webnovel

Retrace

Author: Sigal Ehrlich
Urban
Completed · 14.5K Views
  • 50 Chs
    Content
  • ratings
  • NO.200+
    SUPPORT
Synopsis

A former FBI agent. A Brazilian dancer. Two souls haunted by ghosts of their past. One looking for retribution, the other for atonement. Both seeking solace. A solitary existence is all they know, until fate brings them together. Mutual attraction leads to the perfect pact that will keep them safe. No commitment, just friendship and sex. But nothing in life is risk free. When suppressed emotions emerge, a seemingly impossible decision has to be made. Do they fight their growing feelings or retrace their lives back to where wounded hearts can be broken once more? Retrace is created by S. Ehrlich, an eGlobal Creative Publishing Signed Author.

Chapter 1Chapter 1

Prologue

Reeves

~3 years ago, somewhere near Lake Erie, Ohio

My heart drums in my ears, beating fast and hard. I'm poised. My face reveals nothing. No stress, no panic, not so much as a twitch of a muscle or a bead of sweat. I do this thing I've mastered throughout the years. I hold my eyes cold and calculated - they tell nothing. I look at the dark, bearded man before me square in the eyes, waiting. No matter what, I cannot blow my cover. We, that is, Ben-who's sitting on the sofa opposite me-and I can't reveal our cover no matter what the cost. I inwardly repeat: there are thousands of lives on the line.

"Did you think you could pull it off? " the man asks. He has a deep scar across his prickled cheek and he holds a semi-automatic at my best friend Ben's temple. "We are onto you, you son of a bitch. " He grits his teeth and kicks Ben full in the ribs.

Ben groans and my gut wrenches viciously. We manage to exchange a concealed glance between us, a flit of a glance that says so much, a look that feels more like a goodbye. I take inner deep breaths and summon every bit of willpower I have to stay still. A strong intuition brews within me. Something terrible is about to happen. My entire body throbs with dread. And there's absolutely nothing I can fucking do. Nothing! At the back of our minds, Ben and I have always known that something like this could happen to either of us, if not both of us.

I've looked death in the eyes so many times that it's become habitual. But this time, I'm petrified because it's not my life that's at risk, it's my best friend who I've known for the last fifteen years who's in real danger. There's more talking in this Middle Eastern language that I'm fluent in. Words pronounced deeper in the throat are barked at Ben. I hear but I don't listen. Inside I'm numb. I know what's coming is inevitable, and with each ticking of the clock, the anxiety within me grows. Both tanned, solemn men give me another assessing scan just to make sure they are right, that I truly am one of them.

With a small confirming nod from the guy in the expensive suit who is sitting on the plush sofa across the misty room, the gun goes off once.

For a beat, before mourning enfolds me, I'm paralyzed. I look at the scene before me, because I know I'm expected to. It could be some sick initiation I'm supposed to pass. I look, but I look through it, I don't see it. I'm playing a part. I'm on a mission that can save many civilian lives. That's what's holding me back from losing control and exacting merciless retribution for Ben's life. I cannot break down. I cannot blow this thing up. Instead, I keep my face placid, slouching back in the chair, looking the killer straight in the eyes. As Ben's body drops, my heart stops.

With his last breath, I know my life would never be the same.

You May Also Like

The Martial Artist Turned Movie Mogul

[Entertainment Industry + Strong Female Lead + Refreshing Story + Hidden Identity] The Young Sect Master of the Tang Sect, Tang Shu, who was skilled in Poison Techniques and Hidden Weapons, had transmigrated and became an 18th-tier newbie, debuting as a supporting actress. After a variety show aired: Haters: "I actually think Tang Shu is kind of cute. Is there something wrong with me?" When the National Mechanical Engineering Research Institute announced: Miss Tang is our key-appointed research consultant. Haters: "What????" When an authoritative Chinese medicine expert revealed during an interview: The development of a new type of medicine owes much to Tang Shu. Haters: "Isn't this just too coincidental?" When the Porcelain Restoration Department openly stated: No one surpasses Tang Shu in the fields of porcelain restoration and calligraphy and painting. Haters: "Is this white lotus getting a bit too intoxicating?" When a Weibo big V with millions of fans accidentally revealed her face during a live broadcast... The haters all declared that their minds were blown! *** Jing Yu, the favored son of heaven, had always had an iron grip and a successful career until— he met Tang Shu. Inside the cinema, after watching four or five movies in a row, he realized the person sitting next to him hadn't changed, enjoying the popcorn with great relish. Jing Yu's throat moved slightly; this woman was flirting with him. Facing each other in a coffee shop, she casually pulled out a double-sided straw and placed it in her cup. Jing Yu's eyes tinted red; this woman was definitely flirting with him!

