MasukI watched her reaction closely, the way she paused for half a second as if weighing her options, then deliberately chose the one that annoyed me the most.She refused to stay on the bed and instead walked to the couch, sitting down stiffly as if the cushions had personally offended her. Her back was straight, arms folded tightly across her chest, chin lifted in quiet defiance. It was not dramatic resistance. It was calm, calculated, and stubborn. The kind that did not ask for permission and did not care for approval.I leaned against the edge of the bed, arms crossed, studying her like she was a puzzle deliberately missing a piece. She pretended I was not there, staring straight ahead as though the wall held something fascinating.“That couch is hard,” I told her.She did not even look at me.I waited for a response. None came. Not even a blink in my direction.“Hard,” I repeated, slower this time, as if she had not heard me the first time.Still nothing.I clicked my tongue and shook
I had given the orders earlier in the day.Quietly. Precisely. The way I always did everything.I told the head maid to move her belongings. Every single thing. Her clothes, her toiletries, the small items she kept arranged with military neatness. I told her where to place them. Inside my room. Inside my space.I watched the maid’s eyes widen when she understood what I meant. I watched her hesitate. I watched the silent shock ripple across the faces of the staff nearby. They were not used to this. They were used to rules. Distance. Control. They were used to me keeping women far away from my private life.I smiled.It was not a warm smile. It was not kind. It was deliberate.The maid bowed stiffly and obeyed.Caleb came by not long after, his curiosity written plainly on his face. He asked questions. Too many questions. I ignored him. Let him talk. Let him speculate. For once, I did not care what he thought. Whatever this was between Anna and me, it was not something I intended to exp
I stayed in the parking lot for almost half of that afternoon. I did not even realize how long it had been until my phone vibrated in my hand and startled me. The hospital parking lot was quiet, the sun already shifting from harsh brightness to something softer, more tired. I had been staring at the garden the flowers without really seeing anything, my mind too full, my heart too heavy. When the doctor’s name appeared on my screen, my fingers shook. I answered immediately. “Miss Anna,” his calm voice came through. “Could you please come upstairs? I would like to speak with you in my office.” My heart dropped first, then climbed back up into my throat. “Yes,” I said quickly. “I’m coming right now.” I stepped out of the car, my legs feeling weak as if they no longer belonged to me. Every step toward the building felt heavier than the last. I had learned to fear those words. Come to my office. We need to talk. They usually never came with good news. The doctor met me outside his
The first thing I noticed was the sound.It was faint, almost fragile, but it was there.A soft breath.I had learned to recognize it over the years. The rhythm of it told me everything before my eyes even opened fully. Too shallow meant fear. Too uneven meant pain. But this time, it was steady. Calm. Soft like a sleeping kitten.My heart skipped.I leaned closer to the hospital bed, my fingers tightening around the edge of the blanket as if I was afraid she might disappear if I blinked too hard.Jasmine’s lashes fluttered.Just once.Then again.“Mama?”Her voice was small. Weak. But awake.I felt my knees give way as relief crashed through me so violently that I had to sit down on the chair beside her bed before I collapsed. My hands trembled as I reached for her fingers, warm and tiny inside mine.“Yes,” I whispered. “Mama is here.”Her eyes opened slowly, dark and glossy like polished stones. For a moment, confusion crossed her face. Then recognition bloomed. Her lips curved into
I have always been calm.That is what people say about me. Cold. Controlled. Untouched by emotions. A man who never lets anything slip past the surface. They say it with a mixture of fear and admiration, as if calmness is something I was born with.They never knew it was not calmness at all.It was packaging.Something I learned to do early. Wrap everything ugly, everything painful, everything human, and hide it so deeply that even I forgot what was inside. I learned how to compartmentalize. How to shut doors in my mind and lock them. How to look unaffected while calculating ten steps ahead.Last night tore that packaging open.I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling long after she slipped from my arms. I did not sleep immediately. I rarely did after nights like that. But this time, it was different. It was not about release. Not about desire. Not about the usual hollow quiet that followed intimacy.It was the familiarity.The way her body had reacted even when her mind resisted. The
I barely registered the moment my feet left the pool floor.One second, cold water clung to my skin, the night air heavy with tension and unsaid words. The next, I felt his arms wrap around me, firm and sure, lifting me as though I weighed nothing at all.“Zane,” I gasped, instinctively clutching his shoulders. “What are you doing?”He did not answer immediately.Water dripped from both of us, trailing down his arms, soaking into his shirt as he stepped out of the pool with long, steady strides. The lights reflected off the wet stone, everything shimmering, unreal. My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.“Put me down,” I whispered, though my voice lacked the strength my words demanded.Instead of responding, he tightened his hold slightly, his grip secure but not rough. I could feel the solid strength of him beneath my palms, the heat of his body contrasting sharply with the chill of the night and the water clinging to my clothes.“You are shaking,” he said quietl







