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WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 74
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-03-26 23:52:12
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WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 75
Leaning back in his armchair, Brigs Carlston cast a foreboding elongated shadow all over the mahogany walls of the study as the desk lamp shone brightly. He stirred the drink, amber in color, in the glass and narrowed his eyes, looking at the wall as though in consideration. Dark laughter shook his head. "Tsk, tsk… Roosevelt James' daughter is smarter than I thought she was. She has been hunting for evidence."He placed his drink on the desk with a loud click."She knows it was something more than an accident. But to know and to be able to show are two other things, little girl."With a slow, deliberate motion, Brigs stood up from the chair and walked to the opposite side of the room. His fingertips touched the cold surface of an old cabinet—a reminder of lost secrets. He bent down, pressing his thumb into a hidden panel beneath the cabinet. There was a tiny click, and a panel of the wooden floor creaked open to show a hidden vault.Brigs breathed deeply, his eyes shining with evil
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-27WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 76
They snuck in.The house was forebodingly quiet. There was merely the sound of the security system and a far-off creak of the wood floor shifting beneath their feet.Lily led the way, relying on what she knew as her guide. She'd spied upon this house, studied Brigs's routine. She knew exactly where his study would be.They reached the door.Vandaulf quickly disabled the lock, and they slid inside.Brigs's study had been as showy as it had been ominous—floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined its walls, plush leather armchairs stretched out in comfort, and a dominant desk sat at its center. But Lily's eyes were on the room's distant corner."There," she whispered.The cabinet.Vandaulf walked over, his fingers running along the edges of the hidden panel in its back.Click.The vault opened.Lily gasped as Vandaulf tampered with the lock. Each moment felt like an eternity. Finally—Beep. Beep. Beep.The vault swung open.Inside, neat stacks of papers, books, and folders were laid out in order.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-28WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 77
Brigs spun toward her, his grin growing wider. "Ah. There it is." He fell again, his gaze fixed on her like a predator's gaze on wounded prey. "That hesitation. That doubt. That fear."Lily's heart pounded against her head, but she would not give in to him."Kill me then," she gasped. "If you really believe that I am so cowardly, kill me."Brigs chuckled. "Oh, Lily. Why would I ever hurt you when so much enjoyment is had playing games with you?"Her breath caught as he leaned in close, lips on the edge of her ear. "You're in a war you'll lose."She swallowed hard, mouth dry. "I shall never surrender."Brigs stepped back, eyes crinkling at the deep grinning lines. "Oh, I'm waiting with bated breath.".He addressed his guards. "Bring them down. Make them comfortable."Lily's stomach sank.Lower floors. Dungeon under manor.An arm tugged her arm, flame searing from her shoulder. She was being dragged away once more, metal's hold on her wrists as the guards are taken off into shadows.Van
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-29WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 78
The icy metal of the van floor cut into Lily's skin as she was, wrists restrained behind her by heavy cuffs. The thunder of the engine shook the bones in her body, but not the noise that consumed her—it was the fury. The desperation, the suffocating rage coursing through her throat.Brigs Carlston had stolen everything from her.And he thought he owned her.The flickering, shaking light in the van cast eerie shadows over the guards who sat across from her, rifles across their knees. Their eyes were guarded, suspicious. They had witnessed the flame in her. They knew what she could do.But they did not know her.They did not know Ina.The darkness descended around them, heavy and suffocating, as the van traveled over rough roads.The transition was slow, nearly imperceptible. The world beyond her unraveled and reformed, the borders of Lily's perception fading. The crushing burden of terror, rage, and powerlessness transformed into something else.Something dark.Something unencumbered.H
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-30WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 79
The night drew its breath in anticipation.Vandaulf loomed over her, a dark silhouette against the silver glow pouring through the leaves. His features remained unguessed, his stance noncommittal neither friendly nor unfriendly. Far behind them, Brigs' men screamed distant, their boots pounding the earth like war drums.Ina's grip on the stolen gun was a vise. Her body hurt, her lungs seared, but she would not fall now. Not now that she had come so far.She recoiled.Vandaulf copied her."You hesitate," he said. His voice was not loud, but it sliced the night like a blade.Ina's heart pounded in her chest. "I don't hesitate.""Then why not shoot?"Her hands trembled on the icy metal of the gun.She could.She should.Vandaulf was Brigs' son. His blood. His heir. He had stood on the other side for so long it was as though to hold a knife in the blade to have any trust in him now.And yet—He had come alone. Without a gun. Without guards.Either desperate or idiotic.Or perhaps both."I
