secrets. I realized with a jolt of panic that I hadn't even asked about Drake. What was his role in this? Was he another victim, or another predator?The weight of the silence in the bar became unbearable. I stood up, my legs feeling like lead, and pushed through the heavy doors into the night air. The street was quiet, the orange glow of the streetlamps casting long, distorted shadows against the pavement. My head was spinning, a carousel of names and betrayals

  "Stop it!!" The scream tore from my throat with enough force to vibrate in the hollow space of the warehouse. I managed to shove him back, my palms hitting his chest with a desperate strength I didn't know I possessed. "Stop!" I screamed again, the sound echoing off the corrugated metal. "Is this how you’re going to love me? By being hard on me like this? By holding me captive? Is this the version of love you’re choosing for me?" I looked at him, my vision blurred by hot, angry tears. Brendan was panting heavily, his chest heaving under his shirt, "This is not how you loved me in the beginning, Brendan," I whispered, my voice trembling. 

 "Truth?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. I pushed him away slightly, the physical distance feeling necessary to keep my heart from beating out of my chest. Instead of answering, Jake’s expression shuttered. He pulled back, closed the passenger door with a heavy thud, and rounded the car to the driver’s seat. The silence inside the vehicle was vacuum-sealed, broken only by the sharp, rhythmic sound of his breathing. "What truth, Jake?" I pressed as he settled into the seat. He didn't start the car immediately. He turned to me, his hand reaching out with a trembling delicacy to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "God," he breathed, a series of heavy sighs escaping him in the span of a second. He looked aged, the lines around his eyes deepene

   I dropped my spoon as my name fell from Jake's lips immediately. I stood up and walked out of the dining, walking into my room immediately, was I angry or pissed, I don't know neither did I want to speak with anyone.  I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, the kind that only comes when the mind finally refuses to process any more trauma. When I finally woke up, the morning light was filtering through the blinds in harsh streaks. I made my way to the kitchen, my head heavy. "Your mother has traveled for a two-week vacation," Jake said, his voice cutting through the hum of the refrigerator. He was sitting at the kitchen island, a plate of food before him. "Drake went out for practice," he added, his tone signaling the heavy truth of