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Bright Moon Clouded by Storms
Bright Moon Clouded by Storms
Author: The Bright Moon

Chapter 1

Author: The Bright Moon
Down at the docks, Barrett Sloan's men whispered among themselves.

"Barrett is marrying Miss Harrington. The wedding's in three days."

"I knew he wouldn't end up with Octavia. She's a... well, you know. She doesn't deserve Barrett."

The word "cripple" never left the man's mouth because of the rules set by Barrett, but everyone understood.

Years ago, a thug had used that word. Barrett had punished him severely before exiling him.

"Now you're the cripple," Barrett had sneered, before turning to me with sudden tenderness. "As long as I'm around, no one gets to humiliate you."

That was when the Veragard boss saw his ruthlessness and started grooming him. Soon, Barrett became a legend, and I became his untouchable weakness.

No one dared call me "cripple" anymore; they all addressed me respectfully. Yet now, he was marrying someone else.

The hard truth hit my chest like a sledgehammer. Lost in the pain, I didn't notice my wheelchair slipping backward on the slick wood of the pier until the wheels teetered over the edge.

I snapped back to reality and squeezed my eyes shut. For one second, I thought maybe dying like this wouldn't be so bad. At least, I wouldn't be a burden to Barrett anymore.

But the icy plunge never came. Strong, familiar arms caught me, lifting me effortlessly from the seat. I opened my eyes to find Barrett staring down at me, his gaze as gentle as ever.

"Don't be scared. I've got you," he murmured.

"My goodness, Octavia! Are you alright?" Astrid Harrington yelped as she came rushing down the pier.

A shadow of something unreadable flickered across her eyes before it was replaced by elegant concern.

I gave a small nod. "I'm fine."

Astrid let out a sigh of relief. "Thank heavens. Barrett and I were just coming back from fitting our wedding gowns. If he hadn't reacted so quickly, it would have been a disaster."

She kept chattering, but my mind completely shut down at the words "wedding gowns". So, the rumors were true: Barrett really was marrying her.

I stared blankly up at Barrett. He didn't say a word, but the corners of his lips curved into an inscrutable smile.

Realizing how inappropriate it was for him to be cradling me like that, I struggled weakly to slide onto a nearby bench. "Barrett, put me down."

My bracelet slipped off in the process and fell to the ground.

Astrid spotted it and exclaimed, "Wow! What a gorgeous bracelet!"

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  • Bright Moon Clouded by Storms   Chapter 9

    "I'll be back soon," Barrett said.I looked up, my expression placid. "Okay."Perhaps because I hadn't looked at him so peacefully in a long time, a wave of raw emotion surged in his heart. He nearly changed his mind and stayed.But his men urged him a second time, and after pressing a heavy, restrained kiss to my forehead, he turned and strode out.As soon as the car engine faded into the distance, I shut my book. My vacant gaze suddenly turned sharp.I hadn't been idle during my weeks of numbness. I had memorized the guards' rotations and mapped a distinct blind spot near the west wall where the thick sycamore leaves blocked the security cameras.I fished out a piece of wire hidden under my pillow; it was salvaged weeks ago during a wheelchair repair. Slipping past the patrolling guards, I kept to the shadows and reached the perimeter.Just as I had observed, the camera was blocked by the leaves. I took a deep breath, then used the wire to pry loose a cracked stone at the base

  • Bright Moon Clouded by Storms   Chapter 8

    I laughed until hot tears threatened to spill over my eyelids."You care about me? Then why did you shatter my legs? Why did you drive a blade through my hand? And why did you dump me on a barren island to die?"Each question hit him like a physical blow, and they tore at my own unhealed wounds just as fiercely. His lips parted, completely speechless.He reached out to hold me, but I recoiled so violently that I tumbled right off the mattress and onto the floor.Full of frantic remorse, he rushed to lift me. "I'm sorry, Octavia. I didn't mean to..."I pushed his hands away, dragging my body back up into the wheelchair. "Just lock me up as you did before. You never believed a word I said anyway, and you never cared how I felt."His jaw tightened. "I won't lock your bedroom door. But you cannot leave this villa. I'm putting guards outside to keep you safe."He believed this could fix things, but some fractures ran too deep to ever mend....In the weeks that followed, Barrett ca

