Kayden I have always dreamed of having a place I could call home, a place where I could be wanted and loved. But what if that fantasy quickly becomes my worst nightmare? I have watched from the shadows for years, pretending to be unaffected by the depraved sickness etched into my soul. Like a moth to the flame, I was drawn to his light, and I protected him from the darkness he knew nothing about. My facade is crumbling; my toxic truth shattering the illusion I carefully crafted. I have loved him in secret for years, but my toxic obsession demands to be heard. As my darkest secrets threaten to come to life, I feel like I’m living on borrowed time and have nothing left to lose. Sometimes, the truth is the most dangerous reality of all. Rhys There is an age-old adage that the blood of the covenant is stronger than the water of the womb; yet despite this, there exists an empty void in my heart where a missing piece should be. He is that lost piece; my stepbrother, the anchor of my soul, everything I shouldn’t want. For years, I’ve kept my twisted desire locked away, denying it even to myself, even with his name written on my heart like a brand. The world I once knew shatters like glass around me, my childhood home becoming a house of secrets, pain, and lies. In the ruins of destruction, I’m forced to confront the truths I’ve been blind to. Everything I’ve ever wanted is within my grasp. Why, then, does it feel like my dream is living on borrowed time? Maybe, just maybe, blood was always thicker than water…

ʀʜʏꜱ ʟɪᴇꜱ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟ ꜰᴀꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛꜱ ᴄᴜᴛ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜱᴏᴜʟ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ᴜɴᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴍɪꜱᴇʀʏ. ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ, ᴍʏ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ɪɴ ɪᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ɪ ꜱʜᴀʀᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴅ, ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ ᴡᴀꜱ ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡ. ɪ'ᴍ ᴅʀᴏᴡɴɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴀɢᴏɴʏ, ꜰᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱ ɪ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏᴘᴇɴ ᴀʀᴍꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ꜱʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴀɴᴅᴏɴᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ. ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ. ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇꜱ ʜᴇ'ꜱ ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴍʏ ʙʀᴀɪɴ ᴛᴇʟʟꜱ ᴍᴇ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴠɪʟ'ꜱ ᴡᴏʀᴋ. ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴀɴɢᴇʟ? ɪ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ꜱᴛᴏᴘ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ ɪꜱ ꜱᴛʀɪᴘᴘᴇᴅ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴍʏ ʟᴜɴɢꜱ. ᴋᴀʏᴅᴇɴ ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴄᴏɴꜱᴜᴍᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟɪᴠᴇᴅ. ɪ ꜰᴇʟᴛ ɪᴛꜱ ꜰʟᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ꜰᴇᴡ ꜱʜᴏʀᴛ ᴡᴇᴇᴋꜱ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴅʀᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʀɪᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ᴍᴇ. ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋꜱ ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ. ɪ ꜱᴛᴀʟᴋ ʜɪᴍ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡꜱ, ᴅᴇꜱᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀꜱᴛᴇ ʜɪᴍ, ᴛᴏ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ʜɪᴍ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ʜɪᴍ. ʜᴇ ɪꜱ ᴍʏ ᴏʙꜱᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ʙᴏʀɴ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛᴏxɪᴄ ɪɴꜱᴀɴɪᴛʏ, ᴀɴ ᴀᴅᴅɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ɪ ꜱᴜʀʀᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ Qᴜɪᴛ. ʜᴇ ɪꜱ ᴍʏ ꜱᴀʟᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴀᴍ ʜɪꜱ ᴅᴀᴍɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴛᴜʀɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀꜱʜ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱʟᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ʜɪᴍ ꜱᴀꜰᴇ. ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴅᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛᴇᴠᴇʀ ɪᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ ʜɪᴍ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴꜱ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜꜱ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴀʟʟ. ʜᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ ᴍᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ ʜɪᴍ. ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ, ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ʙᴇᴀᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪꜱ ʜɪꜱ. ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ, ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ. ɪ'ᴍ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ, ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴅᴇᴠɪʟ. ᴄᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴍᴇ?