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Home / YA/TEEN / His to Ruin: Breaking Chelsea / Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

All Chapters of His to Ruin: Breaking Chelsea : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

162 Chapters

031

YOUNG LOVE, MY ASS~KADE POV~{Playlist suggestion: "Don't Blame Me" by Taylor Swift}I shouldn't have come here without calling first.The thought hit me as I pulled into Aunt Margot's driveway, but I was already cutting the engine. Three days of radio silence from Chelsea had me climbing the walls, and my aunt's townhouse was the only place I could think without wanting to punch something.The door opened before I could knock."Well, well," Aunt Margot said, leaning against the doorframe with a knowing smile. "Twice in one week. Either someone died or you're in love.""Just saying hi," I muttered, stepping past her into the familiar warmth of her living room."Bullshit." She closed the door and studied me with those sharp green eyes that missed nothing. "You look like hell. When's the last time you slept?"I shrugged, sinking into the leather chair by her fireplace. "Sleep's overrated.""So is martyrdom." She poured herself a glass of wine and settled across from me. "This is about

032

BLOOD ON THE CARPET~KADE POV~{Playlist Suggestion: "Meet You in Hell" by Jade LeMac}Something's wrong.I feel it before I see it—that gut pull you can't explain but can't ignore. My Mustang idles outside Chelsea's building, engine purring while my hands grip the wheel like a lifeline.Five days since Samuel's threat. Four days of Chelsea dodging my calls, her voice distant when she finally picks up. 'Stay away, Kade. I can handle this.'But sitting here now, staring up at her third-floor window where no lights flicker behind thin curtains, I know she was wrong. Dead wrong.I kill the engine and take the stairs two at a time, my knee screaming in protest from last week's workout. The hallway reeks of old carpet and broken dreams, but there's something else threading through the stuffy air. Something metallic that makes my stomach clench.Her door hangs ajar. Just an inch. Not enough to scream break-in, but wrong in every way that matters.'She always locked it. Triple-checked th

033

SILENCE IS A PRICE~CHELSEA POV~{Playlist Suggestion: "I Know the End" by Phoebe Bridgers}The cabin smells like his mother's perfume. Five years dead, but her ghost stays in every corner. Expensive candles on dusty shelves. Silk curtains that haven't been drawn since her funeral. Photos turned face down because Kade says looking at them hurts too much.I understand that kind of hurt.I'm lying in his bed...her bed, really..staring at water stains on the ceiling while he makes breakfast downstairs. Chase's laughter echoes up through the floorboards. The soft clink of dishes and faint conversation drift through the old wood. Normal sounds. Safe sounds.When did my brother last laugh like that? The sound should make me happy. Instead, something dark stirs in my chest. My mind won't stay in this moment of safety.The memory surfaces without permission. It always does when I feel safe. Like my brain waits for moments of peace to remind me they're illusions.Crawford Elite alumni house

034

THE WEIGHT OF HOME~CHELSEA POV~{Playlist Suggestion: "Heavy" by Linkin Park ft. Kiiara}"You don't have to go back there."Kade's voice cuts through the morning quiet. His hands grip the steering wheel too tightly. We sit in his car outside our building, engine running, three stories of peeling paint and broken promises looming above us."Yes, we do."Chase shifts in the backseat, medical equipment bag clutched to his chest. He needs his checkup today. Moving him around isn't good for his condition."Chelsea." Kade turns to face me. "Samuel could come back. What if next time....""Next time what? Next time we'll handle it like we always do." The words come out sharper than I meant. "This isn't new for us, Kade. Run or hide. Sleep at friends' places. Survive.""But I found you this time."The raw honesty in his voice makes my chest tight. He found us. He helped us. He offered us safety in his dead mother's cabin like it was nothing."Chase has a doctor's appointment," I say instead.

035

LINES IN THE SAND~KADE POV~{Playlist suggestion: "Devilish" by Chase Atlantic}The locker room stinks of sweat and overpriced cologne. I'm lacing up my cleats when Lucas starts his usual bullshit."Golden boy's been MIA lately," he announces. "Heard he's got himself a little side project."I keep my head down, focusing on double-knotting the laces. My knee feels solid today. Good. I need it to hold up.Denver drops onto the bench beside me. "Ignore him," he mutters. "Guy's got nothing better to do.""You missed Connor's party at Venom," Denver adds. "Where were you?""Busy." The lie comes easily. I was at my mother's cabin with Chelsea and Chase, but that's not something I can explain to anyone here.My phone buzzes. Knox: 'Dinner tonight? Marie is making your favorite.'I delete the text without responding. My older brother's been trying harder since Dad's latest disappointment speech, but I'm not ready for family dinners and fake conversations.Lucas's voice cuts through my though

