A week later “I… I was hidden for a long time,” she said quietly, almost as if confessing to herself. “I wasn’t supposed to be found. At least… not yet.” I felt Ahea tense beside me. I could see it in the way her hands clenched, her jaw tightened, the almost imperceptible shift . Protective inst
ALEX'S POV The moment Ahea stepped inside, the air shifted. There was an almost imperceptible weight that pressed against the room, subtle, dangerous, the kind that comes with secrets no one is ready to speak aloud. I held Mirabella’s gaze, and she held mine. We both saw it at the same time—some
ALEX'S POV 2 weeks Later Two weeks. That’s how long it’s been since I found Mirabella trembling in the corridor, her hand over our child like a shield. Two weeks since I nearly put a bullet through Kanye Delacroix’s skull . Two weeks of coaxing, reassuring, sweet-talking, doing everything in m
Mirabella’s POV The glass trembled in my hand. No matter how tightly I held it, my fingers shook until the water rippled, tiny waves betraying the storm raging inside me. I wanted to believe Alex’s arms around me were enough—that his strength could shield me from everything. But I couldn’t get the
Mirabella's pov The night was thick with silence, broken only by the rhythmic sound of Alex’s breathing beside me. He had fallen asleep with one arm draped protectively over my belly, as though even in his dreams he could shield both me and our baby from the storm creeping toward us. But sleep r
MIRABELLA'S POV My fingers trembled around the edges of the photograph, the paper crinkling under my grip. No. This couldn’t be real. My mind was spinning, my chest tightening as though the air had been sucked out of the room. “Akin…” I whispered, barely able to say his name aloud, as tho