Chapter 5 Blood Isn't Just DNA

Elise sat up slowly, the sheet tangled at her waist, skin still flushed, heart still fluttering from something that now felt like a mistake written in sweat and breath.

"I beg your pardon?"

She stared at him as if trying to decode a riddle in real time.

Leo stood at the foot of her bed, bare-chested, eyes steady.

"Adrien Laurent is my uncle," he repeated.

"And you're the woman who broke him."

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Her brain was racing and stalling at the same time.

"No. No, that's not possible."

"It is."

"He never mentioned you."

"He wouldn't."

The room suddenly felt smaller. Colder.

His hands-once so gentle-were now tight with tension. Not angry. Not accusatory. Just... braced.

Clutching the sheet tighter, she felt everything-her racing pulse, her bare skin, and the thick scent of sex hanging in the air.

" "Don't lie to me," she murmured, eyes locked on his, voice cool and firm.

Leo didn't hesitate.

He pulled his jeans on with slow, deliberate movements, as if each button was a confession. Rain tapped against the window, soft but insistent. Like it was listening in.

"I was raised by my mom," he said. "After my dad died, it was just us. She was already... fragile. I didn't understand it then, just knew that sometimes she'd forget who I was, or scream at shadows, or disappear into herself for days."

Elise swallowed hard, heart aching in her chest.

"Adrien was her brother. The golden child. Ivy League. Theater star. Everything is polished and perfect. He didn't come around much. When he did, he'd flash money like a savior. But he never stayed. Never called. Never helped when it actually mattered."

Leo's voice hardened, just slightly.

"She'd cry after he left. Every time. Said he made her feel invisible."

Elise was silent, staring at the man who, minutes ago, had whispered her name like it meant something.

"And you?" she asked.

He smiled, bitter. "I was just the weird kid in the corner. The one who talked to himself. The one teachers gave up on."

She flinched. " "You stayed silent this whole time?"

"All this time... and you never said a thing?"

Before-"

"When?" he cut in. "Before you kissed me? After I made you come in the costume closet?"

His words landed sharp. A punch to the chest.

She looked away.

He sighed, the anger draining almost instantly. "I'm sorry. That was low."

Elise didn't speak.

At the edge of the bed, Leo leaned forward, face hidden behind trembling fingers.

"I messed up. This wasn't what I intended," he whispered.

.

"Any of it. I didn't know you were... you. Not at first. But when I found out..."

He looked up, eyes raw. "I wanted you to want me. Me. Not the name I inherited."

She blinked, trying to reconcile the pieces.

Adrien Laurent-her ex-husband. The man who'd tried to destroy her after she left him.

Narcissist. Manipulator. Brilliant and cruel.

And Leo-this firestorm of a boy-was his nephew?

"He doesn't know," she whispered.

Leo shook his head. "Not yet."

She felt sick.

"I didn't want to be anything like him," he added quietly. "But now I'm sleeping with his ex-wife and spiraling in a scandal I didn't start, and maybe... maybe I am the villain."

Elise reached for him. Placed her palm against his back.

His skin was warm. Tense.

"You're not him," she whispered.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

He turned. Fast. And kissed her again.

It was messy. Desperate. Not like the first time.

This was about clinging.

About trying to feel human in a world that had made them both ghosts.

By morning, the studio was so chaotic .

Papers were flying. Students murmured in corners. There was a charge in the air-heavy, buzzing, and wrong..

Her assistant met her at the door, eyes wide. "Elise... we've got a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"The Times called. They're running a story. They want quotes. Background. It's about you and Leo."

Elise's blood turned to slush. "Who leaked it?"

Her assistant hesitated.

"Elise..."

"Say it."

"Adrien."

It hit like a punch.

Hard. Brutal.

"He sent in old photos, emails, some kind of contract about teaching conduct. I don't know how much they'll use, but..."

The girl trailed off.

Of course it was him.

This wasn't random.

This was Adrien, doing what he did best-destroying her from the shadows.

Elise left the building without a word. Rage singing in her veins.

She found Leo pacing outside the library. Hoodie up. Jaw clenched.

He saw her coming and stopped.

"It's him," she said, out of breath.

"Adrien?"

"He leaked everything. He's coming for both of us."

Leo didn't flinch.

"I figured."

"What do we do?"

His mouth curved-not a smile, but something close.

Something sharp.

"We give him something worth chasing."

That night, Elise posted a photo.

Not staged. Not glamorous. Not even flattering.

Just real.

Leo's hand resting on her bare thigh. Her smile hidden against his throat. Skin to skin. Quiet and loud all at once.

Caption:

"I don't regret it."

The internet cracked open.

Comments exploded.

Support. Judgment. Threats. Applause. Think pieces.

TikTok . Anonymous DMs.

Some praised her bravery.

Some called her a predator.

Some just wanted more photos.

But somewhere, somewhere in the back corner of all that noise, Adrien Laurent was watching.

Waiting.

Leo turned off his phone and tossed it across the room.

He locked the door.

Then took Elise in his arms like the world was ending.

"You know what you've done?" he whispered against her neck.

"Yes."

"Then don't stop now."

He pushed her onto the bed.

Their bodies fit again. Still.

Not frantic this time-but fierce.

This wasn't about shame. Or hiding.

This was about choosing.

Her.

Him.

Them.

Even if the world came crashing down tomorrow.

Hours later, Elise lay beside him, body aching in the best way. Her eyes were heavy, her fingers tangled in his.

And then-her phone buzzed.

Once.

She almost ignored it.

But the screen stays lit.

A private message.

No name.

No picture.

Just seven words:

"You seriously don't know who I am?"

"Not even a flicker of recognition?"

She froze.

Her throat closed.

The phone dropped from her hand, hitting the carpet as if gravity had doubled.

Leo noticed. Sat up. "Elise? What is it?"

She looked at him, pale.

"I think..."

Her voice cracked.

"I think this was never just about us."