DAMIENI had raised my hand to knock on the door when I heard a familiar voice from inside, Shawna's mother.“Joseph, you aren't going to say anything? You'd just stand there and watch your daughter rot in jail because of your wife and other daughter?"That's her voice, what's she doing here? I pressed the doorbell just in time for the door to be opened. The same woman I was contemplating if she was the one who was pushed through the door.I caught her before she could fall, steadying her. I looked at her face and saw that she was okay before looking up at the devil's incarnate before me.Eugene looked more than shocked to me here.“Damien, I- I didn't know you'd gotten here. Come on in." She smiled.I looked at her with nothing but anger thrumming through me, I didn't say anything to her. I just led Shawna's mother outside, away from them.“Thank you for saving me, I'd have fallen so hard if you hadn't caught me. I appreciate it." She smiled sadly at me.“You're welcome. And I want y
SHAWNA I wouldn't even say I've lost hope in getting out of here, but it looks like I'm not getting out of here normally anymore. I've moved from just being in here to serving a term with prisoners. I now serve punishment with people who have gone through courts and are only serving their term. Since I was a child up until now, I never thought a life like this existed. It's so rougher than I even imagined. Waking up every morning before sunrise and then going back to sleep late at night with body pains because of working all night. I woke up this morning to cold liquid dumped on me, I had just slept one hour ago only to be woken up now. I opened my eyes to see an officer with a bucket in his hand, he just dumped it on me. “Wake up, criminal." He sneered. My whole body ached a lot, my head was banging so hard due to stress and lack of sleep. And to top it all, those scars are getting much worse, I've not even gotten any one of them treated. He dumped the remaining of the water o
EUGENEWaking up was euphoric, I felt the happiness in me before I woke up at all. Last night was just too blissful, it feels like a dream come through for me.With my closed eyes, I stretched out my hand and tried to feel his body but my hand met with the cold bed. My eyes flew open, did he leave already?I looked around the room to see him dressing up, he was almost done.“Are you leaving already? It's still so early." I yawned, my hand covering my mouth as I sat up on the bed.“You promised to let Shawna go after this, let's go there already.” He buttoned up his shirt and turned to me.Anger thrummed through me as he mentioned her name, it just served as a reminder that the only reason he's doing it is because of Shawna and not just willingly.Can't she just die already? Argh! I just want to squeeze the life out of her, watch life leave her body so she can just leave this earth and stop disturbing me.“Do we have to go now? Let's just do some more things before we leave.” I tried t
SHAWNAI woke up with my head banging, I had to shut my eyes countless times. I just didn't want to open my eyes yet because I'm so sure the pain would be doubled if I did.But the annoying beeping sound beside me wouldn't let me rest, it was getting into my ears and added to my frustrations.I just had to open my eyes, I knew I was in a hospital even before I did so. Everything that happened before my eyes fluttered close appeared in my head.My entire body ached a lot, my body was practically screaming at me even though I hadn't moved at all. I mumbled out a few cuss words for the people who made me this way.“Shawna, you're awake!" My mom's voice met my ears. If it's not that she's the one, I'd have chastised her for shouting that way because the noise traveled straight to my eardrum.But I can understand her enthusiasm, I've been away from them for a while now and I passed out hours ago. Even I would be worried.She came to hug me on the bed, heaving a sigh of relief. I heard her
DAMIENI wanted to turn around and leave the room, but I decided to give her a piece of my mind too. I stopped in the middle of the room, turning around again.“Just so you know, you're the one who's ruining your life by claiming to be someone you're not. It's destroying you.” I spat.She didn't get to reply to me before the door to her room was pushed open and Liam stepped in. He almost pushed me out of the way as he ran over to her.“Shawna, thank God you're fine. I'm so happy you're back to normal." He said as he sat beside her on the bed.The anger on her face that she wanted to use to reply to me before got wiped off when she saw him, it was almost like I was no longer there.“I'm fine, how are you too?" She asked him back as he checked her over.I could no longer take it and just had to storm out of the room. That emotion that only comes whenever I see her with him resurfaces. I don't want to admit that it's jealousy because it's not.On getting into my car, my anger skyrocketed
SHAWNA“Are you sure you're fine? Do you want anything? Anything at all." Liam bombarded me with questions, he said this immediately Damien walked out.“I'm good, the hospital is providing more than enough for me already, you don't have to worry too much about me," I told him.“How are you though? How have you been?" I asked him, I had laid down back on the bed in a more relaxed posture now.“I've been fine, I was so happy when your mother informed me that you've been released. You have no idea how happy I am. So, who helped you out? Did you agree to do what Eugene said you should do?" He asked me.“Damien did, he was saying something like I have no idea what he has done to get me out but he wouldn't say what he did, so I don't know what he did," I mumbled.“Only God knows the requirement Eugene gave him to get you out of there, that lady is the devil incarnate herself," Liam said with a hint of hatred in his voice.“I’ve been thinking about that too. But we kind of fought before he l
