Novels by Olivia

RICHARD’S POV Richard attendit que nous soyons arrivés à la maison avant de parler d’Adrienne. Il ne prononça pas un mot pendant le trajet, et ce silence me troubla davantage qu’un éclat de voix ne l’aurait fait. Lorsque nous entrâmes dans le salon, il retira sa veste, la posa soigneusement sur une chaise et me regarda avec un calme qui me noua immédiatement l’estomac. « Assieds-toi, Emilia », ordonna-t-il en désignant le canapé tout en restant près de la porte. « Je veux que nous parlions en privé, sans interruptions, sans excuses et sans que tu prétendes ne pas comprendre pourquoi je te pose ces questions. » Je m’assis lentement, le surveillant attentivement, car quelque chose dans sa voix me prévenait que cette conversation avait commencé bien avant aujourd’hui. « Je sais que tu retrouves Adrienne en dehors du travail », poursuivit-il en croisant les bras. « Je sais pour son appartement, les visites tardives et les matins où vous arrivez de la même direction. Je sais aussi qu

EMILIA’S POV La question de Richard me poursuivit bien après que j’eus quitté la salle de consultation. Même en consultant les dossiers des patients, j’entendais encore sa voix calme me demander pourquoi je regardais Adrienne comme si j’avais peur de le perdre. Pendant des semaines, j’avais évité cette vérité, prétendant que je pouvais maîtriser mes sentiments. Désormais, une seule question avait suffi à faire remonter tout ce que j’avais enfoui. J’essayai de travailler normalement, mais ma concentration ne cessait de m’échapper. Je vérifiai deux fois des résultats, égarai un dossier et oubliai presque immédiatement la demande d’une infirmière. Chaque instant de silence me ramenait à la main d’Adrienne lorsqu’il avait remis ma manche en place et au regard de Richard posé sur lui. Je savais que je devais parler à Adrienne, même si je redoutais ce que cette conversation pourrait exiger de moi. À la fin de mon service, je me rendis directement chez Adrienne. Il ouvrit la porte av

EMILIA’S POV Je retournai à l’hôpital par l’entrée latérale, espérant que le calme du couloir m’aiderait à remettre de l’ordre dans mes pensées avant d’affronter une nouvelle journée mouvementée. Adrienne avait quitté l’appartement quelques minutes avant moi, comme nous l’avions prévu, mais mon corps se souvenait encore de la chaleur de sa main et de la façon dont il m’avait regardée avant que je parte. Je gardai les yeux baissés en avançant dans le couloir, faisant semblant d’être davantage intéressée par les dossiers des patients serrés contre ma poitrine que par les personnes qui passaient près de moi. Puis j’entendis des pas derrière moi, suivis d’une voix familière qui m’appelait par mon prénom. Je me retournai et trouvai l’une des jeunes infirmières qui me souriait. « Docteure Emilia, vous et le docteur Adrienne êtes arrivés de la même direction ce matin », remarqua-t-elle d’un ton détaché en penchant la tête, comme si elle venait seulement de remarquer cette coïncidence.

EMILIA’S POV Le message d’Adrienne arriva juste après le lever du soleil, alors que je me tenais devant mon armoire, me demandant quel genre de journée je voulais passer. Il me proposait de le retrouver après le travail et, contrairement à ses derniers messages, celui-ci ne mentionnait ni patients, ni dossiers, ni urgences. C’était personnel, et cette simple différence fit battre mon cœur plus vite que je ne l’aurais imaginé. Lorsque je montai dans sa voiture, je lui demandai aussitôt où nous allions. Adrienne me jeta un regard amusé avant de quitter le parking de l’hôpital. « Tu le découvriras », promit-il en gardant une main sur le volant. « Et avant que tu poses la question, nous n’allons pas chez moi. » Sa réponse éveilla ma curiosité, mes soupçons et une excitation étrange. « Pourquoi pas ? » demandai-je en me tournant vers lui, les sourcils légèrement froncés. « C’est toi qui m’as invitée. » L’expression d’Adrienne s’adoucit tandis qu’il regardait la route. « Parce que j

