LOGIN"I don't want to go back to what we were," she said. "I'd burn it down before I let that happen." Her chin lifted slightly. "So whatever this is," she said, "it has to be something we've never been." "From the ground up." The air between us had changed. Nothing had moved to change it. My finge
Edward's POV A flight of stairs. Elena's door was ajar when I reached the landing. I pushed it open and stepped inside. She was at the window. Coat still on. I shrugged mine off and set it on the chair by the door. The click of the latch made her shoulders tighten once before they released. "Y
Thursday. The registry doors opened before I fully reached them, air still adjusting around the gap, carrying paper dust and ink heat and the low sound of decisions being processed without ceremony, none of it pausing for me. My name came almost immediately. Not because I was expected—because the
Alicia's POV Apartment light warmed the room before I crossed the threshold. Elena stood at the counter, spoon tracing slow circles through a pot resting on low heat. Steam rose in thin strands, breaking apart under the ceiling light before it could gather into anything defined. My shoes paused b
Edward's POV I didn’t remember walking into the estate. I remembered the gate. Then nothing clean after that—just fragments of motion stitched together without pause. Headlights fading into the drive. The slow roll of tires over stone. The way the house lights adjusted as if it had already antic
The car didn’t stop at the main entrance. It passed the glass frontage of the building, continued past the visible entry point, and turned into the service approach that only functioned as an entrance once the guard stepped aside. No signage. No announcement. Just controlled access. I didn’t que
"Oh, honey." Elena was out of her chair and on the bed in seconds, arms wrapped around me, careful of the IV line. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I buried my face in her shoulder and sobbed. Ugly, wrenching sobs that hurt my ribs and made my head pound. Elena held me through all of it, one hand
Edward’s POV The whiskey burned on the way down, a heat that climbed and lingered, settling in my chest like a tightening knot. I stood at the kitchen counter with the glass in hand. The bedroom door had closed behind her, soft and definite. She had been at the hospital all day. Or so she said. I
Edward's POV The dessert plates were cleared. Coffee appeared in delicate porcelain cups. Senator Whitmore pushed back from the table with a satisfied sigh. "Vivienne, that was exceptional. As always." "I'm so glad you enjoyed it." Mother's smile was gracious, effortless. "Shall we move to the s
Alicia’s POV The car was quiet except for the hum of the engine and the faint rustle of tires on pavement. My reflection looked back at me. Pale. Hollow‑eyed. A stranger inhabiting my face. Edward’s hands gripped the wheel. Ten and two. Posture rigid, the air between us tight with things unsaid.







