MasukShare
19. The Lingering Shadows
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-01-28 05:14:01
Sam Shelly Hi, so I know I took a little long to update. The next update will be on 1st Feb. I promise the updates are going to be very constant in the month of feb because I was busy drafting a lot of chapters for this book!
Bab terkait
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 20. The Past
"Where are you? You promised you'd be home by now," I had said, my voice laced with evident annoyance. "You might as well not come." That was what I had said. In those last moments with them, when I could have said anything to them, this was what I had chosen to tell them. Like they had promised, they would fulfill any wish I made that day, but they did not come back. I have hated myself ever since. Had I known that was the last time I would be hearing their beautiful voices, I would have just listened to them talk. I would have told them how much I loved them. They were the most important people in the world to me.It had taken me years to not think about it every single day. To move on with life and not blame myself every time I looked at myself. But today had been especially good. In the midst of my tears, I did not hear the door creak open. I only noticed when a warm body was sitting right next to my crouched body, hugging me from behind. His familiar scent and touch made it a lit
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-31Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 21. The Beach Trip
Brain’s PovThe school had organized a trip to the beach. The bus ride to the beach was supposed to be fun, but nothing about this trip felt remotely enjoyable. Why?Because of that one woman whom my mind just cannot take a break thinking about. Steph. She was sitting with Cole. And me? I was right at the back with Simon. Gosh, I hated this feeling too much. I clenched my jaw as I watched her laugh at something Cole said. Her head tipped back slightly, her smile lighting up her face. She was stunning, but the sight made my stomach twist painfully. Why hadn’t I seen her in the same light that I see her in now before Lyla? WHy hadn’t I realized it was not Lyla who was the one for me. But…"Why are you glaring at Cole like he just stole your lunch?" Simon asked without even looking up from his phone.I forced my hands to relax on the seat in front of me. "I’m not glaring."Simon smirked. "Sure, keep telling yourself that."The ride dragged on, every second punctuated by the sight
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-01Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 22. Hidden truths
Steph’s povThe weekend had finally arrived, but instead of relief, I felt an odd weight in my chest. Ever since the beach trip, Simon had been hovering, checking on me every few hours. I knew he was worried after what happened, but his overprotectiveness felt like a constant reminder of the incident I wanted to forget. The weekend had finally arrived, but instead of relief, I felt an odd weight in my chest. Ever since the beach trip, I caught cold and felt like shit, burning in fever all day long. Simon had been hovering, checking on me every few hours. I knew he was worried after what happened, but his overprotectiveness felt like a constant reminder of the incident I wanted to forget.It had all happened so fast. I had gone to the water with Kylie and Nick, their laughter filling the air as they splashed around. I tried to join in, but my heart wasn’t in it. My mind was elsewhere—on him. On Brian.I couldn’t stop replaying the day in my head. The way he had laughed and joked with e
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-02Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 23. Confronting the Truth
Steph's PovI called Brian's number and both times, it took me to the voicemail. I didn't like this sickening feeling in my chest. Yes, I had agreed on not giving official tags to our relationship, but I did think, we were close enough that I deserved to know if he was going away for six months. Or had that been his plan all along, to just completely ghost me? To use me, when he needed. I could not believe I had been this blind and stupid. He really did not give a single fuck about me. Kylie had been right all along; I should've just listened to her. But I had been in denial. In that moment, it was fun lying to myself, but now when I could feel my heart sinking, I didn't think it was worth it. No one should get to treat me like this. Yes, he was hurt then, but I had sacrificed enough of my own happiness to take his pain away. I was not going to make a fool of myself anymore.***Brian's voice called out as the door creaked open. “Do you want to join us for a game of Mo
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-04Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 24. Tangled Hearts
Brian’s PovI despised myself in that moment. Every muffled sob that came from the other side of her bedroom door pierced my chest like a blade. Steph’s tears always broke me in ways I couldn’t describe, and the fact that I had caused them made me loathe myself even more.Leaning against her door, I clenched my fists, willing myself to stay put, to not burst in and hold her. But I was a coward. A coward who had ruined the one person who trusted me without question. I pressed my forehead against the cool wood, each wail behind it twisting my insides tighter. I couldn’t stay. I needed to be away—away from everyone, especially from her. But most of all, away from myself.By the time I reached my room, I was barely holding it together, the rawness of my emotions clawing at me. I slammed the door shut behind me, but it didn't stop the chaos swirling inside my mind. My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor, my back pressed against the cold wood, my breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-06Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 25. New Life
