Page 112 of Hidden Echoes

CHAPTER 24

ZANE

I want to fuck my wife, badly.

I never thought I’d be like this. I never expected it to hurt this much.

The way Mia consumes me, how every little touch, every glance, sends me spiraling.

It's like a hole inside of me, and every time she’s near, I fall deeper.

My body—damn it—my body betrays me. I wake up thinking about her, how perfect she looks when she wears that baggy shirt of mine, the way it hugs her body just right. And then she touches me, her fingers brushing mine, and it’s like a wave of fire runs through me, leaving me on edge. I can't control it.

I’m not supposed to feel like this.

I used to be in control. I was always the silent one, the observer, the one who let everything swirl around me while I stood still, unmoved. But Mia? She has this power over me, this pull that I can't shake. Every time she grabs my hand, my dick gets so hard I swear I’m going to lose it like some pathetic teenager. I’m regressing, I know it. I feel weak. And I can't stop it.

I try to drown it out. I listen to Blackpink—loud, so loud, the music blaring to cover up the thoughts, to pull me away from her, from the desire, from everything I can’t have.

I don't let the songs repeat. I don’t want my mind to latch onto anything, but it doesn't work. The music is just noise. The thoughts keep coming back, relentless, gnawing at me. It’s killing me, this tension inside, and I can’t do anything about it.

But it's not just about desire. It’s about protecting her. Mia’s been through too much already, and I won’t let it get worse. I’ve spent six months hiding the truth, covering it all up.

I can’t let my sister, Taylor, find out what happened. If she ever found out the truth, about what Mia did, about the fact that she killed our mother—who, by the way, was abusive and addicted to drugs—I can only imagine how that would go down.

My wife. My wife killed my mother.For God’s sake, the irony’s not lost on me. Mia just took out the one person who made my life hell, who made me feel like hating my city and I’m over here trying to act like I can hide it.

What a mess.

But, honestly, if Taylor knew? I’d be dead. Mia would be dead. Taylor doesn’t take kindly to anyone messing with her family. When she’s hurt, when she’s pushed too far, she doesn’t just get angry. No, she goes full-on vengeance mode. She’s a walking storm, and everyone around her better hope they’re not in her path.

She would care, too much.

But she’s busy—too busy trying to push a damn human out of her—and Harvin’s got her hidden away for her safety. I can’t help but feel a little uneasy about it. Kyle mentioned something, said that Harvs thinks everyone might end up hurting her, and that Harvin’s not in the mood to kill anyone right now. So, they’re all keeping their distance, letting things cool off.

That’s just Harvin, though. He’s always been like that—an unpredictable psychopath, but you can’t deny that when it comes to Taylor, he’s got her back.

Apart from the family drama, there’s the constant issue of Mia’s mind playing tricks on her, distorting reality until nothing feels quite real anymore. Sometimes, she’s in a world of her own, and I’m left trying to figure out what’s real and what isn’t. She swore she made a friend in France—some French girl she had coffee with—but I knew there was no one there. Just her, living in that headspace where things don’t always make sense. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t contradict her. It wasn’t my place.

But it hurt, watching her like that.

Watching her drift further from reality, from me.

Every moment, every word she said that didn’t quite make sense—it pulled her further away, and with it, pulled me under.

And at this point, losing her doesn’t just mean losing her—it means losing myself.

I can’t let this all fall apart.

I can’t let Mia fall apart.

But every time I see her, every time she looks at me with those eyes, it feels like I’m losing control.

I’m drowning, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep my head above water.

Because fuck, I want her.

I crave her. Every damn part of me aches for her, like I’m caught in a storm I can’t escape.

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