ADRIENNE’S POV J’avais à peine terminé ma tournée du matin que je rouvris le rapport de sécurité de l’hôpital. La légère odeur de désinfectant présente sur les photographies du maître chanteur me revenait à l’esprit depuis plusieurs jours. Cela pouvait ne rien signifier, mais j’avais appris à ne jamais ignorer les petits détails lorsqu’une personne cherchait délibérément à cacher la vérité. « Docteur Adrienne, vous cherchez quelque chose en particulier ? » demanda le responsable de la sécurité, debout à côté de mon bureau, une tablette à la main et une expression prudente sur le visage. « J’ai besoin d’accéder aux registres concernant les informations confidentielles du personnel », répondis-je à voix basse. « Pas aux dossiers des patients. Les horaires du personnel, les dossiers professionnels, les coordonnées privées, tout ce qui nécessite une autorisation spéciale. » Le responsable fronça les sourcils. « Pourquoi avez-vous besoin de ces informations ? » Je fis glisser une de

EMILIA’S POV Le club était exactement comme dans mes souvenirs. La musique assourdissante faisait trembler les murs, les lumières colorées balayaient la salle bondée et des inconnus riaient comme si rien de terrible ne s’était jamais produit. Je me tenais devant le bureau de Justin, me répétant que je n’étais pas revenue pour revivre le passé. J’étais là parce que quelqu’un utilisait ce passé contre moi, et que j’avais besoin de réponses. Justin leva les yeux lorsque j’entrai. La surprise traversa son visage avant de laisser place à l’inquiétude. Il repoussa les papiers sur son bureau et se pencha vers moi. « Emilia, qu’est-ce que tu fais ici ? Tu aurais dû appeler avant de venir. » Je refermai la porte derrière moi, gardant une expression calme tout en observant sa réaction. « Je voulais te parler en privé, Justin. Ça ne pouvait pas attendre. » Il désigna la chaise en face de lui, son regard parcourant mon visage comme s’il cherchait à comprendre ce qui m’amenait. « Tu as l’

POV: Emilia I went back to the club the following evening because something about the information we had found would not leave my mind. Adrienne had already discovered that someone was passing information about me to Camila, and I kept thinking about the places I visited outside the hospital. The club was one of the few places where people could easily notice me without making it obvious. Justin was behind the counter when I walked in. He looked up when he saw me, and his smile appeared almost immediately, but it did not last very long. I noticed the small change in his face before he looked away and started arranging some bottles that did not need arranging. It was a small thing, but after everything happening around me, I noticed things like that. “Justin, I need to ask you something,” I said, walking closer to the counter and keeping my voice low. He looked at me again and nodded. “Sure, what do you need?” he asked, trying to sound relaxed. I looked around the club before ans

POV: Adrienne The photograph Emilia showed me kept bothering me after she left my office. I had seen Camila entering the security company before, but that alone did not prove she was involved in the surveillance. I needed something stronger than a photograph. If I wanted to understand what she was doing, I had to look at her movements and find out who she had been communicating with. I started with the security company and went through the information I already had about the anonymous account. The account had been used to arrange surveillance, but the owner had hidden behind several layers of protection. I spent hours checking the records until I found another account that had been communicating with Camila. The account was encrypted, and the messages were protected well enough that I could not see the person's real identity. I could only see the dates, times, and parts of the conversations that had not been completely hidden. At first, the messages looked harmless, but then I not

POV: Emilia I looked at Camila for a few seconds after she asked her question, but I refused to let my face show how much it bothered me. She clearly wanted me to react, and I was not going to give her that satisfaction. If she knew something about Richard, she could simply tell me instead of standing there and trying to make me uncomfortable. “What exactly are you trying to say?” I asked, keeping my voice calm as I looked directly at her. Camila smiled again, and that smile made me even more uncomfortable. “I'm not trying to say anything,” she replied, looking almost innocent as she adjusted the strap of her handbag. “I'm only saying that you probably don't know everything about Richard.” I folded my arms and refused to move. “Then tell me what I don't know,” I said, watching her closely. “If you came here to warn me, then stop speaking in riddles and tell me what you know about my husband.” For a moment, Camila said nothing. She looked around the corridor before looking back a

POV: Emilia I kept thinking about the photograph even after I left Adrienne's office. The name on the back bothered me more than the picture itself. Camila. I knew Richard had worked with many people over the years, but I had never heard him talk about her. After everything that had happened, I could not just forget the name and pretend it meant nothing. When I got back to my office, I opened my laptop and started searching for her. At first, I did not find anything that looked strange. Camila had worked for Richard's company many years ago, and her name appeared in old business reports and meeting records. She had been involved in several deals, but nothing immediately explained why someone would send me her name now. I kept searching anyway. The more records I opened, the more often I saw Camila's name beside Richard's. She had not been some random employee who worked in another department and barely knew him. She had worked directly with him on several important projects, atten

