جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

JEREMÍAS I touch my lower lip, and pull my hand away to inspect the damage. A small drop of blood beads on my fingertip. My expression hardens as I look up at Caleb. “You're angry?” I ask, my voice deceptively calm. “Why? Because of what I said? Did I say something wrong?” Caleb doesn't answer. His breathing is ragged, his eyes wide with desperate possessiveness. He doesn't think. He just throws another punch at the same throbbing cheek. The blow is harder than the first, a sharp pain to my teeth. But I don't wince. Pain is just pleasure for me. I stumble back, my eyes still locked on his. “Someone else wants her, so fucking leave her life,” I growl, going closer to his space. “You don't even love her,” he spits, his jaw clenching. “Stop pretending like you care!” He raises his fist again, but I don't let him this time. I shove his arm down with a violent motion and jab his face slightly. The impact sends him stumbling back, trying to regain his stamina. I don't know why I d

JEREMÍAS Someone pounds on my door twice, the sound echoing in the quiet room. I don't know if it's something urgent, but with the way the knock started, it had to be extremely important, like a hurricane approaching soon. “The door's not locked,” I call out from inside the room. The person doesn't hesitate or wait for an invitation. The door flings open and Ashley storms in, to my surprise. I'm in a press-up posture, my body bare, with only the shorts I'm wearing. When I see her fully, I stand, exhaling silently. “How dare you? Who gave you the right?” she shouts, her voice cracking with the intensity of her fury. I don't get the time to fully admire her before she lashes out. I arch my brows, looking at her with a slight smirk on my face. “What right?” She approaches closer, almost closing the distance between us. Her index finger shoots out, pointing directly at my chest. The poor chest doesn't even know what's going on. “Who gave you the right to lay a hand on Cal

ASHLEY My gaze locks onto Caleb. His eyes are dark, and his face is stripped of the charming appearance he usually wears around me. What has gotten into him? One time, he's the perfect guy I want to have in my life, another time, he's like a leech I want to get off my back. He knows exactly how to turn a quiet moment into a public interrogation. “Yes. Just the one time,” I mutter, my voice steady. There's no tremor brewing in me. I've lied to him again. And this time, the word slips off my tongue as easily as a breath. As I say it, I wait for the familiar sting of guilt to hit me, but there's nothing. It's like it's becoming a habit—one I would like to stop before I get too far, in order to avoid ruining our relationship. I don't want to get too deep in this web of lies. Mrs Isabelle laughs, a nervous tone in it. Her eyes flicker between my plain face and Caleb's hardened expression. “I was only kidding because the atmosphere is tense,” she says, trying to smooth things ov

ASHLEY I clear my throat, looking at him. I need to say something, anything, to break the tension that’s getting heavier the longer we just look at each other.“So, no one else knows where you live?” I ask, my voice barely audible to him due to the distance between us. Jeremías doesn't answer immediately. He just stares at me, his eyes low and soft as he sits in one position.“It's almost like a new place. No one knows this address.”“So, it's just me?” I press, my fingers digging into my elbows as I keep my arms tightly crossed.He finally switches position, his hand moving to his jaw. He tilts his head slightly, his dark eyes still on mine. “Don't flatter yourself, little one.”I roll my eyes, dropping my hands. He has managed to erase the stiff air in the room. But I still don't dare sit next to him. “You have a nice house,” I say again, my voice casual. “But why did you bring me here?”I bite my lower lip and turn my head away from him. What question was that? I know exactly w

ASHLEY Jeremías' grip is firm and possessive around me. A satisfied smile tugs at my lips. I shift, moving my head closer to his chest and pressing my cheek against his warm skin. I can hear the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart beneath my ear. As I lean comfortably on his chest, my temple brushes against a raised, textured skin near his collarbone. I feel it.It's a scar. It looks old but doesn't seem like it's fading. It's still noticeable and unmistakable.I've noticed it before, every time I see him shirtless and when we are alone in a room but I never asked.I always treated it as privacy, especially as we weren't really friends or acquaintances. It looked like pain, and I didn't want to intrude. I exhale a gentle breath, the cuddling making my heart melt.“Can I ask you something?” I murmur, my voice soft.“Anything you feel like asking, pumpkin.”I smile against his skin. Another pet name for me. “The scar at the top right near your collarbone… how did you get it?”The e