جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 120

Jonah stiffened, his muscles coiling beneath his skin as he felt Hazel’s fingers, cold as winter, dig into his forearm. Her nails bit into the fabric of his shirt, a sharp, physical manifestation of the panic rippling through her."What's wrong?" Jonah whispered, his voice barely audible over the chaotic of the harbor. The air tasted of diesel fumes and the sour sweat of a thousand travelers. "Did you see someone?""Yeah... There, there, look!" Hazel breathed, her voice a fragile thread of sound.Her index finger, awkwardly shielded by the melting mass of her cotton candy, pointed toward the dense swarm of people near the check-in counter.Jonah followed it warily. The man's eyes narrowed, their focus locked on the figure standing tall amidst the flow of people. His pupils were fully dilated. His breath caught in his throat."That's Brent, isn't it?!" Hazel squeaked, the terror behind her dark sunglasses almost tangible."Shit," Jonah hissed, his jaw locking so tight it ached. "Why is

I clamped both hands over my mouth, holding my breath until my lungs screamed for air.Does he really know I'm here?!My mind spun in a frantic loop. If I could recognize Marco instantly just from a glance, it wasn't entirely impossible that he had recognized me too, even hiding behind this ridiculous disguise. This was the same man with feral instincts, the one who could track my scent the night he barged into Jonah's house."Why... why did you leave first?"Huh?Another guttural groan slipped past Marco's lips, this time followed by a heavy, ragged sigh. "Hazel... how am I supposed to live when you're gone like this..."The rigid tension in my shoulders slowly dissolved. I exhaled the breath I had been trapping in my burning chest.Ah, so he was just sleep talking.I had actually thought Marco knew I was lying right behind this thin curtain. Turns out, he was only murmuring in his sleep. His seasick, feverish brain was probably just replaying a tangled tape of my death.I bit the in

Beyond the pragmatic goal of facilitating my trip to another continent with a fake passport and ID, boarding this cruise was actually part of a bucket list I'd compiled right after news of my death began to spread. But now, that ridiculous list had mutated into an international game of hide-and-seek.It was all because of two people who shouldn't have been there.Earlier, as I'd just stepped out onto the open deck, intending to enjoy the sunset, Brent suddenly appeared. He was standing just a few feet away, casually holding a bottle of beer, gazing out at the ocean. I immediately turned and hid.Then, as I was trying to enjoy the infinity pool, complete with giant sunglasses and a beach hat, I nearly screamed when I saw Marco sauntering around near the pool bar area.As a result, my second day on this ship was a complete disaster. I was forced to hunker down in my cabin, hiding like a top fugitive, explaining to Jonah that I just wanted to rest because I was still exhausted.Phew, eve

I really wanted to bite the edge of this wooden nightstand.Marco had knocked on my door less than an hour ago, and now, suddenly, his baritone voice was coming from Jonah's phone.Why was this man calling? And most importantly, weren't we on a giant cruise ship floating in the middle of the ocean? How could capitalism afford such a strong signal connection in the middle of the open sea?! Fuck!It seemed I wasn't allowed to truly escape the existence of Marco Marten. No matter how hard I tried to fake my death, escape to another continent, or bury my feelings, the universe always had a cruel, darkly comedic way of amusing itself with my misery."You want, what?"Jonah's voice broke through my reverie. His brows were furrowed deeply, creating a trench across his forehead. He clearly disliked whatever Marco had just whispered on the other end of the line.I leaned forward."What did he say?" I mouthed soundlessly, forming the words with my lips.Jonah snorted. He pressed the speaker but

A large, rough hand grabbed my head with a lightning-fast movement, his fingers pinning my forehead just two inches from the corner of the metal chair. The other hand wrapped firmly around my waist, supporting my entire weight.With one short breath, my body was yanked backward, pulled hard until I collided with a broad, washboard-hard chest.The familiar scent of muscle relaxant gel assaulted my senses."Hazel..." Marco's voice trembled, almost like a broken sob, descending from above my head and seeping straight into my skin. The giant arms encircling me trembled violently. "You... you're still alive?"My body froze stiff within his confines. In such a compromising position, with his arms tightly locking all my movements... how was I supposed to get out alive?!"Let go!" I struggled with the last of my strength, elbowing his stomach, which unfortunately felt like a concrete wall. "I'm not Hazel! Who the hell are you calling Hazel?! I don't know you!"I made my voice as nasal and rou