EUGENE Shawna laughed mockingly at me. I had to step back a bit with my hands around my waist and my face pulled in a frown. “What's funny?" I asked her. “You, you're so funny to think that I'll do that, you should have forgotten about it by now, I'm not giving up shit for you,” she emphasized each word she said, showing how much she meant it. “Nothing will make me lose my heritage, especially not for someone like you." She spat. “It's either you're stupid or you don't understand what's at stake here, do you want to die?!" I yelled angrily at her. Her face deepened a bit with how I yelled, it must be the headache she's suffering from the body weakness and injuries. “Like I said, nothing will make me give up my heritage." The look of defiance on her face and the one in her voice made me more mad than ever. I ground my teeth together in anger then stormed out of the room. I hated that she's refused to listen to me even after I've shown her a demonstration of what I'm capa
LIAM Amid Eugene and Shawna's bickering, Damien and I walked out of the room. He looks so troubled, more troubled than I was. I willingly walked out of the room with him, sensing that he had something important to tell me. “Let's just stop here." He said when we got outside under a shade on the hospital's premises. I stopped walking while he stood before me. I saw someone in the far distance and hurriedly excused myself from Damien, I ran over and exchanged pleasantries. It's one of my business partners, he came here for a checkup. When I got back, Damien already changed his position and he now has his hands in his pockets. “Sorry, I had to do that. What were we saying?" I asked him. “What do you think we can do about Shawna? What are your suggestions?” He asked me, really shocking me. He sounds so concerned as if he wants to get her out of that mess already. "I honestly don't know, but I think Eugene is behind this. She is always against Shawna and it won't come as a shock to
RAMONThe moment I shut the bedroom door behind Phoebe, I turned back to Richard, my blood boiling. Heat crawled up my neck, my muscles tensed like a coiled spring, ready to snap. But Richard, he stood there, completely at ease, that smug little smirk still plastered on his face. As if he hadn’t just overstepped his boundaries. As if he hadn’t just dragged my past into the open like it was his story to tell.My hands clenched into fists at my sides. Every part of me burned with the need to wipe that expression off his face. To make him understand that he had no right. No right to bring up my mother. No right to stand in my home and act like he still had power over me.I didn’t bother lowering my voice. I wanted him to hear the fury in every syllable.“Get out.”Richard let out a low chuckle, a slow, deliberate sound that only fueled my rage. He didn’t flinch, didn’t even shift his weight. He just stood there, completely unfazed, watching me like he had been expecting this reaction.Li
PHOEBEI didn’t realize how tightly I had been holding onto my emotions until I finally let go in Ramon’s arms. The moment he wrapped his arms around me, the fight inside me melted away, leaving behind exhaustion and the weight of everything that had happened. My body trembled slightly, the aftershock of my anger and frustration still lingering, but at least I wasn’t shaking with rage anymore.Ramon didn’t say much. He just held me, rubbing slow circles on my back, his warmth steady and comforting. For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t have to explain myself. I didn’t have to argue, to defend my emotions, or to pretend I wasn’t as upset as I really was. I could just breathe.“Do you want me to take you to another hotel?” he asked softly, his voice calm, careful.I shook my head instantly. The thought of staying in another hotel made my stomach twist with unease. Hotels didn’t feel safe anymore. The unfamiliar walls, the hollow silence of a space that didn’t belong to
PHOEBEI frowned at the sound coming from the door. A slow, deliberate rattling. Like someone was testing the handle.I sat up in bed, my heart already picking up speed. "Housekeeping?" My voice came out shaky, uncertain.No answer.I cleared my throat. "Hello?"Silence. Nothing but my own breathing and the distant hum of the city outside. But the sound at the door didn’t stop. If anything, it got worse, more forceful, more urgent. The handle rattled, harder this time. My stomach dropped.I swallowed hard, forcing my shaky hands to reach for the hotel phone. My fingers fumbled over the buttons as I tried to call the front desk."Come on, come on," I muttered, my pulse pounding so loudly I could barely hear anything else. I pressed the call button, lifting the receiver to my ear. A second passed. Two. Then…The lights went out.I gasped, nearly dropping the phone. The entire room was swallowed by darkness, the only light now coming from the faint glow of the city outside, filtering th
