LOGINPaige.Through the tinted windows, I can already see the camera flashes , lights, movement. The entrance of the venue is glowing under golden chandeliers, a long carpet rolled out toward the steps like something straight out of a movie.“This is ridiculous,” I murmur under my breath before I can stop myself.“It’s just a gathering,” he says calmly.I turn to look at him.“There are photographers everywhere,” I reply.“There are always photographers.”Of course there are.The car comes to a smooth stop. Before I can process another thought, Dante steps out first. The night air rushes in, cool against my skin. A split second later, he is standing outside my door, offering his hand to me. I place my hand in his.And the moment I step out of the car, everything explodes, the multiple voices, flashes. “Dante! Over here!”“Sir, is this your wife?”“Can we get a picture together?”The attention is immediate and overwhelming and for half a second, I freeze, then I feel it.His hand tightenin
Dante The night nurse arrived exactly on schedule just as stated. I didn’t think I was going to even like her, but she got my attention immediately, she was professional but still warm and I knew Paige would like her. And yet, I have not stopped thinking about the way Paige looked at me when I told her we had a party to attend and we were going to leave Kyla with a night nurse.She didn’t say everything she was thinking, but I could see it in her eyes. The questions, the resistance, the quiet defiance she tries so hard to mask behind composure.She thinks this is about control and appearances, about maintaining my public image. A soft click from the bedroom door pulls me out of my thoughts and then she steps out.For a moment, I forget how to breathe completely.My mind goes blank in a way that is both inconvenient and deeply inconvenient.She is stunning abd and that word is insufficient.The dress fits her like it was made specifically for her, she looks elegant, refined, sophist
Paige.I am still staring at the huge bed when the silence finally starts to feel too loud.The suite looks like it was designed for a married happy couple on a luxury getaway instead of two people stuck in a complicated arrangement they pretend not to define.My fingers tighten slightly around the handle of my suitcase as I step further inside, my heels sinking softly into the plush carpet. The suite is beautiful, unnecessarily beautiful with floor to floor ceiling windows, soft gold lighting, and a quiet elegance that feels almost suffocating.Because it feels intimate, too intimate for whatever me and Dante have going on.Behind me, I hear the soft rustle of fabric and the faint sound of Kyla’s sleepy babble. I turn slightly and watch as Dante walks deeper into the suite, completely unbothered by the fact that we are now sharing a bedroom.He doesn't seem bothered at all by our arrangement, and that irritates me even more. He gently places Kyla in the bassinet that has already bee
Paige.I don’t start packing when we get back to the house. I tell myself I will there is no rush, I even walk into the bedroom with the full intention of doing it, but instead, I just stand there for a moment, staring at the open wardrobe like it personally offended me.Dante just sprung the trip on me, just like that no Intel at all, no discussion and I was supposed to go along with it. My fingers tighten around the strap of the baby bag still hanging from my shoulder before I slowly set it down on the bed.“What even is this?” I whisper under my breath.Because I genuinely don’t understand, yesterday, he was distant, he left and didn't want to spend any time with us, but this morning we were going on a family trip, pretending to be happy and in love. I pull out Kyla’s small suitcase and place it on the bed, unzipping it slowly. The soft sound fills the quiet room, and immediately I begin folding her tiny clothes with automatic precision onesies, extra socks, bibs, blankets, wipe
Paige. I sit in the passenger seat, my hands resting on Kyla’s baby bag on my lap, fingers absentmindedly tracing the zipper over and over again. The car hums softly as Dante drives, his eyes fixed on the road, his jaw set in that unreadable way that makes it impossible to tell what he is thinking.He hasn’t turned on the radio and he hasn’t said a word either, we are just driving in silence.In the backseat, Kyla babbles softly to herself, occasionally letting out tiny squeals that fill the quiet space. Every time she makes a sound, my heart softens just a little, grounding me, reminding me what today is actually about.I glance sideways at Dante for a brief second.His grip on the steering wheel is firm but not tense. His posture is relaxed, almost too relaxed for someone who showed up smelling like alcohol this morning and casually announced a family trip as if it were nothing. His expression is calm, composed, controlled as always. My chest tightens, but I quickly look away, s
Paige. One minute I was staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft hum of the baby monitor on my nightstand, replaying the last call from the night before, and the next, darkness swallowed everything up. The fuzzy static from the baby monitor drags me back to consciousness.It’s not loud, just that soft, scratchy sound that tells me Kyla is awake and moving. My eyes flutter open slowly, my body warm under the covers, my mind lagging behind reality. For a second, I don’t move. I just lie there, staring at the pale morning light slipping through the curtains, trying to piece together where I am and what day it is, then it hits me. Everything from last night, cooking dinner, the candles and then the phone callMy hand immediately reaches for my phone on the nightstand. The screen lights up, almost blinding me. 7:56 AM. There are no missed calls or messages at all. Not even a single notification. A small, sharp ache forms in my chest, but I swallow it down before it can grow into s







