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Chapter 42 - Lilac
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-04-27 19:32:05
BryantTHE END!! Or rather, the end of regular chapters. Stay tuned for epilogues!
Bab terkait
Troubled Heart Epilogue - Makayla
There’s chaos, and then there’s Frost-family-holiday chaos. And honestly? I loved every second of it.Eduardo Alfonso Nikolaidis, all eleven pounds of one-and-a-half-month-old chubby cheeked cuteness, had already stolen every heart in the room. Clay cradled his son with more care than I think he's ever held anything, while Xenia kept brushing her fingers through his dark curls like she couldn’t believe he was real. Between her and Clay, their son would grow up with the wildest stories, the best genetics, and more love than he’d know what to do with.Reese and Don were wrangling their almost-three-year-old twins—Nik and Leo—who were tag-teaming a mission to dismantle the Frost Christmas tree ornament by ornament. The triplets were trying, and failing, to keep a straight face while scolding their twins, the mischievous duo Saki and Akio, who kept sticking bows on everyone’s backs like walking presents. Hikari was reading peacefully in the corner, while little Ryū, at four, was already a
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-28Troubled Heart Epilogue - Lilac
Spring in New York didn’t smell like the mountains, but it felt just as sacred that morning.The rooftop air was soft and full of life—honeyed light filtering through string and flowering vines overhead. Laughter drifted from somewhere behind me, punctuated by the unmistakable sound of a corgi barking in protest—probably Pockets voicing his opinion about something.My hands trembled, but not from nerves. Not really. It was unfiltered, unapologetic wonder at how far we’d come. From a firelit cabin in the Rockies to this rooftop, where the skyline bowed slightly to make space for love.I stood in front of a full-length mirror in a quiet corner of the venue, taking in the dress I had designed and stitched with my hands—ivory silk, scattered with embroidered lavender and wildflowers, delicate vines curling up the hem like memory. A dress meant to root me here, in this moment, in this forever.I stood just inside the floral archway leading to the aisle, my hand resting on my father’s. He l
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-29Troubled Heart Chapter 1 - Makayla
Thick, blinding snow whipped across the highway, turning the landscape into swirling chaos. I barely blinked, my focus fixed on the road ahead. The biting wind howled outside, but determination surged within me. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the wheel, pushing through the storm. The engine purred beneath me, a steady reminder of my resolve with each turn of the tires on the icy asphalt. Next to me, the flash drive in the console felt alive, pulsating with energy. It contained everything I needed to dismantle Stacey Sherbourn’s empire—a foundation built on deceit. Inside were damning emails, revealing agreements, and hidden financial transfers that exposed her greed. These weren’t just documents; they were weapons poised to ruin her and shatter her carefully crafted image. The weight of their implications was palpable in the small space between us. Pockets, my loyal companion, stretched beside me before flopping back onto his blanket, blissfully unaware of the danger ahead. Hi
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-10Troubled Heart Chapter 2 - Liliac
The cabin creaked as the wind howled outside, rattling the shutters with icy fingers. I barely noticed. My pencil glided over the sketchpad, the delicate curves and sharp angles of a new design taking form under my fingertips. The flickering glow of the fireplace cast shadows across the page, the soft crackle of burning wood filling the quiet space around me.Outside, the snow fell harder. Thick flakes swirled past the window, disappearing into the endless white expanse of the Rocky Mountains. The storm had been creeping in slowly and steadily since last night until the distant peaks vanished beneath a heavy veil. The world beyond my cabin blurred into a wintry void.I let out a soft sigh, tilting my head as I examined my latest creation with a mix of pride and contemplation. The floor-length coat stood before me, its silhouette gracefully cinched at the waist, draping effortlessly over an imagined form that exuded strength and femininity. The oversized collar was a statement piece—bo
