Nemesis

CONTENTS Author’s Note Playlist Prologue 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 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Epilogue Epilogue THANK YOU FOR READING! JOIN SERAYA’S WARRIORS! Acknowledgments About the Author Copyright © 2023 by SeRaya All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission of the author, except where permitted by law or for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, events, organizations, and businesses portrayed in the novel are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Published by SeRaya Edited by Emily A. Lawrence (Lawrence Editing) Cover by Cat (TRC Designs) Interior Formatting by Sam Lynn To those who are constantly pushed to fit into the mold of expectations and responsibilities put on them. It’s okay to put yourself first and do something that brings you happiness. AUTHOR’S NOTE Readers discretion advised. Nemesis is a dark, contemporary romance and contains strong language, sexually explicit scenes, and other dark themes that may be triggering to some. It is my hope that I’ve handled these with the care they deserve. Although I believe it’s best to go in blind, it is important for me to make sure you have all the information you need before diving in. You can find a list of detailed triggers on authorseraya.com PLAYLIST Track 1: Déjà Vu by James Arthur Track 2: Slowly by JON VINYL Track 3: Face Down by Vedo, OG Parker Track 4: The Beginning by WAR*HALL Track 5: Carry Me by Tayc Track 6: Butter by Devon Culture Track 7: Blood in the Water by Joanna Jones as The Dame Track 8: Belong to You by Sabrina Claudio (ft. 6LACK) Track 9: Bghit W Ga3ma 7assit by Zouhair Bahaoui Track 10: Mount Everest by Labrinth Track 11: Play with Fire by Sam Tinnesz (ft. Yacht Money) Track 12: That’s How It Goes by Zoe Wees (ft. 6LACK) Track 13: Hrs & Hrs by Muni Long Track 14: You Put A Spell On Me by Austin Giorgio Track 15: Vigilante Shit by Taylor Swift Track 16: you should see in me in a crown by Billie Eilish Track 17: Waiting Game by BANKS Track 18: Addicted by JON VINYL Track 19: Put On Repeat by Sabrina Claudio Track 20: Love You Like Me by William Singe PROLOGUE SOFIA I’d always found it fascinating that life could lead you one way and then turn on its axis the next, completely changing its trajectory. Like here I was, just shy of my twentieth birthday, visiting my parents after a year abroad for college, when, just like that, my life changed completely. Fragments of bullets shaping where it went next. They say there are five stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. Mine only encompassed one. Revenge. He stripped me of everything I had and I would be back to end him. Patience was a virtue and I’d waited seven years to avenge their deaths. The promise of blood, chaos, and revenge filled the air, wrapping around my body in a tight grip while I watched him from afar. Click. Click. Click. CHAPTER 1 SOFIA Gasping for air, I jolted awake, bolting upright. Terror seized my veins as I frantically pressed my palms over that side as though it would somehow prevent what happened next. But of course it didn't. The end result never changed. A gunshot. Followed by piercing pain. Blood. So much fucking blood coating my front and pooling underneath my body, life seeping through the veil separating me from reality. Utter stillness warping my senses before everything went dark. Seven years. Eighty-four months. Two thousand five hundred and fifty-six days. And yet, I could still clearly see the gun pressed to my father’s head. My mother begging for mercy as a bullet shredded my father’s skull. My mother pleading for him to spare us. But none of it mattered. He certainly didn’t give a shit. He just shut her up, gifting her the same fate my father faced. You would expect the person executing your family to look like a movie villain, a sneer decorating their scarred face. But the man who stared me right in the eyes before pulling the trigger looked as normal as they came. He didn't even bother to shield his identity because he wasn't expecting anyone to survive him. My body was drenched in sweat, the thin material of my shirt matted to my heaving chest, my breathing ragged. I threw my legs off the side of the couch and ran a hand through my tangled curls. “Fuck,” I breathed out, allowing my eyes to adjust to my surroundings. My eyes roamed around me, the dim glow from the TV unveiling that I was in a different living room. Relief washed over me when I realized I was in my run-down apartment and not where I once called home. He even ruined the word home for me because now, every time I thought of home, all I could picture was crimson painting the floor, fragments of brain decorating the family photos hanging on the wall. Shaking my head from the memory, I reached over and grabbed my phone, glancing at the time: 4:00 a.m. These nightmares were a regular occurrence, and you would think that after seven years,