3 years laterSteph’s Pov “Steph, are you done with Mitchell's worksheet?” Stella, one of my housemates, popped her head through my bedroom door frame. “I'm working on it; let's tally whatever we have done.” I said and fifteen minutes later we were huddled together at my desk even more frustrated than before. “I swear to God, he does all of this deliberately. That sadistic man gets pleasure out of torturing and failing us.” I said with irritation. “Please don't say that. I can't afford to fail even one test this semester. It's our last semester. This is the time the GPA needs to be maintained the most.” Stella said, looking horrified. I rubbed my hands over her shoulder. I remembered last semester, we sat on the university steps trying to calm Stella down as she bawled her eyes out after Mitchell's had just shattered her dreams into pieces. “You might as well just throw away your dreams of setting foot in the hospital ever, if you're plan
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-07Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 26. The Club
I pulled out my red dress with sequins embedded into it. Seeing him waving at his fans and smiling so bright that it had his eyes all crinkled had me all riled up. I wanted to look and feel the best. “I'll make you regret it, Brian Lockwood; I'll make you regret leaving me.” I said to myself in the mirror. Gosh, why was it still about him? Man, I really needed to get some drinks into my system to wash him out of it. My phone began to ring and it took me a while to find it under the pile of clothes heaped onto my bed. By the time I found it, it had stopped ringing. It was Simon. Brian and Simon had both qualified for the nationals together but played for different teams. Simon was part of the Inferno. I didn't really follow the game but I knew that both Omega and Inferno had been at the top of the board this year. Simon and I spoke from time to time. He had called me drunk, crying when the coach had threatened to kick him off the team. “I'm su
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-07Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 27. The Aftermath
Steph's Pov “Bro, it's midday. Do you think we should wake her up?” “No, she's never slept in; maybe she needs it.” “How drunk do you think she—oh, oh, I think she's waking up!” I could hear the whispers next to me when I tried to flutter my eyes open, but the bright light sent a shot of pain through, forcing me to shut them up just as quickly. I groaned, “Man, my head hurts,” I said, holding my head with both my palms. When my eyes adjusted, I slowly opened them to find Stella, Lucy and Sarah standing around my bed staring into my soul. They looked like they'd start performing a ritual on me. “Well, who asked you to take off with a random guy you had just met?” Stella scolded me and I looked at Lucy and Sarah squinting my eyes, and they stood there with two hands joined together, mouthing me to not throw them under the bus. “Girl, you were busy flirting and dancing with some other guy, so I decided to have a little bit of fun on my own. W
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-08
Bab terbaru
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 86. Epilogue
Steph's Pov It was one of the other event of Rita and Simon and to be honest, I had lost count on how many parties they threw for their wedding..pre-wedding, post wedding etc etc I walked over to the buffet table, scanning the offerings. The waiter removed the cover from one dish, wafting the aroma of the succulent shrimp into the air. All of a sudden, my stomach did a flip and a wave of nausea washed over me. My face paled, and my mouth started watering in a bad way."Oh no," I muttered to myself, my hand over my mouth. "Not now."I didn't hesitate, turning and making a quick departure, my hand over my mouth as I hurried to seek out a secluded area in which to compose myself. The pharmacy was compact but well supplied, with rows upon rows of medicine, toiletries, and other necessities. I walked to the family planning area, my heart racing in my chest. I looked at the shelves, my eyes finding a familiar brand of pregnancy tests. I picked one up and quickly headed towards the check
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 85. Stephanie, Soon to be Lockwood
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, looking at the bright red mark along the nape of my neck. I pressed it tenderly, it didn't hurt as much, but it looked pretty serious. As much as I loved this mark on my neck, I knew I couldn't go out like this. Especially not in front of Simon. Moreover, today Simon and Rita had organized a pool party for everyone, which meant swimsuits, which meant if I went out wearing a hoodie everyone was bound to find out what was happening. I sighed heavily looking at myself in the mirror, then began to fish for a concealer in my makeup pouch. “Is something wrong?” Brian said, walking in, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin along my shoulder. His deeper voice sounded sexier in the morning. I smiled at my half-asleep boyfriend, with his hair ruffled, as his spicy masculine smell hit me. “My very loving boyfriend has left his very own mark on my neck, and now I don't know how to cover it.” I complained to him. “I don't remember he
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 84. Twin Beds
Steph's PovBrian and I walked into the suite Simon had booked for us and froze the second we entered the room. It had two twin beds. I really had to give it to Simon, he was consistently playing the role of a protective brother really well. I looked at Brian and rolled my eyes and he grinned.“Well, this clearly won't do," he said, locking the door and began to push the two beds close. I wanted to mock Simon saying, “See, ya got nothing on me,” but we were really too old for this so I decided against it. While Brian fixed the beds, I explored the suite. The bedroom was truly beautiful with a gold and white colour combination. Right next to the beds was a massive window down to the length of the floor, overlooking the clean, magnificent blue sea of Hawaii.The bathroom was tiled with wooden floors, with a massive bathtub covered with glass doors. When I saw the shampoo, soap and toothpaste on the shelves, the hoarder in me wanted to grab at it immediately, however I controlle
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 83. The Wedding
