icon 0
icon TOP UP
rightIcon
icon Reading History
rightIcon
icon Sign out
rightIcon
icon Get the APP
rightIcon

Echoes of her kiss

Chapter 3 The Quiet Between Storms

Word Count: 1026    |    Released on: 18/05/2025

pte

uiet Betw

ks and their glances carried questions that wouldn't rest. Juliet vanished into the velvet night, leaving only silence and speculation in them. And while Anderson stood fractured by confusion, Juliet found herself ret

a wind-beaten hill, one hard gust away from the collapse. Tin roofs whispered misery, during the rains, and the floorboards spoke of hungers. His family wa

orgeouly dressed, holding a sketchpad and frowning at the horizon l

oach her due to his unc

shedly made her look up. He asked her what she was drawing, and Juliet, s

e," sh

he replied. "Homes aren't ho

s the b

dd jobs, hauling crates at the docks, fixing fences my times, helping Mr. Gordan with his fire

pending hours in the field with him. The thrills of uncalculated laughter. The taste of mangoes, being

d Mr. Edger's estate, and Juliet cried, not out of pain, but out of something that she felt, like being found. Mario was gentle, then hungry for her. Th

trees. Under cracked ceilings, every time.i it was as if they were rebuilding

ow he seemed to memorize every breath she took. With him, love-making wasn't an act its was a science that rebuild the mind. Her moans weren't merely sound that is he

d money, a political lineage, and the temperament of dry toast in him. Juliet said nothing, not at f

ylor's, a gossip with too much time and too little empathy in him. He confront

oice breaking into tears. "You wer

cried before in her life. But she did not leave Anders

ote. No farewell. Ju

her felt as if it is slippery. He wasn't the boy from that hills anymore, that he had presented himself now.Pai

. And Anderson... poor, clueless Anderson... stood watchi

ay he looked at her so desirously, as though he knew somethi

an arriving without return addresses to her. Small gifts, pressed flowers, ribbon scraps, a well-worn poetry book, appeared where

at it felt lik

er questions .Taylor's gossips turned into allegations to her.And An

the center of it stood Mario, not

Claim Your Bonus at the APP

Open
Echoes of her kiss
Echoes of her kiss
“A quiet, brooding seaside town-out of season, filled with gray skies, the scent of salt, and crashing waves. A distant lighthouse watches like a sentry over secrets buried in time. Juliet Johnson returns after eight years-now a solitary, reclusive artist-summoned by a letter from her brother, Jones. She is met by the chilling familiarity of the town and memories of Mario Telly, the man she once loved and left behind. The lighthouse becomes a recurring symbol: a guide, a warning. Lewis Johnson, her calculating and image-obsessed father, is running a campaign for regional governor. His reputation, built on false morality and suppressed scandals, depends on alliances. His current project: grooming Anderson Williamson, the ambitious son of wealthy industrialist Taylor Williamson, as Juliet's future husband. Jones, Juliet's brother, serves as the campaign's loyal executor-cleaning scandals, controlling narratives, and silencing dissent. He believes loyalty to their father is a noble cause. Juliet sees it as servitude. Juliet is introduced to Sophia Williamson, her father's illegitimate daughter. Sophia, sharp-witted and ambitious, has grown up in the shadows and seeks her place in the family legacy. Juliet is torn between empathy and mistrust. Mario Telly, now a local fisherman and folk hero, bears the scars of Juliet's departure. Once the town's golden boy, his opposition to Lewis's politics made him an outsider. He is the voice of the town's truth-bitter, honest, and unforgiving. As Lewis prepares for a major political gala, Juliet discovers documents hidden in her father's study-evidence of land acquisitions, bribery, and the silencing of whistleblowers, all orchestrated in tandem with Taylor Williamson. The lighthouse grounds, she learns, are to be sold for development. Juliet rekindles a hesitant connection with Mario. He reveals her father's role in the downfall of his family's boat business. They begin planning a subtle resistance-Juliet with her paintings, Mario with the support of townspeople. At the grand gala, Juliet publicly unveils a haunting painting series: abstract, storm-laden seascapes hinting at corruption, decay, and betrayal. Whispers spread like wildfire. Lewis fumes. Taylor wants to stop the damage. Anderson, feeling used and manipulated, turns on his father. Sophia confronts Lewis, declaring she will not be hidden or shamed. Jones begins to crack under the pressure of conscience. The town awakens. News spreads. Journalists arrive. Lewis tries to buy Juliet's silence, but she refuses, choosing truth over family legacy. Mario and Juliet stand together at the lighthouse, watching the sea consume the gray morning. Sophia starts her own political podcast, exposing power games and giving voice to the silenced. Anderson leaves politics for good. Jones vanishes from the public eye, disillusioned. Lewis's empire crumbles. Juliet, though uncertain of what comes next, opens a gallery in the town. The lighthouse still stands-weathered but resilient. Much like Juliet. Blurb a story about broken ties of loyalty, hidden truths, and the kiss that changed everything. Sophia Williamson once had faith in family, legacy, and most importantly, her husband, Taylor Williamson, a powerful patriarch with as many ambitions as he had secrets. Sophia, on the other hand, begins to question everything she once defended as their son spirals into scandal after scandal, fueled by privilege and disdain for the women he rejects. As Taylor's elite circle presses them further into moral compromise, domestic tensions rise. Unbeknownst to them, Juliet-quiet, observant, and dangerously underestimated-has been listening. She hears everything, including the manipulation, the deception, and the deals made in the shadows, behind closed doors and carefully selected smiles. Juliet knows she is just a pawn in Taylor's political chessboard, used to secure an image that never truly included her. But knowledge is power, and a single kiss-given in trust, taken for granted-becomes the echo that exposes a dynasty built on lies. One question now looms: How many lives must be broken before the truth is revealed, as Sophia confronts her husband and Juliet contemplates vengeance.”
1 Chapter 1 A Return to Gray Shores2 Chapter 2 The choice that shook the Town3 Chapter 3 The Quiet Between Storms4 Chapter 4 The silence Between Storms5 Chapter 5 The cracks in the marble6 Chapter 6 The coTies7 Chapter 7 The shadows Between the spotlight8 Chapter 8 When the smoke fades9 Chapter 9 Beneath the Gilded Lies10 Chapter 10 The wind in the Ears for a brief moment11 Chapter 11 The the situation12 Chapter 12 Ashes in the wind13 Chapter 13 The remains of her kiss