جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

Jem's POV I was still sitting on the bench at the train station, hunched over with exhaustion, looking more like someone abandoned there than someone waiting for a train. My eyes were half-open, blinking slowly, as though I didn’t even have the strength to fully wake up. I had slept here all night—yes, right here on this same bench where I was still sitting. I had drifted through the night like a homeless man with no family. After Mara had me kicked out of the party last night, I had begged for almost half an hour outside the estate gate, but nobody paid any attention to me. Even the security guards ignored me the entire time, like I was nothing but dust. I had begged for at least half my payment, but no one was listening. I knew the settlement had ended in an ugly way. It was really bad. But how was that supposed to be entirely my fault? Everyone was so focused on Dante when he collapsed that no one even noticed when Mara ordered the guards to drag me out of the hall and th

Jem's POV ‘The serum isn't the only thing I need from you, Jem,’ Dante's words were still sitting in my chest like something with weight. I didn't fully understand what he meant by that. And honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to. Because the way he said it—so calm, so certain, like he had already decided something I hadn't been consulted about—made my skin feel strange in a way I couldn't explain. I pushed the thought aside and focused on what mattered right now. The serum. That was what this was all about… it had to be what this was really all about. “You took the serum so you could use it on your mother, didn’t you?” Dante asked. I swallowed hard. He was right. “Good,” Dante continued. “Then she doesn’t need the serum anymore. Not with the surgery in place. You’ve done your part protecting it—now it’s time to hand it over.” He leaned back slightly, his voice steady. “Everything your mother needs will be taken care of. And as for you… you can name your price. I’ll triple i

Jem's POV My fingers shot to my lips immediately, trembling as I stared at him in confusion, fear, and complete disbelief. "What… what was that…?" I whispered shakily. "Fuck…" Dante muttered under his breath, his eyes fixed on me. "It's your first time," he groaned. I couldn't respond. I just stood there, completely frozen, my mind blank, and my chest rising and falling too fast. Dante looked at me for a moment longer, then his expression hardened again. "You should leave," he said coldly. I still couldn't move. I was still touching my lips, like I was trying to confirm it actually happened. It was at this point that Dante suddenly stepped closer again. I flinched instantly but he didn't stop. He reached out and picked up the shirt I had dropped earlier and, without saying a word, began to help me put it on. Something inside me snapped back to reality. I jerked away sharply, pushing his hands off me. Dante paused. He didn't argue. He didn't try to force it. Instead, he

Mara's POV The mansion was quiet when I arrived. Too quiet for my liking, but I wasn't complaining. The maids confirmed what I needed to hear—Dante had gone to the office. He wasn't home. I didn't waste a single second. I walked straight to his room like I owned it, shut the door quietly behind me, and stood still for just a moment, letting the silence settle around me. But I didn’t stay still for long before I moved into action mode. Without hesitation, my eyes immediately began to move around the room, taking in everything. His room looked the same as always—clean, expensive, and controlled… just like the owner himself. But today, I wasn’t here to admire anything. I had one reason for coming here, and that was to destroy evidence. Just the idea of what I was about to do made my stomach twist slightly. But I didn’t care. I didn’t have the strength—or the luxury—to care. With a shaky breath, I lifted my head and noticed Dante’s private laptop exactly where it

Dante's POV I don't know how long I stayed on the ground. It could have been seconds. It could have been longer. Time had stopped making sense the moment those words left my mouth. ‘She killed Jem.’ I had said it out loud and somehow that made it worse. Made it real in a way it hadn't been before. The room around me was completely silent. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. I could feel every pair of eyes on me but I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them. All I could see was him. Jem. Lying somewhere in a pool of blood, his face pale, his body completely still. The image kept flashing through my mind over and over again like something my brain refused to let go of. It wasn't imagination. It didn't feel like imagination. It felt like something being transmitted directly into me from somewhere I couldn't locate or explain. That was the strangest part. I hadn't seen it happen. I had no confirmation. No witness. No evidence yet. But I felt it. Deep