Steph's Pov I was curled up around Brian, with his arms around my body. This had been more intimate. Back then I was young and cautious, I didn't know what to do. Today, I was sure with Brian, I knew he loved me, and I wanted to prove it to him that I loved him more. I wanted to touch him; I wanted to be weird, and I was not ashamed of it because I knew he would not judge me for it. “I've had sex after a very long time. I'm glad it was with you. I wouldn't have it any other way.” I said to him as he played with our fingers. It was this that I had wanted. The care after the sex. The assurance that I was not only wanted for this. That nothing had changed; if anything, this had only brought us closer. We ordered pizza. When he went to pick it up, I wore his shirt and looked at myself in the mirror. It looked better on me than it did on him. It smelled just like him. Man, I could bathe in his scent. I was immersed in these thoughts when he came back in. Seeing me in his shirt, his f
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 82. The beginning of forever
Beck's POV: Each time I came into this room, there was a new challenge, a new obstacle waiting to be cleared. Today, however, was different. Today, I had the most vicious man I'd ever had the misfortune to meet - Richard Rivers staring right back at me. Thankfully, things were looking in our favour. Whatever amount of money Richard had paid Tony Martinez evidently wasn't enough, he was wasn't prepared, totally. He was seated in the front row, his face having a smug look, playing dumb, playing the bereaved husband. We all knew, however, his dirty little secret. I knew he was guilty of Lyla's murder, of the atrocities she had been subjected to at his hands. I sucked in a deep breath, bracing myself for what lay ahead. It was time to put a stop to Richard's game. It was time to play my strongest card. I addressed the judge, speaking firmly. "Your honor, I'd like to have Miss Stephanie Hudson take the stand." Stephanie got up, looking me straight in the eye, and walked toward
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 81. The Trial
Stephs POV: The courtroom was filled with hushed conversations and the occasional sound of papers rustling. I took in the room, my eyes finding the familiar form of Brian, his shoulders set and his jaw clenched.But I was able to get to him before I could, as a frazzled-looking reporter blocked my path. He was a rumpled sight, wearing a tattered hoodie and jeans, his eyes puffy from lack of sleep. He looked like he'd been running around for days picking up leads.".......and welcome back to NBS News," he declared, his voice echoing through the courtroom. "I'm reporting live from the courthouse, where the much-awaited doping case against NBA star Brian Lockwood is about to be played out. The public has been waiting for answers, and today, they'll finally have their opportunity to witness justice being served."He took a moment, his eyes sparkling with a blend of enthusiasm and fatigue."Lockwood, the golden boy of basketball, stands accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs to get
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 80. A favor to ask
Steph's POV: I sat on the couch, watching as Cirril paced back and forth across the hotel room. It had been a week since we'd received the devastating news of Lyla's death, and the days that followed had been a blur of lawyers, meetings, and media scrutiny. I still shuddered, when I thought of her death. She'd been driven to insanity, and the only escape she found was in death. Unfortunately, she took her child with her. Brian had been released from the hospital, but his health was still fragile. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to be deepening, his eyes sunken and hollow. He looked exhausted, both physically and mentally. Cirril was on a video call, arguing with yet another lawyer who was refusing to take on Brian's case. "You're asking for five times the normal price? That's ridiculous!" she exclaimed. I watched as Brian tried to calm her down, his voice soft and soothing. "It's okay, Cirril. We'll find someone else." But Cirril was having none of it. "No, we won't! They'
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 79. Breaking Point
Brian's POV; I groggily reached for my phone, wincing as I sat up. Cirril's name flashed on the screen. "Cirril," I answered, trying to sound more alert than I felt. "Brian, where are you?" she demanded, her voice shrill with worry. "Do you realize the kind of mess you're in?" I rubbed my temples, trying to ward off the impending headache. "I'm at the hospital, Cirril." There was a pause on the other end of the line. "What? How are you at the hospital?" I sighed, not wanting to get into the details over the phone. "I'll explain everything when you get here. Can you please just come?" Cirril's voice was laced with frustration. "Obviously, I'm coming. Is that even a question?" I hung up the phone, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. Cirril would know how to handle this mess. As I waited for Cirril to arrive, I glanced over at Stephanie, who was sitting in the corner, watching me with concerned eyes. I smiled weakly at her, trying to reassure her. Cirril burst into the room
Brother's Best Friend Loves Me Not 78. A Reputation on Line
Steph's POV: I stayed at the hospital. I couldn't leave him. I didn't want to leave him. I am not going to leave you alone ever again Brian. The nurse in me kept checking his vital signs. The entire night I could not sleep. The nurse had given Brian a sleeping pill and a painkiller, to soothe his pain and allow him to rest. I kept walking around, tucked him in, but I could not put myself to sleep. There was this constant fear that something was about to happen. In moments when I did drift off to sleep, I would wake up, with a jerk with a sudden feeling that I was running away from something. At about three in the morning, I saw Brian's eyes flicker open. I immediately went up to him. “What is it? Does it hurt somewhere? Do you need something?” I asked him in fear. He slowly put his hand up and beckoned at me, then patted on his mattress beside him. He was asking me to lie down beside him on the bed. Tears began to stream down my face again, looking at Brian's condition. This
