Chapters tagged stepsister

by Levantin

Chapter 48

The apartment door swung open, and Loona stepped inside with swift strides. “Nadja! So great you’re already here,” she called out in high spirits, slipping off her jacket and walking toward us with an open, genuine smile. Passing by, she draped an arm warmly around my shoulders....

by Levantin

Chapter 49

The scent of roasted garlic and fresh rosemary drifted through the kitchen, punctuated by the steady, rhythmic chop of my knife against the wooden board. The cutting board sat at a meticulous right angle to the kitchen island's edge, positioned just as Loona wanted it. "Thinner,...

by Levantin

Chapter 65

The final weeks before graduation passed in a suffocating, seamless routine. Daily life in the period apartment ran like clockwork, its tempo dictated entirely by Loona. Every morning her silent wake-up call tore me from sleep: out of bed by five-thirty, icy water splashed acros...

by Levantin

Chapter 67

The cordless drill sat heavy in my grip, the high-pitched whine of the motor echoing off the bare walls. The white plastic casing of the first camera was anchored firmly above the frame of the hallway door. Sweat traced down from my temples, gathering along the lower rims of my...

by Levantin

Chapter 68

She sat in the armchair, one leg draped casually over the other, tracing the tip of her foot across my lower lip until my mouth parted on its own. Loona slid her toes inside—slow, unmistakable—letting them rest there as naturally as if this space belonged to her, just like every...

by Levantin

Chapter 81

The sharp click of Vanessa’s heels against the hardwood signaled our undoing before the front door had even swung shut behind us. With a deep, released groan, she kicked the expensive pumps from her feet, tossed her handbag onto the console table, and strolled into the living roo...

by Levantin

Chapter 94

The pale autumn light creeping through the curtains woke me. For the first time in weeks, waking up wasn't a sudden jolt of numb suffocation. No cold stainless steel biting mercilessly into my pubic bone at the first involuntary morning shift. The loose cotton rested easily on m...

by Levantin

Chapter 102

The next two hours on the sofa stretched out like thick, amber syrup. The drinks ran low, the bass from the speakers sank deeper into the upholstery, and the conversations drifted into that smoky, unfiltered late-night murmur. Loona and Timo had drawn close together. She sat ang...

by Levantin

Chapter 129

Vanessa set her champagne glass down on the coffee table with a delicate, sharp clink. Her gaze lingered on the exposed lace trim for a fraction of a second longer before drifting up toward Loona with an amused, imperious detachment. "You know what, darling?" she mused, smoothin...

by Levantin

Chapter 139

I charged up the stairs of the apartment building two at a time, my breath coming in ragged bursts. Beneath my jeans, the cold steel cylinder chafed against my sensitive groin with every single stride; the small padlock knocked dull under the heavy denim. The academic safe zone w...

by Levantin

Chapter 153

The ward rounds on Station 14 dragged on like stiff rubber. Every time I leaned over a hospital bed to inspect a surgical drain or check a pulse, my freshly sealed nails caught the glare of the fluorescent lighting. I could feel Mira’s amused, probing gaze boring into my back. Th...

by Levantin

Chapter 158

After the miniature padlock snapped shut with a dry, merciless click, absolute silence hung in the room for several long breaths. I remained kneeling on the hard parquet by the edge of the bed, hands clasped behind my back, knees numb and heavy. My thighs and scrotum still burne...

by Levantin

Chapter 161

The door to her room stood open only a sliver. When I entered, Loona was lying on her bed, nestled deep into the pillows, while the muted, amber glow of the bedside lamp cast soft shadows across her features. Her silk robe had fallen wide open in front; beneath it, she wore littl...

by Levantin

Chapter 163

The crisp Berlin autumn air cut into my face like a blade as I pushed through the heavy revolving doors of the south exit onto the pavement. My shirt clung damp to my back, my heart still hammering against my ribs like a trapped animal. The pressure of Mira’s hip, the hard jolt o...

by Levantin

Chapter 164

The drive back to Steglitz felt like a blur between unraveling inside and clinging to a fragile sense of comfort. While still in the parking garage at Tauentzien, Loona steered the car into a quiet corner bay, cut the engine, and engaged the central locking. I sat in the passeng...

by Levantin

Chapter 165

Saturday morning did not begin with coffee, but with a sentence that left no room for escape. I had barely stepped into the hallway, still in my sweatshirt, jeans pulled over the sheer stockings and the burning thread, when Loona emerged from the bathroom. She wore her silk robe...

by Levantin

Chapter 166

Sunday morning crept through the tall pre-war windows of the Steglitz apartment with unsparing brightness. Every step across the parquet burned as a dull reminder in my flesh: the welts across my thighs smarted beneath the soft sweatpants, while the steel housing in front presse...

by Levantin

Chapter 168

The U-Bahn ride to Charlottenburg passed in heavy silence. Beneath the denim of my trousers, the stay-up stockings chafed relentlessly against the raw welts from the weekend, and with every sway of the carriage, the steel ring bit deeper into my pelvis. I fully anticipated the us...

by Levantin

Chapter 169

The regional express to Brandenburg hummed steadily over the tracks. Outside, the sparse pine forests of the Mark Brandenburg drifted past in the grey afternoon light; inside, the soft murmur of the air conditioning muffled the rhythmic clatter of the wheels. We sat across from...

by Levantin

Chapter 170

Every step across the runner of the hotel corridor was a mechanical lesson in self-restraint. Beneath the fine wool of my pleated trousers, the lace trim chafed against my thighs, while the silicone bands of the stay-up stockings bit relentlessly into the raw, feverish welts. The...