The moment Noah Miller removed the sleep mask, the first thing he saw was Evelyn Miller's gentle, breathtaking smile. Bright afternoon light filtered through the narrow gaps in the curtains, illuminating her fair, stunning face. She looked impossibly beautiful.
"Sis, are you done?"
"If Nate isn't satisfied yet, your sister wouldn't mind biting you a few more times." Evelyn licked her lips, her smile turning playful yet possessive.
Noah glanced down at his shoulder. The teeth marks stood out angrily, still throbbing with a faint, lingering sting. He reached for his shirt on the edge of the bed and pulled it back on.
"Can I leave now?"
"Leave? Where to? You have no classes this afternoon anyway. Why not stay here and keep your sister company?" She reached out and lightly traced the marks on his neck, the corners of her peach-blossom eyes lifting slightly. "Looking like this, Nate, do you really think you can go out and see people?"
"But…" He met her beautiful eyes with a lost, innocent expression and swallowed hard, a fresh wave of unease rising inside him.
He had apologized only because Evelyn was his sister and he was supposed to back down. As for the root of their argument, Noah still didn't believe he had been wrong. According to the values she herself had instilled in him over the years, she was the one who had crossed the line.
Besides, those principles were the very ones his sister had taught him.
"Come lie down with your sister for a while longer." She stroked his head tenderly, then lay on her side and patted the space in front of her. "Your sister is tired too. Lie down properly. Be good."
Noah had no choice but to obey. He lay down with his back to her. Soon her soft, cool body pressed against him from behind, arms wrapping around his frame.
"Were you really not scared at all earlier?"
"I was… It hurt a lot."
"Your sister made it very clear, didn't she? You are never allowed to call her by her full name."
"I… I was just really angry at the time. Sis, I still want to know why." Noah kept his voice low, still tense.
"That's not something for you to ask about, Nate." Evelyn whispered softly against his ear, as if teaching a small, clueless child. "All you need to do is listen to your sister."
"But, sis… do you ever make mistakes?"
"Then tell me, Nate—which matters more? Being right or wrong, or obeying your sister's orders?"
Noah fell silent. He didn't want to lie to Evelyn, but he also didn't want to blindly follow some of her more extreme and unreasonable demands.
He had his own sense of right and wrong. If they clashed again in the future, he would probably… still try to resist.
He opened his mouth, searching for words that might satisfy her, but she spoke first, breaking the quiet. "No need to answer right away, Nate. Just sleep for now."
After all… your sister won't give you a real choice anyway.
"Mmm…"
Noah was still drowsy. He had barely fallen asleep earlier before Evelyn's bites had jolted him awake. Exhausted, his eyes soon drifted shut again, and he sank into deep sleep.
Outside the window, the warm sun climbed higher before slowly descending toward the west. Class bells rang across campus in steady rhythm while the savory scent of food from the dining hall drifted through the air.
By the time dusk approached, Noah gradually woke. A faint, sweet fragrance lingered near his nose. Without opening his eyes, he mumbled, "Sis, your blanket is so soft."
"Little dummy, that's your sister's chest."
He jerked his head away instantly. A shy flush spread up from his neck as he avoided her gaze. "S-sorry… I didn't realize."
"You already did it. Do you think apologizing now helps, Nate?" Evelyn's lips curved in amusement as she watched the redness on his face. "Also, you were lying on my hair."
Noah quickly shifted, creating distance, and sat up straight. "I didn't mean to."
"So when you fell asleep, you held your sister tight and kept burying your face in her chest on purpose? You even drooled."
A small dark wet patch was clearly visible on the front of Evelyn's white blouse, right over the soft swell of her breasts. The fabric clung to her curves, hinting at the fair, smooth skin and the color of her bra beneath the gaps between buttons.
"I… I didn't know. I was asleep."
"So being asleep gives you permission to take advantage of your sister? Hm?"
"I'm sorry. Sis, you can punish me."
"Good. Remember, you said that yourself." She stood and leaned in close until their foreheads touched. "Then your punishment is this: from now on, you're not allowed to touch any other girls. You can only be close with your sister. Commit that to memory, Nate."
"Sis… okay. I'll listen."
"Such a good boy." Evelyn ran her fingers through his messy dark hair. "You'll stay here tonight. With those marks, you can't go out and see anyone anyway."
Noah looked down. The bite marks on his shoulders were still vivid, and there were probably more on his neck. His collar definitely wouldn't hide them.
Evelyn left the room and headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Noah straightened his clothes, walked out onto the small balcony, and let the evening breeze wash over him as he gazed at Loane City bathed in sunset.
Tall black skyscrapers pierced the sky. Wide streets bustled with heavy traffic, neon lights already beginning to flicker. This vibrant energy was something his small hometown could never match—the kind of prosperity that drew countless young people in.
He and Evelyn had survived the darkest period of their lives. Through years of hard work and study, they had earned their place in this thriving world. From student to professor, his sister truly was remarkable, and she had raised him well.
Yet a vague, sourceless fear still clung to his nerves like a parasite. He didn't even know what he was afraid of. He simply couldn't relax, as though some ominous warning was ringing in his mind, telling him that disaster was coming.
He could only hope he was worrying over nothing.
A warm, soft body suddenly wrapped around him from behind. Evelyn's arms circled his neck as she whispered gently against his ear, "Dinner's ready, Nate. What are you looking at?"
"Just looking at the city below us. Don't you think it's beautiful, sis?"
Evelyn lifted her gaze toward the distant horizon. The golden afterglow painted the skyscrapers in brilliant hues. Day was giving way to night, light and shadow shifting as daylight neared its end.
The twilight scenery was stunning—streaks of sunset and fiery clouds blending together while lights began to glow in thousands of windows. Evelyn had always loved dusk. Sunset meant night was approaching, and with it came darkness. Long ago, only after the sky turned black could that dirty little girl finally rest.
Only at night could she be held in a woman's arms, lying on a soft, warm pile of hay, staring up at the stars and dreaming of happiness, of love and being loved.
But that little girl was dead now. All that remained was a twisted, obsessive madwoman who would do anything—absolutely anything—to possess the one she loved.
"It's beautiful," she said softly. "But it's too fleeting. Let's go inside, Nate. It's getting dark."
"I want to watch a little longer. You can eat first, sis."
"Be good." Evelyn gently nipped his earlobe. "You're wearing so little—you'll catch a cold. And the food will get cold soon."