When his mask cracks Novels & Stories

respect. I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled slowly. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could wear this mask before something cracked.

The deep voice startled her. Honey looked up to see a tall man in an elegant black mask that covered the upper half of his face. He wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit with no tie, the top buttons of his crisp white shirt undone to reveal a glimpse of tanned skin. "Is it that obvious?" she asked, trying to sound more confident than she felt. He smiled, a flash of straight white teeth that contrasted with his dark mask. "You have that look of someone taking mental notes rather than simply experiencing it."

She shoved my head forward so hard my chin hit my chest. She moved back into my line of sight. The green mask had started to dry, cracking around her mouth when she spoke. Little pieces flaked off, drifting down to her robe. "But it's okay." Her smile stretched wider. The mask cracked even more and my stomach dropped. "Because we're going to fix it. Once you're gone, Theodore will come back to me. He'll realize you were just a phase. A mistake. And everything will go back to how it should be."

Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face. "Hey, little lady, it's late at night. Why are you wearing a mask?" After that, he looked at his senior brothers behind him happily and said, "According to my experience, anyone who still wears a mask at this time is either an ugly woman or a very beautiful woman! How about we make a bet?" "Okay, I bet 100 purple crystals on an ugly woman." "That's right. Those who can wear masks at this time must be ugly and can't be seen in public. I also place a bet of 100."

I need to find Mamba's mask. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jacob didn't say anything. He just opened the car's door for me. "Hi." I said and tip my toes to reach his cheek. "Get inside." He said when I stared at him. I took a deep breath and did what he said. I looked at the backseat and searched for the mask but I saw nothing. I fastened my seatbelt as he walked back to the driver's seat. Good thing he's using the ferrari. His eyebrows were almost one when he got on his seat.

His cold expression softened — cracked. He was smiling.

Panicking, I tried to resend the file only to find it gone. I looked up. There was Ben, grinning at me, his face full of mischief. I stared at him. “Did you delete the file?” He stuck out his tongue. “That’s what you get for being mean to me! Just teaching you a lesson so you know who’s in charge. Hmph!” … Aunt Mary’s hostile gaze pierced through me. “What’s that look for? Are you planning to hit him? He’s just a child! What’s wrong with a kid being a little playful?

I ask, already afraid of the answer. His jaw clenches. He hesitates. “Same thing,” he finally says. “But sometimes, it’s hard. If I struggle, if I can’t focus, can’t do it... I...” He stops, licking his lips. He looks at me. “I think of that first kiss with you.” A bolt of heat shoots straight through me. Fuck. I stare at him, my cock already hardening. I shouldn’t be turned on by this. Not by something so fucking broken. But the fact that even now—even now—when he struggles, it’s me that gets him through it?

My fingers curled into fists. “You’re throwing your life away,” he said—snarled. Because the mask had cracked. He was seeing the real me, and I was seeing the real him, too. He rose from his chair. “You’re allowing one heartbreak to turn you into someone I don’t even know.”

“I don’t have time for this.” I stepped in his way again. “Then make time. You don’t get to act like I never meant anything to you. Talk to me!” That was when his mask broke. “Do you think I don’t miss you?” he hissed. His eyes were filled with so much emotions “Do you think I don’t wake up every damn day remembering how you looked when you were unconscious? How I sat beside you, hoping you'd live?” My breath caught. He was shaking. Not visibly. But I felt it. The tension. The heartbreak. The war behind his carefully composed face.