MiaThe surgery was finally over, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. Mom had made it through, and the relief that washed over me was almost overwhelming. The surgeons assured me that everything had gone well and she would be placed in the ICU for observation. They mentioned
The doctor hissed. "We'll have to cut the ring off..."I winced. It had already swollen up so much."Are you sure we can't just... pull it off?"She winced. "It'll hurt.""I'll be okay.""Let me," Albert said, holding out his hand.I nodded, giving him my hand. The numbed my hand and lubed up my han
Mia“I—I don’t know what to say,” I finally murmured, my voice barely audible. "I need time to sort out my own feelings.”I glanced up at him, trying to gauge his reaction. Did he want me to leave? Stay? Neither? I couldn't tell.He nodded. “Take your time,” I said softly. “You don’t need to decide
The minutes felt like hours as I waited for her to wake up. I glanced at the door again, noting the watchful eyes of Albert’s men. One of them walked in with food for me and a car from Albert before leaving. I smiled at the card, grateful for the distance and happy that he had been thinking of me.I
MiaI hesitated for a moment, unsure of how much to reveal. “It’s… complicated. My husband is involved in some things that have made this situation more difficult. He assigned the bodyguards.”Ethan raised an eyebrow, clearly curious but not asking for details. " Must be quite the guy... Well, if th
He nodded. "Got it. Later, Mia."After Ethan left, I opened my laptop and started to get through the paperwork for the hospital. It was kind of crazy to think that we would be colleagues soon, but nice. that I wouldn't have to start my new job as a complete stranger.My phone chimed with a message f
AlbertI didn't even blink at his words. I knew what he wanted. It wasn't hard to figure out from the fact that he showed up now. Though the timing gave me pause. His deadline was still two days away."Interesting that you would say that, since you weren't married."He laughed. " Let's not play the
I rolled alongside him while he got us trays from the cafeteria. The woman scanned my hospital band and apparently that meant I got free lunch.Then, I rolled to a table to sit across from him.“You didn't really answer me before. How’s married life treating you?”Ethan’s smile faltered just a bit.
She leaned against the bar.“Thank you for the flowers,” she said quietly. “What did you want to talk about?”I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I didn't expect it to be easy, but I had hoped for a slightly warmer reception.“There’s a lot we need to discuss. About us, about what happened, and
MiaNearly a month had passed since the raid, and life had settled into a new routine. I was working as a nurse, and the steady rhythm of the hospital shifts was both grounding and exhausting. Mom was at the penthouse on bedrest, recovering from her surgery, but her spirits were high. She had a job
"Everybody on the ground now!"Agents burst into the room, guns drawn. The attendees opened fire on them but they were overwhelmed.In the midst of the chaos, I spotted Dimitri, clutching his shoulder. Glaring at me, his face twisted in a mix of anger and fear. He tried to get toward the backdoors a
AlbertPolina was mingling with various guests, a smile plastered on her face that took over her whole face. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration when I thought of her. She really thought this was going to go a certain way.I moved through the crowd avoiding her. I noticed several of Dimit
It was bittersweet and lonely and not the mood I needed to be in the day before all my plans would come to fruition.Ivan came into the study nearly an hour later, already dressed for bed. He poured himself a cup of whiskey and sat across the table from me.“I’ve been looking for places for Katie an
AlbertThat night, I found myself sitting across from a few government operatives in a discreet, dimly lit office. The atmosphere was tense as we went over the final elements of the plan, including the layout of the Kulak Estate.The operatives were efficient and to the point. Things were going well
I shook my head. "I don't have to explain myself to you."She set her jaw. "Because you can't.""Because it's none of your business. My relationship with Mia, whatever it is or was, has nothing to do with you. Leave her alone, Polina. I mean it."Polina’s face twisted with a mixture of hurt and disb
AlbertI set my jaw at the sound of the knock. It might be the whiskey, but I really wanted to kiss her. I was almost sure that she'd let me. I turned to answer the door. It was one of my subordinates with a report from Ivan.Definitely more important than almost kissing my soon-to-be ex-wife.Mia s
“How did you get here?” I asked. "I didn't think you had a casino in the city."He glanced around briefly before responding. His tone clipped but informative. “It was Elio’s. I'm doing my rounds.”I winced at that. I wanted to know what that meant and I didn't want to know. Had Elio just paid Albert