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41: The Price of Betrayal
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-02-27 13:44:31
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Broken Vows, New Promises 42: A Cage of Obsession
Chapter 42Aurora’s POVThe quiet hum of Damien’s estate felt heavier than usual. After everything that had happened with Adrian, my body was still sore, my mind trapped in the chaos of that night. I hadn’t spoken much since Damien had brought me back here. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Adrian’s twisted smirk, felt his rough hands, the tearing of my dress—I shuddered, shaking the thoughts away.I needed fresh air.Sliding out of bed, I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and made my way down the dimly lit hall. The house was eerily silent, the only sound my soft footsteps against the polished wood floors. As I passed the study, I heard voices. One was Damien’s, firm and unwavering. The other was a woman’s—elegant and filled with wisdom.Curious, I edged closer.“You need to let her go, Damien,” the woman said, her voice gentle but firm.A pause. Then Damien’s voice, sharp with resistance. “You’re asking me to send her away?”“I’m asking you to do what’s best for her.”I sucked
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-27Broken Vows, New Promises 43: Fractured Bonds
Aurora’s POVThe morning light streamed through the curtains, casting soft golden hues across the bedroom. I lay in bed, my body aching, my mind heavy with exhaustion. Everything that had happened still felt unreal—the terror, the escape, Damien’s unwavering presence.And now… his grandmother.I had overheard their conversation the night before."If you love someone, let her breathe. Don’t make her afraid of your obsessions."Her words haunted me, circling my mind over and over. It was the first time someone had voiced what I had been too afraid to admit to myself. Damien’s protectiveness was suffocating. His obsession was a force that demanded submission.But could I truly leave?A soft knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I sat up just as the door opened and Damien stepped inside, his sharp gaze instantly locking onto me.“You’re awake,” he said, his voice gentler than usual.I nodded, watching as he approached the bed. He hesitated, as if unsure whether to reach for me. “H
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-27Broken Vows, New Promises 44: A Cage Without Bars
Aurora’s POVI stood frozen outside Damien’s study, my breath caught in my throat. My fingers curled around the doorframe as I strained to hear the conversation inside."Prepare a safe house," Damien’s voice was low but firm, laced with finality. "A new country, if necessary. Somewhere far from here."I felt my stomach plummet.A sharp inhale followed—Victoria’s voice, quiet but resolute. "Are you sure this is what’s best for her? Sending her away might not protect her—it might only make her feel abandoned."There was a pause, and then Damien’s voice, tight with restraint. "If she stays, she’ll never be safe. Adrian’s men are regrouping, and there are others watching. They see her as a weakness." A beat of silence. "And I don’t trust myself to keep her out of harm’s way."I pressed a hand to my chest, my heart hammering against my ribs. Was this his way of letting me go? After everything—after his possessiveness, his refusal to give me space—now he was deciding to send me away?I turn
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-10Broken Vows, New Promises 45: The Storm Before the War
Aurora’s POVThe air in Damien’s study felt heavier than before, thick with unsaid words and lingering tension. His arms were still wrapped around me, strong and unyielding, as if letting go would mean losing me entirely. But even as I pressed my forehead against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, doubt crept in like a shadow.How long could we keep running from the inevitable?I pulled back slightly, looking up at him. “They won’t stop coming,” I whispered. “No matter where we go, no matter how much security you put around me.”Damien’s jaw tensed, his fingers tightening on my arms. “I don’t care. I will kill every last one of them if I have to.”I exhaled sharply, stepping out of his grasp. “That’s not a solution, Damien. That’s revenge.”He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident. “And what do you want me to do, Aurora? Just let them take you?”“No,” I said, holding his gaze. “But I don’t want to be a prisoner either. I can’t keep living like t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-10Broken Vows, New Promises 46: Shadows Closing In
Aurora’s POVThe mansion felt eerily silent despite the heightened security. I could feel the tension in the air, a thick and suffocating presence that settled deep in my chest. The men stationed around the property moved with rigid precision, their hands always hovering near their weapons, their eyes scanning every shadow.I sat near the large window in Damien’s bedroom, staring out at the darkened grounds. The moonlight bathed everything in a cold glow, making the trees sway like ghostly figures. I pulled Damien’s jacket tighter around me, his scent a mix of cedarwood and something uniquely him. It grounded me, but it didn’t erase the fear curling in my gut.Damien had barely left my side since the conversation in his study. He had made his choice—I was staying. But that didn’t mean we were safe.A soft knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. Victoria stepped inside, her sharp eyes studying me."You look exhausted," she said, her voice softer than usual.I managed a weak smile
