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WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 25
Last Updated:
2025-02-04 23:01:29
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WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 26
Beyond the window, Brenna shifted her gaze across the 16 years of memories; the sun sank low in that bright sky while an extraordinary orange-red glow streaked the area. The wonderful smell of saltwater washed over from the ocean breeze that raced through the trees. For the James family, this would, in fact, be the second year of a long-awaited beach vacation-a sweet promise that Roosevelt made to his precious twin daughters, Lily and Lilian."Daddy! Faster! I want to get to the beach before sunset!" Lilian's voice chirped from the backseat, bubbling like soda in a shaken can."Patience, sweetheart," Roosevelt chuckled as he adjusted the rearview mirror. "We have the whole weekend to enjoy the sea."Linda James turned in her seat, beaming at her daughters. "And we have a picnic all planned! I packed your favorite sandwiches and even some of those chocolate chip cookies you love."Lily, the quieter of the two, clutched her sister's hand. "We should build the biggest sandcastle ever," s
Last Updated : 2025-02-05WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 27
Brenna James clicked her heels on the tile floor, but she barely heard it. All that she could hear was the deafening silence of grief.Her son.Her daughter-in-law.Her granddaughter.All gone.She had just left Lily's bedside, watching the frail, broken girl breathe through a machine. But now, she had to face the ones who would never breathe again.Her legs felt like lead as she approached the morgue door. Her hands were shaking.I can't do this.But she had to.Taking a breath that did absolutely nothing to settle her, she opened the metal door.She stumbled slightly from the cold like a slap on the face as antiseptic and death welled up, causing her to roll her stomach inside out. The room itself was dim, lit only faintly by florescent bulbs which cast ghastly shadows up the wall.And then she saw them.Three bodies, all covered in white.She drew in a ragged breath as her chest locked with pain.The mortician was silent. His face showed no emotion. "Are you ready, ma'am?"No.She
Last Updated : 2025-02-05WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 28
The house was too quiet. Too empty.It had been filled with laughter once—Roosevelt's deep chuckle, Linda's soft giggles, Lilian's high-pitched squeals as she ran through the halls with Lily.But now, silence hung in the air like a funeral shroud.Brenna James sat in the study, holding a half-full glass of whiskey, her knuckles white against the crystal. Her body felt exhausted after days of grieving, but her heart… it was on fire.A loud knock at the door made her flinch."Come in," she croaked, hardly knowing her voice anymore.Samuel Clark walked in, looking just as solemn as ever. He paused for a moment before saying, "Ms. James. I have news.Brenna inhaled sharply, pushing down on the lump forming in her throat. "Tell me."Clark crossed the room and thumped a folder onto the desk. "The evidence is damning."Trembling, she reached out to take it, her heart pounding in time with her pulse.Clark continued, his voice steady but dark. "The tires were cut with precision—too clean for
Last Updated : 2025-02-06WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 29
Clark looked at her for a moment before nodding. "I'll make the calls.As he walked out of the room, Brenna looked back toward the window. In the distance, the city lights flickered but all she saw was the wreck of her family.She buried her son. Her daughter-in-law. Her granddaughter.Now, all that was left to her was a girl fighting for her life.Brenna took a breath, steadying herself.The Carlstons had taken everything from her.They had no idea what war they had just started.The ICU: A Desperate EscapeHours later, the hospital halls were eerily quiet as a group of men in black suits moved swiftly through the corridors.Two of them stopped outside Lily’s room. One of them turned the handle carefully, slipping inside.Brenna was waiting by the bedside, her face unreadable.“She’s stable enough to be moved?” she asked, her voice hushed but urgent.Dr. Howard, one of the private doctors Samuel had arranged, nodded. “It’s risky, but staying here is even riskier. We have the equipmen
Last Updated : 2025-02-06WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 30
