Falling for my Enemy's Brother-Chapter 27: Morality of revenge

Louis met her gaze for a long moment, his expression unreadable, before he finally spoke, his voice colder than before.

"I don’t need to explain myself, Merlina. You know what happened to me. You know what Conor is capable of."

Merlina felt a flicker of doubt. Louis had been the one who had been wronged, but now, with the way he was speaking, she wasn’t sure if his desire for revenge had overtaken his need for justice.

"What I know," she said, her voice steady, "is that I don’t want this to be about getting even. I want it to be about finding out the truth about my mom."

Louis shifted uncomfortably, glancing away. Merlina’s words seemed to hit deeper than she had intended, but she couldn’t hold back now. She had to know what this was really about.

"I can’t promise you it’s not personal," he said after a long pause, his voice quieter, softer now, almost regretful. "But it’s not just about me. You know that."

Merlina nodded slowly, but a part of her wasn’t sure she believed him. She wanted to believe in his commitment to the truth, but something in his voice made her hesitate.

"Okay," she said quietly. "Then let’s focus on that. Let’s find out what really happened to my mom."

Louis didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he got up, pacing around the small living room. Merlina watched him, unsure of how to proceed. She had expected him to push back, to argue. But he didn’t. And that, in its own way, unsettled her.

Finally, he stopped and looked at her, his expression softening. "I don’t have proof that Conor was behind what happened to your mom. But what I do know is that Conor’s actions always have consequences. And people get hurt."

Merlina’s stomach tightened at the vulnerability in his voice. She could feel the weight of the emotion that hadn’t quite made it to the surface, like a pressure building inside him.

Without thinking, she shifted closer to him, her hand lightly brushing his. His eyes flickered to her, surprised, and for a moment, neither of them moved.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, not entirely sure what she was apologizing for—his pain, the things he’d been through, or the distance between them that had been there all this time.

Louis blinked and looked away, his jaw working as if he were trying to control his emotions. "You don’t have to apologize," he said, his voice thick now, a little raw. "It’s just... it’s a lot. And I don’t know how to keep pushing through it sometimes."

Merlina took a slow breath, then, without thinking, stood and reached out to him, pulling him into a brief hug. His body stiffened for a second, but then he relaxed, and she felt the tension leave him, even if only for a moment. freёnovelkiss.com

"I know," she murmured, her cheek resting gently against his chest. "I know it’s hard."

He hesitated before wrapping his arms around her, his grip tight, as if holding onto something fragile. For a long moment, neither of them spoke, just held on. It wasn’t the kind of hug that was about comfort—it was something more raw, a mutual understanding of the weight they were both carrying.

Eventually, Louis pulled away, wiping his eyes quickly as if trying to hide the brief moment of vulnerability. He cleared his throat, his voice steadier now. "I’m not doing this for me, Merlina. I’m doing this for you. I’ll help you find the truth. But I’m not going to lie—there’s a part of me that wants to tear them down."

She nodded, feeling a quiet resolve settle over her, a bond growing between them, forged in shared pain and an unspoken understanding. "We’ll figure it out. Together."

Louis gave a slight nod and gave her a half smile, though his eyes still held that intensity, the same quiet storm he’d been carrying all this time. "Yeah," he said softly, "together."

The late-morning sun sat lazily over campus, casting long golden shadows across the lawns. Merlina stepped out of the English Department building, balancing a dog-eared copy of The Bell Jar. A warm breeze ruffled the hem of her dress, and for the first time in days, there was a flicker of something close to normal.

Across the quad, a couple were tangled together behind the art building, kissing like the world was ending. Merlina smiled faintly, rolling her eyes. Campus was always its own chaotic theatre. Someone was arguing about Aristotle near the fountain. Two students were having a full-on break-up next to the vending machine.

She sat briefly on a bench under a tree, watching them all. For a moment, it felt like she was on the outside of something big and messy and human, but not unwelcome.

Then she stood and walked toward literature class.

That was when she saw Phoebe.

Phoebe had just come out of the Humanities wing, coffee in hand, oversized sunglasses doing nothing to hide her nerves. When she spotted Merlina, she paused, then made a beeline toward her.

Merlina slowed.

"Hey," Phoebe said.

Merlina raised an eyebrow. "Hey."

Phoebe bit her lip. "Can we talk? I owe you... I mean, I was really out of line."

Merlina looked at her for a moment before nodding slowly. "Okay. Talk."

Phoebe sighed. "I shouldn’t have said those things. I was upset, and I took it out on you. That was messed up. I know you’re going through something real and I didn’t make space for that. I’m sorry."

Merlina blinked. Phoebe rarely apologized so directly.

"I was trying to protect Keith, and I forgot you’re the one who actually needed protecting," Phoebe added, softer now. "I miss you, okay? Megan told me you applied for a room transfer."

Merlina looked at her, eyes glassy. "I did. I was mad."

"Please don’t go." Phoebe’s voice cracked. "Come back. I let my emotions get the best of me, and I hate that we fought."

"I hate it too, but your words were pretty clear. I don’t wanna be a burden..."

"Please, Merlina." She interrupted, "The room is weird without you. Too quiet. And cold. You keep the thermostat too high but I kind of miss that. I miss you."

Merlina gave a soft laugh, then wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie. "I miss you too, drama queen."

They stepped forward at the same time and wrapped each other in a tight hug, holding on like people who hadn’t had a real moment of peace in weeks.

Merlina laughed lightly and pulled her into a hug.

"Okay, truthfully... the transfer was rejected. It was too late in the semester. You were stuck with me either way."

They both burst into laughter, the tension breaking like a brittle shell. "So we’re just two dramatic messes pretending we have options."

"Come on," Merlina grinned. "Let’s grab coffee before class makes us hate everything again."

They strolled to the café near the Arts Building, and just as they reached the front steps, Megan appeared with two books clutched to her chest.

"Well, would you look at that," Megan said, smirking. "You two back on speaking terms?"

"Better," Phoebe said, nudging Merlina. "We’re on hug-and-overshare terms now."

Megan chuckled. "Took you both long enough."

They sat outside for a few minutes, just talking nonsense and complaining about assignments. It was light, easy. Normal.

Eventually, Phoebe checked her phone and groaned. "Ugh. I’m meeting Keith before his seminar. Megan, walk with me?"

Megan stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Sure."

They both looked at Merlina. "You good?"

"Yeah," she said, waving them off. "I’ll see you at lunch."

They disappeared down the path, and for a while, she just sat there, sipping what was left of her drink.

Then she stood up—and her vision swam.

Just a second.

Just a flutter.

She reached for the railing but missed, stumbling a bit. The coffee cup in her hand tilted, sloshing liquid down her arm and onto the ground with a muted splash.

From behind her, a voice broke the quiet.

"Careful."

She froze, mid-step.

Craig stood a few feet away, arms folded loosely, leaning against the brick wall like he’d been there the whole time. His eyes were watching her with an intensity she hadn’t expected, but his tone was lower, softer than usual.

Merlina blinked, regaining her footing. Her wrist stung from the coffee spill earlier, and she wiped it absently with a tissue, avoiding his gaze as she did. The silence between them felt heavy, yet it wasn’t awkward. She wasn’t sure how to explain it, but she had the strange sense that Craig was waiting for something. For her to speak, to make a move.

She didn’t.

Instead, she turned, stepping around him, her footfalls a little too loud in the stillness. She wasn’t ready for the emotional spiral that came with talking to Craig Lesnar.

But as she moved past him, he stepped away from the wall and asked, "Why were you at the guest house?"