Rain lashed against the windows like it was trying to claw its way into the house. The sky was black, starless, the storm outside echoing the one inside Harley’s chest. She stood at the edge of the living room, fists clenched at her sides, watching Justin pace like a caged animal.
“You lied to me,” he said finally, stopping in front of her. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was sharp—cutting. “All this time. You let me believe she was you.” Harley swallowed hard, blinking away the burning in her eyes. “I didn’t plan for it to happen that way. It just… it spun out of control. I was trying to protect her.” Justin scoffed, running a hand through his damp hair. “Protect her? By marrying me in her place? By pretending to be someone you’re not? That’s not protection, Harley. That’s betrayal.” The word stung. More than she wanted to admit. She looked away, focusing on the trembling shadow of the trees outside instead of his face. “I didn’t want to lose you,” she whispered. Silence. That awful, deafening silence that said more than screaming ever could. “I don’t even know who you are anymore,” he muttered, turning away. “I’m the same person,” she insisted, stepping toward him. “The same girl who stayed up with you all night after your brother died. The same girl who held your hand when you were too angry to speak. The same girl who—” “Who lied to me every single day since we met,” he cut in. “Don’t try to romanticize this.” Harley flinched. She felt like she was splintering, like every word he said was breaking her ribs one by one. She couldn’t breathe. “I didn’t mean to fall for you,” she said, voice cracking. “But I did. And it terrified me. Because I wasn’t supposed to. You were hers.” He turned slowly to face her again, eyes burning with hurt and fury. “Then why didn’t you stop it?” Her throat tightened. “Because for the first time in my life, someone looked at me and didn’t see the broken parts. You looked at me like I was whole.” Justin laughed, a bitter sound that made her stomach turn. “Then maybe you should’ve told me the truth before I made vows to a ghost.” Those words hit harder than anything else. She took a step back, as if putting distance between them would dull the pain. “I never wanted this to be our story,” she murmured. “But we don’t get to choose who we fall in love with.” “And we don’t get to rewrite reality when it doesn’t suit us.” He picked up his coat and headed toward the door. “You’re walking away?” she asked, voice trembling. He paused at the threshold, hand on the doorknob. “I don’t know what hurts more—what you did, or the fact that a part of me still wants to forgive you.” The door slammed shut behind him, and Harley was left standing in the wreckage of everything they’d built—truths unspoken, feelings exposed too late, and the echo of a love that might never survive. Three Days Later The silence in the house was unnatural. It wasn’t peaceful. It was hollow—like something had been removed, and everything else hadn’t adjusted yet. Harley sat at the piano, fingers hovering over the keys but not pressing down. Music used to be her refuge. But now, even the notes felt dishonest. How could she play something beautiful when everything inside her felt poisoned? The front door creaked. She turned, expecting the housekeeper or maybe her sister—though Bella hadn’t spoken to her since the wedding debacle. But it was Samuel. “You look like you haven’t slept in days,” he said, stepping inside with careful hesitation. “I haven’t,” she admitted. He sat on the armrest of the couch, watching her with that unreadable expression he always wore—like he saw everything but chose not to speak it aloud. “You’re still in love with him.” Harley didn’t answer right away. “I think I always was.” “You made a mistake,” Samuel said. “A big one. But I’ve seen worse fixed.” She turned on the bench to face him. “How do you fix something like this? How do you look someone in the eye after everything and say, ‘Please love me anyway’?” Samuel shrugged. “You don’t ask them to forget. You just hope they remember why they ever loved you in the first place.” That night, Harley sat down and wrote a letter. Not to win him back. Not to plead. Just to say the things that had been rotting inside her chest for too long. Dear Justin, I won’t ask for forgiveness. I don’t deserve it. But I will tell you the truth. Loving you wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was becoming Bella. I told myself I was doing it to protect her, to help her escape the mess she made. But somewhere along the way, I stopped protecting her and started protecting myself. From being alone. From being unloved. From facing who I really am. You looked at me like I was someone worth choosing. And I became addicted to that feeling. I know now that love built on lies is a ticking bomb. And I let it explode. But please know this—I loved you honestly, even if everything else was a lie. If there’s even a flicker of truth left between us, I hope someday you’ll find it in your heart to look at me and remember not the betrayal, but the moments in between. The ones that were real. —Harley She left the letter at his door without knocking. She didn’t expect anything from it. Closure, maybe. Or peace, even if only a sliver. But three more days passed. Then seven. Then ten. And on the eleventh, there was a knock at her door. Harley opened it to find Justin standing in the rain, holding the letter—creased, stained, worn from being read again and again. “I read it,” he said. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. “I still don’t know what to do with all this anger,” he admitted. “Or with the part of me that never stopped loving you.” Her eyes widened, breath catching. “I came here not to forgive you,” he said, stepping closer, “but to ask you to fight for me. Because I don’t want to carry this hate anymore. But I need to know you won’t run when it gets hard.” Harley stepped forward until they were inches apart. “I ran once,” she said softly. “I won’t do it again.” He reached up, brushed her soaked hair from her cheek, and leaned in until their foreheads touched. “No more lies,” he whispered. “No more lies,” she promised. And for the first time in a long time, the truth felt like enough. ______Ten years later...