The rain did not let up. It crashed against the mansion's towering windows weeping alongside Brenna James who sat alone in her darkened study. An untouched cup of tea had been sitting there all this time long gone cold now. Her hands trembled over the phone from Clark's voice still ringing her head. "He's gone." A hollow, broken sound escaped her lips. It barely registered as a sob—it seemed more the last gasp of a woman who had lost everything. Samuel. Her Samuel. Dead. Just like Roosevelt. Just like Linda. Just like Lilian. Her vision swam in darkness as she tried to draw a breath, suffocated by the grief. Samuel had left to confront Brigs Carlston. And now, he was dead. A heart attack, they said. Sudden. Unavoidable. But Brenna was no fool. Her nails dug into the polished mahogany desk. The Carlstons had taken everything. Her son. Her daughter-in-law. Her granddaughter. And now, her husband. They thought they had broken her. They thought she would crumble. "Why did it have to be my
Last Updated : 2025-02-08WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 31
The first sound Lily heard was the beeping of machines, a slow and rhythmic pulse. Then there was pain - her whole body hurt, she felt knives on every breath as she tried to open her eyes. The light was blinding. A groan escaped from her lips, and instantly movement came. She felt a presence beside her, and then someone said, "Lily?" The voice was hoarse with desperation. Warm fingers wrapped themselves around hers, and Lily swallowed hard, her eyes blinking against the brightness. Slowly the face above her came into view. Brenna.Tears fell down the side of her grandmother's face as she gently cupped her cheek. "Oh, sweet girl," Brenna whispered. "You are awake." Lily's lips moved open, shuddering air shaking in. Brenna only barely registered that she was getting up and walking quickly toward the door, desperation climbing in her voice.Nurse! Call the doctor! My baby is awake!" Footsteps pounded outside the room. A nurse rushed in, gasping at the sight of Lily's half-open eyes. "W
Last Updated : 2025-02-09WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 32
She took up the deep red lipstick on the vanity and twisted it up, dragging it over her lips.She pressed them together, admiring the change.The girl in the mirror was no longer Lily.She was something new.Something stronger."Ina."She grinned, heart racing with exhilaration."I am Ina."And for the first time in her life—She felt free.Brenna stirred awake, hearing faint steps sound in the hall.Her eyebrows knitted themselves together.Who could be up at this hour?She wore a robe, tied around her waist as she went out.Then froze.There at the front door was Lily.No-not Lily.The girl before her was different.In the way she was. The way she stood. The confidence, the defiance in the posture was nothing like the broken girl she had held in her arms.She wore a sleek black dress, her lips painted a dangerous shade of red.Brenna felt a chill descend down her spine."Lily?" Brenna whispered her voice raspy.The girl turned.And when she did—Brenna's stomach dropped.That smile.
Last Updated : 2025-02-09WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 33
Present Day – Carlston EstateLily jolted awake, her breath coming in sharp gasps, her hands trembling as they clutched the sheets. The nightmares never ended. Even sixteen years later, the ghosts of that day refused to let her go.She stumbled toward the vanity, gripping the edge as she met her own reflection.But was it really her?The face staring back was one she hardly recognized. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, speaking silently of restless nights. The lifelessness in the gaze whispered something of a long-lost soul. And in those broken parts, another thing lurked - deep within the cracks.Ina.She was the other part of herself that would never be caged. The part that had borne itself into life the night when everything went about being taken.Lily ground her teeth, her fingers tightening around the edge of the vanity. "Tell me, Ina," she whispered. "Did you see him? Did you recognize Caleb?"Inna's slow, amused chuckle echoed in her mind."I don't know him, Lily," Ina replied,
Last Updated : 2025-02-09
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WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 95