Rain Chen Zhenzhen · Urban
Not enough ratings
672 Chs

Standing Next To You

A man in his thirties was standing in front of she-devil's grave, under everyone's watchful eyes, he dropped the flower to her coffin, his tone was full of ridicule. "Congrats on your death." Next year he came, "I won. You lost to me and I will live well. Just rot in there." Next year he came again, "I have a pretty girlfriend and I will marry next year. My life is good. Nothing to worry about." Next year he came once more, "I will stop visiting and forget you! My life is better without you! See, I live well!" But he came again the next year and the years after that. People said he was hunted by his so-called arch-enemy. That even after death, the devil did not even let him go. He stood in front of her grave. His once handsome face had turned old and wrinkly. "Bei Sangyun, I cursed you. You are not allowed to rest in peace. You must be suffering there like me, right? You devil..." He might be the last one standing. But his life was the same as the dead's- lifeless and empty. He did not live well, he never once marry and his heart was never at peace. And it was all the fault of one person. ***** Bei Sangyun was a big bully in high school. The target of her bullying was the skinny boy in her grade, Fei Chuan. They were classmates once in kindergarten and met again in high school. But one day, just a year left before graduation, the big bully suddenly changed. One day, Fei Chuan hesitantly opened his locker. The other night, the big bully said that she left something in his locker. He did not really want to open it. He was afraid a poisonous snake would come out of his locker. However, his report card was there. With gritted teeth, the young boy opened it. However, what appeared was not a hideous thing as he expected, but a bright pink letter with a little heart sticker as a seal. It turned out, the surprise was scarier than a snake. Was this a new form of torture? Since then, Bei Sangyun relentlessly chased the young Fei Chuan until the two got married. ****** This is a story of rebirth. The two arch-enemies who could not live under the same sky had become sweet lovers.

Avalondra · Urban
4.8
519 Chs

The Mind-Read Heiress: From Impostor to Family Favorite

Wenyan read a book in which a cannon-fodder character sharing her name was a false heiress. After the true heiress assumed her position, the impostor tried to secure her place in the wealthy family by drugging the eldest son and making a done deal out of a cooked rice, only to be unmasked by the Shen Family and end up committing suicide in despair. Wenyan was furious to see such an ending. How could one not survive without the backing of a wealthy family? Hadn't the family provided her with a luxury house and countless luxury goods? Just selling those off would fetch tens of millions. She was just a hopeless case! If she were the Wenyan in the book, she would have relinquished her position and just lived laid-back like a salted fish! But when she woke up from her sleep, she actually transmigrated into the book. True to her word, she stopped scheming. Overnight she packed her bags, sold her house, car, and bags, and looked for a job. - The entire Shen Family noticed the change in Wenyan, their adopted daughter. Not only had she moved out obediently, but she also never caused any trouble again. Even more bizarre was that they could now see her innermost thoughts! 【Dad, Mom, I never wanted to usurp your nest, but the DNA test results of the true daughter have issues. In fact, she's even more fake than I, the bogus heiress.】 Shen Family parents: ...... Then the long-lost 'daughter' who had been found was exposed as an impostor and taken away by the police for questioning. 【Big brother, that schoolmate of yours is no good, he's a corporate spy, the illegitimate child of the Shen Family's archenemies.】 Shen Family's eldest son: ...... Afterwards, the schoolmate got caught stealing confidential documents and was also taken away by the police for questioning. 【Second brother, you are such a pure and noble person, you mustn't be with the Qin Family's daughter, she's just using you, her heart is actually set on someone else.】 Shen Family's second son: ...... Thank you, I'll look into it. 【And third brother, fourth brother......】 In the end, nobody could have predicted that the Shen Family's most undistinguished adopted daughter would become the pampered daughter-in-law.