ADRIENNE’S POV I stayed in my office after Emilia left, staring at the photograph she had received. The picture looked simple, but I knew someone had taken it deliberately. They had watched Emilia enter my office, captured the moment clearly, and sent it with a warning. I needed to know who had taken it before that person decided to get closer to her. I started with the photograph itself. I checked the details hidden inside the file and traced where it had come from. It took time, but eventually I found a private security company connected to the image. The company handled surveillance work for private clients, and the person who hired them had made sure their identity was hidden behind an anonymous account. I contacted someone who could help me look into the account without alerting the people behind it. The information came back slowly, but what I found made me sit back in my chair. The anonymous account was connected to several small companies that looked unrelated at first. Ho

EMILIA’S POV The message came while I was sitting in my office, trying to finish my work before going home. My phone buzzed beside me, and when I picked it up, I expected another hospital message. Instead, I found a number I did not recognize. There was no greeting, no explanation, only a short warning telling me to stop asking questions about Richard's past. I read the message twice, hoping I had misunderstood it. The words were simple, but the meaning was clear. Someone wanted me to stop investigating the missing employee and everything connected to Richard's old company. There was no request for money this time, no threat about what would happen if I refused to pay, and no attempt to bargain with me. Then I opened the photograph attached to the message. My stomach tightened immediately. It was a picture of me walking into Adrienne's office. I recognized the clothes I had been wearing that day, and I remembered exactly when the photograph must have been taken. Someone had been

POV DE ADRIENNE Apenas había terminado mis rondas matutinas cuando volví a abrir el informe de seguridad del hospital. La leve presencia de desinfectante en las fotografías del chantajista llevaba días rondándome la cabeza. Podía no significar nada, pero había aprendido a no ignorar los pequeños detalles cuando alguien ocultaba deliberadamente la verdad. —Doctor Adrienne, ¿está buscando algo en particular? —preguntó el supervisor de seguridad, de pie junto a mi escritorio con una tableta en la mano y una expresión cautelosa. —Necesito los registros de acceso a información restringida del personal —respondí, manteniendo la voz baja—. No expedientes de pacientes. Horarios del personal, registros laborales, datos privados de contacto, cualquier cosa que requiera un permiso especial. El supervisor frunció el ceño. —¿Por qué necesita esa información? Deslicé hacia él una solicitud por escrito. —Porque alguien podría estar utilizando el acceso al hospital para recopilar información

POV DE EMILIAEl club se veía exactamente como lo recordaba: la música estridente hacía vibrar las paredes, las luces de colores atravesaban el salón abarrotado y los desconocidos reían como si nunca hubiera ocurrido nada terrible.Me detuve frente al despacho de Justin, recordándome que no había regresado para revivir el pasado. Estaba allí porque alguien estaba utilizando ese pasado en mi contra y necesitaba respuestas.Justin levantó la mirada cuando entré. La sorpresa cruzó su rostro antes de ser reemplazada por preocupación. Apartó los papeles de su escritorio y se inclinó hacia delante.—Emilia, ¿qué haces aquí? Deberías haber llamado primero.Cerré la puerta detrás de mí, manteniendo la expresión serena mientras estudiaba su reacción.—Quería hablar contigo en privado, Justin. Esto no podía esperar.Señaló la silla frente a él. Sus ojos recorrieron mi rostro como si buscara una explicación.—Pareces preocupada. ¿Pasa algo?Me senté, manteniendo el bolso bien sujeto sobre mi reg

POV DE EMILIAMe repetí que la distancia de Adrienne era necesaria, que no tenía derecho a quejarme cuando era yo quien se negaba a tomar una decisión. Aun así, saber que algo era necesario no hacía que doliera menos. Su silencio me seguía a todas partes, llenando los espacios entre mis pensamientos y haciendo que incluso el pasillo más concurrido del hospital se sintiera extrañamente vacío.En el trabajo, me sorprendía buscándolo sin siquiera darme cuenta. Miraba hacia su despacho cada vez que pasaba por el ala de médicos, reducía el paso cerca de las salas de consulta y prestaba atención a su voz durante las rondas matutinas. Cada vez que recordaba que él ya no estaría esperándome, algo se me oprimía dentro del pecho.—¿Estás buscando a alguien? —preguntó Janet, apareciendo a mi lado con un expediente apretado contra el abdomen. Sus ojos curiosos siguieron la dirección de mi mirada.—No —respondí demasiado rápido, acomodando los papeles que llevaba en las manos—. Solo estaba comprob