RAMONI sat there, staring at the door Phoebe had just slammed shut. The air still felt thick with her frustration, her anger. I had called out to her, but she hadn’t even hesitated. Just walked away like I was no better than the rest of them.I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face. I wasn’t trying to control her. I wasn’t trying to stop her from living her life. But she didn’t see it that way.“She’s got fire, that one.”The voice made me tense. I turned, watching as my uncle stepped out from the back room, his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes. Something that made my stomach twist.“Why wouldn’t you let her leave?” he asked, stepping closer. “You getting soft?”I scoffed, leaning back in my chair, trying to act unfazed. “It’s not like that.”He smirked, tilting his head like he didn’t believe me. “Sure it’s not.”I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “Phoebe doesn’t deserve to get caught up in all this.”“All this,” he rep
PHOEBEI folded my arms, leaning against the wall of Ramon’s tiny apartment. The space was cramped, barely big enough for the two of us, but that wasn’t what was bothering me. It was him, his expression, his tone, the way he was looking at me like I was making some kind of terrible mistake.“I don’t get it,” I said, shaking my head. “Why are you so against me moving out?”Ramon let out a deep sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked tired, like this conversation was wearing on him. “I’m not against it, Phoebe.”“Sure feels like it,” I shot back.His lips twitched, but it wasn’t a smile. More like a reflex, something bitter. He let out a small chuckle, but there wasn’t any humor in it. “I just know what it means to be without a family. And trust me, it’s not something you want.”I frowned, crossing my arms tighter. “So what? I should just stay there and let them control my life?”His gaze flickered to mine, steady, unshaken. “No,” he said. “I’m saying don’t make decisions when you
PHOEBEI stood outside Ramon’s door, my heart thudding in my chest like I’d just run a marathon. I wasn’t even sure why I had come here. Maybe it was the way I’d stormed out of Mom’s office, my frustration boiling over until it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Or maybe it was just because I needed to be somewhere I felt… safe. And for some reason, that place was here.Before I could change my mind and turn around, the door opened.Ramon stood there, blinking at me in surprise. His dark hair was tousled as he’d just rolled out of bed, and his black T-shirt clung to his chest in a way that made it impossible not to notice how toned he was. He wasn’t trying, wasn’t even aware of how ridiculously good-looking he looked, and somehow that made it even worse, or better, depending on how you looked at it.I swallowed hard, my brain short-circuiting for a second. His dark brown eyes were fixed on me, curious and maybe a little sleepy, like he hadn’t expected anyone to show up at his door, let alo
PHOEBEI waited until Phoebe walked into my office before I spoke. She was humming, looking happy like nothing in the world could bring her down.“Phoebe, can we talk?” I said, closing the file I was working on.She frowned a little but came over. “Sure. What’s up?”I leaned back in my chair, choosing my words carefully. “Eugene came by earlier.”Her face hardened immediately. “Oh. And let me guess….she had a lot to say?”“She’s worried, Phoebe.”“Of course, she is,” Phoebe muttered, crossing her arms. “She’s always worried about something.”“She’s your aunt. She cares about you.”“She doesn’t like Ramon, does she?” Phoebe’s voice was sharp.I sighed. “She has concerns. And, honestly, so do I.”Phoebe’s eyes widened. “Wait….you too?”“Phoebe, we’ve never even heard of this guy until recently, and now you’re spending all your time with him. Don’t you think that’s a little… fast?”Her jaw tightened. “I knew it. No one actually wants me to be happy.”“Phoebe, that’s not what this is abou
EUGENEI’ve seen Phoebe mad before. I’ve seen her throw tantrums over little things, like when the coffee wasn’t hot enough or when her favorite show ended on a cliffhanger. But this? This was different. This wasn’t just a flash of irritation or some harmless grumbling. This was something else entirely.I stood there, watching her storm out, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor like gunshots in the silence of the house. She didn’t say much, just muttered something under her breath as she snatched her purse from the couch and headed straight for the front door with Ramon. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know what had set her off this time.“Phoebe, where are you going?” I finally called out, hoping to stop her. But she didn’t even look back. She just pushed open the door, stepped outside, and slammed it shut behind her. Hard. The kind of slam that makes you flinch, like it’s meant to hurt you as much as it does the doorframe.I followed her, but only as far as the win
PHOEBEThe office buzzed softly around me, but my focus was entirely on Ramon. We’d wrapped up the whole argument with the triplets, and now it was just us, enjoying the quiet. He leaned back in the chair across from my desk, arms folded casually, his dark eyes watching me with that familiar smirk.“Can’t believe you stuck around after all that,” I teased, raising a brow.He chuckled. “You think I scare that easily?”“I don’t know,” I said, tapping my pen against my notebook. “My brothers are pretty intense.”He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Trust me, Phoebe, I’ve faced worse.”There was something in the way he said it light, but with a shadow underneath. His voice was easy, casual, but it carried a weight I couldn’t quite figure out. It wasn’t the first time I’d noticed it either. There were layers to Ramon, ones he wasn’t letting me see just yet. I tilted my head, debating whether to push him a little, maybe ask what was really going on behind that smile.But the