Seven Years of Poison

e of the door was the quiet hum of the house she had lived in for over a decade, the house of her foste

nst him. He was not her brother, not in the way tha

lips close to her ear. His voice wa

Ava started, her own v

d her, a deep, possessive kiss that left no room for argument. It was a

her senses, mixing with the fear of being discovered. The floorboards in the hallway were old and creak

ownstairs. It was Mr. Stone. Av

whispered, her heart ha

he dark. He tightened his grip. "That j

ar not as a warning, but as an enhancement to his own pleasure. He thriv

dread. Her body betrayed her, melting against his even as her mi

ine. Don't you ever forget that." It wasn't a declaration of love. It was a st

ce trembling slightly. "Y

ugh to look at her, his

he air. "You promised that on your thirtieth birthday, w

howed the rest of the world. "And I will, baby. Everything is going accor

of his body chase away the cold fear. He kissed her again, gently this time, a swe

leaving a sudden chill on her skin. "I have

ed a small, elegantly wrapped box o

. It was their usual routine. He never used the door. With a final, confident smirk

ed as she unwrapped the gift. It was a silver bracelet, delicate and prett

as his phone. He must have dropped it. A knot of panic a

t of seeing him again, even for a moment, propelled her forward. She slipped out of the house, her heart

for Jake's familiar figure. She spotted him at a corner table, his back to her, surrounded by his

voice, cutting through

rogant drawl in his voice. "Chloe is finally getting her dad's compan

at about Ava? You've had her hanging on for,

an cold. She c

. Lives right there in the house. No mess, no drama. She does whatever I wan

Distraction. Each syllable was a nail in the coffin

cold," anoth

ding certainty. "She's a sweet girl, a great architect, but she's naive. She a

n years of secret meetings, whispered promises, and stolen moments flashed before her eyes. They weren't

her away from the bar, away from the sound of his laughter. She stumbled out int

her desk, the screen glowing. An unread email sat in her inbox. The

a fleeting thought of a life beyond Jake's shadow. She

nce. A placement in a conflict zone in the Middle East.

ng new from the wreckage. A place where no one knew her name, or th

ed with t

acc