POV DE ADRIENNE Adrienne vio a Emilia antes de que ella lo notara a él. Estaba cerca del puesto de enfermería, sosteniendo un expediente contra el pecho mientras fingía escuchar a Janet. Sus ojos se desviaban una y otra vez hacia su despacho, esperando que él levantara la mirada. No lo hizo. Se obligó a concentrarse en el informe que tenía delante, aunque ya había leído la misma frase cuatro veces sin entenderla. —Doctor Adrienne, los resultados del laboratorio de la habitación doce ya están listos —le informó Janet, dejando el expediente sobre su escritorio con una sonrisa cautelosa. Sin embargo, sus ojos fueron de él a Emilia, como si pudiera sentir la tensión que ninguno de los dos estaba dispuesto a explicar. —Gracias, Janet. Déjalos aquí, por favor, y recuerda a las enfermeras que deben controlar la temperatura del paciente cada dos horas —indicó Adrienne, manteniendo la voz tranquila mientras evitaba mirar hacia la puerta, donde Emilia finalmente se había alejado. No habí

POV DE EMILIA La pregunta de Adrienne quedó suspendida entre nosotros, incluso después de que dejó de hablar. Bajé la mirada hacia mi muñeca y luego hacia nuestras manos, apoyadas sobre la mesa. —Quieres saber por qué me quedo —susurré, intentando encontrar las palabras adecuadas. Adrienne asintió en silencio, dándome el tiempo suficiente para hablar sin obligarme a encontrar una respuesta. —No es porque disfrute siendo infeliz —continué, frotándome los dedos—. Y tampoco porque crea que todo lo que hace Richard está bien. Él me ayudó, Adrienne. Cuando no tenía nada, cuando apenas podía sobrevivir, él fue la persona que me dio una oportunidad. Adrienne permaneció en silencio, con los ojos fijos en mí. Tragué saliva con dificultad. —Quería convertirme en doctora, pero no tenía dinero. Mi familia estaba pasando por dificultades y yo trabajaba siempre que podía, pero nunca era suficiente. Las matrículas, los libros, el alojamiento, la comida, todo se volvía cada vez más caro. Empez

POV DE ADRIENNE Emilia se quedó toda la noche, durmiendo en mi sofá después de llorar hasta quedarse sin fuerzas. Yo apenas dormí porque no dejaba de comprobar que estuviera cómoda, asegurándome de no molestarla. Por la mañana, estaba sentada en la barra de la cocina, llevando una de mis camisas, con el cabello suelto alrededor del rostro y tratando de fingir que la noche anterior nunca había ocurrido. —¿Quieres café? —pregunté, abriendo el armario mientras la observaba de reojo. Emilia asintió lentamente. —Sí, por favor. Creo que necesito algo fuerte. Su voz sonaba áspera de tanto llorar, pero intentaba ocultarlo. Serví el café en una taza y la coloqué frente a ella. Extendió la mano para tomarla y la manga se deslizó por su muñeca. Fue entonces cuando vi el moretón. No era lo bastante oscuro como para parecer reciente, pero la forma era clara, una marca estrecha que rodeaba su delicada piel como si unos dedos hubieran apretado demasiado fuerte. Mi mano se detuvo a medio ca

Rhydian’s eyes had changed. Still that pale grey, still unmistakably his, but now there was something underneath, something new you could actually see, like the mark had settled into his bloodline the same way it had in mine. He looked at his hand, then at me, and we both stayed quiet. There wasn’t anything to say yet.Then someone yelled from the northwest boundary. “Hello? I can see the light. Is someone there?”Malek moved first, stepping out of the settlement. I followed. Soren was already at the edge of the clearing, watching the northwest.There, caught in the silver light, stood a young woman holding her hands out to her sides in that particular not-threatening way. She must have been taught to approach strange ground with caution, and she looked it. Maybe nineteen, slight, with dark skin and the exhausted edge of someone who’s been running way too long and finally, maybe, made it somewhere, but still isn’t sure.She took in the whole scene. The clearing. The light. The first w

