September 2026,
Ovzdusia, Soare-Luna Kingdom
Alyanna
I was surprised to see the door to Jay's suite open. I peeked in and saw a tall, wiry man walking out. He was wearing the staff uniform so I assumed that Jay had called for room service. But why so early in the morning?
He was surprised to see me standing right outside the door. "Could I help you with something, Miss?" he asked with a pleasant smile. Thankfully, he didn't recognize me. A lot of people didn't and that was a very good thing.
"I'm here for Jayden. Is he in?"
The man looked at me and then at Gillian, my bodyguard, standing a step behind me. He looked a bit intimidated by the presence of the mountainous man. He quickly looked back at me and smiled. It looked a lot less natural than his previous one. "He indeed is. Mr. Carlton had requested a wake-up call with coffee," he said, explaining what he was doing there.
September 2026,Ovzdusia, Soare-Luna KingdomDimitriI haunted myself by recollecting all the sins I had committed in the thirty-two years of my life. While the list of all the heinous things I had done was long, there wasn't one particular thing that would warrant such a fucked up fate. Maybe it was the tally of all my deeds. That had to be it. My soul had to be unredeemable, which was why I didn't deserve a soulmate. At least not one that was meant to be mine."Alright, this looks good. Thank you," Katerina told the little army of people that were helping her get ready for her wedding. It took them five minutes to pack up and leave.Once they were gone, she turned to look at me. "Any update?""They are working on it," I replied. Katerina was right when she said that Louise Richardson had somehow managed to alter the contract after it had been signed. I had a team of very ta
September 2026,Ovzdusia, Soare-Luna KingdomKaterina"Ready?" Dad asked right before we were about to make our entrance.I wasn't but I nodded anyway. We had taken our sweet time to get here but there was still no word from Dimitri. I would have to go in so that no one grows suspicious.The doors opened and the music changed to a slower, softer piece.My grip on Dad's arm tightened as we slowly walked down the aisle. He looked at me in slight concern but I smiled reassuringly. At least I think I did.Each step I took reduced the distance between me and a future that I detested more and more every second. I tried to walk slower than usual, taking more time so that Dimitri would find the blasted contract and get me out of here before I had to endure more of this torture.I could feel the eyes of hundreds of people on me. But the only one that burned my skin was F
September 2026,Ovzdusia, Soare-Luna KingdomKaterina"Don't marry him," Ajax breathed."You're late," I said and his face fell. A small part of me rejoiced in hurting him. I wanted to make him hurt just as much as he had hurt me. But a larger part of me was trying to be a better person. And the first step towards it was being truthful. "I couldn't go through with it. Left him at the altar."He released the breath he was holding. "You didn't marry him.""I didn't marry him." I shook my head.A moment later, I was in his arms, his one hand around my waist and the other one in my hair, angling my head, his own lowering to kiss me.His touch was warm, his hold familiar, and our history unforgettable. He was the first man I ever loved. I could never forget that. But he was also the one who broke my heart. I couldn't forget that either.But caught up in the mo
September 2026,Ovzdusia, Soare-Luna KingdomDimitri‘I love you, Ajax.’I stared down at Felix, Louise, and Walter Richardson.Felix looked at me and his eyes lit with recognition. But before he could say anything, his father spoke. "What is the meaning of this?! Why did you drag us out of our rooms and force us to come here?""The three of you are under arrest for blackmailing Katerina Van Acker into marrying Felix Richardson.""What?!" Walter raged. "We did no such thing!"Louise and Felix flinched. Ah. So this was the handiwork of the mother and son duo."Do you two want to tell him the truth or should I?" I asked them. Louise looked at me pleadingly before she realized that I wasn't going to budge.Begrudgingly, she turned to her husband. "Kate had initially rejected Felix's proposal and then had broken up with him. I migh
September 2026,Ovzdusia, Soare-Luna KingdomKaterina"I suppose I owe you guys an explanation," I said as I looked at my family."No, you don't." Konstantin gave me a comforting smile. "As long as you're happy, we're happy, Kate."Mother shot him a look and totally ignored what he said. She looked at me and started airing her face with her hands, trying to dry out her nonexistent tears. "I just don't understand why you would do this to me! What have I ever done to you? Why are you acting out like this? This was your wedding, Kate! Wedding!ToFelix Richardson!"With the way she was acting, you would assume that she had been the one who was left at the altar."I mean, where are you going to find a guy better than him? Who could possibly love you more than him? How are you going to find a family better thantheRichards
