Mag-log in~Norman~Each step toward Liliana’s hotel room feels like I’m walking toward a final showdown. Behind me, the elevator doors just closed on two undercover officers. They are waiting for my signal to move in. They’re only giving me this chance because of my name and the evidence I’ve already given them.I reach the door and don’t wait. I knock three times, loud and sharp. The sound echoes down the quiet hallway.The lock clicks, and the door opens. Liliana is standing there, surrounded by the bright lights of her fancy room. She looks perfect, her silk robe is tight, and her hair is done up like she’s going to a party. When she sees it’s me, a slow, mean smile spreads across her face."Norman," she says, her voice sounding fake and sweet. "I wondered how long it would take for you to come crawling back. Have you finally realized that your little girlfriend isn't worth losing everything?"She turns and walks back into the room, sitting on the couch. She crosses her legs and leans back,
~Norman~The early morning light filters through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse, casting long, sharp shadows across the marble. Usually, the silence of this house is something I crave, a sanctuary from the noise of the boardrooms and the constant hum of the city. But today, the silence feels empty.I set my coffee cup down on the desk and lean back, staring at the digital clock. It’s early, but not early enough. My mind is already across town, in a small house that smells of lavender and baby powder.Three of them.The thought still hits me like a suffocating blow to the chest, but for the first time in years, it’s a blow that brings life instead of taking it. At my age, I thought the chapter of fatherhood was a closed book, a legacy already written through Nova. But fate has a strange way of correcting your path. Three more lives. Three more chances to be the man I should have been the first time around. I find myself smiling at the wall, picturing Nyomi’s determined lo
~Sienna~The morning sun spills into the kitchen, bright and unforgiving, but for the first time in months, the weight on my chest feels a little lighter. I move around the counter, flipping pancakes and brewing a pot of coffee while the familiar, chaotic sounds of three six-month-olds fill the house.Nova is already in the thick of it. She is obsessed. She has been up since dawn, hovering over the cribs like a protective hawk. When I try to reach in to pick up Noah, she playfully swats my hand away."I’ve got him, Sienna. You go make the coffee. I need my quality time with my siblings," she says, her eyes bright with a brand of joy I haven't seen in her for a long time.I really wish she can have her own bay real soon too. She’s going to be a great mom. I can see that already. I watch her as she expertly balances Nyomi on her hip while tickling Noah’s tummy. She looks at them with so much wonder, as if she is seeing them in a whole new, much softer light. We manage to get them chang
~Sienna~I stand in the hallway, my hand trembling as I reach for the nursery door. My heart is beating so wildly like a trapped bird, against the cage of my ribs. The sight of those expensive shoes and that familiar wool jacket in the living room has already told me the truth, but my brain is still trying to reject it.I push the door open, the hinges giving a tiny, familiar groan.The nightlight casts a soft, amber glow over the room. At first, all I can see are the three cribs, lined up side by side. Then, my eyes drop to the floor.Norman.He is sprawled out on the rug, his long legs bent awkwardly. A small, blue nursery pillow is tucked under his head. His eyes are closed, his face softer and younger in sleep than I have seen it in years. A few feet away, Nova is curled up on the small nursing couch in the corner, her head resting on her hand, completely dead to the world.I stand frozen. I don’t know whether to scream, to cry, or to turn around and run back out into the night. A
~Sienna~The silence of the third-floor waiting room is the kind that eats at your nerves, a thick, sterile quiet broken only by the soft squeak of a janitor’s cart somewhere in the distance. I sit on the edge of a hard plastic chair, my fingers digging into my palms so hard I can feel my pulse thrumming in my fingertips. Every time the double doors hiss open, my breath hitches, my heart performing a violent, rough dance against my ribs.Finally, the doors swing wide, and a man in pale blue scrubs emerges. I spring up so fast the room tilts for a second, my vision swimming with black spots."Family of Jane Davis?" he asks, pulling his mask down to his chin."I’m her daughter. Sienna," I say, my voice coming out in a breathless rush. "Please, tell me she’s okay."The doctor offers a small, tired smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes, but it is enough to let the air back into my lungs. "She’s a very lucky woman, Sienna. The impact is significant, the car is definitely over the speed l
~Sienna~A prickle of unease starts at the base of my spine. I wait ten minutes and try again. Still nothing. My heart starts a slow, heavy drumbeat against my ribs. "Maybe she’s just in a checkout line," I whisper, trying to soothe the rising panic.I return my focus to the babies, clearing off any negativity from my mind. Suddenly, my phone vibrates in my hand. It’s my mother’s caller ID."Mom! Where are you? I was getting worried," I say, the words rushing out.There’s a beat of silence. It’s not the sound of the mall. It’s a sterile, humming quiet, broken by the distant, beep of a monitor.I think I’m getting too much ahead of myself with these crazy thoughts. “Mom,” I call, softly. "Hello? Is this the daughter of Jane Davis?"The voice is male. Professional. Calm in a way that makes my blood turn to ice."Yes. This is Sienna. Who is this? Where is my mother?""Ms. Davis, my name is Dr. Oliver. I’m calling from the City Hospital emergency department. Your mother was involved in
~Sienna~The moment we step into the kids’ store, the air changes.Bright colors, soft lullabies humming from little speakers, and shelves lined with tiny clothes, clothes so small they barely even look real.Everything feels unreal. It’s like I’m operating on an automated command as I move through
~Sienna~I smile with tears in my eyes as we walk out of another doctor’s appointment. Elias’s hand clenches around mine, tugging me forward, out of the hospital.The sharp, bitter smell of antiseptic, blood, and pills lingers in the air but I didn’t even notice. My heart soars to the brim, I’m too
~Sienna~“What did you just say?” I hiss lowly.My gaze flicks around the spacious sitting area. Wide and empty, with the windows open and bare of any curtains. The musky, thick smell of wet paint and leather dilutes the air, wrapping around my lungs.I turn to Elias and my mom again. I narrow my e
~Sienna~Scalding hot fire seeps through my bloodstream. My body shakes with terror. My ear stings, a sharp pinch dipping in.I feel so far away. I feel like I’m a hundred miles away from here. The doctor’s lips are moving, but I can’t hear a word.Everything slurs. I’m watching things explode befo







