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|~ My hands flex on his thighs, the warmth of them seeping into my palms. He perches on the edge of his desk, his legs caging me on both sides as I lean into him. My eyes follow the movement of his hands as they pop open my shirt button one by one, revealing creamy white flesh, then my red
~Sienna~I hear the loud clanging of metals banging against each other as I enter the building. The air is dusty and tight, someone could get sick standing here for too long.I pull up the nose mask on my face, and rub my head, walking further into the building .I wish I wasn’t here.I love my job
~Sienna~I tighten my hands on the cover, nestling deeper into bed and my body shivers from the chilly feeling. I feel so fucking cold without a reason now I’m scared I’m coming down with flu or malaria maybe.This isn’t how I plan on spending my weekend, yes, I want to stay home but not in bed all
~Sienna~I can’t recognize the person before me. She’s not the Nova that I know, not my best friend.The eyes staring at me are full of anger and fury, if they had hands they’d wrap around my throat and choke me to death without blinking.My body shakes as I drag down my skirt. My hands tremble whi







