Trip

The city at 3:00 AM felt like a blueprint brought to life—all stark lines, deep shadows, and the hum of a machine that never truly slept. After the adrenaline-soaked chaos of the break-in, the silence of the dorm room had been too loud. Neither of them could sleep. The stolen notebooks sat on Ethan’s desk like a live wire, and the secret ledger was hidden beneath a loose floorboard."Get your jacket," Liam said, his voice cutting through the dark. He was already by the door, his eyes bright with a restless, hungry energy."Liam, it’s nearly dawn. We have the hearing in a few hours," Ethan protested, though he was already reaching for his coat. The vibration in his limbs hadn't settled; his body felt like it was humming at a frequency only Liam could hear."The hearing is about the past," Liam said, pulling the door open. "I want to show you the future. My future."They didn't take the subway. Liam led him to a rusted, beat-up motorcycle hidden in a garage three blocks away—a Rossi rel

Rumor

The transition from the raw, open rooftop of Liam’s secret project to the sterile, judgmental halls of St. Jude’s Academy was like being plunged into ice water. The hearing was scheduled for 10:00 AM, but the air on campus had changed long before the first bell rang.Ethan felt it the moment he stepped off the bus. Usually, he was a ghost—respected, feared, but largely ignored as he moved with surgical precision toward the library. Today, every head turned. Whispers trailed behind him like toxic exhaust.“Did you see the post?” “I heard they were caught at a motel.” “Look at his neck. Rossi really did a number on him.”Ethan’s hand instinctively flew to his collar. He had buttoned his shirt to the very top, but the dark, plum-colored mark Liam had left on the roof was stubborn. It felt like it was throbbing, a heat-map of his own betrayal.He found Liam in the studio, leaning against their shared desk. Liam looked like he hadn't slept, but he wore the exhaustion like armor. He held

All Chapters of The Architect of My Ruin: Chapter 21 - Chapter 22

Trip

Rumor