Twisted desire

Chapter 10

The next morning felt wrong from the

moment Luna opened her eyes.

Too quiet.

Too still.

Like the house was holding its breath.

She barely slept after what happened

the night before. Every time she closed

her eyes, she saw Richard standing in

the doorway watching her and Hamilton

together.

Calm.

Smiling.

That was the part she could not stop

thinking about.

Because he should have been angry.

Any normal father would have been

furious.

But Richard had simply walked away.

And somehow, that terrified her more.

Luna forced herself out of bed slowly

and got dressed, though her stomach

twisted tighter with every passing

minute.

Something was coming.

She could feel it.

When she entered the dining room,

everyone was already there.

Her mother smiled immediately.

“There you are.”

Luna forced a small smile back.

“Morning.”

Hamilton sat quietly near the end of the

table, looking exhausted.

Richard looked perfectly composed.

Of course he did.

His eyes lifted to Luna the moment she

sat down.

And then—

He smiled.

Warmly.

Too warmly.

“You look beautiful this morning.”

Luna froze slightly.

Across the table, Hamilton’s expression

darkened instantly.

Her mother laughed softly.

“Richard, you are going to embarrass

her.”

“I am only being honest.”

His eyes never left Luna.

The air suddenly felt too heavy.

“Thank you,” Luna said carefully.

Hamilton pushed his coffee cup down

harder than necessary.

The sound echoed sharply through the

room.

Everyone looked at him.

“Something wrong?” Richard asked

calmly.

Hamilton leaned back slightly.

“No.”

But his tone said otherwise.

Luna could feel the tension building

again.

Slowly.

Dangerously.

And Richard seemed to enjoy it.

That was the worst part.

He looked completely relaxed while

Hamilton looked one second away from

losing control.

The rest of the day only got worse.

Richard suddenly wanted Luna involved

in everything.

Lunch in his office.

A walk through the gardens.

Conversations about her future.

Her interests.

Her plans.

It was too much.

Too personal.

Too intentional.

And every single time Hamilton

appeared, Richard became even more

attentive toward her.

Like he was trying to prove something.

Or claim something.

By evening, Luna felt suffocated.

She stood alone near one of the upstairs

windows, trying to breathe through the

pressure building in her chest.

“This is insane,” she whispered.

“You finally figured that out?”

She turned quickly.

Hamilton stood behind her.

His expression looked darker than usual

tonight.

Angrier.

“You have been avoiding me all day,”

Luna said quietly.

“Because he keeps following you.”

“He is not following me.”

Hamilton let out a sharp laugh.

“You really want to believe that?”

Luna frowned.

“What is your problem?”

“My problem?” he repeated softly.

Then he stepped closer.

Too close.

“My problem is that he is getting worse.”

The seriousness in his voice made her

chest tighten.

Luna looked away briefly.

“He has not done anything.”

“Yet.”

The word landed heavily between them.

Hamilton ran a frustrated hand through

his hair.

“You should not be alone with him

anymore.”

“I cannot avoid him forever.”

“You can try.”

Luna looked back at him.

“And what exactly am I supposed to do?

Lock myself in my room?”

“If that keeps you safe, yes.”

The answer came too fast.

Too honestly.

Luna stared at him.

“You really care that much?”

The moment the question left her

mouth, the atmosphere changed.

Hamilton went still.

His eyes locked onto hers.

And suddenly the space between them

felt too small.

Too charged.

Luna’s heartbeat sped up.

Neither of them moved.

Then quietly—

“Yes.”

The word barely sounded above a

whisper.

But it hit her harder than anything else

he had ever said.

Luna swallowed softly.

“Hamilton…”

He stepped even closer.

Close enough that she could feel his

breathing now.

“You need to stop looking at me like

that,” he said quietly.

Her chest tightened.

“Like what?”

“Like you already know.”

The tension between them became

unbearable.

Luna’s eyes dropped briefly to his lips

before she could stop herself.

Hamilton noticed.

Of course he noticed.

His jaw tightened slightly.

And for one dangerous second—

It looked like he might kiss her.

A sudden knock shattered the moment

instantly.

Both of them stepped apart quickly.

Luna’s heart pounded violently as the

bedroom door opened.

Her mother walked in smiling.

“There you are,” she said brightly before

stopping.

Her eyes moved between them.

The tension in the room was impossible

to miss.

“Oh.”

Silence.

Luna felt heat rush to her face.

Hamilton looked completely unreadable

again.

Her mother laughed awkwardly.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“No,” Hamilton answered immediately.

Too quickly.

Her mother looked unconvinced.

But before she could say anything else—

Another voice spoke from the doorway

behind her.

“I thought I heard voices.”

Richard.

Luna’s stomach dropped instantly.

He stood there calmly, one hand resting

against the doorframe.

Watching all of them.

Watching her.

The room suddenly felt suffocating.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

Then slowly, Richard smiled.

“Family dinner is ready.”

His gaze lingered on Luna for one

second.

Then shifted to Hamilton.

And something cold passed silently

between father and son.

Something dangerous.

Luna felt it immediately.

Her mother did not.

“Perfect timing,” she said cheerfully,

completely unaware of the tension.

But Luna noticed the way Hamilton’s

hands curled into fists at his sides.

And she noticed the way Richard kept

smiling.

Like he knew something nobody else

did.

Dinner felt like walking through a

minefield.

Every sound seemed louder.

Every glance felt loaded.

Luna barely touched her food.

Richard looked relaxed as ever while

discussing business calls and travel plans

with her mother.

Hamilton remained silent.

Cold.

The tension between them sat heavily at

the table.

Then suddenly—

Richard placed his fork down carefully.

“Secrets,” he said calmly, “have a way of

destroying families.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

Luna stopped breathing.

Hamilton’s jaw tightened instantly.

Her mother looked confused.

“What a strange thing to say,” she

laughed nervously.

Richard smiled softly.

“Is it?”

His eyes moved briefly to Luna.

Then to Hamilton.

And back again.

The message was clear.

He knew.

Maybe not everything.

But enough.

Luna’s appetite disappeared completely.

The rest of dinner passed painfully

slowly after that.

And by the time it finally ended, Luna

felt emotionally exhausted.

Later that night, she returned to her

room quietly and closed the door

behind

her.

The silence felt overwhelming.

She leaned back against the door and

exhaled shakily.

Then froze.

Something was sitting on her bed.

Luna’s heartbeat stopped.

Slowly, she stepped closer.

It was a photograph.

One of the old photographs from

Richard’s office.

The same girl.

The same forced smile.

Summer of 2018.

Luna’s hands trembled as she picked it

up.

And underneath it—

A note.

Three words written neatly in black ink.

“I know everything.”