LOGINEVANS My door slammed behind me. Nyla had made me feel the kind of inferiority I hadn’t known in years, like a boy trying to play in a man’s world and failing spectacularly.Marisol followed, her presence like a shadow trailing behind me. I could hear her soft steps, I wasn’t ready for comfort.I flung myself into the living room chair, my head falling back against the leather, the sting of shame prickling under my skin. “She humiliated me. She made me look like a fool in front of everyone.” I finally said, trembling with rage. “Evans, please calm down.”I cut her off with a sharp laugh that had nothing but malice in it.“Shut up, what stupid grief, huh? She thinks she has power because she is the CEO now? I won't let her walk all over me,” My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into the leather. Marisol stepped closer, trying to place a hand on my arm. I jerked away. “I’ll ruin her for good, Marisol. I won’t spare her this time. She will regret ever looking at me, and standi
NYLAKael stepped into my room just as I tied the ribbon of my robe. I had already showered, moisturized, and forced my hair into something presentable, even though I'd rather bed rot all day. He paused by the doorway, when he saw me.“You’re already up,” he said, shutting the door behind him.“The news about my father will go public tomorrow. I have to be at the office first thing in the morning.” I replied, tightening the robe slightlyHe folded his arms, leaning his shoulder against the frame. “You’re sure you want to do that?” “This is exactly when they’ll try something, and I refuse to give anyone the impression that I’m hiding.” the answer left my lips without hesitation. Kael exhaled, shaking his head. “They grow up so fast.”His voice held a teasing warmth that pulled a small laugh out of me. “Oh please.”He pushed himself off the doorway and walked closer, eyes softening. “I have to step out early tomorrow. I have some business I need to attend to, I don't want you to wake
MARISOLThe house felt empty after I returned. I sat on the couch at first, telling myself I would not cry again. I had cried enough times for one man’s ego.Hours passed, and I stayed still out of exhaustion. I didn’t want to picture him with that girl at the pub, his hands on her, his mouth on hers, his voice low and needy. I tried pushing the image away, but it kept creeping back.The door swung open sometime after midnight. Evans stumbled inside, the smell of alcohol flooding the room before he even reached me.“Marisol,” he called out, dragging his jacket off his shoulders, letting it fall wherever it landed. “Baby, I’m home.”I didn’t move. I watched him from the couch, my knees pulled to my chest. His eyes found me eventually, it was red, softened by the kind of drunken guilt I had learned not to trust.“Look at me, I’m sorry.” he said, coming closer. I forced my voice steady. “Done having fun with your friend?”“Don’t be like that, I just needed to clear my head. You know how
MARISOLI stood in the living room long after Evans slammed the door, the echo of it still vibrating through my chest. I hated the way I always reacted. I felt small, trying to swallow the humiliation like it wasn’t choking me. My eyes burned, and I felt the first tear slip out before my mind even processed it. Then another. Then more. And in no time, I was bawling. It was easier to blame it on pregnancy hormones instead of how terrible I was being treated. I had promised myself weeks ago that I wouldn’t cry over him again. That after Nyla left, after everything blew up, after the lies and the guilt and the twisted emotions. I would finally get what I thought I deserved from him. I had convinced myself that once Nyla was out of the picture, Evans would turn toward me fully, finally see me, and love me without hesitation.But nothing changed. If anything, we had become strangers living on opposite sides of a wound we created together. And the wound never closed. It kept sticking out.
EVANS"That's wonderful news," I ended the call, tossed the phone on the counter.The news reached me before sunrise, carried on a whisper from one of her father’s old boardroom rats. Nyla’s father was gone. No formal announcement yet, but in our circles, nothing stayed quiet for long. The moment I heard it, a small part of me twitched with delight. The rest of me saw a clear opportunity. I thought that old man would never die.I sat at Marisol’s kitchen island, scrolling through the half-drafted press statements I’d prepared weeks ago, knowing the ripples her grief would cause. Then, Marisol walked in barefoot, still in that silk robe she liked to wear around me, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she reached for a glass.“Why are you up this early?” she asked, voice rough from sleep.I didn’t look up. “Nyla’s father died.”She froze with the glass halfway to her lips. “What? When?”“This morning, the board is already buzzing. They’re waiting for her to break. This is the perfect time to
KAELI walked up the steps without breaking stride. “Nice to see you again, Reeves.”The butler dipped into a precise bow, the kind that never changed no matter how many years passed. “You flatter me, master Kael.”I studied him briefly. The man looked exactly the same. Same posture, same unreadable expression, “You haven’t changed.”“I take that as a compliment.”A faint line touched Reeves’ lips, something that almost resembled amusement before it vanished. “You have been expected. They were notified of your arrival.”I glanced past him into the house. “Of course they were.”Reeves stepped aside, allowing me in. I let out a low breath that didn’t quite reach irritation. The inside of the mansion wrapped around me the moment I crossed the threshold, all polished floors and high ceilings, the kind of space that was meant to impress but never felt welcoming, it was filled decors and furniture but it was never warm, always void. Every step I took, echoed just enough to remind me where