September 2026,Ovzdusia, Soare-Luna KingdomAlyannaI looked at Jay's hand. My hand was resting in his and his thumb was caressing my knuckles.Back and forth. Back and forth.Again. And again.Our hands still fit perfectly.I knew in my heart that this was a moment I would remember forever. The day I reunited with Jay.His eyes still looked into mine like I was the only person he saw. Like nothing else mattered. This moment felt unreal. I had dreamed of it for so long that it was still hard to believe that this was finally happening.Jay brought my hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss on my knuckles. "I missed this.""Oh my fucking God," Andrei groaned. "I'm going to barf and then throw myself out of the fucking window.""No one asked you to be here," I said, irritated that he was ruining my moment with Jay. "Leave!""Go where? A
September 2026,Ovzdusia, Soare-Luna KingdomAlyanna"I refuse to believe this!" I snapped. "You cannot go around tarnishing people's names based on assumptions. And do not forget that this is my father that you're talking about."I refused to believe that Dad was involved in criminal activities. He was a good man and he couldn't have been doing business with mafia families. He had too much conscience for that. And it wasn't like he needed the money. Our family had been blessed with a life full of comfort."I know it might seem hard to believe, Alya, but these are not assumptions; they are calculated deductions," Mikhail said."Are you going to let him keep spewing this bullshit?" I asked Andrei, annoyed that he was choosing this moment to remain silent.He was more than ready to bite Jay's head off almost an hour ago. He was ready to go toe to toe with Kate until she
September 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaI operated this past week on auto-pilot mode. I woke up, got ready for the day, went to work, dealt with problems all day, went home, and then slept.For the first time in my entire life, work didn't have a therapeutic effect on me. At the end of a long day, I didn't feel like I accomplished something. I didn't feel good about myself. In fact, I felt glad to be done with work for the day because it meant that the day was almost over. And I was one day closer to Alyanna coming back home.I had talked to her a few times over the phone during the last week but something felt off. Her mind was occupied elsewhere. And no, it wasn't work. That, I was sure of. Jayden and I had known immediately that she was lying when she said that work was the reason she couldn't come home with us right away. She wasn't that good of a liar and we knew
November 2026,Scars Bay, USADimitriAfter Andrei dropped off Alyanna at Jayden's, Katerina asked him to drop her off at her apartment complex.So naturally, I got off with her too.I thought she would get annoyed by that or tell me that she needed space but she didn't even react to my presence. That stung more than I thought it would. Anything would have been better than being ignored. Her silence was deafening.We rode up the elevator and she marched straight towards her apartment. I stood there, watching her punch in the code to her apartment, unsure if she wanted me to follow her or let her be for a while.She entered and then slammed the door shut after her.My heart stopped. I really thought she would keep the door open and gesture for me to come in after her or ask me to join her. It was something we did with the bathroom door when we wanted to take a sh
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaKaterina had been painfully silent while we waited by the car for Dimitri to come out.Of course, she was. Dimitri had made a show of displaying his supernatural speed and strength in there. Katerina was in shock.I didn't know what to say to make it better so I remained silent.After what felt like forever, Dimitri walked out with...Caleb? They were followed by over a dozen men - some fine, some injured but all holding on to guns.What the hell happened in there? What was Caleb doing here? Did that man end up calling him after all? Was it truly a misunderstanding?Kate stiffened when she spotted them but made no indication of what she was thinking otherwise. Dimitri grew visibly disappointed when he saw her lack of reaction.Caleb, unaware that I was alive, looked at me in bewilder
November 2026,Outskirts of Scars Bay, USADimitri"If only you had listened to me and stayed at the safe house, this wouldn't have happened. But you couldn't follow a simple safety protocol because you care more about beingniceand letting Katerina do whatever thefuck she wants," Andrei growled. “Might as well lick the dirt off the bottom of her fucking shoes while you let her walk all over you.”My grip on the steering wheel tightened and I pressed my lips together to stop myself from saying anything.He was right. This was my fault after all.I agreed to let Katerina and Alya leave the safe house. I went with them to the manor. It was my job to protect them. I never should have left them alone. It was stupidity on my part to think that they would stay there because they had no motive to go. But they did have a moti