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-10Troubled Heart Chapter 3 - Makayla
The first thing I felt was warmth. A heavy, comforting weight pressed against my side, radiating heat that contrasted sharply with the last thing I remembered—the bone-deep cold of the storm, the blinding snow, the moment my tires lost control.I wasn’t in my car anymore.My eyelids were heavy, but I forced them open as consciousness clawed its way back. The ceiling was unfamiliar. There were wooden beams. There was a soft, flickering light. It was not my apartment, not a hospital. Not anywhere I recognized.I inhaled, my chest aching with the movement. Firewood. Tea. Something faintly herbal, clean. Not the sterile scent of antiseptic. This wasn’t a medical facility.Something shifted against me, and I turned my head, wincing at the sharp throb that flared at my temple.Pockets.His tiny, fluffy corgi-sized body was curled against me, his fur warm beneath my fingers as I instinctively reached for him. His breathing was soft but quick, his little chest rising and falling in short, une
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-10Troubled Heart Chapter 4 - Lilac
The wind slammed into me as soon as I stepped outside, whipping snow against my face with icy force. I hunched deeper into my coat, gripping the flashlight tight as I trudged down the path toward the distant wreck. Each step sank deep into fresh drifts, the snow crunching stubbornly beneath my boots.I couldn’t shake the feeling that my night had taken a surreal turn.Tending to the woman’s injuries had felt awkwardly intimate, cleaning scrapes, bandaging bruised ribs, and covering her gently with blankets while she’d been unconscious. It wasn’t until she’d woken up that I’d finally put the pieces together, recognizing her vividly colored hair and those striking features. She was familiar—not personally, but from photographs splashed across the web, standing beside Stacey Sherbourn at elegant events. She was Makayla Hopkins, daughter of a New York senator, tech genius—and, according to the press, Stacey’s devoted long-term girlfriend.My jaw clenched tightly against the bitter wind.S
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-11Troubled Heart Chapter 5 - Makayla
Sunlight seeped through the curtains, warming my skin as consciousness gradually returned. The dull ache in my ribs greeted me immediately—a lingering reminder of how close I’d come to disaster. Slowly, I pushed myself upright, careful not to aggravate my injuries, my eyes adjusting to the cozy bedroom around me.Pockets lifted his head, ears perking up as I stirred. He wagged his tail sleepily as if reassuring me everything was fine now. I smiled softly, scratching behind his ears. At least one of us had slept peacefully.The woman—my mysterious rescuer—had promised to go back out into the storm and retrieve my things. Had she really braved the blizzard for me, a stranger she’d found crumpled in a wrecked car? Doubt twisted inside me. Growing up surrounded by politicians taught me how empty promises could be. I needed proof.Taking a steadying breath, I slipped my feet onto the cold floor, standing slowly to test my strength. The pain was manageable, and as I wrapped myself in the wa
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-11Troubled Heart Chapter 6 - Lilac
The tension lingered like smoke, winding silently through the cozy cabin as I rose carefully from the couch. Makayla sat quietly, her eyes fixed thoughtfully on the crackling fireplace, her fingers twitching slightly against the now-empty space on her lap. Pockets had climbed down from Makayla’s legs, stretched luxuriously, and padded toward me across the worn wood floor. He lifted his sweet, expressive face, offering a soft whine until I crouched and gently scratched behind his ears.“Hello again,” I whispered, smiling when his eyes drifted closed in pure bliss. “Looks like you’ve made yourself at home.”He nudged my hand affectionately before following me closely toward the kitchen. Behind me, I could feel Makayla’s gaze following my movements—curious, cautious, and sharply observant. It wasn’t overt suspicion. It was more like a wary uncertainty that mirrored my own.I busied myself filling the kettle and setting it on the stove, the faint click of the burner igniting as I reached
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-12
Bab terbaru
Troubled Heart Epilogue - Lilac
