Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Secrets that burn.
Tiffany’s POV
They said I was too much.
Too loud. Too confident. Too spirited.
Too… everything.
As too much of everything is too much.
Their words echoed in my head like glass shattering on marble floors, sharp and impossible to ignore. So I did the only thing that ever worked when the ache beneath my ribs threatened to consume me, I drank.
The bottle of vodka felt colder than my heart. I poured glass after glass, like it would drown out the noise, like it would stitch back the parts of me that were crumbling.
My fingers trembled as I reached for the bottle again, the bitter liquid burning its way down my throat. It hurt, and for a moment, I welcomed that kind of pain, because at least it was honest.
The bar was empty. Just me, the dim light, and the alcohol. I wasn’t drunk. Not yet. But I was spiraling. Fast.
The door creaked open, and I didn’t look up. I didn’t need anyone. Not sympathy. Not questions. Not…
“Tiffany?”
Peter’s voice cut through the silence. Soft. Gentle. Concerned. Why did he always sound so damn calm?
I froze. My grip on the glass tightened, and I kept my eyes on the amber swirl of liquor. “Go away.”
He didn’t. He walked closer, cautious but firm, like someone approaching a wounded animal. “What’s wrong?”
I laughed bitterly, a hollow, broken sound. “Nothing. Everything. Does it matter?”
He sat beside me. I could feel the heat of his presence. “It matters to me.”
I hated that his words made me want to cry. I hated that my throat closed up like a vice, sealing off every excuse I’d prepared. My lips trembled. The pain, the secret was burning holes inside me. I couldn’t hide it anymore.
“I…” I started, my voice cracking. “I don’t know what to do.”
Peter didn’t push. He waited.
Tears welled in my eyes, blurring everything. My hands trembled as I downed another shot, and finally I broke. The sob escaped before I could stop it. A quiet, shattering thing. “Adam… we are not full siblings.”
Peter’s brow furrowed. “What?”
“We’re not from the same mother,” I said slowly, the words tasting like poison. “But the same father. We’re… half-siblings.”
Peter reeled back slightly. His eyes widened, and I saw the wave of confusion and shock crash through him. But he didn’t speak. Not yet.
“And Aurora?” I whispered. “She’s Adam’s half-sister, too. They share the same mother.”
Peter exhaled like the air had been knocked out of him.
“That means,” I choked, “they’re closer. That she’s more his sister than I ever was. And I don’t think Adam wants to hurt her. I don’t know if he even sees me anymore.”
Silence sat thick between us.
Peter finally reached for my hand. “Tiffany, I…” he shook his head, his voice raw. “That’s a lot to carry.”
I nodded, my tears falling freely now. “I didn’t ask for this. I just… I wanted to matter.”
He didn’t answer with words. He leaned in and kissed me, soft, steady, full of something I couldn’t name. Maybe it was understanding. Maybe it was pity. I didn’t care. I kissed him back.
For that moment, I just wanted to feel something that didn’t hurt.
Even though it meant going back to a place , I swore never to return to.
\---
David’s POV
I watched from the rooftop as the city blinked beneath the night, unaware of the war brewing inside my family.
Dominique. Damian. And her.
Aurora.
She had become the wedge. The spark to a fire none of us could control. And yet, she didn’t ask for any of this. That was the painful irony.
I didn’t want a divided family. I didn’t want to choose between my brothers. I just wanted peace.
And so I called the only person who might still have influence.
Anastasia.
She picked on the second ring. “David?”
“I need your help,” I said, skipping pleasantries.
A pause. “This is about Aurora, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
She sighed. “What did she do now?”
“Nothing,” I admitted. “But she’s in the center of it all. Dom and Damian… they’re going to destroy each other. You know that, right?”
Another pause. “And, You want me to talk to her.”
“You’re her stepsister. She might still listen to you.”
“After everything I’ve done to her? After the pain I and my sister caused her?” Anastasia’s voice cracked. “David… I don’t think she’ll even let me near her, let alone talk to her.”
“Just try. Please. For me.”
Silence.
Then finally, “I’ll try. But you need to prepare yourself. I don’t think Aurora can let go of Dominique. She loves him. I’ve seen it. And that kind of love… it doesn’t vanish. Not even for peace.”
I swallowed hard. “Then maybe… she’ll be the one to choose whose heart breaks.”
\---
Aurora’s POV
My phone buzzed, and I stared at the name on the screen like it might bite me.
Adam.
I considered ignoring it. Pretending he didn’t exist. But something in my gut told me not to. So I answered.
“I need to talk to you,” he said, voice low and heavy. “In person.”
“Why?” I asked sharply.
“There’s something you need to know. Something important.”
I hesitated. “If it’s about Tiffany”
“It’s not,” he cut in. “Well… not really. It’s about you. And me.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine. “Adam, I don’t want to have anything to do with you again.”
“Please,” he said. “No Dominique. No Damian. Just you and me. Please.”
The way he said it… like this was life or death.
“Fine,” I said. “Send the location.”
He did. An abandoned warehouse. Of course. How cliché.
I left a note for Dominique, just in case, he's looking for me.
And then I went.
\---
The warehouse loomed like a skeleton of metal and concrete. Empty. Cold. Echoing.
Adam was already there.
“You came,” he said quietly.
“I did,” I replied, arms folded. “Now talk.”
He looked at me for a long moment. I could see something shifting behind his eyes, fear, guilt, shame.
“No matter what happens,” he said, “promise me you won’t hate yourself. Or me.”
“Adam,” I snapped. “What is this? Just say it.”
“I’ve lied,” he said. “Most of my life. But I’m done lying.”
He stepped closer.
I took a step back. “Say it, Adam.”
“I…” he swallowed. “I’m your brother, Aurora. We share the same mother Stella Valeryk.”
The world tilted.
My mouth went dry.
And then
Black.