LOGINThe engines went quiet at six. The hull met the pier. The crew moved above us. River light came through the porthole, grey and silver, crossing the ceiling in slow panels. She was on her side facing me. Her hair across the pillow. Her mouth softly parted in the way that belonged only to sleep. I
Edward’s POV The hull rose and settled with the slow pull of the river. I lay in the dark with my jacket on the floor and my shoes beside it and listened to the boat. The timber. The joins. The engine below running its low faithful count. The porthole showed clouds. The moon behind it traced the
"I fell off a bicycle when I was seven," I said. "Broke my arm. The left one." "You're afraid of the dark," he said. "You sleep with the curtain open so the street light comes in. You never told me directly but I worked it out in the third month." I set down my wine. "You remember that." "I remem
Alicia's POV The dress arrived at four. I found the box on Elena's table. Black paper, no ribbon, his handwriting stark on the card: The water. Inside, folded in tissue, was the black silk from the wardrobe at the estate. The one I had left hanging there. I showered. I pinned my hair up. At seve
Edward's POV The grey light filled the room. Alicia's leg lay across mine, heavy with sleep. Her hair spread on my shoulder, across the pillow. Her palm rested on my chest, rising and falling with my breath. The arm beneath her had gone numb hours ago. I flexed my fingers until the pins and needl
Alicia's POV He was on the floor. I looked at him until the silence found its shape. He looked back. The full version of him. Just Edward on the floor, his eyes on mine, waiting without arranging what he was waiting for. "We never chose each other," he said. "Let me choose you." "Then start,"
Edward’s POV The applause faded unevenly, tapering off as if the room couldn’t decide whether to stop. Lucy dipped her head one last time while Carrington brushed a practiced kiss near her cheek. Vivienne pulled her close, wearing the sort of smile she saved for cameras. Flashes burst across the st
Edward's POV The meeting with the associate had been efficient, the sort of thing that left no residue. Two hours of facts, signatures, and promises to circulate documents. He'd arrived in a rental with a driver. I had watched him leave before I did. That was all I had needed for now. No dramatics.
“You can get dressed. I’ll be right back.” I wiped the gel away and stared at the image in my hands. A raspberry with a heartbeat. I pressed my hand over my mouth. Don’t cry. Dr. Patel came back and handed me a prescription. “Prenatal vitamins—one daily. Small meals for nausea: crackers, toast
Alicia’s POV I stayed in the kitchen long after the sound of Edward’s car faded. The coffee in my cup had gone cold. I hadn’t taken a sip in fifteen minutes. I’d seen it, the way his mouth opened, the pause, the subtle hesitation before he turned away, then the door closing behind him. That soun







