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UNSPOKEN BOND 75
The echoing silence stretched unbearably as Caleb's hulking form loomed over Lila. She remained frozen, muscles coiled tightly, awaiting the inevitable belittling remark or physical intimidation tactic from the lumbering brute.Instead of lashing out verbally, Caleb simply stared her down, pale eyes drilling into her with an intense, unblinking glare. The seconds ticked by agonizingly until Lila had to fight the urge to squirm under his domineering scrutiny. Finally, he broke the oppressive silence by jutting his thick neck forward, the cords of muscle straining beneath his skin as he fixed her with a callous sneer."Give it here," he growled, the gravelly timbre of his voice reverberating through the stillness.Lila's brow furrowed slightly as she met his imperious glare, refusing to be cowed so easily despite her growing trepidation. She tilted her head in an exaggerated questioning expression.Caleb responded by leaning down until his meaty face filled her field of vision, hot bur
UNSPOKEN BOND 76
The library had settled into its usual afternoon lull, the air thick with the musty scent of aging paper and the soft rustle of turning pages. Lila sat hunched over her laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard as she transcribed her latest research notes. So engrossed was she in her work that she failed to notice the looming presence approaching her table until a shadow fell across her screen.Glancing up with a start, Lila found herself face to face with Caleb's towering bulk. Her muscles tensed instinctively, body coiling as if readying for fight or flight. The last encounter with this lumbering bully still burned fresh in her memory - his sneering disdain, the casual cruelty as he'd snatched away her notebook filled with painstaking calculations and schematics.But something was... off. Instead of the usual sneer twisting his features, Caleb's expression seemed almost sheepish. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his varsity jacket as he r
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER 1NOTE TO READERS: THIS BOOK CONTAIN OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE AND BULLYING WHICH MAY SEEM OFFENSIVE TO READERS. #SayNoToBullying - IT ALSO CONTAINS S*X SCENES***CLASSROOM***"Did you see the way she flinched when Caleb got in her face?" Maddie's words dripped with wicked enjoyment as she took her normal place in the back of the English classroom.Trent snickered and slumped down alongside her. "Like a scared little rabbit." "You'd think the mute freak would be accustomed to it by now."Their laughter sliced through the dull roar of student talk, with an edge sharp enough to pierce even the toughest exteriors. Not that their intended target could answer with anything other than a pained expression.Lila kept her gaze fixed on the blank notebook before her, her hands clutched tightly in her lap to conceal a tiny trembling. She strained to block out the vicious remarks, to build the invisible walls that were her sole defense against the barrage of heartless words."Seriously, how doe
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER 2The final bell rang, signaling the end of another exhausting day at Willow Creek High School. Lila Emerson rushed down the corridor, head dropped, attempting to avoid the sneers and taunts that appeared to follow her like a dark cloud. "Hey, mute girl!" Caleb's nasty voice cut over the din of students. "Why don't you open that pretty little mouth and say something for once?"Lila increased her speed, her heart beating against her ribs. She could feel their gaze on her, burning into her back like hot coals. A nasty chuckle rang out behind her, followed by a chorus of giggles from Caleb's buddies.Pushing through the double doors, she sucked in the fresh air, hoping it would calm her racing heart. The taunts faded into the distance, but their pain persisted, like a constant aching that refused to go away.Mia's house was a few blocks away, a haven from the nastiness that seemed to follow Lila everywhere she went. She headed out down the usual walk, her thoughts going to her b
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER 3LILA POV: Lila pulled open the door to her father's workshop, where she was met by the familiar fragrance of sawdust and varnish. It was a smell she had remembered since she was a youngster, a constant companion amidst her life's ever-changing currents.Ethan Emerson stood slumped over his workstation, his broad shoulders straining against the tightness of his well-worn shirt. The rhythmic rasp of sandpaper against wood filled the air, interrupted by her father's grunts of stress. Lila lingered in the doorway for a time, her fingers twitching with the want to announce her arrival. But something was holding her back, a tension that appeared to crackle in the air between them like static electricity.Finally, Ethan looked up, his brow furrowing as he noticed her there. "Lila," he grumbled, his voice rough. "Didn't hear you come in."Her hands moved smoothly, each gesture precise and purposeful. "You were focused on your work."Ethan grumbled again and dropped the half-sanded
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER 4With a tremulous smile tugging at the edges of her lips, Lila went forward and carefully pried the dirty paper towels from her father's white-knuckled hands. Ethan winced as the improvised bandage ripped away from the sharp wound, revealing fresh blood and flowing scarlet rivulets down his forearm.Lila's breath caught in her throat, but she refused to let the sight of her father's wounds upset her newfound determination. Her actions were smooth and sure as she gently rinsed Ethan's hand under the cool water, removing the congealed blood and dirt.Ethan growled through gritted teeth, his face contorted into a pained expression. "Son of a b*tch," he snarled, his words full of hatred.Lila gave him a severe look, waving her fingers in a stinging reproach. "Language, Dad."To her surprise, Ethan's lips twitched into a ghostly smile. "Yes, ma'am," he said, grudgingly respectful.Lila worked quickly and expertly to clean and treat the wound, her experienced hands belied her youth
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER 5As they arrived home, the steady throbbing in Ethan's palm served as a continuous reminder of how quickly things may go wrong. Each throb of anguish served as a flashing neon sign, telling him not to take the delicate calm he had discovered with Lila for granted. He flexed his tightly bandaged fingers, wincing at the strain of torn tissue and muscle beneath the bandage. An accident like this could have been terrible for someone who relied on his hands to make money. As it was, the forced idleness and reliance on others irritated every fiber of his steadfast independence.But as Ethan watched Lila painstakingly prepare his antibiotic prescription, he felt a weird sense of serenity. The awkward, stiff quiet that had existed between them for so long had ended. In its place was a newfound ease, an understanding rooted in shared vulnerability.Lila looked up, her beautiful eyes searching his face as she extended the small paper cup containing capsules. _"Time for your meds,"_ sh
UNSPOKEN BOND CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER 6Willow Creek High's hallways buzzed with the familiar thrum of teenage chaos. Bodies pushed and rubbed against one another in a turning sea of hormones and indifference. While banging lockers and wild laughing, Lila Emerson's Absence went completely unnoticed.To most, she was nothing more than a silent shadow on the outskirts of their awareness. A mystery cloaked in the impenetrable cloak of her silence. Caleb Matthews, on the other hand, saw her as a strange form of entertainment—a punching bag on which he could unleash his cruelest jabs and most savage derisions.As he swaggered into the crowded corridor, a malicious smirk formed on his lips, his alpha pheromones billowing through the air like a toxic cloud. Beside him, Yuria, his fiancée Miranda's best friend, was practically crazy with excitement, her anxious eyes flitting over his carved features."Heard the mute freak decided to play hooky today," Caleb snarled, his words oozing with contempt. "Lucky bitch gets to ski
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