All Chapters of FATEBOUND: Mated to my step-brother: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Gianna.I didn’t know how long I stayed there frozen. The room was quiet, the soft hum of the air conditioner the only sound, but my heart didn’t seem to notice. It kept slamming against my ribs like it was trying to get out. My fingers were locked in the blanket, knuckles pale, fabric twisted tight in my fists as if it could anchor me to the present. The memory, the one that had come rushing back like a tide, was still raw, alive, unrelenting. It clung to my skin, sat heavy behind my eyes, and refused to loosen its grip.My sister. Alina.Her voice calling for help echoed in my skull, bouncing off every corner of my mind. Not fading. Not softening. Each replay sharper than the last. My mother’s sobs, my father’s rage, the car pulling away. My throat tightened until swallowing hurt. I could still feel it all, like it had just happened and no one told my body it was over.I pressed my face into my knees, breath stuttering against my skin, trying to steady the shaking that had taken o

Gianna.I woke up with tears already sliding down my temples, soaking into the pillow before I even understood why I was crying. My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped a band around my ribs and kept pulling. Another memory. Or fragments of one. Faces that were now easily recognizable. Voices without beginnings.I stared at the ceiling for a long moment, blinking slowly, letting the tears fall instead of fighting them. Fighting hadn’t worked so far.Eventually, I forced myself out of bed. My legs felt heavy, like they didn’t belong to me yet. I went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face, and watched my reflection flinch in shock. My eyes were puffy. Red. I looked… wrecked. But school didn’t care about that.I brushed my teeth, tied my hair back, then let it loose again. I changed my mind. I brushed it slowly, carefully, as if being gentle with my hair might teach me how to be gentle with myself.That was when a knock sounded on my door.“Who’s there?” I asked, still b

Gianna.Ivan lifted his head and placed a soft kiss on my lips.“We should go to bed.”“Yeah,” I said, my breath still shaky.He got out of the pool first, water sliding off his skin as he reached back to help me out. His grip was steady, careful, like he was still holding me together even after letting go. The night air kissed my damp skin immediately, and a shiver ran through me.I wrapped a towel around my waist and went straight to my room. I was already cold, inside and out, so I changed into fresh clothes without thinking too much about it. Soft fabric. Long sleeves. Safety. Then I crawled onto my bed, pulling the blanket over myself completely, hugging a pillow to my chest like it might anchor me.The room was quiet. Too quiet.And that’s when my thoughts finally caught up.I can’t believe I let him see me like that.My scar. The trembling. All of it.And I didn’t pull away this time.I didn’t even try to hide it.Something about the way he looked at me—like it wasn’t broken,

Gianna. I got to my room and let out a loud scream then took my journal and headed straight to the bathroom. I stripped off my clothes and lay in the tub filled with warm water as I wrote down my thoughts. The water dulled everything. The noise. The anger. The ache. I felt a lot calmer after my bath and was about heading to bed when a knock interrupted. The knock echoed softly against my door, barely loud enough to be real, but still enough to pull me out of my thoughts. “Who is it?” I said folding my arms My voice came out sharper than I meant it to, my shoulders already tense, back pressed against the door like I was bracing for impact. “Your favorite person” Ivan said The tension cracked instantly. I hated how automatic it was. The smile crossed my face before I could stop it, small and traitorous. He twisted the door knob and stepped inside, then closed the door behind him. “And who said you’re my favorite person?” I said, I leaned against the edge of my desk, trying to

Gianna.I spent the entire day wishing the clock would hurry up and trip over itself. Every lecture dragged, every minute stretched thin, my focus slipping back to one thing and one thing only. Alina. By the time my last class ended, relief rushed through me so fast it left my chest light.I waited by my car, keys dangling loosely from my fingers. When I finally saw her weaving through the crowd, my pulse jumped. Her steps slowed when she spotted me, and without meaning to, my face softened. My eyes warmed, my lips curving upward before I could stop it.She slid into the passenger seat, tossing her bag at her feet.“Have you told mum?” she asked, fastening her seatbelt as the door shut with a soft thud.I started the engine. “Nope. She’s still at work with Marcus. So you’ll see her when they get back.”She nodded once, then turned toward the window. The silence between us wasn’t awkward, just peaceful.As I pulled into the driveway, her breath caught.“Wow,” she whispered, craning h