All Chapters of Bright Moon Clouded by Storms: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

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 unt

Chapter 2

I froze for a heartbeat, then quickly bent down to retrieve the chain.Astrid eyed it hungrily. "Oh, Octavia, I've never fallen in love with a piece of jewelry so quickly. Why don't you let me have it as a wedding gift for Barrett and me? Don't worry, I won't take it for nothing. I'll give you ten luxury bracelets in return."I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Miss Harrington, but this bracelet is irreplaceable to me."Barrett had bought it for me on his first trip abroad, saying, "Octavia, you deserve the best things in the world."I treasured it and wore it every day.Astrid sighed, turning to Barrett. "Barrett, I really love it."Barrett looked at me with a blank expression. "Let Astrid have it. I'll give you a check later so you can buy whatever you want."I stared at him in disbelief. He knew exactly how much that bracelet meant to me. Yet, without a second of hesitation, he was forcing me to surrender it just to appease Astrid.When I stayed silent, a flash of cold impatience c

Chapter 3

A cruel smile flashed across Astrid's face. "Who do you think Barrett cares about? A useless, broken burden like you... or me?"Before the words fully left her lips, she shoved the back of my wheelchair. The seat tipped, throwing me violently onto the rough, splintered wood of the pier.In the same breath, she let out a dramatic shriek and threw herself onto the ground right beside me."Octavia, please!" Astrid sobbed hysterically. "I'll call off the wedding! I won't marry Barrett if it makes you this angry. Just please, don't hurt me."Barrett sprinted back at the noise, terrifying rage flashing in his eyes."Octavia! What is wrong with you?" he roared, ignoring me on the ground as he swept Astrid up into his arms. "She was only trying to help you! How could you be this malicious?"Astrid buried her face in his chest, trembling on cue. "Barrett, please don't be angry with her. She just cares about you so much. She got carried away and tried to break my legs."Barrett's face con

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

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

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

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

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

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

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP