Novels by Asisipho Mloka

A Craving in the Middle of the NightI stayed on the couch waiting for James to come back, trying to concentrate on the movie, but my attention kept drifting toward the door. It was strange how quickly my mood could change these days. One minute I was irritated by everything around me, and the next I was sitting there waiting for someone I had recently told myself I needed space from. Maybe it was the pregnancy making me emotional, or maybe I was simply confused about James and everything that had happened between us. I didn't know anymore. All I knew was that I wanted those ginger buns, and I wasn't going to be satisfied until I had them.I checked my phone and saw that James hadn't sent a message yet. I laughed quietly to myself, imagining him walking around looking for a place that sold hot ginger buns at that hour. I had probably sent him on a completely unnecessary mission, but I couldn't help it. The craving had appeared so suddenly that it felt impossible to ignore. I had tried

The Things I WantedThe next day, James came back to Bellmont, but he didn't come home immediately. He had work to finish in town, and from the way he had explained it, he knew it was going to take most of the day. I wasn't bothered by that. In fact, I was quite comfortable being alone. Since telling him that I thought I was pregnant, there was a strange feeling between us that neither of us really knew how to deal with. He hadn't been cruel or angry with me, but I could tell that the news had hurt him. Maybe he was disappointed because everything between us had already been complicated, or maybe he had imagined our future differently. I couldn't blame him for feeling whatever he was feeling. I was confused myself.I spent most of the morning inside, moving between the bedroom and the living room without really doing much. I watched television for a while, then picked up my phone and talked to my sisters. Every now and then, my thoughts would drift back to the pregnancy. I still hadn'

The Things I Couldn't IgnoreJames had already been back in Riverton for a couple of days, leaving me alone in Bellmont with far too much time to think. I had actually enjoyed having the space to myself. There was something peaceful about waking up without having to worry about anyone else, getting dressed whenever I wanted, going out when I felt like it, and spending the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing. James and I had spent enough time together for me to realize that I enjoyed his company more than I had expected, but I still wasn't sure what I felt for him. I cared about him, and I loved the way he treated me, but I couldn't pretend that I felt something I didn't. Maybe that was why his being away didn't bother me as much as it probably should have.That morning, I had spent most of my time relaxing in bed, talking to my sisters and watching movies. James had sent me money the day before because he knew I had been staying inside almost the entire time I was in Bellmont. I

A Day To MyselfJames had already left Bellmont.By the time I woke up that morning, the room felt different without him there. His bag was gone, his shoes were no longer beside the door, and the place was completely quiet.But strangely, I didn't miss him.If anything, I enjoyed the silence.James and I had spent the past few days together, talking, eating out, and moving around like we had known each other forever. I had enjoyed his company, but having him around all the time had also made me realize how much I valued having my own space.I stretched across the bed and reached for my phone.There was already a message from him.James: Morning. I sent you some money. You've been inside the whole time. Go out and enjoy yourself.I stared at the message and smiled.He wasn't wrong.Since I had arrived in Bellmont, I had barely gone anywhere by myself. Most of the time, I stayed indoors, watched movies, talked to my sisters, or waited for James to finish whatever he was doing.I typed b

The Smell That Changed EverythingWhen James left Bellmont for Riverton, I was surprisingly happy.I knew that probably sounded terrible, especially after everything I had told him at the restaurant. But the truth was that I needed the space.James was a good man. He had been kind to me when I needed kindness. He listened when I talked, he made me laugh, and he never made me feel like I had to earn his attention.But there was something I had never been able to give him.That feeling.That uncontrollable pull toward someone.I enjoyed being around James, but I wasn't in love with him in the way I had been with Vince. I wasn't even sure I had ever felt physically attracted to him. I could sit beside him for hours and talk about absolutely nothing, and somehow those conversations could become the best part of my day.But when he tried to get closer, I always found a reason to create distance.I knew it.He probably knew it too.So when he told me he had to return to Riverton for work, I

A Week AwayThe weekend finally came, and for the first time in a long time, I was genuinely excited.I was leaving the province for an entire week.I wanted to forget about everything waiting for me back home—the job, my in-laws, Vince, the questions about our marriage, and the constant feeling that my life was becoming something I didn't recognize.Just for one week, I wanted to disappear.I wanted to be somewhere nobody knew me as Vince's wife.Somewhere I could dress however I wanted, laugh as loudly as I wanted and wake up without immediately remembering everything that had happened.James had been excited about my visit too.We had been talking for weeks about what we would do while I was there. He had plans for us, places he wanted to take me and things he wanted to show me.I was looking forward to it.Maybe more than I should have been.When I finally arrived, I expected to see James waiting for me.He wasn't.I stood there with my bags, looking around while people passed me.