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-10Broken Vows, New Promises 47: Shadows Closing In
Aurora’s POVThe air in the estate had shifted.A heaviness clung to the halls, an unspoken tension that seemed to weigh on everyone’s shoulders. Damien’s men were on high alert, stationed at every entrance, their expressions hard and unreadable. Even Victoria, who always carried herself with effortless poise, had grown quieter, her eyes constantly scanning, watching.I could feel it too. The unease. The sense that something was coming.And I was at the center of it.Damien had stopped talking about sending me away, but I could see the war waging inside him. He wanted to keep me safe. He wanted to keep me here. But at what cost?I sat in the library, staring at the fire crackling in the massive hearth. My thoughts swirled in an endless storm, circling the same question over and over again.What happens next?The sound of footsteps broke me from my thoughts. I turned just as Damien entered the room, his presence commanding as always. But tonight, there was something different. His move
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-10Broken Vows, New Promises 48: Shadows of the Past
Aurora’s POVThe weight of exhaustion clung to me as I sat curled up on the plush chair in Damien’s study. The fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows across the room. My mind was in turmoil, my heart split between the fear of the past and the uncertainty of the future.Damien stood across from me, his broad shoulders tense as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. He hadn’t said much since we’d returned to the estate, but I could feel the storm brewing inside him. The silence between us stretched thin, suffocating.“Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind, or do I have to guess?” I finally asked, my voice quieter than I intended.He exhaled sharply, swirling the amber liquid in his glass before taking a slow sip. “I should’ve killed Adrian when I had the chance.”A shiver ran through me. The mere mention of Adrian’s name made my stomach twist with uneas
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-11Broken Vows, New Promises 49: The Storm Breaks
Aurora’s POVThe morning light barely crept through the heavy curtains when I woke to the feeling of a weight beside me. Damien had stayed, just as he promised. His back was against the headboard, gun still within reach, eyes sharp despite the exhaustion lingering in them.He hadn’t slept. I could tell.“Morning,” I murmured, shifting under the blankets. My muscles ached from the tension of the night before.His gaze softened slightly. “Morning.”For a moment, there was peace. Just us, the quiet hum of the world before the storm. But then a knock at the door shattered the illusion.“Sir,” one of Damien’s men called from the other side. “We have movement outside the estate.”Damien was on his feet instantly, grabbing his gun and striding toward the door. My heart pounded as I sat up. “Already?”He turned to me, his face unreadable. &ld
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-11
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Broken Vows, New Promises CHAPTER 149 : Ashes of the Failsafe
Silence pressed against their ears as they approached the lowest chamber. The air was heavier here—thick with ozone and dread, as if the facility itself exhaled the weight of its own malice. Damien’s flashlight beam danced across the walls, revealing veins of circuitry pulsing beneath steel plates. Each step echoed like a verdict.Aurora’s grip on her rifle tightened. “This corridor leads straight to the core. Seraph must be close.”Asher flanked Damien’s other side, unblinking in the dim light. Though forged in Monroe’s broken crucible, the boy’s courage was pure—a reminder that hope could grow from ashes.Null’s voice crackled in their earpieces. “I’m seeing systems coming back online. Ten minutes before full lockdown. We need to move.”Elias checked his watch. “Understood.”They rounded the final corner and stopped.A vaulted chamber yawned before them. In its center, illuminated by a ring of harsh white light, stood Seraph. Taller than a child but smaller than an adult, she was fr
Broken Vows, New Promises CHAPTER 148 : The Sleeper Below
The silence grew heavier the deeper they went.Null’s map guided them through a maze of subterranean halls—some cold and sterile, others torn by time and disuse. The smooth hum of generators still echoed in places, interspersed by flickering emergency lights that bathed the world in sickly red pulses.Damien led the way with Aurora and Asher close at his heels. The boy in the containment pod had given them everything—coordinates, access routes, and warnings. Seraph wasn’t like Daemon or Omega.He was worse.“Bio-signature locked,” Null murmured, eyes on the scanner as they reached another sealed door. “There’s something down there. No readable vitals, but movement… constant. Pacing, almost.”“He’s waiting,” Aurora said.Asher’s small voice cut in, soft but certain. “He doesn’t think. He reacts. He was made to become… everything they wanted me to be.”Damien knelt beside him. “You don’t have to face this.”Asher looked up. “I do. If we don’t stop him, he’ll come for us. For others.”Au
