LOGINMom claps. “See? Good sense.”Dad groans, drops into a chair, and rubs his forehead. “Fine. Sparklers. But I get to choose the color.”“Deal,” I say, leaning over to kiss his temple. He pretends not to smile but I see it anyway.I never thought I would have this again—a father who tries, really trie
Maya’s POVFrance changed me. I did not expect it to. I thought all I wanted was revenge, a reckoning, a balancing of the scales that would make everything feel right again. But standing at the kitchen window of our townhouse with the late-morning sun warming the old stone, watching Oscar toddle aft
After a few minutes, Emma sits beside me, nudging my shoulder. “How are you really,” she asks, her voice softening.I smile. “Good. Really good. For the first time, everything feels... quiet.”“You deserve quiet.”I nod, my eyes warming. “He is different now. Softer. Present. You should see him read
Emily’s POVSix Months LaterI wake before the alarm, before the morning light even filters through the curtains, to a soft flutter beneath my ribs. A tiny kick, gentle but unmistakably there. I smile into the pillow, pressing my palm over the swell of my stomach. The baby is awake, stretching, gree
Damian’s POVI do not think I exhaled until the plane door shut behind us.No reporters.No blinking notifications.No family emergencies.No corporate disasters waiting like open jaws behind every email.Just Emily beside me, fingers loosely threaded with mine, her head resting on my shoulder as if
Emily’s POVThe morning light over the farm looks unreal, soft as milk, drifting across the grass in wide strokes that make everything glow. It is the kind of light you only see on days you remember forever. A gentle breeze carries the smell of lilac and fresh earth, the decorations swaying slightly
Jonathan’s POVJonathan hadn’t expected it to feel like this.He thought time and distance might have softened whatever ache he still carried for Charlotte—thought that seeing her again, after everything, would bring only calm professionalism. But the moment he stepped into that suite and she turned
Charlotte’s stomach twisted. “Then what?”“Then we’re all in danger,” Schwartz finished.The room fell silent except for the faint hum of the air conditioner.Finally, Nathan exhaled. “Well, since we’re waiting for Armageddon, I brought lunch.”He stood, heading for the kitchen, and returned with tw
Charlotte’s POVThe air in the Bangkok hotel suite was thick with tension—so thick it seemed to hum between the walls. Charlotte paced across the long stretch of carpet in front of the balcony doors, her bare feet silent, her silk robe swishing with each turn. Outside, the city glittered, all glass
Emily nodded slowly, letting the words sink in. Her mother stood and brushed her hands on her apron. “Now. You need a distraction.”“I don’t feel like cooking,” Emily muttered.“Good,” Sienna said brightly. “Because I made a reservation.”Emily blinked. “What?”Her mother smiled innocently. “Your fa