The courthouse loomed like a monolith, its towering shadow sweeping over the cluster of reporters spilling onto its steps. Flashbulbs popped. Microphones pushed their way forward like swords. Voices clashed in argument."Is it true Brigs Carlston planned the James family crash?""Ms. James! Will you testify?""Do you think justice will now be served?Lily was at the rear of the tinted windows of the bulletproof vehicle, her heart pounding. The burden of a thousand unsaid things pressed in her chest like concrete. She hadn't dressed in black, not today—today she'd dressed in white. Not because she forgave. But because she had to be heard."Don't say anything to anyone," Brenna cautioned, gripping her hand tightly. "Let them prattle on. What happens in here is all that matters."Vandaulf, seated opposite them, was a storm bottled on fragile threads. Jaw set, fists curled in his lap. "I wish him to look into your eyes when the truth comes out."The car stopped. The door opened.Lily step
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 94
The hospital room was silent—too silent for the tempest that seethed within the man who lay motionless beneath white blankets. The machines beeped continuously. But Brigs Carlston's breathing was no longer continuous.His eyes flew open.The world dissolved and throbbed, sound coming back in waves. He attempted to rise, winced as agony constricted his chest. A nurse screamed."He's awake! Call Dr. Yashir!"Brigs blinked, struggling to recall why his throat was as dry as sand, why his muscles felt pulled through the fire. Then… the memories filtered in.The girl.The car.The fire.The screams.Lily.His jaw clenched. The last shred of the James family. A thread he'd thought long severed.She lived.A rasp tore his throat as he ripped the oxygen mask away. "Where… is she?" he croaked.The nurse took a step back, eyes wide. "Sir, please—don't move too much—""LILY JAMES." His voice cracked into a harsh cough. "Is she alive?""I—I don't know—please, sir, lie back, the doctor—"He shoved
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 93
But faith is an ephemeral quality. It is a candle lit in a storm of untrammelled air, waiting to be extinguished the moment there is darkness within.She slept better that night than she had in months. No darkness quiet. No sudden heat flash, no clatter of high heels thrumming in her bones. Only quiet. Terrible, holy quiet. And when she awoke, the sun was already bright in the windows, warm and gentle. Her body was leaden, but not with fear—simply with being human.Vandaulf rolled over beside her, his eyes snapping open. His voice was gravel and fire. "Morning."Lily blinked at him, letting the quiet fall before she breathed, "Still me."He wrapped his hand tight around hers, interlacing their fingers. "I know."They sat in silence for a while. Breathing. Holding. Waiting to see if the shadows stirred.They didn't.After breakfast—a peaceful, fluffy session with Helena phoning in to drop over tea and today's hottest cuttings from the paper (none of which Lily actually read)—it was tim
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 92
The apartment was dark when they arrived back. The city skyline was swept by a late autumn storm outside the window, its soft rumble the echo of the storm within Lily's heart. She stood at the center of the living room, arms at her sides going limp, gaping into the stillness as though it might speak.Vandaulf hovered behind her. He didn’t speak. Not yet. He just watched her with that same relentless steadiness that had begun to unravel her in ways she hadn’t expected.Lily let out a slow breath. “The therapist said I’m making progress,” she murmured, her voice barely a thread. “That talking about Ina… naming what she was… was a step toward reclaiming myself.”"More than a name," Vandaulf said softly. "Survival."Lily spun around, her gaze tattered, lashes wet. "That's what frightens me."He edged closer carefully. "Because losing her feels like losing the only version of you that was able to survive what occurred?"She nodded. "Every time I talk as plain Lily. there's this echoing rin
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 91
There was a sweet scent of lavender and stale leather. Walking inside was to enter into a world of memory that the tenant had actively sought to forget. Lily folded into the end of a straight chair, her clenched tightly into her lap fingers. The rigidity with which she was clutching her fingers caused her knuckles to become pale. The corner hummed a gentle tick of a sound. A metronome. A tick that tolled within her as a challenge. A challenge to speak. To break the silence.She sat in her office across from Lily, as calm as a summer day. She wasn't old, but looked old, no. She did, however, have eyes that had witnessed it all. They were fixed on Lily with no suspicion, no disdain, but only impatience. As if to wait for her to draw breath before unspooling what she had stored inside.Dr. Valez leaned forward, just slightly. "Do you mind keeping your mouth shut for a bit longer," she said, talking slowly, "or do you need to tell me what you're thinking?"Lily's mouth opened. No noises