036

EXPOSEDPlaylist suggestion: "At my best" by (feat. Hailee Steinfield) Machine Gun Kelly,~KADE POV~"You're not calling my father."The words come out harder than I intended. Coach Marshal's finger hovers over his phone screen, eyebrow raised like he's daring me to continue."Being on his payroll doesn't make you his bitch," I add."Watch your tone, Kingston." Marshal's voice drops to that dangerous whisper coaches use before they destroy your entire season. "You're walking a thin line here."Chelsea looks like she wants to disappear into the floor. Her knuckles are white where she grips the cart handle."Nothing is going on between us," she says quickly. "Really. Nothing."Marshal's eyes move between us like he's watching a tennis match. "Funny. Your boy here seems to think differently."The way he says 'your boy' makes my skin crawl. Like I'm some kind of pet she's training."Be smart, girl," Marshal continues, focusing on Chelsea now. "You know damn well anything between you and h

037

WHAT SHE FOUND~CHELSEA POV~{Playlist Suggestion: "Bruises" by Lewis Capaldi}The anxiety sits in my chest like broken glass. I don't know what's worse: meeting Kade after school or the fact that the entire Crawford Elite student body thinks the cleaner is sleeping with a Kingston.Work drags like torture. Every hallway I clean comes with stares and whispers. "That's her." "The one whoring around instead of working." "Heard she's desperate for money."The other cleaning staff won't even look at me. Mrs. Rodriguez, who used to smile and share her homemade cookies, now treats me like I'm contaminated.I'm emptying trash behind the science building when Valerie appears out of nowhere, grabbing my arm so hard her nails pierce my skin."Ow!" I cry out, trying to twist away.She shoves me against the brick wall with surprising strength. My back screams on impact, but she keeps her grip on my arm, nails digging deeper."Finish dealing with that trash whore," Brittany calls from the corne

038

SHATTERED TRUST~KADE POV~{Playlist Suggestion: "Ghost" by Justice Crew}My knuckles are still bleeding from punching that vase.I flex my fingers, watching dried blood crack across split skin. Dad's threat echoes in my head: "Would you like me to pay a little visit to your new interest?"I should have left anyway. Should have walked out and damn the consequences.But I know what happens when people cross Warren Kingston. I have seen the news reports, the mysterious accidents, and the way problems simply disappear.I won't let Chelsea become another casualty of my father's control.My phone buzzes against the passenger seat. Knox again, probably checking if I'm planning to do something stupid.Too late for that.I pick up the phone, finger hovering over Chelsea's contact. We were supposed to meet after school. That was two hours ago.She's probably gone home. Probably thinks I stood her up like every other asshole in her life.The truth is worse. I'm sitting in my car like a coward b

039

GHOSTS AND ALMOST PROMISES{Playlist Suggestion: "Do You Better" by Rohan}~KADE POV~"Kade?" I turn from the reception desk, and there she is.Chelsea stands by the elevator bank, wearing denim shorts and an oversized sweater that swallows her frame. Her hair is pulled into a messy bun, strands escaping around her face.But it's her eyes that stop me cold. Red-rimmed, swollen. She's been crying for hours.I close the distance between us in three strides, examining every inch of her for injuries. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt?""I'm fine, I just....." She starts to explain, but I pull her into my arms before she can finish.She fights me at first, hands pushing against my chest. But my grip is strong, and after a few seconds, she collapses into me.The dam breaks.Chelsea sobs into my shoulder, her whole body shaking with the force of it. I hold her tighter, one hand stroking her hair, whispering whatever comfort I can think of."I'm here now. You're not alone. It's okay."Pe

040

CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains depictions of sexual assault, drug abuse, and emotional manipulation that may be triggering for some readers.UNSPOKEN THINGS~CHELSEA POV~{Playlist Suggestion: "Next" by Shaker, Cobra}My hands shake as I fumble with the key to our apartment door. The hallway reeks of stale cigarettes and broken dreams. Paint peels from the walls like dead skin. This place suffocates me more each day.Inside, silence greets me. Mom's probably passed out. Chase is at the hospital for his overnight observation. I'm alone with the echo of Kolt's voice in my head.My legs give out in the kitchen. I slide down the cabinet door, pulling my knees to my chest. The linoleum is cold against my back.The top cupboard calls to me. Mom's pills sit behind expired cereal boxes. Little white promises of numbness.I've been stealing them for months. Two here, three there. She never notices. Too busy counting her own escape routes.My fingers find the bottle. The pills rattle

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