Quiet Strength Novels & Stories

CHAPTER 118 QUIET RETURNS SANTIAGO I used to measure my strength in miles. How far I could run. How long I could stand. How hard I could push before my lungs burned and my vision blurred and I still didn’t stop. Now I measure it in minutes. How long I can stay on my feet before my leg trembles. How many stairs before I need to pretend I forgot something downstairs. How steady my hands are when I pour water into a glass and hope no one notices the slight spill.

I sat on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on my knees, hands clasped loosely together. I let the night settle. I let my breathing slow. Her voice returned to me. The way it softened when she was not guarding anything. The way it sharpened when she was. There was strength in her. Not loud strength. Not the kind that shouts to be seen. The quiet kind. The kind that survives. The kind that refuses to break even when it bends. That was why I could not ignore her. She was not something that could be owned, no matter how close I held her.

he argues. “Congratulations, Bravo! Now that you understand that the secret of my strength is related to the quality of our allies... Don't waste any more time... and conquer your world.” Inspire.

"How do you know?" "Because I know you. I have known you for three years. You are the most stubbornly loyal person I have ever met. Do you really think some hypnotic suggestion from a dead madman is stronger than that?" A sound escaped Priya's throat that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "I do not feel very strong right now." "Strength is not about how you feel. It is about what you do. And right now, you are fighting back against something that was designed to be irresistible. That is strength."

Green eyes burning with the quiet fire of someone who had learned that strength wasn't about never falling. It was about always rising.

Unable to help himself, he took a deep breath and said, “He’s so strong.” Quattro had already reached the Transcendental Bliss Rank, yet he was easily overwhelmed without the ability to fight back.

“It’s a deep scratch, but you should heal.” “It hurts” I whimpered, and he sighed “I’m not surprised. The Queen is strong; not to be trifled with. It is almost a shame you are as strong willed as she is, as you don’t have the physical strength to strike back.” I jerked my head out of his grip and stared up at him, shocked. “You are not mad at me? I thought you’d think me disrespectful. I was disrespectful.” I murmured.

And I wasn’t in my right mind. Not with everything. Not with the world spinning too fast beneath me. “Alex—” I whispered, barely able to find my voice through the haze. “Shhh,” he hushed, voice low and thick, his breath brushing my ear. “Don’t talk…” “Alex, wait.” I drummed weakly against his chest, barely registering that I was naked, that his unmistakable arousal was pressed firmly between my thighs. He hissed—strained—like he was fighting something inside him.

I looked up, face soaked, but the words wouldn't come. Then he rushed over, all fake panic and hugs. "What's wrong, babe? Nervous? I'll be right there the whole time, I promise." His grip sent a chill down my spine. How could he fake it so easily? Kill our baby, keep his side chick happy, then still play the doting husband like nothing happened? My mouth tasted like metal. I touched my belly, testing him. "Elroy... why can't I feel the baby move?" He knelt, pressed his ear to me. I caught that flash of annoyance in his eyes before he smoothed it over.

His righteous behavior made it seem like I was in the wrong. I stared at him in disbelief, and my voice quivered as I said, “Am I supposed to magnanimously congratulate another woman for being pregnant with my husband’s baby?” Jake yanked his tie off in frustration. “Winnie just wanted to have a baby to give her life a little cheer after Henry died. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m also Henry’s best friend, so I have the responsibility of taking care of his wife and fulfilling all her desires. “It’s not as if I really slept with her, anyway. I just donated sperm for her. Do you really have to kick up a fuss about something as small as this?