All Chapters of SAY MY NAME, WHEN YOU BREAK : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The drive was silent, but not uncomfortable. Aaron navigated smoothly, familiar with every hidden turn, every private path that led them to Kael’s estates. Vera’s hands were clenched in her lap, jaw tight, eyes burning with barely-contained fury. Kael’s presence beside her was like a shadow pressing close, calm, steady, unyielding. She tried to meet his gaze once. He didn’t look at her. Not a flicker. Just quiet, his hand resting lightly on the console as if claiming the space without a word. Her chest tightened. She hated it. Hated him. Yet a part of her, the part that refused to admit weakness, was acutely aware of the tension coiling between them. Aaron glanced at her briefly. “You’re really not going to say anything?” he asked, voice low. “About… well, him.” “I… don’t want to.” Vera’s tone was clipped, almost a hiss. “Don’t even start.” Aaron shook his head. “Fair. But just… brace yourself.” She could feel the weight of his words, the inevitability of what was coming.

Vera stared at Lucian, her fingers tightening slightly around the glass of water. “…What do you mean?” Lucian leaned back against the counter, calm, watching her for a moment before smiling. “Relax.” “That is not an answer.” “It wasn’t supposed to be.” “You just said something weird and now you’re acting like it’s nothing.” “Maybe it is nothing.” “Then why say it?” “Because watching you think about it is entertaining.” Vera narrowed her eyes. “You’re annoying.” “I get that a lot.” She set the glass down with a thud. “Stop playing games.” “I’m not playing.” “Yes, you are.” “Not really.” “Then explain what you meant.” Lucian looked at her for a long moment, calm, sharp behind his eyes. “You really don’t know, do you?” “Know what?” He stepped closer, curious but not threatening. “You’re standing in the middle of a house full of people who could kill someone without blinking, and yet you look more confused than scared.” “That’s because none of you explain anything.”

"Words, Vera,” Kael said, his cold eyes drilling into mine. I—I’m sorry, Kael, I whispered, voice trembling. “I thought—” Thought? His hand shot out, gripping my neck before I could finish. My knees nearly buckled. You thought you could leave? When I told you not to? When you know exactly who’s after you? “Kael… please… ahh… I can’t… breathe…” My hands went up, trying to push him, but his grip was iron. “Kael…” Livia gasped from beside the car, her hand halfway forward, unsure whether to intervene. “Vera—” I struggled, panicking, my chest tightening. “Kael… please…” He pressed me back, shoulder slamming me against the side of the car. My back hit the cold metal, and I couldn’t even take a full breath. His eyes burned. No hesitation. Pure dominance. How dare you disobey me, he growled, voice low and authoritative, after everything I warned you about? His hand didn’t loosen an inch. “I… I—” I choked, coughing out words I couldn’t even form. My vision blurred slightly, the world

Kael stood at the bottom of the staircase for a long moment, staring at the steps like they might answer the question fighting inside his head. Lucian and Aaron stayed quiet behind him. Neither of them tried to rush him again. They had already said enough. The rest was up to him. Lucian finally spoke, You’re still stalling. Kael didn’t look back. “I’m thinking.” Aaron leaned against the table, Thinking won’t change anything kael Kael’s jaw tightened. “You don’t know it’s her.” Lucian shrugged slightly. “Then prove it isn’t.” Silence settled again. Kael knew what they were asking him to do. He also knew why he didn’t want to do it. Because if they were right, the girl upstairs was not just another victim who had been dragged into his life. She would be connected to the one place he had spent years trying to erase from his mind. Kael exhaled slowly and finally started walking toward the stairs. Lucian didn’t follow. Aaron didn’t either. This part belonged to Kael

CHAPTER 38 The living room was too quiet.Not the peaceful kind,Not the kind that let you breathe and settle, This silence felt heavy, like it was pressing into the walls, stretching time in a way that made every second drag longer than it should.Aaron leaned against the arm of the couch, his fingers tapping lightly against the fabric in a restless rhythm he didn’t even notice anymore. His gaze kept drifting toward the staircase, again and again, like he expected something to change if he looked enough times.Nothing did.His jaw tightened."They’re taking too long,” he muttered under his breath.Lucian, seated across from him, didn’t react immediately. One leg crossed over the other, posture loose, relaxed—like he had nowhere else to be. Like the silence didn’t bother him at all. He just went upstairs, Lucian said calmly.Aaron scoffed. “It’s been more than thirty minutes.” That got Lucian’s attention. He lifted his gaze slowly, studying Aaron for a moment. There was something q