Novels by M. Ann

Elena’s POVThe next morning feels strange from the moment I open my eyes. Not heavy, not broken but sharp. Like something is waiting for me before the day even starts.I lie still for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling while sunlight pushes through the curtains. My phone is beside me on the bed. Silent for once, that alone feels suspicious.I sit up slowly and rub my face. My body feels tired, but my mind is awake. Too awake.Last night keeps replaying in pieces, liam’s face, his warning. She’s escalating.I push the blanket away and stand.The apartment feels cold this morning. Quiet in a way that makes me restless. I move through my routine slowly, shower, clothes, coffee I barely drink.By the time I leave for work, I already feel watched. Not physically, just… expected. Like people are waiting to see what I’ll do next.The office lobby is busy when I walk in. Conversations soften when people notice me, not completely silent. Just quieter.The receptionist gives me a careful sm

Elena’s POVThe city is quiet in a way that feels unnatural, like it’s holding its breath with me. I walk without direction, letting my heels click against the pavement. My phone vibrates in my pocket, another unknown number. I ignore it, taking a deep breath.Then I hear a voice behind me.“Elena.”I freeze, almost drop my bag, and turn. Liam. He’s leaning against a wall, hands in his pockets, calm, steady. No anger, no judgment—just him noticing me.“You came,” I say quietly.“I came to make sure you’re not disappearing,” he says. His voice is soft, but it lands heavy.I glance down at my hands. “I’m not disappearing.”“Good.” He studies me for a long moment. “I wasn’t sure what I’d find.”“You find me,” I say lightly, though the words feel strange in my mouth. Weak, maybe. Or maybe just real.A pause.“You looked inside,” he says finally. “At the gala.”I swallow. “Yes. I had to see.”He nods. “And?”“I stood,” I admit. “I didn’t break. I didn’t run. Not this time.”“Finally,” he s

Elena’s POVI don’t go home immediately after leaving the café, I walk without thinking about where I’m going.The city is loud, bright, alive but none of it reaches me properly. Everything feels like it’s happening somewhere just outside of me, like I’m slightly out of place in my own life.My chest feels tight, not heavy like before, not like I’m breaking. Just tight. Like something inside me is holding steady, refusing to fall apart.Ethan’s words keep replaying in my head, You’re finally choosing. I don’t know if that’s true yet but I know I’m not the same.By the time I get home, my legs feel tired, but my mind is still awake, still running.I step inside my apartment and close the door behind me slowly.The silence hits immediately. No noise, no distraction. Just me.I drop my bag on the chair and sit down, leaning forward slightly, my elbows resting on my knees.For a moment, I just breathe.Then my phone lights up.It was Julian. My stomach tightens instantly, not because I’m

Elena’s POVThe message stays on my screen as I walk out of the building.Ethan:Meet me.The words feel simple, but nothing about this is simple anymore.The city is loud around me, cars moving, people talking, life continuing like nothing just shifted under my feet. But everything inside me feels sharp and alert, like I’m standing at the edge of something.I stop on the sidewalk and stare at the message again.For a second, I think about ignoring it, blocking him, walking away but that would be the old me. The one who waits, the one who reacts too late.I inhale slowly, then type.Me:Where?The reply comes almost immediately.Ethan:The café across Hawthorne Square. Thirty minutes.Of course, close enough to be convenient, far enough to be private. I lock my phone and raise my hand for a cab.The café is quiet when I walk in. Soft music plays in the background. A few people sit scattered around, heads down, focused on their own lives.Ethan is already there. Corner table, back to t

Elena’s POVThe first thing I hear when I wake up is my phone vibrating, over and over again.It’s loud in the quiet of my room, sharp and persistent, like something is trying to force its way into my morning.I don’t move at first, my body feels heavy, like I didn’t really sleep, just closed my eyes and waited for the night to pass.The memory of last night comes back slowly. The lights, the stage, olivia’s smile and julian’s silence.I open my eyes. The ceiling above me looks the same, calm and still, like nothing has changed.But something has. can feel it. The phone vibrates again beside me, I reach for it slowly, my fingers brushing against the screen before I finally pick it up.Twenty-three missed calls, messages all from unknown numbers. My stomach tightens immediately, something is wrong.I unlock the phone. For a second, I just stare at the screen, not opening anything, then I tap the first message, it is a link, I opened another, the same and another tooMy heart starts bea

Elena’s POVThe music is still playing when I step out of the ballroom.Soft, elegant and controlled, just like everything inside.The doors close behind me, and the sound fades into something distant. Out here, the air is cooler, quieter and real.I walk a few steps forward, my heels softer against the stone floor. My chest rises and falls slowly, like I’m trying to catch up with myself.For a moment, I just stand there. I didn’t break. I didn’t run, I stood there, in the same room, under the same lights.But it doesn’t feel like victory, it feels like the beginning of something I don’t fully understand yet.I wrap my arms lightly around myself, staring out at the city lights below.“Still doing that.”The voice comes from behind me.Familiar, too familiar. My body stiffens before I even turn.Slowly, I look over my shoulder.Liam.He stands a few feet away, hands in his pockets, dressed in a simple dark suit, no tie, no effort to impress.And yet he looks handsome, like he always ha