Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 1

Something heavy was pinning me down.

At first, I thought it was just the usual aftermath of a long night of drinking—the kind of exhaustion that made even breathing feel like a chore. My graduation party had been a blur of neon lights and pounding music, friends pressing drink after drink into my hand. I remembered laughing too loudly, spinning too fast, losing track of which glass belonged to me. I didn’t remember coming home.

But I always followed one rule.

No matter how wasted I was, I always returned to my own room.

This morning, though… everything felt wrong.

A deep, aching pain pulsed through every muscle. A stinging soreness crawled up my thighs, unfamiliar and terrifying. And on top of that—a weight pressed against my lower body, solid and unmoving, as if someone was draped over me.

My stomach twisted.

I groaned softly as I tried to shift, to push the heaviness away. My eyelids felt glued shut, my skull pounding with a brutal hangover. Still, I forced my lashes apart.

Just as the mattress dipped beside me. My eyes flew open. My breath stopped.

Someone else was in my bed.

A silhouette jolted upright at my noise—a body scrambling under the covers. My heart slammed against my ribs, panic slicing through the fog in my mind.

“What the…?” I rasped, my voice raw, my throat tight.

The figure turned.

And when the thin spill of morning light fell across his face—my world shattered.

It wasn’t just someone. It wasn’t just a stranger. It was Ashton Pierce.

My sister’s boyfriend. And like me… he was naked.

For one long, agonizing heartbeat, we just stared—wide-eyed, breathless, horrified. Confusion flickered in his eyes… then sharpened into pure fury. A hardened, icy glare that struck straight into my bones.

“What have you done, Cassidy Knowles?!” he snapped.

The accusation slammed into me. I flinched so hard the blanket slipped from my trembling hands. Fear, shame, confusion—everything collided at once, stealing my breath, stealing my words.

“I—I don’t—”

"What did you do?!”

Ashton’s hand shot out, clamping around my throat. His fingers dug into my skin, his face twisted with a fury so raw it looked like he might actually kill me.

“Ack—”

No air.

I clawed at his wrist, panic exploding in my chest as his grip tightened instead of loosening. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t speak.

“I… c-can’t… bre—” The words shattered into nothing. My lungs burned, vision blurring as I thrashed uselessly against him. He was too strong. My strength meant nothing against his rage.

Desperation took over. I drove my knee upward with everything I had.

“Shit!”

His grip broke instantly. He crouched back with a sharp hiss of pain, one hand dropping to his side. I didn’t even know where I’d hit him—only that it was enough.

I coughed and gasped violently.

“Ack—ahck—” Each breath came jagged and painful, my chest heaving as I sucked in air like I’d been drowning.

Ashton straightened, eyes blazing as he stared at me—cold and murderous.

“I… did… nothing…” I forced the words out between ragged breaths, my voice hoarse, my throat on fire.

The door burst open before I could say another word.

“Cassidy Knowles! YOU BITCH!”

Aunt Rima stormed inside, her face twisted with rage. In two strides she was on me—her hand flying before I could even raise my arms.

The slap cracked across my cheek. Then another. And another.

“HOW DARE YOU DO THIS?!”

“Argh—Auntie—!” I gasped as pain erupted across my face and scalp. She grabbed a handful of my already messy hair and yanked—hard—sending violent sparks exploding behind my eyes.

“Please—stop—!” I curled into myself, clutching the blanket desperately against my chest, trying to shield my nakedness and my skin from her blows. But she didn’t stop. Her rage only grew uglier.

“You shameless girl!” she spat, jerking my hair again. I cried out as my scalp burned like it was being torn open.

“You never fail to shame this family, Cassidy!”

My father’s voice thundered from the doorway.

Cold. Disgusted. Final.

“Sleeping with your sister’s boyfriend?!”

“Dad—please—I…” I reached toward him, shaking, frightened, begging. But Aunt Rima’s grip dragged me backward again, ripping another cry from my throat.

Then a small, broken voice cut through everything.

“What reason do you have now, Cassie?”

I looked up.

Mirriam. My half sister. My golden, perfect, untouchable sister.

Tears spilled freely down her cheeks as she stared at me like she didn’t recognize me—like I was something rotten, something vile.

“What reason do you have for sleeping with my boyfriend?” she whispered, her voice shattering.

“I—I didn’t—Mirriam, I swear—I don’t remember—”

But then Ashton’s voice cut through the chaos.

“Mirriam… I was drugged.”

He staggered to his feet, and my breath caught when I saw his exposed skin marked with scattered, angry red kiss marks. My marks—

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