All Chapters of Unconditional Love: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

LARAI stood there, my lips still tingling from the kiss. My heart was pounding in my chest, my mind racing. Had that really just happened? Had he really just kissed me like it was some sort of game, like I was some kind of fleeting moment he could just walk away from?I could still feel the heat of his breath on my skin, his hand on my shoulder. Everything felt too raw, too real. I had never expected this, not from him. Hades was always so distant, so closed off. I didn’t know what to make of him—what to make of thisBut as soon as he pulled away, as soon as he broke that moment, my chest clenched in frustration. He kissed me and left .No apology, no explanation. Just like that, he was gone, walking out of the room like it was nothing."No," I muttered to myself, my hands clenched into fists. I wasn’t some toy for him to pick up and discard when he felt like it. I wasn’t just some girl to kiss in secret corners and walk away from. No. I wasn’t going to let him get away with it.Witho

LARAI stood there for a moment, watching Hades walk away, my mind whirling with thoughts I wasn’t sure I wanted to deal with. The conversation with him had been... different. The silence between us had been charged, and every word I said to him had felt like it meant something. It didn’t help that every time I looked at him, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he wasn’t just the guy everyone thought he was. There was something deeper, something hidden beneath that guarded exterior.He wasn’t like the other guys at this school—he didn’t care about the same things they did. It was hard to explain, but I felt like I saw a side of him that no one else did. Or maybe that was just me imagining things.I tugged at the strap of my bag, the weight of indecision pressing on me. Should I stay? Should I insist on giving him a ride? I could’ve, but something about the way he brushed it off made me think that maybe he didn’t want my help. Or maybe I was just overthinking it.I watched his figu

LARAThe weeks that followed felt like a strange, wonderful blur. Hades and I had somehow carved out this unspoken bond between us, one that grew stronger with each passing day. We didn’t define it, didn’t need to. It was just there—a connection that felt raw and real in a way I hadn’t expected.Every morning, I’d see him leaning against the gate of the school, hands in his pockets, that signature guarded expression on his face. And every morning, my chest would tighten at the sight of him. We’d spend our free periods together, talking about nothing and everything, and the walls he had so carefully built around himself seemed to crumble just a little more each time.But then there were the bruises. The faint discoloration along his jaw, the swelling on his knuckles, the black eye he couldn’t quite hide under his hood. He never said anything about them, and I didn’t ask, but they didn’t go unnoticed. Every time I saw a new mark, a fresh reminder of whatever he was going through, my sto

LARAI slammed the car door shut, gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary. The goodbye between Hades and me had been frustratingly brief. He’d given me that same guarded look he always wore, the one that said don’t get too close. And as much as I wanted to respect his boundaries, something about his retreating back made my chest ache.I wasn’t stupid. The bruises, the excuses, the way he avoided any personal questions—it didn’t take a genius to figure out that something was wrong. And yet, every time I tried to push, he’d shut me out.“Fine,” I muttered to myself, glancing in the rearview mirror. “If you won’t tell me, I’ll find out for myself.”The idea popped into my head before I could think twice about it. It was ridiculous—borderline invasive—but the longer I sat there watching him walk further down the street, the more I felt like I couldn’t just let him go.My heart pounded as I turned the ignition, easing my car out of the parking lot. He didn’t have a car, so he wa

LARAHades stood there, his eyes scanning my face, and for a long moment, I thought he was going to tell me to leave. But then he sighed, his shoulders slumping in resignation. "Fine," he muttered, his voice low. "Wait here."I nodded, watching as he turned and walked back inside the house. The door creaked shut behind him, leaving me alone in the cool night air. My heart was pounding, and my mind raced with questions I couldn’t answer. Where would I take them? What was I even doing? But all I could focus on was the image of his bruised face and the sound of breaking plates from earlier.It felt like an eternity before the door opened again. Hades stepped out first, his expression unreadable, and behind him came a petite woman, her frame so slight she looked like a gust of wind could carry her away. Her hair was streaked with gray, her face etched with lines far deeper than her years should allow. But it was the scars—thin, jagged marks along her arms and a faint one across her temple