Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 74

(Ava's POV)

The journal felt heavier than it should as I clutched it to my chest and my palms grew damp with sweat. I had done it. The little idiot thought hiding it under her mattress was clever, but Angel didn't understand the rules of this place-not like I did. Not like I had been forced to.

I made my way to the rendezvous point and my heart pounded with every step. The corridor was dim and the flickering lights made everything feel eerie. I hated how familiar this path had become. I shouldn't have had to do this, but Dr. Joe... Dr. Joe never gave me a choice.

When I handed over the journal to the person waiting in the darkness, I felt nauseous. It was done. I had sealed another piece of Angel's fate, but more than that, I had cemented my own.

•

(Flashback)

"You'll do as I say or your mother's debt becomes your burden." Dr. Joe's words echoed in my mind like a twisted mantra.

I was fifteen when I realized what kind of man he was. My mother had always been a fighter, but even the strongest people had their weaknesses. For her, it was gambling. One bad choice turned into a cycle of desperation and when the debts piled up, she turned to him for help.

said as her voice trembled while she signed the papers. "It's just a

But we never did.

day Dr. Joe came to our house was the day I stopped being a child. He wasn't angry or loud. He didn't threaten. He didn't need to. "Your mother owes me and now, so do you." His blue eyes were calm and calculating. "You'll work it off," he had said and I

on people and reporting back. But then the requests became darker and more personal.

•

to the cafeteria and plastered on my usual smirk. The girls in my dorm laughed at something ridiculous, but I didn't even

...

(Angel's POV)

now it was painfully obvious. He was quiet during meals, distant in the

wanted to admit. After everything-after all the stolen moments and the confessions-I thought we were finally on the same page. But now? It felt like we

for me, his warm smile immediately putting me at ease. "Hey, you," he said and his voice was light but carried something deeper. "Hey," I replied as I sat down next to him on the

a moment, we just sat there and the silence between us felt oddly comforting. But then he leaned in and brushed a strand of hair from my face. "You okay?

how to put everything into words. "I'm fine. Just... a

talk about it?" he asked and his tone was genuine. I found myself

realized how much Thomas had become very important in my life. He listened in a way that felt rare, like he actually cared about what I had to say. His kindness disarmed me and I couldn't help but remember the night on the porch, the way he made me feel things I

broke me out of my