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CHAPTER ELEVEN: Out The Door And Into The Fire.

Author: Natascia .D.
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-02 07:07:39
Her eyelids fluttered against the dull light flickering from the lamp opposite her. The room was still, but the noise hadn’t disappeared. It was just further away now, dissolving into the background. The sputtering sound of a washing machine, the ticking of a slightly off-kilter fan, and slight hum of the small, secondhand refrigerator.

It was muffled save for the occasional drip from the bathroom faucet, pulling her halfway between sleep and wakefulness.

Niya exhaled, groggy. The ache in her temples told her she hadn’t had enough sleep or maybe too much.

She forced herself to move, blindly reaching for her phone out of instinct. But her fingers brush against a stiff, smooth surface.

A note.

Blinking against the dim light, she jammed on the lamp switch and its flickering stopped.

"Ouf!" Niya blew out a breath through pouty lips, squinting at the note propped against the vanity mirror. Pony’s handwriting was uneven, scrawled like she’d written it in a rush.

‘Had to go see Mom. Don’t
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    Niya pushed through the door too fast and nearly stumbled to a stop just outside Mr. Don’s office.She was seething. Her pulse pounded against her ribs, fingers curled into fists at her sides, and her breath uneven out. She felt a dull ache pressed against her temples, and her jaw locked tight.Cold fingers closed around Niya's wrist, suddenly yanking her back with just enough force to jolt her. A flash of heat ran through her, not just from surprise but from the immediate need to pull away.“What the hell are you doing here?” The voice slithered into her ear. Rina’s brows pulled together under widened eyes, but her grip didn’t loosen a notch. Her voice came out snippy. “Don’t go in there—” She stopped abruptly, glancing around before dragging Niya farther from the door, tucking them into the left corner.The fire on Niya’s cheeks died out. “What?” She winced, yanking her arm free. “You’re hurting me—”“You can’t just waltz in there, Niy,” Rina hissed, finally letting go. “Do you eve

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    PRESENT“So, that’s why you quit your job?” Her grandmother’s voice cut through the brewing silence like a chopping knife.“Yes.” Niya huffed, perplexed. Her brows pulled up, then she quickly averted her gaze, letting it drift somewhere past Ma Phil.There was a long pause. No sound came from either of them as if they were ready to pounce on the first to breathe a word. Finally, Niya spoke.“It was killing me. And it’s not like I had a choice.” Her eyes finally met her grandmother’s, and something flickered in them. Something new that Ma Phil had never seen before. And for the first time, she looked away. Ran her wrinkled fingers through the thick, matted fur of her ugly, puffed-up cat, before her voice dropped to a low murmur, “Since when do you get to make such decisions?” Niya swallowed, but before she could answer, Ma Phil slurred, interrupting her. “You’re still under my roof, Niya. I’m the one who’s been here, making sure we didn’t lose this house when your father died.”Niya

  • TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion    CHAPTER FOUR: I died.

    PASTNiya slammed the cash register closed and pulled off her name tag with a tired sigh. It had been a long day at the supermarket, one of three jobs she juggled to keep her life afloat. The first shift was at the local diner from six to noon, followed by the supermarket until three, and finishing with freelancing she ran between BookLore and her tiny room in her grandmother's manor.She’d been juggling this routine for nearly six months, ever since her father passed away. His unexpected death left her drowning in medical bills and loans she hadn’t even known existed. On top of that, her stern grandmother had barely given her room to breathe, piling on expectations and criticism as if grief wasn’t already enough.“One last dollar for the sweat,” Niya muttered under her breath as she signed out of her shift.She turned to leave, but paused when she noticed Pony bounding toward her. Her cheeks were flushed, rosy from the cool air, as she leaned against the sign-out counter, a grin ligh

  • TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion    CHAPTER THREE: You need me too.

    PASTAlex adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, his mind unwillingly drifting to the meeting ahead. He had no clear picture of Niya, only memories of a lanky girl from high school who always seemed to have a book tucked under her arm. But her grandmother, Ma Phil, had painted a different image—poised, graceful, capable. Although, he doubted her grandmother's words. She may not fit his idea of the perfect wife, but she needed money. Fast. People didn’t change that much, did they? He couldn’t help but wonder if this arrangement would be more trouble than it was worth.When the door opened, Alex’s breath hitched. Niya stepped in, her yellow off-shoulder top paired with dark blue jeans, cutting a figure that was neither timid nor polished at all. Her long pin straight, black hair was pulled back into a low loosed bun, but a few strands framed her face, softening her serious expression. Her skin gleamed like polished bronze, and her almond-shaped dark eyes held his gaze with a directness he wa

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