Semua Bab My Brother, My Ruin: Bab 111 - Bab 120

Chapter 111: The Morning AfterCassandraSunlight cut through the thin curtains of Ethan’s bedroom and landed straight across my face. My head throbbed. My mouth tasted like stale alcohol and regret. For a few seconds I didn’t remember where I was. Then the unfamiliar sheets shifted under me and a warm arm tightened around my waist.Ethan.Everything from the night before rushed back in a sick wave. The party. The drinks. The porch. His mouth on mine. The way I had pulled him closer instead of stopping him. The way I had come with someone else’s name stuck in my throat.I sat up too fast. The room tilted. Ethan’s arm slid away as he blinked awake.“Hey,” he said, voice rough with sleep. “You okay?”I pulled the sheet up over my chest and looked around for my clothes. Dress on the floor. Underwear near the foot of the bed. My phone face-down on the nightstand.“I need to go,” I said. The words came out thin.Ethan sat up, running a hand through his light brown hair. “Slow down. At leas

Chapter 113: The Road Between UsCassandraI didn’t sleep after Alexander’s call. I sat on the edge of the guest bed with the phone pressed to my chest and listened to the quiet of Aunt Linda’s house. Every creak of the floorboards made me jump. Every car that passed on the street outside made my heart race. He was driving. He had taken his father’s truck in the middle of the night and he was coming to me.I texted him at 1:14 a.m.“Are you still on the road? Please be careful.”The reply came three minutes later.“Still driving. Gas station stop in twenty. I love you. Keep the light on for me.”I stared at the words until they blurred. Then I got up and turned on the small lamp by the window so he would see it if he somehow arrived before sunrise. It was a stupid, hopeful thing to do. I did it anyway.At 2:03 a.m. he called. The video was shaky. The only light came from the dashboard and the occasional streetlamp. His face looked tired and determined at the same time.“I’m okay,” he

Chapter 115: Lines DrawnCassandraAunt Linda disappeared into the kitchen to make more coffee. The living room felt too small with all of us standing there. Mom’s eyes were red. Dad’s jaw was locked so tight I could see the muscle jumping. Alexander’s hand stayed wrapped around mine like he was afraid someone might try to physically pull us apart.“Sit down,” Dad said. It wasn’t a request.We sat on the couch again. Mom took the armchair. Dad remained standing for a moment longer before dropping into the other chair with a heavy breath. The silence stretched until it felt like it might snap.Mom spoke first. Her voice trembled. “Do either of you understand what you’re doing? This isn’t a game. This isn’t some college rebellion that ends when the semester does. You’re choosing something that will follow you for the rest of your lives. People will talk. Family will take sides. You will lose people you care about.”Alexander answered before I could. “We already know that. We’ve been liv

Chapter 117: Fresh ProofCassandraThe photo glowed on my phone screen in the dark guest room. Alexander and me on Aunt Linda’s porch. His arms locked around me. Our mouths pressed together like we had been starving for each other. The timestamp sat in the corner, only hours old. Underneath it the message was short and sharp.“Cute reunion. Wonder what your parents would pay to keep this from spreading further. Or maybe I’ll just send it to the rest of the family for free. Your move.”Alexander’s body was rigid against my back. He reached around me and took the phone, scrolling the image bigger, then smaller, like the details might change if he stared hard enough.“Someone was watching the house,” he said. His voice was low and controlled in a way that scared me more than shouting would have. “Last night. When I got here. They were close enough to take this.”I turned in his arms so I could see his face. The streetlight outside cut across his jaw and the tight line of his mouth. “Who?

Chapter 120: On Our Own Cassandra The bus station smelled like diesel and old coffee. Alexander and I stood on the cracked sidewalk with our two bags between us and the envelope of cash Aunt Linda had pressed into his hand. The morning sun felt too bright after the heavy dark of the family meeting. My eyes still burned from crying. His jaw was set in that hard line he got when he was holding too much inside. “We need a place for tonight,” he said. His voice was rough. “Somewhere cheap. Then we figure out the rest.” I nodded. Words felt thin. The family had looked at us like we were something dirty. Grandma’s disappointment. Aunt Sarah’s disgust. Mom’s tears mixed with finality. Dad’s cold line about no support and no contact. It all sat in my chest like broken glass. We walked to the nearest motel the station attendant pointed us toward. It was a low, faded building with a flickering vacancy sign. The room they gave us was small and smelled faintly of bleach and cigarette smoke t