Spring in New York didn’t smell like the mountains, but it felt just as sacred that morning.The rooftop air was soft and full of life—honeyed light filtering through string and flowering vines overhead. Laughter drifted from somewhere behind me, punctuated by the unmistakable sound of a corgi barking in protest—probably Pockets voicing his opinion about something.My hands trembled, but not from nerves. Not really. It was unfiltered, unapologetic wonder at how far we’d come. From a firelit cabin in the Rockies to this rooftop, where the skyline bowed slightly to make space for love.I stood in front of a full-length mirror in a quiet corner of the venue, taking in the dress I had designed and stitched with my hands—ivory silk, scattered with embroidered lavender and wildflowers, delicate vines curling up the hem like memory. A dress meant to root me here, in this moment, in this forever.I stood just inside the floral archway leading to the aisle, my hand resting on my father’s. He l
Troubled Heart Epilogue - Makayla
There’s chaos, and then there’s Frost-family-holiday chaos. And honestly? I loved every second of it.Eduardo Alfonso Nikolaidis, all eleven pounds of one-and-a-half-month-old chubby cheeked cuteness, had already stolen every heart in the room. Clay cradled his son with more care than I think he's ever held anything, while Xenia kept brushing her fingers through his dark curls like she couldn’t believe he was real. Between her and Clay, their son would grow up with the wildest stories, the best genetics, and more love than he’d know what to do with.Reese and Don were wrangling their almost-three-year-old twins—Nik and Leo—who were tag-teaming a mission to dismantle the Frost Christmas tree ornament by ornament. The triplets were trying, and failing, to keep a straight face while scolding their twins, the mischievous duo Saki and Akio, who kept sticking bows on everyone’s backs like walking presents. Hikari was reading peacefully in the corner, while little Ryū, at four, was already a
Troubled Heart Chapter 42 - Lilac
The apartment smelled like cardboard and shipping tape a week after moving in. Boxes were stacked in the hallway, the dining room, and beside the front door, and one particularly stubborn box served as a makeshift coffee table. Fabric bolts leaned like sleepy giants against the wall in my studio space, and my sketchbooks were scattered across the couch. And somehow, it still felt like home. Pockets trotted past me with a sock he stole— Makayla’s sock, of course — and disappeared upstairs like he was on a top-secret mission. I smiled and let him go. We had all fallen into our roles around there. He was the guardian of snack time and chaos. I was the hurricane in leggings and paint-splattered sweatshirts. And Makayla was the gravity holding the whole thing together. She was in the kitchen, half-dressed in one of her favorite hoodies — her rainbow curls tied up in a bun as she typed one-handed on her laptop and drank coffee with the other. I could tell by the set of her jaw she was a
Troubled Heart Chapter 41 - Makayla
By the time we pulled up in front of the building on East 83rd, the city had shaken off winter like it never happened. Sure, it was still cold, it’s fucking January, after all, but it’s not like winter in Colorado. It was bright, loud, alive—everything Aspen wasn’t. My doorman greeted us before we even made it through the revolving doors, and I felt Lilac’s hand tighten in mine. She didn’t say anything, but I could read it in how her gaze swept upward, eyes tracing the limestone façade with equal parts awe and apprehension. It was a world away from the cabin, Colorado, and Four Pines. It was also home. Inside the elevator, I leaned into her shoulder and whispered, “Don’t let the marble floors fool you. I still eat instant noodles barefoot in the kitchen.” Lilac laughed softly, nerves unraveling just a little as the elevator ascended. I felt the shift when the doors opened to the penthouse floor. The air up here was still but not sterile. “Okay,” I said, typing in my keycode and s
Troubled Heart Chapter 40 - Lilac
The airplane’s hum enveloped me in a soft cocoon, quieter than I had anticipated. Down below, Colorado’s breathtaking landscape melted into an expanse of thick, downy clouds and snowy-ridged peaks whose white tops reflected what was left of light. My forehead was against the cold glass on the oval window, and I watched the familiar landscape drop away, with my breath tracing ephemeral clouds on frost-nipped glass. I didn’t cry. Nor did I feel the restless urge to flee or look back. This was not an escape; it was a bold beginning. Beside me, Makayla slumbered peacefully, arms crossed like a guard, a stray lock of hair spilling across her cheek in a soft curl. Pockets, our diminutive travel companion, was rolled tight between us in his cozy carrier, snoring with all the force of a small beast fighting off the silence of the plane. Across from us, Clay was already asleep, noise-canceling headphones askew and a half-full bag of pretzels clutched in his palm. I pulled my sketchbook out o
