MasukElara POVThe room was quiet when I walked in.Too quiet.The kind of silence that doesn’t comfort you — it unsettles you.I stood by the door for a moment, my eyes drifting slowly across the room until they landed on the bed.Empty.Of course.My fingers tightened slightly around the handle before I shut the door behind me, the soft click echoing louder than it should.Where was he?Alexander wasn’t a man who kept me waiting.Not without reason.Not without explanation.I moved further into the room, my heels sinking softly into the carpet as I loosened my bracelet absentmindedly, my thoughts beginning to spiral.It wasn’t just tonight.No.It had been building.Since she came back.Since Celyne stepped into this house again like she still belonged here.Everything had changed.Him.The way he looked.The way he spoke.The way he paused.My jaw tightened slightly.No.I wasn’t imagining things.I couldn’t be.The door opened behind me.I turned immediately.And there he was.Alexande
Celyne POVThe moment the door closed behind him, the silence felt louder than anything he had said.I didn’t move.I couldn’t.For a few seconds, I just stood there, staring at the space he had occupied, my chest rising and falling unevenly.Then slowly…My eyes dropped.To my hand.The same hand he had grabbed.My fingers trembled slightly as I lifted it, turning it under the light.Red.The skin was slightly swollen where his grip had tightened.I swallowed hard.“It still hurts…” I whispered.Not just my hand.Everything.My grip on the edge of the bed tightened as a wave of dizziness hit me suddenly. My balance shifted, and for a moment, I almost fell.But I caught myself.Barely.My hand pressed firmly against the edge of the bed as I steadied my weight, breathing slowly, trying to regain control.“This is too much…” I murmured under my breath.Carefully, I lowered myself onto the bed, my body feeling heavier than it should.Tired.Drained.Lost.My gaze dropped again to my hand
Alexander POVThe moment she walked past me, I knew something was off.The woman—Mandy.Celyne’s aunt.She smiled too easily.Too casually.“Hi,” she said, as if she hadn’t just come out of Celyne’s room.I didn’t respond immediately. My eyes followed her as she walked away, her steps confident, unbothered, like she owned a place she had no right to be in.Strange.Very strange.Why was she here?And more importantly…Why did it feel like something had just happened behind that door?My gaze shifted slowly to Celyne’s room.Something wasn’t right.Again.That same feeling.The one I couldn’t ignore.I pushed the door open without knocking.Celyne stood near the table, her back slightly turned, her posture stiff—too stiff.She didn’t look surprised to see me.But she didn’t look calm either.There was tension in her shoulders.In the way she stood.In the way she breathed.And then I saw it.Her hand.It was trembling.Slightly.Barely noticeable.But I noticed.And just as quickly as
Celyne POVThe house felt quieter than usual this morning.Or maybe it was just me.I stood by the window, my fingers lightly gripping the edge of the curtain as my eyes followed the car disappearing through the gates.Alexander left earlier than usual.He didn’t say much before leaving.He didn’t look at me for long either.But somehow…That made it worse.A slow breath left my lips as I stepped back from the window, my chest tightening slightly.“Did he find out…?” I whispered under my breath.The question had been repeating in my head since last night.Over and over again.Like something I couldn’t escape.I shook my head quickly.“No…”He couldn’t have.He wouldn’t.Right?But then again…Alexander wasn’t someone who ignored things.If something didn’t sit right with him…He would look into it.And that thought alone made my stomach twist.My hand moved slowly to rest against my stomach.A small, protective gesture.One I didn’t even realize I kept making.“This is too much…” I mu
Mandy POVThe moment I stepped into that house, I knew one thing.Celyne hadn’t changed.Still quiet.Still soft.Still thinking she could avoid me.A small smile formed on my lips as I walked down the hallway, my heels clicking softly against the floor.Five years.Five whole years.And she thought she could just disappear like that?No explanation.No responsibility.Nothing.“Well…” I muttered under my breath. “Let’s see how far you’ve come, Celyne.”I didn’t bother knocking gently.No.I knocked just enough to make my presence known.Firm.Sharp.“Celyne.”There was a pause.Then movement inside.Good.She was there.The door opened, and the moment I saw her face, something inside me twisted—not pity.Never that.Something closer to satisfaction.“Ohhh, Celyne…” I said, stepping in without waiting. “What do you feel like now?”She looked tired.Weaker than before.But that didn’t matter.Not to me.“Avoiding me?” I continued, my eyes scanning her slowly. “And the money I requested
Alexander POVThe moment I stepped out of the house earlier, I already knew I wouldn’t be able to ignore it.It wasn’t something obvious.Not something I could clearly point at.But it was there.That feeling.The one that doesn’t sit well.Celyne said she was going to Clara’s place.Simple.Clear.Yet when I saw her again… something about it didn’t feel right.Not the way she spoke.Not the way she avoided my eyes.Not even the way she held herself.Too careful.Too controlled.Like she was making sure nothing slipped.I don’t like that.I don’t like not knowing.And I especially don’t like it when things don’t add up.That was why I found myself standing in front of Clara’s office.Not because I was sure something was wrong.But because I needed to be sure nothing was.I stepped inside, my movements calm, measured.Clara looked up the moment I entered, her expression softening slightly.“Alexander.”I gave a small nod.“Clara.”She gestured for me to sit, and I did, leaning back sli







