Amorphous Love

By Victor Barber

When we fall in love with someone, we always want to be close to them and, most importantly, to be reciprocated. Iago's attention was drawn to the Moon, a young, innocent, and kind girl. But, unlike the other women around her, Lua never gave Iago a second look, which encouraged him and caused him to become lost in the sea of confusion that is falling in love.
Iago used pain to bring them together because he didn't know how to deal with someone as pure and good as Miss Lua. Hurting those we care about is not the proper way to express our emotions, but Iago will not give up his one and only chance to have the Moon for himself, even if he is the villain in this.

Love will have the great mission of showing the two young people that even the most beautiful rose has thorns in the midst of pain, manipulation, and obsession.
Please do not read if you are under the age of 18.
 All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Hoots
• Release date: Feb 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215234976

Book preview

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Table of contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Epilogue

Amorphous Love

Author: Victor Barber

Copyright ©2022

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including information storage and retrieval systems, except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews, without the written permission of the publisher.

All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks or trade names of their respective owners. I am not affiliated with any product or vendor in this book.

*Note: Please do not read if you are under the age of 18

All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

Chapter 1

Moon

I hold back the tears when I remember minutes ago and lock the door to my room.

__ You are strong, Lua – I murmur this sentence trying to keep myself in control. I look down at my skinny arms and swallow hard when I notice the red marks on my olive skin. I wipe the tears that escape my eyes and take a deep breath, swallowing once again the desire to fall apart. I grab my pajamas and underwear and head into the bathroom to shower. I take a few minutes and then I'm back in the room.

__ I bought dinner – I hear Luana's voice, my sister, and I just shake my head – I'm going out with Thiago and maybe I won't be back today.

Okay, I mutter and notice her gaze on my arms.

__ Did he hurt you again?

__ No, I just knocked on the school hallway door – I lie terribly, but Luana knows she won't get the truth out of me. She might know why I'm suffering more every day, but she doesn't care.

__ I must have some ointment - she says before leaving and I roll my eyes. I wait for confirmation that I'm alone and when I see Luana leaving on a motorcycle with Thiago, I go downstairs and dial the number of the clinic where my mother is admitted. She has many health problems and we are unable to afford the necessary expenses and care, so her former boss was very kind and paid her a clinic to take care of herself, but as nothing in this life is free, his son decided that I should pay the price in exchange for my mother being in a good and safe place.

Fortunately I manage to talk to a nurse and she gives me my mother's diagnosis and I'm relieved to hear that she's okay. I can't wait to see her, but I can't do this alone. The only way is to keep acting like a damn doll in Iago's hands so I can see my mother. But after today I doubt I'll be able to accomplish this feat so easily.

Iago, besides being the son of my mother's ex-boss, is a problem kid. Even though he's only twenty, he has an extremely complex and aggressive personality, and unfortunately I ended up in his hands. If I don't do what he wants, my mother will be left without the necessary treatment and I will never allow her to suffer, even more so when her well-being depends on me.

I am startled by the ringing of my cell phone and quickly pick it up. I snort when I see that Iago has sent me his homework for me to do.

__ Another sleepless night – I mutter and just reply with a brief Okay .

I always need to answer your messages and if I take more than two minutes and I don't have a plausible reason, that's one more day that I won't be able to see my mother.

My mind flashes back to years ago when I saw Iago for the first time and a chill runs down my spine. Even though my mother worked her whole life at his house, I saw him very few times before we went to the same school. I was always polite and kind to everyone, but Iago was never malleable to me and I have no idea why. And then when my mother got sick and had to be institutionalized, Iago came into my life at once and took it for himself.

It's been a year since I've been like a puppet in his hands and I can't open my mouth as the consequences will always be on my mother. Iago demands that I do his work and I can't be friends with anyone other than Ana, his younger sister. She's a nice person, but she's not allowed to bring up the subject of her brother. Then we can talk about everything but Iago's treatment of me.

It would be very simple to talk to his father and tell him what's going on, but I know how dangerous Iago is and I also remember the gun he has and he threatened to kill my mother if I opened my mouth to anyone. And since I know he's been arrested a few times, I don't want to run the risk of losing my mother, because Iago has the courage to do whatever he wants.

I go to the kitchen and heat up the food Luana bought. I eat and spend the rest of the night doing my and Iago's jobs. I look at the clock and it reads half past three in the morning. I lay my head down on the dining table and close my eyes not bothering to go to my bed. I'm tired, exhausted and I just need to close my eyes and try to rest.

I wake up with the ringing of the alarm and moan softly when I feel my back and neck hurt. Slowly I go upstairs to the bathroom and take a cold shower to wake up. Then I change and go down to the kitchen for coffee. I see a big bag from my favorite coffee shop and I know Iago sent it to me. He does this when I don't bother him for long days, but I'm surprised I get breakfast because yesterday he got mad at me for talking to a classmate about class. I got new marks on my arm.

