His jaw tightened. “What exactly do you want from me? Speak clearly. You do not need to play games on me, and I believe that you know for a fact that you do not need to pretend something does exist when it does not.”I smiled.“You’ve been watching, haven’t you?” I said. “Waiting. Calculating. Alway
Elias:The silence in my room felt suffocating. Not quiet. Not peaceful. Suffocating.I was now a guest at the Giovanni estate. I knew that I could not just leave in sunlight if anyone saw me, and I knew that others would be spying around, would be looking to find me. I knew better than to give t
She stepped in slowly, cautious, like someone approaching a wild animal. I didn't speak. I didn’t move. She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked down at her feet for a moment before she shook her head as she allowed herself to voice out whatever it was that she was here to say.“You met him
Valerie:The fire crackled softly in the hearth, the only sound accompanying the quiet tension that sat between us like a third presence. I sat in one of the leather chairs across from Caspian’s desk, arms folded, eyes fixed on the papers sprawled in front of him. His jaw was set in that way it alwa
Elias:Eva's words kept playing in my head as I got out of my car.I have been ignoring my phone, my mother has been calling my mate even, but I did not want to respond to them right now. I had a lot more important things to be taken care of. And I knew that eventually they would understand what I w
Valerie:The scent of roasted vegetables and herbs filled the kitchen, wrapping the room in warmth that had nothing to do with the heat from the stove.It was morning, still early, the sun casting soft golden streaks across the tiled floor. And for once, I felt... calm. At ease. For once, despite al
Caspian:I was grateful, more than I expected, for the fact that Valerie didn’t fight me on this.She didn’t insist on coming to meet Elias, didn’t argue about standing by my side. That she didn’t think that if she didn’t come with me, that I was pushing her away. She trusted me to handle it. And th
Valerie:I walked into the estate I once called home, the estate I was banished from five years ago. The appearance of it hadn’t changed, yet the weight of its walls felt heavier, steeped in memories I tried to suppress.“You should have fought back from the divorce. You should have fought back to t
Caspian:I was grateful, more than I expected, for the fact that Valerie didn’t fight me on this.She didn’t insist on coming to meet Elias, didn’t argue about standing by my side. That she didn’t think that if she didn’t come with me, that I was pushing her away. She trusted me to handle it. And th
Valerie:The scent of roasted vegetables and herbs filled the kitchen, wrapping the room in warmth that had nothing to do with the heat from the stove.It was morning, still early, the sun casting soft golden streaks across the tiled floor. And for once, I felt... calm. At ease. For once, despite al
Elias:Eva's words kept playing in my head as I got out of my car.I have been ignoring my phone, my mother has been calling my mate even, but I did not want to respond to them right now. I had a lot more important things to be taken care of. And I knew that eventually they would understand what I w
Valerie:The fire crackled softly in the hearth, the only sound accompanying the quiet tension that sat between us like a third presence. I sat in one of the leather chairs across from Caspian’s desk, arms folded, eyes fixed on the papers sprawled in front of him. His jaw was set in that way it alwa
She stepped in slowly, cautious, like someone approaching a wild animal. I didn't speak. I didn’t move. She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked down at her feet for a moment before she shook her head as she allowed herself to voice out whatever it was that she was here to say.“You met him
Elias:The silence in my room felt suffocating. Not quiet. Not peaceful. Suffocating.I was now a guest at the Giovanni estate. I knew that I could not just leave in sunlight if anyone saw me, and I knew that others would be spying around, would be looking to find me. I knew better than to give t
His jaw tightened. “What exactly do you want from me? Speak clearly. You do not need to play games on me, and I believe that you know for a fact that you do not need to pretend something does exist when it does not.”I smiled.“You’ve been watching, haven’t you?” I said. “Waiting. Calculating. Alway
Giovanni:The board was almost set.Each piece had been placed with careful precision. The pawns moved slowly, unaware of how close they were to the edge. But it wasn’t the pawns I was concerned with now. It was time for the kings to start bleeding.And the knights…It was time for me to be playing
Eva:The room was cold.Everyone and everything within this house was cold. It was colder than I would want to admit. It was not what I was used to. I had lived in peace for a while and now for me to be living in such hostility and such fear was not something that I wanted to find myself growing acc