All Chapters of FATEBOUND: Mated to my step-brother: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Gianna.I woke up feeling lighter, there was still this ounce of heaviness in my chest but it felt… lighter.Not gone. Not healed. Just shifted. Like something heavy had been moved slightly off-center, no longer pressing directly on my lungs. I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, letting myself breathe without rushing the feeling away.I sat up rubbing my eyes and then his smell hit me.I was still in his hoodie.My fingers curled instinctively into the fabric as my brain scrambled to catch up. I looked around, slowly processing everything. My room. My bed. My window. Morning light.I was already back in my room, did he bring me back?Obviously.The thought made my chest tighten in a way that wasn’t painful. Just… full.I stood up and went to shower, yesterday's event still replaying in my head.He stayed with me.He stayed with me.I repeated it like my brain was trying to process what I was saying, like if I said it enough times it would finally sink in. My shoulders lo

Gianna. I woke up to sunlight spilling over the bed board, brushing the floorboards with golden streaks. My legs tangled in the sheets for a moment longer—I wasn’t quite ready to leave the warmth—but I had a plan to step out, to move a little, breathe a little, feel the morning. I freshened up and left the room.The grounds were quiet as I padded down the hall, the soft thump of my bare feet against the wood echoing slightly. But there was a low hum of voices drifting from the training yard, and curiosity prickled at me. I crept closer, careful not to be seen, and froze when I recognized Ivan’s voice.“…found outsiders near the northern borders,” one of the soldiers said, tension cutting through his words.Ivan’s voice was calm but razor-sharp. “How many?”“Three. They were armed, but unprepared. They turned back when they caught our scent.”My stomach tightened. Outsiders? Close to the borders? The hairs on my neck stood on end, half from fear, half from that strange surge of excit

Gianna.I took his hand and led him toward the poolside.He followed without resistance, but his fingers were tense in mine, stiff like he might pull away at any second. The night air felt cooler here, the water reflecting broken pieces of moonlight. We needed to sit. I needed him to sit.“Who’s Roselyn?” I asked softly.The question hung between us.He took a slow breath. Then another. His chest rose and fell like he was bracing himself against something unseen. For a second, I thought he wouldn’t answer. A part of me expected him not to. Ivan had never been this… anxious before. Not the controlled kind. This was different. This was raw.He shifted beside me, shoulders drawn inward, like he was folding in on himself.“She’s…” His voice faltered. He swallowed. “She was my friend. My best friend.”The words came slowly, carefully, as if each one cost him something.“I loved her,” he continued quietly. “So much.”Something tightened in my chest.“We did everything together,” he said, a

GiannaGiggles ricocheted off the walls, bright and breathless, until the room felt too small to hold them.“Oh my god, Gia, my stomach hurts,” she gasped, half-laughing, half-groaning as she smacked my arm with weak hands. Her weight pressed into my side, warm and careless, and the floor felt cool beneath my palms as we rolled.“You’re crushing me, move,” I shouted, but the words dissolved into laughter before they could sound serious. My ribs ached, my face burned, my lungs begged for mercy.“I’m gonna get you,” she yelled, scrambling to her feet.I bolted, bare feet slapping against the floor, heart thundering with the thrill of it. The sound of her chasing me was right there, so close I could almost feel her fingers graze my back—I jerked upright with a sharp gasp, the laughter snapping like a string pulled too tight.Silence rushed in, thick and heavy.My room was dim, the curtains barely letting in the morning light. My chest rose and fell too fast, my skin clammy, my heart st

Gianna.And just like that, it was the weekend.I’d been having small flashbacks, which annoyed the shit out of me because I was eager to literally get my life back. I felt like a foreigner in my own memory. It was scary, standing behind a closed door, knowing if it opened I might not exactly like what I’d see—but it was a risk I was willing to take.Roselyn still wandered behind my mind. Was she alive or dead? If she was alive, would she be looking for Ivan?I brushed the thoughts off immediately. It was the least of my concerns. But I couldn’t help keeping a safe distance from Ivan—he was probably still in love with her, and I wasn’t about to cross a line I couldn’t get back from. I’d survived enough hurt.I shoved my earpods in and stared at myself in the mirror, dressed in my usual running outfit. My eyes were a bit swollen from lack of sleep, and my hair was in a messy bun. I've been doing a lot of running lately. It helped… sometimes.I grabbed my phone and left the house, takin