After I feed, I grab my backpack and lock the house. I walk slowly to the school, which is a long fifteen minutes from where I live. I look at the watch on my wrist when I arrive and breathe a sigh of relief to see that I'm within the allowed time. I ignore the looks on me because I know that no one will bother me unless they want to mess with Iago. He's already made it clear to everyone at school that he alone has the right to harass me.

__ Hi – I repress a cry of fright and see Ana smiling.

__ You scared me - I say placing a hand on my chest and walk to my locker. I pick up my books, put my work away and freeze when I hear Angelica's voice, she's always by Iago's side and manages to be just as scary.

In my first few days here she quickly took me for a target, but suddenly she never spoke to me again, and I suppose Iago gave her some order. The two are seen as a couple as they are always together and Angélica pushes away any girl who approaches him.

__ Let's go out - Ana says holding my arm and guiding us to the classroom.

She knows how scared I am in Iago's presence and whenever I can avoid it, I do it without a second thought.

Chapter 2

Moon

My stomach freezes when I read Iago's message asking me to meet him in the janitor's office when he breaks, and he does in a few minutes.

__ Shall we spend lunch at the library? - Ana asks putting the materials in the bag and I sign.

__ I'll go to the bathroom first and then I'll meet you in the library - I try to sound convincing and almost faint when I hear the break ring.

Slowly and carefully I walk to the janitor's room and my body shivers feeling how cold it is here and there is no lighting either.

__ Iago? - I whisper and close my eyes when I feel a breath on my neck.

__ Where are the fucking jobs? – I mentally curse myself for forgetting to hand it in at the beginning of classes.

__ It's in my closet - I say quietly and hold my breath when Iago holds my arms tightly behind me and presses his mouth to my ear.

__ You are forbidden to call the clinic!

__ Iago...

__ Did I give you permission to speak? – he asks scaring me and I cry silently – And if you bother me again, forget about your mother for the rest of the years! – his hands squeeze me, hurting me and release me strongly making me stagger – From today you will do all my work – I just shake my head and wait for the moment for Iago to leave me alone, but this does not happen and I stare at my feet I feel vulnerable and weak.

__ No... - I whisper when Iago takes steps towards me and it annoys me when I hear him laugh softly. He knows how much he scares me and he still insists on getting closer.

__ Give me your cell phone! – I widen my eyes and automatically deny it, but I stop my movements and remain static – Give me the fucking cell phone! – he says between his teeth and squeezes my left wrist. I bite down on my bottom lip in a lot of pain, but reach for the electronic device in my pocket. Iago keeps it in his sweatshirt and I feel deeply sad knowing that I will spend countless days without being able to hear from my mother – Get out! – Iago says firmly and I quickly leave this horrible place.

Luckily the hallway is empty and that gives me time to recover. I stroke my sore wrist and walk to the library. I see Ana talking to a boy she has a crush on and I decide not to disturb her, so I sit farther away and stare at the wooden table. I smell different foods that I used to eat often, but today it is no longer part of my reality. I try my best to save every penny I earn so I can take care of my mother.

Luana doesn't care about knowing how mom is and she doesn't care about me, so even though we live together, we don't have a sisterly relationship. It's always been this way so I got used to it. My sister survives on the luxury she earns by dating rich men and I take the rest. When my mother was with us, I managed to have my things, but after she was admitted, everything ended. The little money I make is when I do some students' work or teach them.

I already tried to find a job, but besides being difficult due to my age, Iago forbade me to do that. I don't even like to remember the times he hurt and threatened me letting me know never to try to be independent. This sounds ridiculous, but Iago seems to want me to depend on him for everything. If I do whatever he wants and the way he wants, I can see my mother and I also get food, clothes, shoes and cosmetics. My sister knows about Iago, but like I said, she doesn't care.

__ Strange - I hear someone whisper behind me and only by the sickly sweet perfume, I know it's Angélica. I see her laugh and she gives me a snobby look and leaves the library. I roll my eyes and keep to myself until Ana notices me here. I smile at her and signal that it's okay for her to talk to the boy.

__ Moon? - I hear a male voice calling me and I see Muriel, one of the boys who pays me to do my school homework – I need to hand in my History and Sociology work on Monday. Can you help me? - he asks taking a seat in the chair in front of me and I nod. I take his notebook and see what the lessons are about and then I value him – Thanks, I'll pay you on Monday – he says smiling and I reciprocate without showing my teeth. I watch him walk away and I feel a chill run down my spine. I know what it is and I massage my head trying to ignore that Iago is watching me again.

Does he not have a life to take care of?

My body gets even more tense when I see him sit in the chair a few meters away from me and I understand that he is deliberately torturing me.

__ I bought it for you - Ana's voice catches my attention and I breathe a sigh of relief when she sits down next to me. I take the bottle of orange juice and smile thanking her – Do you want to go to the movies today?

__ I'd love to, but I won't be able to go - I mumble upset and Ana crosses her arms.

__ I'm inviting you