FATEBOUND: Mated to my step-brother のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 71 - チャプター 80

Gianna.The silence didn’t just linger.It thickened.Like the air had settled in the room and decided it wasn’t leaving anytime soon.Mum was still pacing, her steps uneven now, her fingers dragging through her hair as though she could physically pull answers from the strands. Her breaths came quicker, sharper—like every thought was running faster than she could catch it.Ivan stood close to me, his posture rigid, shoulders squared like he was bracing for impact. But his eyes… they kept flickering to me in quiet, constant checks. Noticing. Watching. Making sure I hadn’t slipped too far into whatever this was.Marcus hadn’t moved.He stood there like a man waiting to confess something that would ruin him.“So what are we going to do?” Mum finally said, her voice heavy as she sank onto the edge of the bed.Marcus exhaled slowly.Too slowly.Like he was pulling the answer out of somewhere deep and painful.This isn’t going to be good.“This isn’t something we can argue our way out of,”

Gianna.I woke up a little late.Not the normal kind of late where you shoot up in panic and start scrambling for time. No. This was different.This was the kind where you’re awake… but not really moving.I had been staring at the ceiling for God knows how long, my eyes tracing the faint cracks like they could somehow give me answers. My body felt heavy, like it knew something I didn’t want to admit yet.School.Rue.That look on her face the last time I saw her.My chest tightened.Do I even go?The thought circled again, slower this time, heavier.If I go, I’ll see her.If I don’t… I’m avoiding it.And somehow, avoiding it felt worse.A knock cut through my thoughts.Sharp.Too loud for how quiet my head had been.I sat up almost immediately, my heart jumping a little too fast for something so simple.“Come in.”The door opened, and Ivan walked in.My breath hitched for a split second.He was in only sweatpants.Bare chest. Completely.My eyes flicked over him before I could stop m

Ivan.I still couldn’t wrap my head around the curse.It sat somewhere behind my mind like a stone that refused to sink, no matter how much I tried to ignore it. Every time I thought of Gianna, it pressed harder, like it knew exactly where to hurt.Things were finally good between us. Properly good. The kind of good that made mornings feel lighter and silence feel safe.And now this.Almost like the universe had looked at us and decided we weren’t allowed peace for too long. But fate didn't play fair. It never did.I stepped out of the shower, dragging a towel through my damp hair, staring at my reflection like it might give me answers it didn’t have.Gianna.Curse.Twelve-year cycle.One dies. One turns rogue.I exhaled sharply.Why did it have to be us?My phone rang.I frowned immediately at the screen.Tiffany.Why was she calling? And at this hour?And why did it feel like my stomach already knew this wasn’t going to be simple?I stared at it for a second too long.Should I even

Gianna.I didn’t realize I had stopped breathing……until my chest started to ache.Like my lungs had been quietly begging for air and I had just—ignored them.Alina was still standing there.Watching.Smiling.Not a real smile.Not the kind that warms anything.It just… sat there. Sharp. Unsettling. Like it belonged on someone else’s face.Like it knew something I didn’t.My fingers tightened around Ivan’s hand without me even thinking about it.“Ivan…” My voice came out thinner this time, like something fragile had slipped into it. “She’s here.”He followed my line of sight.And I felt it.The exact second his body shifted.It wasn’t dramatic.No sudden movement.No obvious reaction.But I knew him now.Knew the way his shoulders squared just slightly… the way his grip on my hand tightened, firmer… more intentional.Protective.Grounding.“Stay here,” he muttered.Like this was something he could handle on his own.Like he could just step in and fix it.“No—” My fingers tightened aro

Gianna.Morning came… but it didn’t feel like it.It felt like the night had just… faded into something lighter, not softer. Like the darkness was still sitting somewhere in my chest, just quieter now.I was awake before my alarm.Not fully.Just… there.Eyes open. Staring at the ceiling.Thinking.Always thinking.My phone was still in my hand from last night.I swallowed, my throat dry as I locked it and dropped it beside me, turning my head to the side.Maybe she listened again. Maybe she didn’t. Maybe she heard everything and just—Didn’t care.That thought sat heavier than it should have.I pushed myself up slowly, my body feeling heavier than usual, like sleep didn’t really do anything except pass time.Getting ready felt… off.I stood in front of my closet, staring at clothes like they were supposed to make decisions for me.My hand reached out.i didn't like any of the options I was seeing.I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair.Why does this even matter?Still—I