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 90
Lily sit up. He looks at her quizzically, but She smile into his eyes, before leaning down to kiss him deeply, sucking gently, sucking his passion and desire into her body, becoming keenly aware of all that he is and all that he wants, and sensing strongly his need for her. They kiss, pushing their tongues against each other, touching each other's soft lips, then pull away a centimeter and let tension between them mount, their warm breath on the other's lips, teasing, bringing us in, until.They kiss again, more passionately, but still slowly, taking it out, enjoying it. Sometimes they are madly passionate and their lovemaking is energetic and ardent. But tonight, She want to slow down, to feel everything strongly. "Hmmm..." She stroke his flat belly, her fingers tickled by the hair around his belly button. He is pulling her to him, kissing her hard and long, and slow, and his hand is sliding down toward her butt. He uses it to pull her toward him, pull her into him, breathing her in
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 89
The sunlight seeped gradually through the half-closed drapes, creating delicate patterns of light on the hotel suite floor. It was quiet—stunned, complete quiet.Lily sat up from the bed, her breath stuck in a catch.No voice in her head.No mocking insults. No laughter taunt. No Ina.Somewhere close by, Lily's knuckles went white with the sheet-clutching. She lay out flat, waiting for that same curl, shiver of chill, take-over—but nothing stirred.Nothing but her. Lily James. Alone in her own head."Arm." Vandaulf's voice was low in the kitchenette. "You're awake?"She nodded, forgetting he could not see her. "Yeah. I… I think I'm okay."Vandaulf bowed his head against the doorframe, crooked smile twisting across his lips, hair still disheveled. "Coffee? Tea? Or… quiet?"Lily's eyes widened in shock. "Quiet?"He smiled. "I thought it would be something of a luxury for the time."Her lips shook. "Really… yes. Quiet would fit perfectly."Vandaulf vanished once more, and the scent of fr
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 88
The rain beating on the hospital window had the cadence of a slowly building bomb, slow and steady and coiled, ready to explode. The lights in the room were only partially on, the weak light of the lamplight sitting beside the bed. Lily was huddled at the edge of the bed, panting at the border, with her wet hands bunched around the thin blanket. She could again sense the presence. Ina.Not in some remote corner of her mind, not like a ghost—no. Ina was near. On her back. Whispers on her nerve endings."You can't erase what you needed to live."The voice curled around her ear, too close. Too close."Lily, Lily—you can't erase me. You are me."No, Lily breathed, staring into the mirror in the next room. Her face met her, but it was wrong. Her eyes—Ina's eyes, no—smiled and not one muscle in her mouth moved."I made you strong," Ina asserted, her voice unyielding. "I protected you when they abandoned you. When they died. When he wedded you and told you it was duty. I was the one who stol
WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 87
The therapist's office was a sanctuary of gentle light, calming grays, and muffled throbs—faux quiet that wrapped itself around broken pieces. Lily sat stiffly on the couch, too plush, too lenient, to sit on. Across from her, Dr. Mariel Kaine jotted something into her notebook before looking up."Lily," she answered softly, "how have you been since that experience in the warehouse?"Lily curled her fingers over the cuff of her sleeve, voice trembling. "I had her in check. I thought… it was over."Dr. Kaine did not respond at once. She let the silence linger between them—tense, awkward. Then, "When did you last feel her?"Lily looked away. Her own face was captured in the lip of a mirrored sculpture on the shelf. She couldn't look at it. "Last night," she whispered.Flashback: The Night BeforeThe bathroom light flickered above her as Lily stared at her reflection, breasts straining. Her fingers clenched the cold porcelain sink, knuckles white. Something had triggered it—maybe the manne
