LOGINSHIMMA’S POV…..When the pain hits, it doesn’t just sit in one place. It spreads……like fire under my skin…..like my body is punishing me for being alive.“Babe… you need to come down and have breakfast. You’ve been in bed for two days without food. You’re making me worried as hell.” Mattias’ voice came from the doorway, careful and tired.I didn’t answer. My eyes were open, but I wasn’t really there.Everything hurt. My head hurt. My stomach hurt. My heart hurt the worst.My mother had left the night before……quietly, I think. She couldn’t stay. I understood that much. She couldn’t bear to watch me like this, like a broken thing nobody could fix. Expecially because she couldn’t try to fix me when she herself was fart more broken.And the worst part? The thought that wouldn’t leave me alone.It happened here……In my home.So in my head, it feels like it’s my fault. Like if I had been wiser, if I had been smarter, if I had turned someone away at the right time… Doctor Ryle wouldn’t be dea
Beau’s POV.(continued)“What if someone else used the chance? What if someone who hated him took advantage when there was no one around?” I let the question hang there like bait.“Who?” the cop asked.I let the name drop freely from my mouth. “Mattias.”It felt obscene to say it out loud. But it had to sound plausible, and Mattias had motive and history. The Cop turned around and stole a glance at the other cop who stood by the door.He drifted his gaze back to me, his brows furrowed in shock mixed with concern and curiosity….he was buying it. I could tell from the way his eyes suddenly became unsure. “What makes you say that?” Thw other officer who stood by the door asked. I hesitated, taking a deep breath, then I spoke, trying to sound calm and a bit unsure…..bur at the same time. Believable.“Shimma’s father died at Ryle’s hospital years ago,” I said, my voice soft. “They failed him. He lost everything…….his job, his health…Mattias was close to Shimma’s family. He held Ryle resp
Mr Beau’s POV; (continued)“Good day, Mr Beau,” one of the police officers greeted, his face and tone serious.I glanced carefully at the two police officers. One kept his hand near his radio as he watched me suspiciously; the other had that flat look people get when they know they’ve already won. My mouth went dry.“Mr. Beau,” the other one said. “We need you to come with us to the station for questioning.”I laughed, a thin sound that might’ve been a sob. “Why?” My voice was small. “What did I do?”“We advise you to cooperate,” the cop who spoke earlier said. “It’ll make things easier for you.”Make things easier. The words landed like a blow. My hands shook so hard they felt useless. “I don’t understand,” I said. My head spun with possibilities. Some neighbors complaint…..my mother being worried that I hadn’t been picking her calls…/..anything but the thing I’d been trying not to think about: Doctor Ryle.They didn’t handcuff me. It felt like they didn’t need to, and that alone cal
BEAU’S POVI sat on the couch, every muscle coiled so tight my hands trembled. It’s been two whole days. Two endless days since I’d been turned away at Shimma’s door. They wouldn’t let me in. They kept her from me.Her photos displaying on my television were a poor substitute. I’d stared at them until the edges blurred…….her face lit the screen and my chest tightened into a fist. It wasn’t enough. I needed to see her in person, to stand near the lilt of her scent, to watch the slow tilt of her head, to watch those eyes that always seemed to look right through me. I craved the curve of her lips, the soft fall of her hair, the way her body moved when she laughed. The want in me had a taste, metallic and hot.My breathing came faster now, shallow and urgent. I rubbed my palms against my jeans until the skin burned. The apartment felt too small. Every clock ticked loud, like a countdown I hadn’t consented to. I was falling apart….my whole life was falling apart and I felt utterly helpless
SHIMMA’S POVI was in the bathroom, the steam curling around me, when the bedroom door burst open and slammed against the wall. The sound jarred me….causing me to freeze in fear.A second later Mattias’s cologne hit me: cedar and something green and strong. Then his voice followed, my heart settling in relief.“Honey?” He called loudly.I opened my mouth to answer, but my throat clenched. Words wouldn’t form. I felt empty and heavy all at once.The bathroom door opened. Mattias stood framed in it for a long few seconds, shoulders squared but not relaxed. His eyes were soft with pity, and that look hurt more than anything….I didn’t like how he looked at me…..i didn’t like how his eyes reminded me of my terror moments with Lucas. Those times he would save me and then stare at me like my life was some sort of torture.Although he warned me…..He kept sensing the danger and I stupidly ignored all the signs. Fuck me!He came in slowly, like he was careful not to startle me, and began undoi
MATTIAS’S POV: (continued)“G…good day, Sir,” one of my guards said as he approached my car. I had signaled him over; he walked up with his shoulders hunched, hands clasped so tight his knuckles whitened. I could see the fear and worry in his eyes.“Good day…” I nodded, stepping out of the car. I straightened my shoulders, cleared my throat and planted my feet so I looked taller……yet calm and in control, before I continued. “The day of the accident… Doctor Ryle’s death, you were on duty, right?” I asked. The police weren’t finished with their investigation, but I wanted to move things forward as quickly as I could before anything got worse.“Yes… yes Sir, I was,” he said, bowing his head slightly and rubbing the back of his neck.“Who came in? Remember I said not to let strangers in. Who was here on the day of the murder?” I leaned forward a little, elbows bent, watching his face. He stared at me blankly, eyes flicking to the ground as though trying to pull memory up. Then he shook h
BEAU’S POV.(continued)“No! You’re lying, Mother. I don’t believe you!” I could feel the heat rising in my chest, panic gripping my throat. How could she say such a thing? “I didn’t kill her! How could I kill the one I love?”Why couldn’t she see? My heart raced as I paced the room, the scent of he
“Thank you, that’s really sweet, but I can help myself,” I said, gently pulling my hand away from his grip.“I am so sorry if I overstepped my boundaries… I was just being concerned because I hate to see anyone in pain,” Mr. Beau replied, taking a step back, his voice sincere.“I understand… but be
SHIMMA’S POV.I left Mr. Beau upstairs with the children so he could interact with them and get to know them better. I returned to the living room, seeing multiple missed calls on my phone. They were from my husband, Mattias.“Was there a problem?” I wondered, my brows furrowed in concern.I dialed
SHIMMA’S POV.The next morning came too quickly. I could hear the kids giggling and playing in their rooms, and it made me anxious. Mattias had an urgent meeting he had to attend, which meant I was going to have to break the news alone.I took a deep breath, preparing for the conversation we neede