“How far northwest?” I typed to Aldric.His reply came back in a heartbeat. “Three hours. Toward the silver light. She can see it from where she is.”I turned my screen to Rhydian. He read it, then glanced out at the spreading light near the trees, steady, patient, and honestly, it didn’t care what problem it was causing.“Can we stop it?” Malek asked.“I don’t know how,” I said.“The mark,” Soren said. “If the mark controls the light…."“I don’t control it,” I said. “Never have. The light does what the confluence ground does. What the sequence does. I’m not in charge.” I stared at those silver columns. “I’m just part of it.”“So we can’t stop it,” Malek said. “And Carrier Two is three hours out. She’s coming in, following a beacon everyone can see from the northwest.”“Yeah,” I said.“So the question is, what do we do with three hours?” Malek said.I looked at the clearing. Seven packs in the trees, all watching the silver light touching their paws. Four hundred wolves standing quiet

Everyone turned.Aldric's daughter stood at the northern edge of the clearing, her mother just behind her. The silver light did something new, it started pulling toward young Mira, almost like it had when the bond first began, but this time, it homed in on her, slow and subtle, like a compass needle finding north.She pressed both hands flat against her chest, just like she had back at the boundary."I can feel it," she said, eyes on the mark burning through my shirt. "I've felt... something, all evening. Thought it was the confluence ground. But it's not. It's in me. And it's... responding to….." She looked right at me. "To you."I edged closer.She stayed put."How long?" I asked."Since I got here. Since I crossed the boundary. But it's gotten louder these last ten minutes." She glanced at the silver light swirling around us. "Since the color changed."Her mother, older Mira, watched her with that strange look, some wild mess of pride and grief. You could see the weight of twenty y

The vehicle rolled into the confluence territory and I caught the shift before I’d even gotten out. Silver everywhere. Where an hour ago the clearing had glowed with gold, now every shaft of light had turned, quiet, but deep, into silver. The whole place sat under it, like somebody swapped out the bulbs for something just as warm, but running on a different frequency. It was the same silver that’d shaded my own shoulder, the mark at its brightest, clearest edge.The first wolf stood dead-center in the clearing, exactly where Soren said it would be. It stood still and the silver light rose from the ground around it in slow, steady columns. Almost like the light itself was alive, breathing.Soren met me at the edge. He glanced at the wolf, then at me.“It started ten minutes after you texted,” he said. “No warning. The gold just, shifted.”“The seven packs?” I asked.“Old-growth on the eastern side,” he said. “Keran and Aldis are with Tomas and Vael. They’re talking. No panic.” He hesit

“Tell me everything,” I said. “Don’t leave out the part the network cut.”Mira glanced at the stack of pages in my hand. “It’s long.”“Summarize,” I told her. “We’ll read the rest on the way back.”She slid into a chair, finally still, for once, and folded her hands on the table. I’d seen enough Vanes do that to know it was a habit.“It goes like this,” she started. “Finishing the bond sets off a process. Three stages. First, the return. That’s finished, everything the bloodlines had suppressed wakes up again. That part’s done.” She paused. “Second, the consolidation. The mark settles into the new bloodline, permanently, through the transfer. Not just as a thing that comes and goes, but something that’s always there, in every descendant, every generation.”“So it’s forever,” Rhydian said.She nodded. “That’s the point. The choice isn’t just about who gets it now. It decides which family holds it for everyone who comes after.”“And the last stage?” I asked.“That depends on who gets th

We pulled into Greycliff about forty minutes later.Zevran waited for us at the entrance. He didn’t need to say anything, his face told me things inside were still a mess. He fell in beside me as we headed in.“She’s still in the archive room,” he said. “I hear her moving around. She hasn’t come out since she went in.”“Anyone else in the hall?” Rhydian asked.“Two of my people at each end,” Zevran said. “That’s it. It’s been quiet since we cleared it this afternoon.”Inside, the corridor looked just like I’d left it, dim lamp oil, shiny waxed floors, that echo you only get with old stone. It was the kind of place trouble liked to settle in. The archive room was third on the left, warm light spilling out beneath the door.I knocked once and went in, no waiting.She stood at the far shelves, pulling a box down from up high, moving like she knew exactly what she was after. She heard us come in but didn’t startle, which told me plenty. She set the box down and faced us.She looked forty-