Stevie’s POVI’m crouched on the floor, camera in hand, trying to get the perfect angle on the way the late afternoon light filters through the glass vase on my coffee table. The shadows spill across the hardwood in a way that makes me itch to capture it.“Almost got it,” I mutter to myself, leaning
Serena My husband Bill and his beautiful assistant Doris are laughing and eating like they're on a first date. But the joke is on me... I'm here, Bill's wife, watching them from across the room, tending to my flat belly where a little life is now living. Of course, Bill doesn’t know about the ba
Serena’s POV It’s funny how adrenaline can make you forget pain for a bit. As I leave the hotel, my left knee starts to sting again. “Well, at least, I’m out of there,” I mumble. I still hear the commotion inside. Bill's family is checking on Doris. Wow, they're overreacting. She only fell — it'
Serena’s POV I thought Bill actually cared about my leg for a second there, but nope, he's back to being a total dickhead. "I tripped outside the hotel and —," I begin. “You know what, it doesn't matter. Just go say you’re sorry to Mom and Doris,” he says, not even letting me finish. And he's do
Bill’s POV I find myself staring at the door, just waiting for Serena to come into our room. The truth is, I didn't actually need to work on the Johnson and Haines proposal. I just needed a reason to get Serena to stop bringing up divorce. But now, here I am, typing away on my laptop, rewriting th
Bill’s POV No wonder Calvin wants to get out of Mom’s house. Aunt Claire and Doris are here. Calvin has always been an introvert. Dealing with gossip, especially the kind involving women, has never been his cup of tea. Meanwhile, I can handle it better than him. The women are already enjoying a
Serena’s POV Why does Elena always see me as the villain, no matter what I do? Angry, I slam the phone on the bed after hanging up on Bill. It lands with a muffled thud, bouncing twice on the soft duvet. Thankfully, it doesn't hit the floor and break. Bill's mom bad-mouthing me just makes me hate
Serena’s POV Three days after talking to Attorney Marquez, my phone beeps with an email while I'm making coffee. I see his name and slowly open it. "Divorce Proceedings: Initial Documents," I read to myself. "Seems Bill is finally going to realize that I'm serious about ending our marriage." I gr
Stevie’s POVI’m crouched on the floor, camera in hand, trying to get the perfect angle on the way the late afternoon light filters through the glass vase on my coffee table. The shadows spill across the hardwood in a way that makes me itch to capture it.“Almost got it,” I mutter to myself, leaning
Stevie’s POVThe smell of the takeout I ordered fills the apartment, mingling with the faint scent of lavender from the candle I lit earlier to make this whole situation seem less... intense. My stomach is doing somersaults, and it’s not because of the baby.I glance at my reflection in the microwav
Serena’s POVThe sound of laughter and clinking glasses fills the room, mingling with the faint hum of conversation. I lean against the edge of the kitchen counter, sipping sparkling water from a champagne flute and watching as Bill twirls Collin around the living room.“You’re going to wear him out
Calvin’s POVThe Lancaster estate feels colder than usual today, and it’s not because of the weather. The vaulted ceilings and polished marble floors echo with the tension that always seems to fill the air when the family gathers.This isn’t a casual dinner or a holiday reunion. It’s a “concerned di
Stevie‘s POV“Calvin, I can’t just say yes.”The words tumble out before I can stop them, hanging in the air between us. His eyes, which had been so hopeful, cloud over with something I can’t quite place—disappointment, maybe, or worry.We’re sitting in my apartment, the baby gear shoved into the co
Stevie‘s POVThe lens feels foreign in my hands at first, like it’s judging me for neglecting it for so long. I twist the focus ring back and forth, snapping shots of random things in my apartment: the pile of laundry I still haven’t done, the chipped paint on the windowsill, the vase of wilted dais
Serena‘s POVI can’t focus. Not on the new campaign proposals sitting in front of me, not on the email from our partners in Paris, and definitely not on the cup of tea I made an hour ago that’s gone cold on my desk.All I can think about is Stevie.Her face, flushed with anger, tears glistening in h
Calvin‘s POVThe buzz of my phone pulls me out of my focus, its vibration rattling against the glass surface of my desk. It’s another alert, no doubt tied to the leak at Etoile de Collin. The headlines have been relentless: “Scandal Rocks Global Launch,” “Is Etoile de Collin Losing Its Shine?”I don
Stevie‘s POVThe click of my camera is the only sound in my apartment. The blinds are half-drawn, letting in just enough light to paint soft streaks across the floor. I’ve spent the last hour taking photos of mundane things — a chipped coffee mug, the shadow of my old ficus, the crumpled blanket I t