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 80
Vandaulf's face grew harder. "I never was your boy."Brigs chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, but you were. You just didn't realize it."There was tense silence between them.Then Brigs made a melodramatic sigh. "You let her go."Vandaulf's expression did not change."You let her live," Brigs continued, venomous, his voice softening."Even when you knew what that did for you."Vandaulf's jaw muscle and the eye near it throbbed with anger, but he remained silent.Brigs took another step forward, the voice plummeting deeper into blackness, heaviness."You betrayed me."Those words hung suspended within Vandaulf's breast, a splash of ice water.Brigs never forgave traitors.And Vandaulf had just done the unforgivable.Brigs looked at him intently, his eyes smoldering with something unreadable. "I should have known this. Well, I did know you had weakness in you."Vandaulf could hardly bear his father's gaze. "If weakness is compassion, then I'd be a better man to be weak than to be you."Bri
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 81
The house towered over her like a predator slouching, ready to jump down on its prey.Lily—no.Ina.She pulled on the gloved fingers covering her hands, her heart beat steady despite the battle warring within her.This was not madness.This was revenge.Brenna had cautioned her. Had reminded her to bide patiently.But patience never saved anyone.The doors creaked open, and there stood Brigs Carlston at the top of the marble staircase.The devil himself.His face was un readable, but a curve of humor pulled the corners of his mouth up."Well," Brigs gasped. "You certainly do have your father's foolishness."Ina edged closer, the gun hidden under her jacket keeping her steady."I have something else of his too," she said flatly.Brigs' brow furrowed. "And what would that be?"She smiled. "A reason to kill you."Brigs emitted a low chuckle. "My, my. Such temerity."Ina didn't blink."I take it you're here for my son," he went on.Ina clenched her fists into fists. "Where is he?"Brigs h
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-01WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 82
Ina didn’t flinch.She simply leaned in closer, her breath ghosting over his ear.“Then I’ll burn them all.”Brigs’ body trembled beneath her touch. His vision blurred.And yet—he still smiled.The cry of sirens sliced through night, red and blue lights slicing through darkness. There was a cloud of blood and smoke suspended in the air, tension tight and strained. Vandaulf's hold on Lily's wrist was firm: firm but controlled. "Don't, Lily! Let someone else. Get out of it."Lily did not stir.She stood above Brigs' body, her crimson fingers, her twisting acid. All the pain of it—the years' misery, the pursuit of truth, the battle she had fought so long—hit her with crushing force beneath its choking wave.Helena, still holding the gun in her hand, gulped a ragged breath."Come on, Grandma."Vandaulf waited in the doorway, his voice drawn tight with horror.The lights became brighter and brighter. The sirens approached.Helena did not grumble. She shoved the gun into her greatcoat and t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-02
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WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK WHERE LIGHT MEETS DARK CHAPTER 96
"You've said nothing since the verdict."He blinked, his jaw clenched. "Because I spent years wondering whether justice was possible at all.""And now?" she asked.He glanced at her—actually looked—and something relaxed in his face."Now I know it is. Because you made it possible."Her heart wrenched. She ached to stumble into his arms and stay still forever, but the pressure of it all hung out there still like a hurricane just past the window."I need air," she blurted suddenly.They moved out into a blaze of flashbulbs and camera equipment."Lily! Miss James—one word, please!""Did the Carlstons intimidate you?""Was Brigs the only one in it?"Vandaulf stepped in front of her, interposing himself. "No comment.They pushed their way through, security flanking them until they reached the car parked by the curb.As soon as the doors closed, quiet came over them once again.Brenna placed her hand on Lily's knee. "You don't have to talk now. Just breathe."But Lily couldn't breathe—not y
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."Do not tell anyone anything," Brenna warned, clutching her hand in a tight grip. "Let them prattle. What goes on here is all that counts."Vandaulf, sitting across from them, was a tempest contained in thin threads. Jaw clenched, fists clenched in his lap. "I want him to look into your eyes when the truth emerges."The car stopped. The door opened.Li
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
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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
