[ZARINA] “No, I can’t do it. What if we get caught?” She sighed, staring at me silently. It was unusual for her to be quiet, and it made me uneasy. “Please say something,” I urged her. She closed her eyes briefly, shook her head, and pressed her lips together. Her green eyes met my blue ones again. “Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen. Trust me, I’m here to help you escape,” she reassured me with such conviction that I didn’t doubt her for a moment. I surveyed the room I was in and took in my surroundings. It was one of the cramped cells located in the basement of the orphanage. The walls were decayed and the stench was so overpowering that every breath felt like a slow death. It was terrifying initially, but after spending five years of my life here since turning eighteen, it had become a strangely tranquil place, although more peaceful than I would have preferred. “Zarina! Are you paying attention?” She whispered quietly, and I nodded, turning my gaze back to her. “Great! So
[VLADIMIR] “Did you miss me?” I asked, smirking as I slowly, but confidently, approached her. With each step I took, her once radiant smile seemed to fade away, as if she had come face-to-face with a haunting apparition. And in a way, I couldn’t argue with that. To her, I was nothing more than a ghostly presence, a monstrous figure, a devil incarnate, and everything else that was far from good. Her smile was truly captivating, and I longed to capture it, to preserve it deep within the pits of my heart, never to let it slip away at any cost. But her affection was off-limits to me, forbidden territory. I couldn’t make her mine, and that was an undeniable truth. I knew she despised me for whatever I had done to her, but how could I explain that I had no other choice? Making her hate me was the only way to set her free, to avoid repeating the same disastrous mistake I had made years ago. “Because I missed you like hell!” I confessed, but I refused to show her how much I cared. Instead
“Shut up, Aurora! You’ve gone too far!” he shouted, tears welling up and his fist clenched tightly. Vladimir, the boss of a ruthless crime syndicate, had never experienced such intense emotions before—feelings of weakness and guilt. “Why? Because I’m telling the truth?” Aurora snapped, looking away and trying to calm her own frustration. But his loud voice only made things worse. “Come on, Mir! Wake up from your fantasy. I was never yours and, just so you know, I never will be,” she said harshly. Her words cut through him like a sharp knife, piercing his skin and hurting his heart. Aurora let out a frustrated breath and ran her hand through her light brown hair. Shaking her head, she turned to face him. “You made a promise, Mir. You don’t have the right to hold me back. Just let me go,” she insisted, determination evident in her voice as she prepared to walk away. “No! You’re not going anywhere. I won’t allow it,” worry crossed his handsome face as he attempted to prevent her from
[UNKNOWN] "Why are we here again?" I groaned for the millionth time out of sheer boredom and slumped down in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest. "Sweetheart, can you do me a favor?" Angela, a forty-five-year-old woman sitting right next to me in the passenger seat, chimed in with her sugary voice. "Just shut up!" She snapped, compelling me to roll my eyes. This reaction didn't surprise me. Angela wasn't exactly the most patient person on the planet, and I quickly learned that on our very first day together when she came to my rescue. "We've been waiting for an hour, and honestly, I have much better things to do," I said, though Angela seemed completely oblivious to that fact. Sure, Angela might be the only person who seemed to care about me, but it wasn't my fault that I had serious trust issues. I didn't trust anyone, not even myself, for that matter. "Sitting in front of the TV all day and getting wasted at night doesn't exactly qualify as 'better things,' I'm pretty sure
[ZARINA] I haven't moved an inch since we arrived at the driveway of the Perazzo mansion. I just can't bring myself to move. Memories are flooding back to me like a torrent, overwhelming and exhausting. And to make matters worse, the person who is the source of my anxiety is standing right in front of me. Vladimir Perazzo. The devil himself. I can't decipher his expression, but there's something different in his deep brown eyes. The sinister passion that used to send shivers down my spine is absent. Instead, there's something unfamiliar, something unrecognizable. His eyes are tinged with a hint of crimson, and his lips appear dry, like a withered leaf. His shoulders are slumped as if he has experienced the greatest defeat of his life, leaving him drained. I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is real or if my mind is playing tricks on me with another lie. Unconsciously, my feet shuffle backward as he takes hurried steps toward me. But before I can entertain any thoughts of doing someth
[ZARINA] "Zarina, wait up! I can explain," Xavier hurriedly followed me as I started walking away, going who knows where. Honestly, it doesn't even matter. The one person I trusted the most completely deceived me. And it wasn't just any lie, it was a colossal mistake, a total catastrophe. Hazel is the child of Aurora and Vladimir. That means... that means... it means that Aurora was Vladimir's wife? But Xavier told me Hazel was his daughter and Aurora was his wife, right? Hold on! He never actually said she was his wife. Ugh! But that doesn't change the fact that he lied to me. He lied not just once, but every single day. Every minute. Every second. He's a dishonest person. A LIAR. "Zarina, please! Let me explain. At least..." he abruptly interrupted, surpassing my walking speed and blocking my path. "What?" I yelled, staring at him with a mixture of anger, irritation, hurt, and my chest heaving with breathless
[XAVIER] I'm not surprised by Zarina's reaction after finding out the only truth I tried to conceal. I'm just a little disappointed in her perception of me. Maybe I got a bit selfish and only wanted to hear a resounding "yes" when I asked her to portray Aurora in front of Hazel. I was afraid that once she learned the truth, she would never agree to help. It's true that she's being held against her will, and if I wanted to, I could have forced her to comply. But I wanted her involvement to come from the heart, not from coercion. The only difference between me and Vladimir is that my intentions were solely focused on giving Hazel something she had never experienced before—a mother's touch and the love that comes with it. But maybe I went too far in my attempt to make it all seem real. Perhaps it's all my fault. Maybe that's why I couldn't bear to stay in that room for another second. Her words felt like stepping on landmines. Every time
[ZARINA]I have no sense of what’s happening. One moment I was apologizing and the next we were kissing.Iam kissing. This was not something I had in mind at the time I ascended the stairs and called out to him, asking him not to change too. Told him he was nowhere like Vladimir. It just...just happened.My mind is completely blank. I have no sane inkling of how I should react or act. Other than this voice echoing inside, screaming to kiss him back.His lips are soft against mine, and he seems in no hurry. Smoothly, he is exploring every corner of my lips and I’m feeling my heart sailing fiercely. It is effortless and dreamy, comforting in ways that words would never be. His one hand is below my ear, his thumb caressing my cheek as our breaths mingle. Not sure what to do, my own hands scale up and palms against his hard chest. So warm, welcoming and heartening. Something that I am really in need of, hence I can&rs