The Truth Elena BuriedAnna's POVI stared at the words until my eyes began to sting.Elena gave him away.For some reason, those four words hurt more than the possibility that Lucas had been kidnapped.Because if Elena had willingly given away her own little brother, then everything we thought we knew about her had just changed."That's impossible," Mrs. Alvarez whispered.Her voice trembled."Elena would never do that."Dominic looked at the note again. "Maybe she had no choice."Xavier remained silent.I looked at him.He was staring at the hospital bracelet in his hand, his expression unreadable."Xavier?"He finally looked up."We're missing something.""What?""The message says Elena gave him away."He placed the bracelet on the table."It doesn't say she abandoned him."I frowned."What's the difference?""Everything."He picked up the note again."If Elena was trying to protect Lucas, giving him to someone she trusted may have been the only way to keep him alive."Mrs. Alvarez

Before They Find HimXavier's POVI stared at the message on my phone until the words blurred.Before they find him first.Whoever had sent it knew exactly what they were doing.They had given us just enough information to keep us moving, but never enough to make us feel safe.Dominic stepped closer."What did they say?"I handed him the phone.His expression hardened as he read the message.Anna stood beside me, staring at the photograph of Lucas.She looked shaken.I couldn't blame her.A missing child was one thing.A missing child who had supposedly been erased from every official record was something else entirely."Xavier," she said quietly.I looked at her."What?""Why would someone want us to find him?"I didn't have an answer.And that bothered me.Because every clue we'd found so far had been connected.Elena.The file.The key.The photograph.Now Lucas.Someone had spent years arranging these pieces.And somehow, they had chosen Anna and me to put them together.Dominic l

The Boy Who DisappearedAnna's POVFor several seconds, nobody moved.The envelope lay on the garage floor between us, its edges slightly yellowed with age. The words written across the front seemed to stare back at me.Ask about the boy who disappeared first.I read them again.And again.My stomach tightened."Who was he?" I finally asked.Mrs. Alvarez didn't answer.She was staring at the rocking horse as though it had dragged a memory from the deepest part of her mind."Mrs. Alvarez?"She slowly looked at me."I thought he was dead."The words were barely audible.Xavier stepped closer to her. "You knew about Elena's brother?"She nodded."Then why did you tell everyone Elena was an only child?"Her eyes filled with tears."Because I was told to."Dominic's expression hardened. "By whom?"Mrs. Alvarez looked toward the garage entrance before lowering her voice."I don't know his name."Xavier's jaw tightened."You're telling me someone erased a child from Elena's life, threatened

The GiftXavier's POVNo one spoke.The message remained on every phone in the room.Check your garage. I left you something instead.A cold feeling settled in my chest.This wasn't a threat.It was an invitation.And I hated invitations from people who hid behind anonymous messages.Dominic broke the silence."It could be a trap.""It probably is," I replied.Clara folded her arms."Then we don't go."I looked at the silver key resting in my hand."No.""They want us to go.""They also want us afraid.""I'm done letting them control the game."Anna stepped closer until she was standing beside me."I'm coming."I didn't even look at her."No."She sighed."We've already had this conversation.""And my answer hasn't changed."She gently touched my arm."Xavier."I finally met her eyes."I'm not asking to protect you.""I'm asking you to trust me."For a moment...The room disappeared.There was only her.The woman who had somehow become my greatest strength.And my greatest fear.Becau

Locker 317 Anna's POV Nobody spoke. The tiny silver key rested in Xavier's palm, catching the light from the chandelier. It looked ordinary. Too ordinary. How could something so small carry the weight of five years' worth of secrets? Dominic was the first to break the silence. "I'll have my team search every storage facility in the city." Xavier shook his head. "No." Dominic frowned. "Why not?" "If someone has been watching us this closely, they'll be watching every move we make." He closed his hand around the key. "The moment they see security searching for locker 317, they'll know we found it." The room fell silent. He was right. Whoever had sent the file wanted us to find the key. But someone else wanted us dead before we could use it. Clara stepped closer. "So what do we do?" Xavier's gaze swept across the room before stopping on me. "We go ourselves." Immediately, I shook my head. "Absolutely not." Four pairs of eyes turned toward me. "If they're watch

The Hidden KeyXavier's POVSilence settled over the study.Not the peaceful kind.The heavy kind.The kind that arrived after the truth changed everything.No one spoke.Mrs. Alvarez sat quietly with tears glistening in her eyes.Dominic stood beside the fireplace, reviewing every page of Elena's file for what had to be the tenth time.Clara leaned against the bookshelf, her arms folded tightly across her chest.Anna...Anna hadn't left my side.I wasn't sure if she had moved closer to me...Or if I had unconsciously moved closer to her.Either way, our shoulders touched.Her presence steadied me more than I wanted to admit.Five years.For five years I believed Elena's death had been a tragic accident.Now every page in front of me suggested something far worse.Someone had hidden the truth.Someone had protected a killer.Someone had spent years making sure no one asked questions.My jaw tightened."They've been planning this for a long time."Dominic nodded."They're always one st