November 2026,Outskirts of Scars Bay, USAKaterina"Stella?"Stella's eyes widened when she saw me. She glared at one of her men. "What the hell isKaterina Van Ackerdoing here?" she hissed. "I asked you to only get-" she exhaled sharply. "Incompetent shits," she spat and turned towards us again."Stella?Youdid this?" I asked, still in absolute disbelief.Why the hell would she do this?Stella -Jayden's girlfriend Stella,had been the one who had us kidnapped. She had been the one who paid Caleb to do it for her.Even the thought of his name fuelled the fiery hot mass of anger in my chest. I couldn't believe he would do this to me but the evidence was undeniable.Earlier, I could chalk this up as a mistake but now I knew that it was anything but. Caleb betrayed me. For
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaI walked into my bedroom only to find it empty.Shit.Where the hell is she?I ran into the bathroom. Open and clear.I rushed to the closet. Empty.Where the hell is Alya?I knew she wouldn't be inside the manor. Someone would immediately spot and recognize her. She wasn't dumb enough to do that. Which means she left. She was definitely dumb enough to do it with the right motivation.If she left, there was only one route she'd use to leave. So, I ran.Why the hell would she leave? Did something happen? Was she upset?Of course, she was. With the night she'd had and after I broke my promise of cheering her up, I wouldn't blame her if she wanted to leave. But if she wanted to be left alone, she could have just locked the be
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaIt was still a couple of hours before sunrise so none of the house staff were out and about. Quickly and quietly, I navigated my way out of Kate's bedroom and to woods from around the gardens.I knew my way around the property very well, courtesy of Kate. Sometimes, she managed to drag me to parties with her that we had no business going to. To hide from Kon and her dad, she figured out a way to sneak out of her bedroom and pass through the grounds withoutbeing noticed or getting caught on camera. She also managed to create a way over the mostly impenetrable property walls. Kate was an unstoppable force when she put her mind to something.The route I was taking was the same. I, too, would pass through unnoticed if things had remained the same in the last five years. And I hoped I did. Because, I couldnot afford t
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaKate opened the door to her bedroom and we walked in."BOO!"I jumped in shock and my hands flew to my chest.The lights turned on and I came face to face with a grinning William. "Gotcha, Squirt.""Helliam!" I admonished, but I couldn't stop my lips from lifting up in a smile.This wasn't the first time this had happened. When we were kids and Kate and I had sleepovers, Will would sometimes crash them - much to our annoyance - and we'd spend the entire night talking and hanging out or doing sometime crazy. When we grew up a little, Kate and I would catch Will sneaking into the house in the middle of the night, drunk, and looking back on it, probably high on drugs. We'd take care of him and put him to bed or if he wasn't in the mood to sleep, we'd stay with him and give him company. When we beca
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaCold water hit my face and cascaded down my body.'He didn't have the luxury of hope of a future together like you did.'Tears welled up in my eyes. Heartache formed a ball in my throat, choking me up.How could I have not thought of it? How could I have been so callous? How could I have been so self-centered in my misery that I failed to see how it would have affected the one person I cared about the most?I had hurt Jay more than I could have even imagined. I had hurt the one person I love with all my heart. The one person I never wanted to hurt. The one person I stayed away from by telling my broken and bruised heart that while he might be hurt, he was at least safe. Alive. But it seemed like he hadn't done much of living. Just like me. He had been hanging on to the past. Just like me. But unlike
November 2026, Scars Bay, USA Katerina Alya was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, her back against the bed and a drink in her hand. With her other hand, she played with a ring hanging off the necklace she was wearing. She looked up and her teary, red-rimmed eyes met mine. Oh no. I walked over to her, wanting to take a seat beside her but my dress wouldn't allow that. So with a bit of difficulty, I took it off. Only in a pair of panties and a bra, I lowered myself beside her. She looked over at me, her gaze lingering on my face, neck, and then chest before she looked away entirely. What was that about? "You should wear some clothes. It's winter," she whispered. "It's warm in here. I'm fine; you don't need to worry about me." I took the glass from her hand and placed it aside. "I was d