LOGINThe words cut. I stared at her. Lucy didn't flinch. Didn't look away. Just held my gaze. "You want to know what I think?" she said quietly. "Not particularly. But I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway." "I think you're stuck." She pushed off the desk. Walked toward me. "You can't move
I was at the window when Lucy walked in. "Working hard?" her voice came through the speakers. I watched myself set the report down. Turn. "Lucy. What brings you by?" "Your mother asked me to check on you." She glanced at my desk. At the scattered reports. "Looks like you're drowning." "I'm mana
Edward's POV Judge Harmon nodded. "You may call your witness." The side door opened. Clara Reyes moved to the stand. I had called her Tuesday. She had listened without asking unnecessary questions, pulled the footage logs, verified the chain of custody, and told me what she would say if asked. Sh
"And the contract was withdrawn shortly after." "Yes." "How did you interpret that?" "She followed through." Cole objected. Speculation. Sustained. "Ms. Holloway. Across three years of events. How would you describe Alicia Valentine's manner?" "Controlled. Always controlled. She was never visi
Her smile faltering. A shadow passing across it. "Because I want you to understand—" "No." A step closer. "You are here because you are terrified. Because despite everything. Despite the photo. Despite Edward sleeping with you. Despite wearing his grandmother's necklace. You're still not his wife.
Alicia's POV The screen came on. The photography gallery. Museum lighting. Artwork on the walls. I was already there when Lucy walked in. I watched myself from across a courtroom. The navy gown. Hair up. Standing in front of a photograph of a woman whose face was half in shadow. Lucy stopped be
Alicia's POV The office felt quieter today. Not empty. Just softer. The afternoon light coming through the tall windows was hazy, warm without being harsh. I pulled my cardigan tighter. Not because I was cold. Just needed something to hold. Coffee in one hand, I walked past the desks toward my ow
"Targeted." I kept my voice even. "Just me." She didn't answer. "Why?" "The decision came from executive coordination." I watched her face. The way her eyes wouldn't quite meet mine. "What does that mean?" I asked. "It means the directive was finalized at a senior level." "Which level?" She
Alicia's POV The morning was ordinary. Elena drove. I watched the city pass—buses stopping at corners, someone hosing down a storefront, a woman shouting into her phone. We pulled into the Vesper & Lane lot just after eight. Elena parked and grabbed her bag. "Design review at nine," she said. "
Alicia's POV I woke up slow, the kind of slow where you can feel the quiet pressing in on you. The guest room still smelled of lavender—Elena's diffuser from last night. This wasn't my room. Hasn't been for weeks now. But it was safe. Right now, that counted for something. My chest didn't feel as