Troubled Heart Chapter 39 - Makayla
I didn’t cry when I booked the ticket, I sure the FUCK wasn’t driving back. I thought maybe I would that it might come with some cinematic swell of relief or catharsis. I felt relief, felt like I could breathe easy again. To breathe in a way I hadn’t since before the blizzard. Before the betrayal. Outside the hotel window, Aspen was no longer blanketed in threat. The snow had softened to slush at the curb. The streets weren’t hostile anymore. The mountains didn’t loom. Everything felt like an exhale. We were going home. I rolled the word around in my head again: home. Not D.C., with its sterile buildings and buried truths. Not the political chessboard I’d grown up on, where every move was either weapon or weakness. No. I meant New York to my penthouse in Manhattan near Central Park. Not perfect. Never soft. But honest. It had been the first place I carved out for myself—where I built something not wrapped in the Hopkins name or the Frost legacy. It was my pulse, my grit, my skyli
Troubled Heart Chapter 38 - Pockets
The humans smelled different this morning. Not scared. Not sharp with adrenaline like they’d been the last few days. There was still tension—always was, when Makayla paced or typed or made her voice extra serious—but now it hummed lower. Deeper. Like thunder far away. I stretched on the hotel bed, paws splayed, tail flicking once before curling tighter beside Lilac’s thigh. She was warm, still in Makayla’s hoodie, sipping coffee from the white mug. I don't understand why humans like that. It has such a bitter smell. Yet it makes them smile. Makayla stood by the television, remote in hand, eyes on the screen. I didn’t understand all the words, but I understood other things, like looks of anger and relief, words like justice, and I recognized handcuffs. I'm 3 months old. I probably shouldn't know what those are. It did confuse me to see them being used on the news. I had only seen them when I was little, okay I'm still little, and I still lived with my parents and their humans.
Troubled Heart Chapter 37 - Makayla
I should’ve been sleeping. Lilac was already curled up beneath the hotel blanket, one arm draped over Pockets like she’d always belonged there, like she was woven into the quiet of this room. The folder her father had given her—the deed to their cabin, to the land that started everything—rested on the nightstand beside the laptop, where the screen glowed faintly in the dark. But I couldn’t close it yet. Not until I was sure there wasn’t one more trap waiting to be sprung. A paranoid instinct had kept me alive in systems most people never even realized they were walking into. And that instinct now told me something didn’t add up. The financial patterns in Stacey’s shell companies were too clean. Too rehearsed. And nothing about Stacey Sherbourn was ever that tidy—unless she wanted it to be seen. So, I went digging. Again. I tunneled back into the encrypted backups I’d mirrored weeks ago—deep code packets stored from a corrupted cloud system linked to a Sherbourn asset overseas. Be
Troubled Heart Chapter 36 - Lilac
We'd gone into town for lunch to have lunch with Makayla’s cousins. Or at least the ones still in town. Her cousins Darius and Elijah had taken earlier flights home to Boston, which left Reese, Clay, and Forrest behind. Given the triplets and their wife, I'm still wrapping my head around that poly reverse harem marriage, four young kids it made sense that two of them would head back to help her. The café was warm, filled with rosemary and fresh bread scents, creating a cozy atmosphere. Before we arrived, they combined two large tables in the back to fit us all—Clay took up nearly an entire side, cradling a small cider in his bulky hands. Reese sat next to him with her laptop open and a grain bowl, looked polished, and genuinely happy to see us. “Took you long enough. I was about to order for you both.” She greeted Clay grinned and nodded to two mugs. “House-made ciders with cinnamon sticks. You’re welcome.” Makayla slipped in beside me, sandwiching me between her and Forrest, who