Draw the sword with a smile · Urban
4.4
661 Chs

Rebirth in the 80s: The Scholar Wife is Cute

Deceived into marriage, exploited for a lifetime as a nanny without pay, and finally beaten to death by her adoptive mother in front of her adoptive father's sickbed, Shen Mianmian's miserable life came to an end. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back at fifteen. Shen Mianmian vowed to escape her past fate, punish her malicious cousin and adoptive mother, but accidentally shone too brightly in the process. The third-to-last student in school suddenly rose to the top, becoming the candidate fought over by prestigious universities, causing a sensation among all the teachers and students... While others were busy studying, Shen Mianmian was busy starting small businesses to make money... While others were preparing for the college entrance exams, Shen Mianmian purchased the two most notorious haunted houses in Beijing in one go... becoming an oddity in everyone's eyes, they mocked her that even if she had the fortune to buy them, she might not have the life to live in them. While others graduated and were busy looking for jobs, the haunted properties purchased by Shen Mianmian were requisitioned by the government, earning her a considerable amount of demolition compensation. Those who had mocked her couldn't help but slap themselves twice... inquiring everywhere where there might be haunted houses for sale. Shen Mianmian, originally needing to borrow money for tuition fees, used the demolition funds and leveraged her rebirth advantage to buy a suitable plot of land and built a rental building, transforming into a Beijing's wealthiest and most prosperous landlady... One day, Shen Mianmian, carrying a bag of keys and having just collected the rent, was dragged to the Civil Affairs Bureau. "Shen Mianmian, it's time for you to pay back what you owe me."

Yin Family's Sixth Child · Urban
Not enough ratings
887 Chs

PAMPERED BY MY THREE BROTHERS: THE RETURN OF THE NEGLECTED HEIRESS

Penny has three brothers: one is a billionaire CEO, the second is the youngest military lieutenant, and the last is a successful actor. These three successful men had only one common ground: bullying Penny, their sore-eye of a little sister. The sister they never wished to have, and the one who claimed to be their real sister, while the sister they treasured all this time was a fake. After living a life of maltreatment in her aunt's home, some people of high standing came to Penny with news of her real parentage. She thought she was finally saved from her aunt’s clutches, unaware that what awaited her was worse. At 13, Penny only wished for one thing: for her brothers to love her and treat her like family, just as much as they loved their fake sister. She worked and studied ten times harder than anybody else just to be accepted by them. In her desperation, she foolishly fell into a trap set by a malicious person, not knowing her actions would result in the downfall of her brothers and her ending up in jail with a death sentence. On her execution day, Penny had only one thought in mind: If she ever got to go back in time, her brothers could pamper their fake sister for all she cared! She wanted nothing to do with them! And much to her surprise, Penny found herself back on the day it all began: the day she was born. As promised, this time, she wouldn’t foolishly try to earn her brothers' love and affection. Never mind family! She’d just make a lot of money, live in luxury, and make a family of her own! But wait, why is it now that she didn’t want anything to do with her brothers, they kept poking their noses into her business? Weren’t they supposed to pamper their fake sister? Why won’t they leave her alone?! And how on earth was she married in this lifetime? To make matters worse, this husband she never had in her first life was suddenly volunteering to be the father of her children?!

BAJJ · Urban
4.7
1106 Chs

The Substitute Groom Chases His Wife

An Nuan thought that she was going to have her happy ending, marrying the love of her life when the man left her on their wedding day. "Pei Zhi Yi, the moment you step into the elevator, it's over between us." An Nuan thought that she could stop her fiance from leaving, but that man still left for the other woman. The wedding hall was prepared and the guests had all arrived. With no groom beside her, An Nuan decided that she would marry anyone willing. “An Nuan, if you are willing, then how about considering me as your groom?” Unexpectedly, the young master of the Lin family, Lin Xiao Feng stepped forward to offer himself. An Nuan did not expect much from this marriage, especially when they both agreed that they were seeking to gain something through this marriage. Lin Xiao Feng needed someone as his wife in his political career. Meanwhile, she just needed to marry someone to get over Pei Zhi Yi. As someone who was disappointed by love, An Nuan no longer wanted to believe in love. She never thought that the marriage that she did not expect would turn out better than she had expected. Young Master Lin would pamper her and support her whenever she needed help. Wasn’t their marriage just for show? --- Cover and characters Illustration commission by kirinlukis --- Shared universe with: 1. Loving You Too Much 2. True Love and Other Lies 3. A Lifetime with You 4. The Dragon Beside Me 5. Love So Sweet 6. Commander Qi's Runaway Wife 7. The Wedding Planner's Romance 8. The Author Must Die

zetsubouaichan · Urban
4.3
217 Chs

ratings

  • Overall Rate
  • Writing Quality
  • Updating Stability
  • Story Development
  • Character Design
  • world background
Reviews
WoW! You would be the first reviewer if you leave your reviews right now!

SUPPORT

Karineh_Ebrahimian
1 top fans
gift received0
  • Gifted xxx
  •  Ice cola10
  • Pizza50
  • Inspiration capsule100
  • Massage chair500
  • Luxury car1000
  • Dragon2000
  • Magic castle5000
  • Spacecraft10000