---- Chapter 6 Hope Morton POV: The sound of the front door closing behind Kingston was the loudest silence | had ever heard. | stood in the hallway, my back pressed against the cool wall, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. | could hear Jaxon's low, firm voice in the living room, then the roar of Kingston's engine as he sped away, tearing a gash in the quiet suburban night. My legs felt like they might give out. | slid down the wall until | was sitting on the floor, my arms wrapped around my knees. | had done it. | had finally said the words that had been buried in my heart for years. | had cut the cord. So why did it hurt so much? Jaxon appeared in the hallway entrance, his shadow falling over me. He didn't speak, just came and sat on the floor beside me, our shoulders brushing. We sat like that for a long time, the familiar, comforting weight of his presence a silent anchor in the storm raging inside me. "You know," he said finally, his voice soft, "you don't have to be strong all the time." Atear | didn't know | was holding back slipped down my cheek. "| don't know how to be anything else." ---- "You could try being angry," he suggested. "You have every right." But | wasn't angry. Not anymore. The anger had burned itself out, leaving behind a cold, desolate emptiness. It was grief. | was grieving the brother | thought | had, the family I'd spent my whole life dreaming of. | was grieving the hopeful, naive girl who had believed in fairy tales, the one who thought a single act of sacrifice could buy her a happily ever after. The next few days passed in a blur. | went through the motions. | helped Mrs. Gable in the garden, | went with Jaxon to the auto parts store, | played fetch with their golden retriever, Buddy. | was surrounded by the gentle, unassuming thythm of a real family, and with every passing hour, the glittering, false world of Kingston Koch felt more and more like a distant dream. | found a job at a local veterinary clinic. It was smaller than the one I'd worked at in the city, but the people were kind and the work was steady. Tending to sick and injured animals, offering them comfort and care, began to slowly mend the broken pieces of my own heart. It was simple, honest work. No lies, no hidden agendas. An animal in pain was just an animal in pain. One afternoon, about a week after the disastrous party, a sleek black town car pulled up in front of the clinic. My stomach plummeted. Through the front window, | saw Finn get out of the back seat. ---- He walked in, the bell over the door chiming softly. He looked out of place in his expensive suit, surrounded by bags of pet food and the faint smell of disinfectant. "Hope," he said, his expression grim. "We need to talk." | wiped my hands on a towel and leaned against the reception counter, creating a physical barrier between us. "There's nothing to talk about, Finn." "Please. Just give me five minutes." He looked tired, older than I'd ever seen him. "Kingston is... not doing well." "That's not my problem anymore," | said, my voice harder than | intended. "He's destroying himself," Finn said, ignoring my comment. "He hasn't been to the office since the party. He's not answering his calls. He's drinking. He's trying to find you, Hope. He's hired private investigators." A cold knot of fear tightened in my chest. "Why?" "Because he's an idiot," Finn said with a sigh. "Because he finally realized what he lost, and like a spoiled child, he thinks he can just break down the door and get it back." He took a step closer. "He's offering you half the company, Hope. No strings attached. He's prepared to make a public announcement, formally name you as co-heir. It's everything you ever wanted." Was it? | looked around the small, sunlit clinic. A kitten in a ---- cage behind the counter let out a tiny meow. In the back, | could hear Dr. Evans talking softly to a nervous beagle. This was real. This was my life now. It wasn't glamorous or Powerful, but it was mine. "What | wanted was a family, Finn," | said quietly. "All the money in the world can't buy that." "He's your family," he insisted. "No," | said, the truth of the word settling deep in my soul. "He's a blood relative who chose to treat me like a stranger. Jaxon, Mrs. Gable... they're my family. They chose me." The finality in my voice seemed to get through to him. He looked defeated. "He's going to self-destruct, Hope." "Maybe that's what has to happen," | said. "Maybe he needs to hit rock bottom before he can start to see anyone but himself." It was a harsh thing to say, but it was true. For years, Kingston had been insulated by his wealth and his power, by people who catered to his every whim. He had never faced any real consequences for his actions. Until now. "Just... be careful," Finn said, turning to leave. "He's not thinking rationally." After he was gone, | stood by the window and watched the town car disappear down the street. The life | had left behind was trying to pull me back in, but the anchor of my new life held firm. | was no longer a ghost, waiting to be seen. | was ---- here. And | wasn't going anywhere. Later that evening, as | was locking up the clinic, my phone rang. It was an unknown number. | almost ignored it, but something made me answer. "Hello?" There was silence on the other end, just the sound of ragged, uneven breathing and the clinking of ice in a glass. "Kingston?" | asked, my heart starting to pound. More silence. Then, a low, guttural sob. The sound was so full of despair, so utterly broken, that it sent a chill down my spine. "Hope," he slurred, his voice thick with alcohol and grief. "I'm sorry." Before | could respond, the line went dead. | stood there in the dark, empty clinic, the ghost of my brother's voice hanging in the air. He was sorry. But it was too late. Some things, once broken, could never be put back together again. In "A Relationship Kept in The Dark" by CrushReel, the storyline unfolds as renowned photographer Jane finds herself drawn to the charismatic rookie model, Hector. Little does she know that Hector harbors a secret—he is actually the heir to a powerful business empire. As their romance blossoms, Hector grapples with concealing his true identity to capture Jane's heart. 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