Broken Vows, New Promises CHAPTER 147 : Into the Heart
The elevator doors closed with a reluctant groan, sealing them in.Inside the narrow shaft, the only light came from their tactical gear—soft glows against skin and metal. Aurora stood beside Damien, her hand brushing against his, an anchor in the silence. Asher stood between them, staring straight ahead, lips pressed into a thin, focused line.The descent felt longer than it should have. As if the very walls were stretching around them—preparing to swallow them whole.Then the lift jolted to a stop.A hiss of depressurization followed. The doors slid open with a groan, revealing a corridor bathed in cold white light. Clean. Too clean. The sterile scent of disinfectant and ozone clung to the air like a ghost.“This is it,” Null said quietly. “The Core Lab.”They stepped out as one.Unlike the upper floors, this level was pristine. Not abandoned. Not even neglected. Lights functioned. Doors responded to biometric scans. Cameras followed their every move, some still tracking with soft c
Broken Vows, New Promises CHAPTER 146 : Before the Storm
The sun dipped low, setting fire to the horizon in hues of crimson and ash. From the ridge above the temporary camp, Damien stood alone, watching shadows stretch over the forest like fingers reaching for something they could never quite hold.Below him, the others prepared in near silence. The kind of silence that didn’t come from fear—but from knowing. From understanding just how close they were to the end.The wind curled around him, carrying the scent of pine and steel and something colder. A storm was coming. Not of weather—but of reckoning.“You always find the highest place when you need to think.”He didn’t turn. He didn’t need to.Aurora’s voice always settled beneath his skin like a familiar hum—gentle and steady.She stepped up beside him, hands tucked into the sleeves of her jacket, her gaze following his to the horizon.“You used to be quieter,” he said. “Before all this.”“I used to have more to be afraid of,” she replied, half-smiling. “Now I just have more to lose.”He
Broken Vows, New Promises CHAPTER 145 : A Name Among the Ashes
The boy didn’t speak of the dream again.But something in him shifted after that night. His steps were a little steadier. His gaze no longer darted to the exits first. He stayed near Damien, yes, but not like a shadow clinging to light. Now, it felt like a tether, an anchor—not dependence, but choice.Damien noticed it when they trained in the clearing behind the safehouse. The boy followed directions without flinching, without looking over his shoulder every five seconds like he expected Monroe to appear from behind the trees. And when Kai handed him a blade—not sharp, just a practice knife—he held it with the curiosity of someone discovering a piece of themselves.“What do we call him?” Eli
Broken Vows, New Promises CHAPTER 144 : Echoes in the Light
The morning sunlight felt wrong.Too bright. Too open.After days in the Hollow’s synthetic twilight, Damien squinted at the skyline like it was some forgotten relic. The world outside was still broken, scarred by everything Monroe had built, but out here—beneath real sky—it felt like breathing for the first time in weeks.They moved through the forest trail in silence, Aurora walking beside Damien, the child—now clothed in a borrowed jacket and boots too large—staying close to Damien’s side like a shadow tethered to light.No name.No past.
Broken Vows, New Promises CHAPTER 143 : The First Breath
The air inside the chamber thickened as the hum of the cryopod deepened, soft lights tracing across its surface like veins awakening after a long slumber. Damien stood with his hand hovering just above the control panel, eyes locked on the boy within. A-00.The child who shouldn’t exist.The child who had been discarded—forgotten—yet had outlived the project meant to replace him.Aurora touched Damien’s arm gently. “Are you ready?”He didn’t answer right away. His gaze was still fixed on the boy’s face. So young, so still. Yet somehow, it felt like staring into a mirror that refused to reflect.
Broken Vows, New Promises CHAPTER 142 : Into the Hollow
The helicopter blades sliced through the Ural sky like a warning.Beneath them, the forest spread like a sea of frozen pine and fractured stone, untouched and unwelcoming. The coordinates Null had provided pointed to a narrow canyon—its jagged sides veined with ice and shadow—where no human path should've ever led.Damien sat beside Aurora, eyes locked on the narrowing terrain below. The cold had begun to seep in through the insulated layers, but it wasn’t the temperature that clenched his gut.It was the silence.Even at this altitude, the absence of wildlife was unnerving.As if nature itself refused to brea
Broken Vows, New Promises CHAPTER 141 : Fractures Beneath the Surface
The wind had changed by morning.Geneva’s neutral calm felt different now—like something sacred had been disturbed beneath its manicured stillness. The team gathered in the briefing room of the underground complex, still shaken from what they’d uncovered the night before: Damien’s prototype—Subject A-01-D—and the fractured remnants of Monroe’s last vault of secrets.No one spoke for a long while.Elias was the first to break the silence. “So what now? We’ve seen the start of it. That clone—your prototype—it changes everything. Doesn’t it?”Null nodded slowly, pacing. “It suggests Monroe’s e
