Stolen Hearts: Between Two Brothers Novels & Stories

They stood and gripped each other, forearms locked, a language passing between them that had nothing to do with me. But when they pulled apart I caught it the way Kofi’s jaw tightened briefly when he smiled. The way his eyes flicked once toward the window before settling. Small things. The kind most people missed. I didn’t miss things. What are you into, Kofi, I thought, watching my brother laugh at something Adrian said. *What have you gotten into. They fell into easy conversation and I stood in the doorway watching them and understanding something that settled cold and heavy in my chest.

He pulls me back against his chest and I let him and neither of us pretends this is simple or clean or anything other than exactly what it is. Wrong. Completely. And neither of us lets go. End of Arc 9: Stolen

And I hate the way my heart still skips whenever I look at him. I shove the feeling aside because this issue is more paramount. “Thorne, what did Alec steal from you?” I ask him. Thorne opens his mouth to answer me, but hesitates. That is when I know there is more to this than meets the eye. Because tell me why Thorne is accusing Alec of stealing, but can’t say what it is that Alec took from him? “He…” Thorne trails off and continues. “Your brother knows what he took from me, and I want it back, else, he won’t like what I’ll do.”

The storm roared louder, echoing her confusion until it felt like the thunder itself was her heartbeat. Her mind screamed at her to choose. But her heart… her heart was no longer certain. And then—just as her knees buckled beneath the weight of it—something impossible happened. The corpse’s lips curved into a faint, chilling smile. Kira cried out, dropping him, stumbling back as both brothers—one standing, one lying in blood—fixed their burning eyes on her. “You see?” Their voices echoed together, thunder and fire twined as one. “The contract was never with one man. It was with us both.”

I say, because sometimes the only relief for heartbreak is to speak the loved one's name aloud. Lorena draws a shuddering breath. "We met when Loren, my twin brother, brought him home from school. He is an orphan with no family connections or status. But he is kind and brave and he made me laugh." A ghost of a smile touches her lips. "We would meet by this fountain at night, when everyone was asleep. He would bring me wildflowers and tell me stories about the stars." My throat tightens and even though I do not want to, I think of Miles.

AVA'S POV The music kept playing. As if nothing had changed. As if three men weren’t walking toward her with intent carved into their expressions. She stepped back instinctively. “Tessa,” she whispered. But Tessa was distracted. Laughing. Oblivious. One of the men grabbed her wrist. Firm. Not violent. Yet. “You’re coming with us.” Her heart slammed against her ribs. “Let go.” Her sister was gone. Gone. The betrayal burned hotter than fear. The man tightened his grip.

I said. "He was buying the diagnosis," I said. The room got quiet again. Everything I had given up. Leaving Kathryn asking Jacob to marry her hiding in this apartment while I waited for a death that was never coming. Was all based on a lie that my brother had made up. For years I thought fate had taken away my future. The truth was worse. My future had not been taken by illness. It had been stolen by my brother one lie at a time. In that moment I stopped feeling sad, about the life I had lost.

When I finally stepped back, the space between us felt different. Not smaller. Just… defined. Clearer. More dangerous. I wiped my face, forcing myself back into control. “I’m okay,” I said. A lie. But a necessary one. He didn’t challenge it. “Alright.” He moved toward the door. Paused. “You’re not alone,” he said quietly. Then he left. I stood there for a long time after. My heart still unsteady. My mind racing. I had crossed something. Not physically. Not visibly. But something had shifted.

“First off, don’t call yourself that. Selena had an affair, I’m the product of it. Thiago tossed me out like trash. Then, when he needed something, he suddenly wanted me back. I fell for it, just like you did. He played the part, kind, generous, even called me ‘brother.’ Then one day, we’re meeting a dealer. Thiago screws up. The guy demands blood. Thiago grabs his knife, stabs me in the back, and says, ‘I killed my brother. We good now?’” Amelia’s tears were streaming now. “He missed my heart. I ended up in a coma. Someone found me, got me to a hospital. Guess someone’s looking out for me. I swore I’d take everything from him.” “And you did,” Amelia said quietly. “Now get out.” “Amelia...”

she gives me air kisses and leaves. I sigh, a huge smile on my face, I look at the papers again and it brings joy to my heart but not as much as those flowers, I stare at the petals, my fingers brushing through them softly,my heart pulled in two different directions, softened by the memory of Matteo but heavy with Dexter's growing presence in my life. How can I possibly be in love with two brothers? My heart strings pulled in two different directions, my smile fades. **************** I pack up my bag and laptop when I hear a little knock on my door, I look up and see Dexter and my heart increases in pace, excitedly.