LOGINCelyne povI woke up with a sharp inhale, my body stiff, my chest rising and falling too fast.For a moment, I didn’t know where I was.Then it came back.Last night.Alexander’s voice.His threat.Clara.And then Elara’s ridiculous offer.My fingers curled into the bedsheet as the memory tried to claw its way back into my mind—but I forced it down.No.I couldn’t afford to think about it. Not now. Not today.If I started unraveling, I wouldn’t be able to stop and it would only drain me more.So I swallowed it. Every ounce of fear, every trembling thought, every piece of pain—I buried it all deep inside and forced myself out of bed.The room felt too quiet. Too heavy.Like the walls themselves knew something I didn’t.Or maybe something I was refusing to remember.I walked into the bathroom, turning the shower on without thinking. The cold water hit my skin first, making me gasp before warmth followed, wrapping around me like a fragile comfort.I stood there longer than necessary, let
Elara povThe moment the call ended, I nearly threw my phone across the room.“She’s coming back.”The words echoed in my head like a curse.My fingers curled tightly against the edge of the desk, my nails digging into the polished wood as anger surged through me—hot, suffocating, uncontrollable.This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.I had everything planned.Everything.For days, my spies had been feeding me updates—every move Celyne made, every call, every attempt she made to leave this house. I knew when she packed her bags. I knew when she booked the ride. I knew when she stepped out, thinking she was finally free.And I had smiled.Because for once, she was making things easier for me.
Celyne POVThe moment Clara’s name left his lips, something inside me broke.Not cracked.Not shaken.Broken and scared.Because Alexander didn’t make empty threats.And I knew—God, I knew—that whatever he said, he was capable of doing it.My throat tightened as I stared at him, my heart slamming violently against my ribs. The air in the room suddenly felt too thick, too suffocating to breathe through.“Clara…” I whispered, barely recognizing my own voice.He didn’t blink. Didn’t hesitate. Didn’t even look remotely guilty.“Yes. Clara.”The finality in his tone sent a chill down my spine.Hours ago, I would have argued. I would have shouted, fought back, demanded to know what gave him the right to control every part of my life.But now?Now I had seen this version of him too many times.Cold. Calculated. Ruthless.Changed.Living under the same roof with him again had made one thing painfully clear—Alexander wasn’t the same man I knew years back. Whatever softness I had once seen in h
Alexander POVThe numbers on the screen blurred, meaningless lines of profit and loss that demanded my attention but failed to hold it. My pen tapped rhythmically against the glass desk, sharp, impatient, echoing the irritation clawing beneath my skin.Something felt off.I didn’t believe in instincts—not the sentimental kind—but years in business had trained me to recognize when something was slipping out of my control. And right now, something was.My phone buzzed.I didn’t look at it immediately. I let it ring once. Twice.By the third vibration, I picked it up, my tone cold. “Speak.”“Sir…” the voice on the other end hesitated, and that alone was enough to tighten my grip around the phone. “It’s about Miss Celyne.”Everything in me paused.“What about her? Is she okay?”“She’s made arrangements to leave the city tonight.”For a second—just a second—I thought I heard it wrong.But then the words settled.Leave.The city.A slow, dangerous calm spread through me. The kind that came
Celyne POVThe moment I closed the door behind me, a shiver ran down my spine. Silence pressed against my ears, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I could hear the echo of my own heartbeat. The weight of everything—the whispers, the stares, the sharp words meant to remind me of my place—finally landed. And for a fleeting moment, I allowed myself to simply breathe.I set my bag down on the edge of the bed and sank to the floor, pressing my forehead against my knees. All the fear, all the anger, all the heartbreak I had tried to hold in for years came crashing at once. I had tried to convince myself I could endure it, that being a surrogate didn’t make me less than anyone, that I could survive the scorn, the ridicule, the constant reminders that I was not enough. But tonight… Tonight, it felt unbearable.“Just for the meantime,” I whispered to myself, my voice shaking, “let me just be alone… by myself.”Tears filled my eyes, blurring the room. How did it come to this? I h
Elara POVI didn’t have to look far to find her.Celyne was exactly where I expected her to be.Alone.Quiet.Like she was trying to disappear into the walls of a house she no longer belonged in.For a moment, I just stood there… watching.There was something different about her.Not the usual quiet strength she tried to hold onto.No.This was something else.She looked… tired.Drained.Like everything around her was finally starting to weigh her down.Good.That meant I was getting somewhere.I stepped forward slowly, my heels echoing softly against the polished floor.She didn’t turn immediately.But I knew she heard me.Of course she did.“Celyne.”My voice cut through the silence.Sharp.Controlled.She turned then, slowly, her eyes meeting mine.There was no surprise in them.No fear.Just… exhaustion.That alone irritated me more than I expected.“What do you want?” she asked quietly.No attitude.No fight.Just a simple question.I tilted my head slightly, studying her.So thi







