He was her brother's best friend. They were inseparable once, until life and distance pulled them apart. Now, after years of silence, fate reunites Renee Russel and Lando Norris.
Renee, a budding singer-songwriter, navigates the dazzling world of mu...
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CHAPTER 21
Ultraviolence
"He hit me and it felt like a kiss"
Renee sat curled up on Abel's leather couch, staring at her phone with a growing sense of dread. The house was unnervingly quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioning, and the weight of the silence felt suffocating. Abel had stepped out for a while, giving her some much-needed space. Or so she thought.
She opened her Messages app again, scrolling through the near-empty inbox. It hit her like a brick wall—there were no texts from Billie, no group chat notifications, no casual updates from anyone she cared about. A cold chill ran down her spine as she swiped through her contacts. Most of her friends' numbers were gone, replaced with blank names she didn't recognize.
Her heart sank. Abel.
Of course, it was him. His subtle, calculated moves had been chipping away at her autonomy for months now. Blocking her friends, deleting her contacts, isolating her under the guise of "protecting her."
But she wasn't completely cut off. Her screen lit up with a notification from an unknown number. The text simply read:
+44 7896 325144 Hey, Renee. It's George. Please don't block me. I just want to know if you're okay.
Her stomach twisted. George.
The last time she'd spoken to her brother, their words had been sharp and cruel, leaving wounds that hadn't quite healed. But now, seeing his name—or at least his words—on her phone made her feel something she hadn't in weeks. Maybe months.
A spark of hope.
She hesitated, her thumb hovering over the screen. She tapped out a reply, her fingers trembling slightly.
Renee How did you get this number?
The reply came almost immediately.
George That's not important. What's important is that you're okay. Are you?
She stared at his words, biting her bottom lip. Was she okay? The truth felt too messy, too fragile to put into words.
