Shadows Of Desire

Chapter 8

Leandra Moreno

After my mom leaves, I enter the bathroom and undo the robe wrapped around my body. I look my reflection in the long mirror, running my hands down my curves that my mother so despises.

I run the shower and let it heat up, inspecting my body trying to understand the flaws my mother finds. 

Why does everything have to be so damn complicated?

Why does she expect so much from me?

I step a foot in the shower, the steam quickly filling the bathroom like a warm embrace. As the warm water slides down my skin. The tension in my muscles start to ease up a bit, the knots slowly unravelling as I let the heat do it's work. 

But the knots in my mind? That would be a lot more work.

I lean my head back, letting the water roll down my hair, soaking every strand. 

My mind runs in circles around everything that's happened over the past few days. The elevator incident with Zade, the relentless criticism from my mother, the suffocating expectations—it all swirls in my mind, refusing to let go.

My mother's words echo in my head, her sharp voice cutting through the steam like a blade. "You need to slim down, Leandra. That dress will never fit properly unless you do." I can almost see her standing in the corner of the shower, arms crossed, eyes narrowed in that disapproving way of hers. It's as if she's always there, lurking in the back of my mind, a constant reminder of everything I'm not.

And then there's Zade. That infuriating, arrogant ass. My fists clench at the thought of him, the memory of his hands on my neck still fresh in my mind. But it's not just anger that rises to the surface. It's something deeper, something I don't want to admit even to myself.

Fuck him. I grit my teeth, the water now scorching against my skin, a perfect match for the heat in my veins. Fuck him for making me feel like this. Fuck him for getting under my skin.

But beneath the anger, there's a flicker of something else—a pull, a magnetic force that I can't quite shake. It's like standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing that one step could send me plummeting into something I'm not sure I can control. But what's worse is knowing that some twisted part of me wants to take that step.

Get a grip Leandra. You don't need him, You don't need anyone.

I scrub my skin harder, as if trying to wash away the confusion and the conflicted feelings. The soap lathers up, sliding down my body in thick, white steamlets, but no amount of scrubbing can erase the mess in my head.

As I rinse off, I close my eyes, trying to center myself. 

Focus, Leandra. You have a mission. You're going to take down Eduardo. And you're going to do it on your terms. No one else's. Not your mother's, not Zade's. Yours.

Are you sure you can do this alone?

Fuck you, fuck everything,

I turn off the water with a sharp twist, the sudden silence almost...disturbing. I step out of the shower, the cool air hitting my skin like a slap, grounding me back to reality. Wrapping a towel around myself, I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. My hair hangs in wet strands around my face, my eyes sharp, determined, but with a flicker of something else—something I can't quite place.

You're stronger than this, You've always been stronger.

But just as I'm about to turn away, I hear a sound...it's faint but distinct, coming from the living room. I sudden rush of adrenaline courses through me. I wasn't expecting anyone and I sure as hell wasn't in the mood for visitors.