LOGIN"Finish that sentence." My voice cut across hers. A beat passed. A shift crossed her eyes. Then she said it anyway. "Cleaned houses for people like us." The room went completely quiet. "My mother." I stopped. "Worked with her hands for people who believed that made her less than them. People exac
Alicia’s POV The pen was in my hand. I hadn't moved since the door closed. The page in front of me, the same line, and now I knew someone had been observing me return to it, watching long enough to count each return. I had spent three years believing he never saw the parts that weren't performed.
"He also mentioned Vera Sorel has made her attendance at the follow-up conditional on yours," I said, letting the other piece of the weight land between us. "He wanted me to know that." The pen halted in her hand. She took a breath, slow, through her nose, and the line of her throat moved once befo
Edward's POV Phillip arrived at twenty past ten. He settled into the chair across my desk and set his coat on the arm of it. The draft was already in his hand before he opened his mouth. "Signed and filed as of this morning. Your name on the minority position. Clean." He set a single folded page
"I don't know." "You said it to him. Not here." The pause that followed remained too long to be casual. "What are you afraid of?" I didn't rush it. "That I'm seeing it right. And it still falls apart anyway." She shook her head slightly. "That's not uncertainty. That's you refusing to close y
Alicia's POV Elena didn't turn when I came in. She was at the counter, spoon hovering over a bowl she hadn't touched in a while. The kettle had gone cold long enough to feel intentional. My bag hit the floor by the door. She didn't look at it. "You came back wrong." "I came back two days ago."
“I’m sorry,” she said, voice sugary-sweet. “Did you need something from my friend, or are we just rehearsing for a gossip column?” Silence followed. They ducked their heads and shuffled off. Elena smirked. “Still got it.” I shook my head, a small laugh escaping me before I could stop it. “You’re t
Edward's POV I stood there. Couldn't move for a second. Then a full beat passed and it felt heavier than it should. My eyes followed her. Alicia. The way she tilted slightly. Elena's hand on her elbow holding her steady. She didn't look at me. Not once. My fingers balled into fists. I felt the t
The apartment was dim when I got back. I didn’t bother with the lights. Evening slid in through the curtains, turning everything the color of old photographs. I still hadn’t unpacked. My bag sat by the wall, half-open, clothes wrinkled from the drive and the days before it. I hadn’t touched them. I
He didn't speak. Didn't move. Just stared like seeing me like this broke something he wasn't prepared to carry. Elena's voice cut through the quiet. Fierce. "Don't act confused. You ignored her for days. She survived that alone. Showing up now doesn't erase any of it." The air tightened. Edward