  • Bright Moon Clouded by Storms   Chapter 7

    "Back where?" I scoffed bitterly. "Back to that 'home' where you locked me away and let everyone humiliate me?"Barrett desperately grabbed my wrist, but he kept his grip light, terrified of causing more pain. "The wedding is off. I broke it off with Astrid and locked her up. I'll deal with the gang. Octavia, I only want you. Come home with me.""It's too late!" I struggled, my voice icy. "The moment you drove that dagger into my hand, we were finished."His face went ashen, but he refused to let go. "No, it's not late. I'll fix your hand and your legs. We can go back to how we were."I looked at the obsession in his eyes and felt only absurdity.Back to how we were? The man who used to blow on hot soup until it cooled and fed it to me, the one who would punish anyone for insulting me, had died long ago on his climb to power.Logan tried to pull Barrett away, only to get shoved back. Reaching into his shirt, Barrett ripped a pendant from his neck.It was a lucky charm I had trad

  • Bright Moon Clouded by Storms   Chapter 6

    The car screeched to a halt at the harbor.Barrett leaped onto a private speedboat, taking the wheel as he slammed the throttle into the roaring storm. Waves violently battered the hull, threatening to capsize the small vessel, but he didn't flinch.Only one thought burned through his panic. "Octavia, hold on. I'm coming."I woke up to a bone-chilling cold. The tide kept shoving my body onto the rocky shore, only to drag me right back out into the freezing water.Blood still seeped heavily from the dagger wound on my right hand, mixing with the raw sea salt and burning like liquid fire. Just as I prepared to let the ocean claim me, a pair of arms suddenly lifted me from the surf.A familiar, comforting woody scent filled my nose. I forced my heavy eyelids open to see Logan Hayes looking down at me, his face pale with anxiety.His voice shook. "Octavia, are you okay?"Logan was Barrett's sworn brother and one of the few people in the gang who had ever treated me with genuine kind

  • Bright Moon Clouded by Storms   Chapter 5

    The priceless diamond ring slipped from Barrett's fingers, bouncing sharply against the cold marble floor.The joyful atmosphere in the cathedral froze instantly. The guests' whispers died out as every eye locked onto the groom, whose face had drained of color.Barrett's gentle façade shattered into a feral, rabid panic. He lunged forward and gripped the guard by the collar, his voice shaking. "What did you just say? Say it again!""B-boss..." the guard stammered, paralyzed by fear. "A tsunami slammed into the island right after we dropped her off. The water swallowed everything. We couldn't get back in time."The news smashed into Barrett like a wrecking ball. He released the guard and staggered back.Astrid's triumphant smile hardened. "Barrett, don't fall for it. This has to be just another one of Octavia's pathetic schemes to ruin our wedding."Those words were the last straw.Barrett whipped around, his eyes flashing with a murderous glint that made Astrid recoil. The restr

  • Bright Moon Clouded by Storms   Chapter 4

    "Octavia, you've gone too far!" Barrett roared, bursting into the room. "Why did you ruin Astrid's wedding dress? Did you think destroying it would stop this wedding?"I scrambled to explain. "I didn't..."But he wasn't listening. "The servants saw you sneak out and destroy it. We have witnesses and evidence. Stop lying, Octavia! You've really let me down."He pulled a dagger from behind his back. "I didn't teach you properly before. It's time to learn how to behave now."He grabbed my right wrist, pinning it down. "This is the hand that did it, right? This cut will help you remember."The blade plunged into the back of my hand. Searing pain immediately followed the freezing sting of steel. Blood poured out, soaking my sleeve and staining his eyes red.His hand holding the dagger trembled slightly. He seemed shocked that he had actually done it."Does it hurt?" His voice was hoarse, a flicker of regret quickly masked by coldness. "Good. Pain helps you remember what you can and c

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