Novels by Stilstkin Night

Mark's calm gaze settled on the face of someone who had just woken up—Julie Hartman, who slowly opened her eyes and curved her lips into a smile."Good morning," Mark said softly. "I just finished making breakfast. Oh, and I have some good news for you." He smiled and headed toward the dining table."Goodness, did I oversleep?""Julie, it’s only 9 a.m. You were completely exhausted yesterday. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I let you rest."Julie smiled, stretched her arms, and tried to muster some morning energy. She had been drained by work, and today was her day off."Did Mom or Elizah call?" Julie asked as she rose from the bed, yawning a few times before heading to the bathroom.Mornings always felt dull after such a deep sleep."Your mom called. She said she’s leaving soon because Elizah’s condition is improving. So, yeah, you need to head home."The smile on Julie’s face faded, replaced by a pale expression. She sighed and emerged from the bathroom with a sour face."She doesn

Mark could only chuckle softly at Julie's words, while Julie, seated beside him, squinted her eyes."You're laughing?""Of course, he'd recognize my scent. Don’t you realize the perfume I use is not something other men wear?" Mark chuckled again, his logic making sense to Julie."Ah, you're right. Anyway, I’m too tired to argue over nonsense."Julie rubbed her temples, and Mark offered a faint smile before refocusing on driving. The smile faded shortly after.It didn’t take long—just a few minutes—before they arrived at Mark’s apartment."Get some rest. I’ve got work to finish," Mark said with a smile, leaning in to kiss Julie, who was already drifting into sleep.Something was troubling him—a strange, unsettling thought playing in his mind. While Julie slept, Mark methodically removed all traces of his previous cologne and replaced it with a completely new scent. Once he was done, he left the apartment and headed to the police station to attend to his duties.As soon as Mark arrived,

The older woman sighed, her voice heavy with emotion. "I can’t stay with you all for long. I’ll head home once Elizah gets better."""She’s fine already, Mom. Look at her! She doesn’t even care about Liam anymore," Julie shot back, her tone sharp and defensive."Julie, that’s enough. Don’t talk about your sister like that. She’s been through a horrible experience—"Julie cut her off with a bitter laugh. "Oh, I understand her situation perfectly, Mom. She nearly drove me crazy with her panic! But let’s not forget, I got hurt too. My engagement crumbled at the same time!" Her voice wavered, anger and sadness bubbling up.Suddenly, a voice erupted from the other room, trembling with rage. "So I’m the bad guy now? Your fiancé assaulted me, and somehow I’m to blame?"Elizah, shaking and hysterical, stormed into the conversation. Their mom was immediately on edge, trying to calm her down, while Julie just sighed, overwhelmed and unsure what to do. Everything in her life felt like a mess.Ju

"I don't know what you're thinking. You suddenly sent me a nonsensical message, Julie. What's wrong with you?"They were now outside the apartment, facing each other, with Julie crossing her arms over her chest, clearly unwilling to care anymore."So, you think what happened between us in your apartment was something more?" Julie shook her head while Mark squinted, not understanding. "Don't act so innocent, Officer. You mean nothing to me.""Oh, really?""Go now. I don't want to see you again.""Are you mad because I didn’t contact you?""My God, I don’t want to argue anymore." She brushed Mark's arm and turned to head back to the apartment, but Mark grabbed Julie’s arm, making her turn back to him."I was busy with the investigation I was working on, Julie. Everything that happened—""And not even one moment to contact me?""Ah, now you admit it?"Julie fell silent and sighed before shaking off Mark’s hand."Don’t say nonsense!"Meanwhile, Mark just gave a slight smile, looking calm

"You don't have to force yourself to come in today, Julie," Richard said, standing in front of her as she busied herself with work. "I understand everything that's been happening to you. Liam? I can’t believe he’s targeting your sister.""What do you mean, Richard?" Julie's tone was exhausted. "Haven't I already said that this topic is off-limits?"Clearly annoyed, Julie left Richard standing there, frozen in place. She headed toward the next room, juggling a mountain of tasks with no time to think about Liam. Today was also Elizah’s last day in the hospital, which, after everything, was the one bright spot amidst the chaos."Julie, do you think Liam actually did this?"Elizah squinted at her, but Julie ignored her, disconnecting the IV line and its dangling bag."Don’t dwell on that," Julie replied, avoiding Elizah’s gaze. "You’re going home today, and you should stay at my apartment. I’ve already told Mom. She’s pretty freaked out, but don’t worry—she’ll be here today.""I'm not tal

MOMENTS AFTER THE TRAGIC INCIDENT THAT BEFELL ELIZAH HARTMAN"I heard there's a young and beautiful girl working at your place," said a man with a mustache and a repulsive gaze. "There are plenty of young and beautiful girls working at my factory. So what if there is? What's your point, huh?" The stout man retorted with a sneer, clearly displeased."No, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just asking. Besides, why doesn't she work here instead? You know, in a place like this, they'd make much more money than working—""Ah, you're such a scoundrel! From now on, don't ever meet me again. The girls working at my factory are good girls; that's why they chose to work there! Now, leave me alone." The stout man stood up and walked away, exiting the bar with its well-preserved classic ambiance."I was just complimenting his workers," the mustached man muttered before moving to sit with a group of middle-aged men. Even after being rebuked by the factory owner, they continued their discussion