All Chapters of TWO LIVES - Shattered Illusion : Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

The only sound accompanying the rhythmic beeping of the machines that had tethered Niya Kendrick to life for the past month was her breathing. But now, those cords were gone, and she was free to leave—at least physically. Her mind, however, was a haze of fragmented memories and a hollow ache she couldn’t understand.She slipped into the faded jeans and soft sweater Pony had brought her, before she sat back down on the edge of the bed, crouching forward as her hands brushed her thighs.“You shouldn’t leave yet,” Pony said, smacking her lips softly. Niya turned to see her best friend leaning against the med cart, though her weight barely rested on it.Pony’s long blonde hair, streaked with brown roots, was tied in its usual side braid. She wore a plain blue long-sleeved shirt as Niya tried to piece together what made her temples throb. Pony's golden-brown eyes fixed on Niya with a bluntness that was hard to ignore.“I’ve been here for thirty days, Pony. I’ve rested enough,” Niya croaked,

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

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

It looked the same. Felt the same.She felt something crawl under her skin. A slow, prickling awareness, like stepping into a space just after someone had been talking about her.Maybe it was the way people glanced at her—not with excitement or surprise. But warier. Like they didn’t know whether to acknowledge her or pretend they hadn’t seen her at all.Or maybe it was her. The girl by the checkout.Petite. Brunette. Bright eyes that sparkled easily in the way she beamed at everyone she passed. The kind of smile that screamed ‘first day’, too sun-shiny, too eagerly, almost like she was trying to make a good impression.She laughed at something one of the cashiers said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she slid a barcode over the scanner. There was a smoothness in her conversation with them, a familiarity Niya had never had with her coworkers.Not that they were unfriendly. She’d just never been part of the casual back-and-forth that came naturally to people who'd worke