로그인Mom 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
The words stung, but they were true. Being an Augustus meant always being watched, envied, hunted by someone who wanted what they had.Fifteen minutes later, Schwartz returned. “The car’s downstairs. It’s clear.”“Clear how?” Nathan asked.“I checked the street. No unfamiliar vehicles, no parked mot
Charlotte’s POVThe Bangkok skyline shimmered outside the wide glass windows — a mosaic of mirrored towers, blinking lights, and humid gold haze that blurred the edges of everything. Late Sunday afternoon. Another day of confinement. Another day of pretending she was fine.Charlotte sat on the edge
Damian’s POVThe Bangkok morning was already alive when Damian stepped out of the hotel lobby with Charlotte and Nathan at his side. The heat rose in shimmering waves from the pavement, mingling with the sweet smoke of incense from nearby shrines and the metallic scent of the Chao Phraya River not f
Charlotte’s POVCharlotte tried to laugh. It came out thin at first, nervous around the edges, but it grew more natural as the minutes passed. The air in the market square shimmered with heat, and the sound of a hundred conversations mixed with sizzling oil and the clang of metal ladles against woks







