LOGIN~Sienna~The walk to the parking garage feels like a long mile. Nova doesn't say a word. She just walks ahead with a focused energy, her heels echoing like gunshots against the concrete. When we reach her car, she unlocks it with a shaky hand and practically dives into the driver's seat.I slide into the passenger side, my hands trembling. "Nova, talk to me. You’re scaring me."She doesn't speak. She just reaches into the envelope and pulls out a stack of perfectly shot photographs. She drops them into my lap as if they’re burning her fingers.I look down, and my world stops spinning.The first photo is of me at the beach, three weeks ago. I’m laughing, wiping Noah mouth as he keeps munching on the food. The second is of my mother, pushing the triple-stroller through the grass. The third is a close-up of Naysa’s face as she sleeps in her car seat. There are more. Me entering my house. My mother carrying a bag of diapers. A shot of the three of them together on a blanket in the backyar
~Sienna~I duck behind a large display of rocking chairs, my heart hammering so hard I’m sure he can hear it. I’m clutching the baby clothes to my chest like they’re a shield. "Will there be anything else today?" the clerk asks."Actually," Norman pauses. I can hear the rustle of his coat. "Show me those hand-knit blankets in the window. The white ones."No. No, no, no. Those blankets are right next to where I’m crouching.I see his polished black shoes move across the floor. He stops less than five feet away from me. I hold my breath, squeezing my eyes shut. I can smell him—that scent of mint and expensive rain that I breathed in during those long nights in the hospital. It’s so close I could reach out and touch the hem of his trousers."They're beautiful, aren't they?" the clerk says. "Perfect for a christening or a first homecoming.""They look... soft," Norman says. There’s a strange, distant quality to his voice. "I remember when my daughter was born. Everything was so small. Yo
~Sienna~She doesn’t look all mighty and glamorous as I’ve know her to be. That’s the first thing I notice when I see her clearly. She’s not the Everly I remember. The polished, sharp-edged woman from the firm is gone. Her hair is a mess, her makeup is smudged, and she looks like she hasn't slept in a week. She’s wearing a coat that looks too big for her, and her eyes are wild, darting back and forth."Sienna," she spits. The name sounds like poison coming out of her mouth."Everly," I say, keeping my voice steady even though my knees are shaking. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be near this building. Norman has security everywhere."It’s a lie. I know. But only a fool like Everly will believe that since Norman was the one who handled her arrest. She thinks I’m back with Norman again. She lets out a sharp, jagged laugh that sets my teeth on edge. "Norman. Always Norman. You think he’s your knight in shining armor, don't you? You think you won.""I don't think I won anything
~Sienna~The lunch rush at is a blur of expensive suits and the low clinking of crystal, but I barely notice any of it. My focus is entirely on the man sitting across from me. Norman looks different today. He’s shed the heavy armor of the office, he’s not wearing his suit jacket, and his shirtsleeves are rolled up to his forearms, revealing the dark hair and the steady pulse at his wrists.He’s watching me eat with an intensity that makes my hands shake just a little as I hold my fork. It’s been a week since the accident, and while the physical pain has mostly faded into a dull hum, the emotional weight of being near him is becoming a mountain I don't know how to climb."You're barely touching your salmon," Norman says, his voice a low vibration that cuts through the restaurant’s noise. "Does it taste like the hospital food? Because if it does, I’ll fire the chef myself."I let out a small, breathless laugh and finally take a bite. "No, it’s delicious. I’m just... I guess I’m still ge
~Sienna~I stand in front of the vanity mirror, the coolvscent of the scar-fading cream lingering on my fingertips. I carefully dab a small amount onto the side of my hairline, tracing the thin, jagged line where the stitches used to be. The doctor was right, it’s healing beautifully. It’s just a tiny, pale split now, a faint map of a night I’m trying so hard to pack away into the back of my mind.I feel good today. I feel human again. I catch my own reflection and realize the color has returned to my cheeks, and the hollow shadows under my eyes have finally started to recede. Tomorrow, I’m going back to the office. Tomorrow, the world starts moving again.I hum a low, mindless tune, twirling around in my bedroom as I sift through my closet. I pull out a sharp, charcoal-gray blazer and a silk cream blouse, holding them up against myself. I can’t wait to get started. A soft knock sounds on the door. "Sienna?""Come in, Mom," I say, not looking back as I hang the blazer on the outside
~Norman~The boardroom is thick with the smell of expensive coffee and the low, monotonous drone of my lead analyst. He’s pointing at a projection of our European acquisition strategy, but my mind is three blocks away, in a hospital room that felt more like a sanctuary than a ward. My fingers tap a restless rhythm on the table. I’m physically here, but my senses are still tuned to the sound of Sienna’s breathing.My phone vibrates against the wood. I usually have a strict rule. No interruptions. My executives know that if that screen lights up during a strategy session, someone better be dying or a market better be crashing. I glance down, ready to dismiss it, but the caller ID stops me.Head of Security.I hold up a hand, cutting the analyst off mid-sentence. The room goes dead silent. Twenty high-level executives watch me with bated breath as I slide the phone toward me and pick up."Speak," I rasp."Sir, we have an update on Ms. Sienna’s discharge," Victor’s voice is crisp, profess
~Sienna~“He’s here again. Poor guy,” my mom sighs, resting on my door frame instead of entering.I roll my eyes and smirk.I don’t even need to ask who this poor guy is.“Do you think he has a girlfriend?” she asks. “I don’t think so. He wouldn’t be here every day to pick you up and drop you off.”
~Sienna~ I jump with joy at the confirmation on my desk. The old couple have finally agreed to partner with us to renovate their collapsing building after much discussion and persuasion. Yes. I finally close a deal. My first deal in a month of working in Elias Real Estate Development. It feels l
~Sienna~My hand taps softly on the table as I watch the customers bustling in and out of the small diner. It’s small and cozy, and I can see the customers enjoying themselves, feeling at home.Maybe it won’t be so bad to work here after all, preferably behind the scene. I can’t have my stomach chu
~Sienna~“Don’t you dare,” I sneer, my voice tight. My eyes flicker, sneaking a glance around the group of people scattered across the open mall ground.Laughter echoes in the air. Noise dances around, and kids run after each other.Different aromas of snacks and pastries drench the whole area, mix