“Where are Edwin and Xavier?” Noelle asked Luther who hugged her from behind, kissing her shoulder. “I love your smell,” Luther groaned while inhaling her scent. “I love everything about you.”Noelle smiles while pouring batter on the griddle. “You still didn’t answer me. Where are Edwin and Xavier?” Luther sighed, turning me around and looking at me. “They went to town with their uncle.” He stepped up to her, staring down at her. “We need some time alone, don’t you think, baby?” A sinister smile played on his lips. “How about on the kitchen counter?” “I’m making pancakes for the kids," Noelle said, turning around. “They will be here at any moment.” “I instructed Cassius to spend as much time as he can with our kids.” “Luther…” Before Noelle could speak further Luther grabbed her ass and sat her on the kitchen counter. “Luther…” She tried to speak but Luther quit her with a kiss. They kissed hard, rough and fast. “I missed you…” Luther groaned before tearing h
Noelle gripped Xavier tightly. Tears filled her eyes as she glanced at her husband but he was nowhere in sight. “Where’s Luther?” she gasped, looking everywhere. “Where’s Luther?” She repeated in shock. Cassius and Winnie looked around them but he was nowhere to be found. “Oh my God! Where’s he?” Noelle broke into tears as her heart throbbed harder and harder under her chest. “Noelle…” Cassius grabbed her weak body sitting near a tree. “He’s gonna be fine.”“Is he…” Noelle swallowed hard, looking at their burning mansion. “Is he inside?" “No, he’s not inside the mansion. I saw him when we got out together,” Winnie said, taking place next to Noelle and squeezing her shoulder. “Luther!” Cassius called out his brother’s name, looking around the quiet forest. “Luther!” “Luther!” Winnie went in another direction, calling his name. Noelle looked at Xavier who seemed strangely silent, watching her mother with his big eyes. Noelle forced out a smile, caressing his small lips. “Daddy is f
Ethan rips Noelle’s clothes and makes her cry in dread. She threw her legs and arms to save herself but nothing worked out. “Now you’ll see who the real monster is…” He sneered before removing his clothes. Noelle squeezed her eyes, waiting for an opportunity. She pretends to be helpless as she throws her arms and legs at him. As she eyed the lamp on the nightstand, she grabbed it and slammed it against his head as hard as she could, causing him to scream in pain. Grasping his head, Ethan hissed out. “Bitch!” Before he could take action she banged it again on his head and kneed his balls hard. He fell on the floor, curling in pain and gripping his balls. “You…fucking bitch!” He spat. Noelle got off the bed, staring at him down. She grabbed her dress and put it on. She pulled out a knife from her hair before pointing it at Ethan. “Move!” She gritted out at him. “Do you think I’m scared of your toy?” Ethan laughed darkly, sitting back on the floor. Noelle clenched her jaw and slit
Noelle was moving ahead but then Luther called her, “Noelle!” She stopped, turning around. Luther rushed to her, grabbing her face and kissing her breathlessly. Noelle responded, smiling between their kisses. “I love you, Noelle.” “I know…” She mumbled, burning her fingers in his hair. “I love you so much, Noelle…” “I know, Luther.” “I love you more than anything…” “I know,” she breathed out. “You’re brave, no doubt.” Luther withdrew his mouth, gazing at her intently. “But I can’t risk your life.” He licked his lip, glancing at her mouth like he wanted to kiss her more. “Can I come with you?” “You’ll need to handle everything here,” Noelle said. “He is dangerous, Noelle…” “So are you, Luther? You’ll not let anything happen to me, I know. I trust you…I love you…” “Just remember one thing, we have two babies to look after…” Luther ran his fingers through his messy hair nervously, glancing at her tummy. “Just give up on your plan if you think things are getting out of han
“Sonofabitch!” Luther gritted out before releasing another shot. That time Ethan dodged and rolled to another side. He pointed his gun at Luther and shot repeatedly. Suddenly the entire living room was filled with bullets and screams. Cassius grabbed an opportunity as he took Winnie to the corner of the mansion. “There is a basement here that leads you to the forest. Noelle was waiting for you with Xavier. Just go there and let her know Luther is with me. She doesn’t have to worry about us.” “What if I betrayed you again?" Winnie asked him quietly. “You trust me?” “Just go, Winnie!” Cassius ordered her, scowling at her. “I’m doing this for my child, just for my child. If it is…” He pointed to her stomach. “Not inside you I would have killed you with my own hands.” Winnie turned away as she couldn't tolerate looking at him as he was showing such disdain for her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered to him before turning around and heading toward the basement. Cassius watched her leave wit
The particles of the gate blew through the air. Cassius quickly covered Noelle and Xavier’s bodies with his, bending down on the ground. “Fuck! They are here." He breathed out, glancing at the doorway. Winnie was nowhere in sight. “We need to get out of here.” Noelle looked at the mess in the living room. Slowly, men in black uniforms spread across the room with their guns. “They are many…” she whispered. “How do we get out of here?"“We don’t have time to think, let’s go now." They slowly crawled to the ground so that nobody could see them. Xavier was crying, but Cassius made him stop with his favorite stuffed toy. She walked downstairs, tiptoeing and covering their mouths with their hands. “Where are they?” A man demanded. “Don’t tell me you just tell them about your truth, bitch!” Cassius looked at the living room and saw Winnie just standing in front of a blonde man who was tall and sturdy. Cassius glanced at his men and counted them quickly, and there were around ten people st