Alle Kapitel von Ashes of Love; Fire of Vengeance : Kapitel 111 – Kapitel 120

When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the white ceiling above me.Too bright, too clean, too familiar.For a few seconds, I lie still and stare at it, my thoughts heavy and slow, as though I am dragging myself up through dark water. Then memory hits in broken flashes. Mr Shaw’s face. His hands at my throat. His arms lifting me.The black rush that comes after.A chill moves through me.I turn my head and take in the room. The air smells of antiseptic and metal. A monitor hums beside the bed. An IV is taped to my left hand. Every part of me feels drained and sore, as if fear has scooped me hollow and left only the pain behind.Then I look toward the sofa by the window.He is sitting there, motionless, watching me.The moment our eyes meet, terror slams into my chest so hard I stop breathing for a second. I jerk against the pillow, and my voice tears out of me before I can stop it.“Get out. Leave me alone, you monster.”He rises at once. His face tightens, and he crosses th

Jason picks up the phone before I can stop him.“Hello?” His voice is casual, yet there’s something underlying it that makes my pulse race.A few moments later, he mutters, “809,” almost absentmindedly, like he doesn’t realize the gravity of what he’s just revealed.It’s the room number where I’m staying. Now this information is shared with someone who could be a danger.I should have told him about Sterling earlier. I should have warned him, but now it’s too late.As soon as he hangs up, I feel the knot tighten in my stomach. I can’t hold it in any longer. My voice is quiet but sharp when I ask, “What does he want?”Jason looks at me, brows furrowing, his gaze confused. “He’s downstairs, coming to meet us.”My hands freeze. If Adrian’s words are true, Sterling isn’t a friend. He’s not an ally, he’s an enemy, and a dangerous one at that.After everything that Damien Shaw did to me last night, the last thing I need is another threat.But here Sterling is, walking back into my life lik

I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight either.But I don’t know what medicines the doctors give me, or maybe I am simply too exhausted to keep my body awake any longer. I sleep through the whole night without stirring once. Thick and bottomless, the kind that feels less like rest and more like collapse.When I finally open my eyes, morning light is already spread across the hospital room in pale, washed-out streaks. The air smells of antiseptic, cold linen, and the faint metallic chill of air-conditioning. For a moment I lie still, disoriented, staring at the ceiling.Jason is not here.An attendant is sitting quietly in the corner. The moment she notices that I am awake, she rises and comes toward me, smoothing her uniform with uneasy fingers. My throat feels dry, and my voice comes out weaker than I want when I ask, “Where is my brother?”She hesitates, then lowers her eyes. “I do not know, ma’am.”That answer settles heavily inside me.Today I feel better than before, at lea

At first, I lie perfectly still and pretend to be asleep, keeping my breathing slow and measured beneath the blanket. It feels safer that way. If I do not move, if I do not let him know I am awake, maybe he will stand there for a moment and then leave.Then memory tears through me so suddenly that the pretence shatters.Two days ago, this same man tried to kill me.The thought strikes like ice water down my spine. I push myself upright before I can think better of it. The blanket slips from my shoulder. Cool air brushes my skin. My heart pounds so hard it feels visible.Mr Shaw stops just inside the doorway.For the first time since he entered, something close to surprise crosses his face. His brows lift slightly, and his lips part as though he had expected to find me helpless and unaware.“I thought you were asleep,” he says.His voice is low, almost gentle, and that gentleness frightens me more than anger would have.I am wearing a thin nightdress, one that suddenly feels far too fl

The heat from the shower still clings to my skin when I step into the room.Jennifer is sleeping on the bed.For a moment, I do nothing except stand there and look at her.The house is unusually quiet for this hour. No footsteps in the corridor. No distant clatter from the kitchen. Only the low hum of the air conditioner and the thin rustle of curtains moving against the window. Sunlight slips through the fabric in pale bands and settles across Jennifer’s face, softening every sharp line. In sleep, she looks younger. Softer. Almost fragile.It is an unsettling thing to watch.She shifts slightly beneath the blanket, her brows drawing together for a second before smoothing again. One hand rests over her stomach as if even in sleep she is guarding it.My jaw tightens.That child is the reason Adrian Hale stays quiet. That child is the only reason she is still in this house, still under my roof, still tied to everything I am trying to control.None of this should matter to me.Yet I keep