LOGIN(Maya)Footsteps.They move toward me, slow and careful.Closer.Closer.I can feel someone’s presence now. The warmth of their breath brushes against my face as the figure leans over my bed.Three.Two.One.My eyes snap open.A figure looms over me.A face mask conceals every feature except a pair of eyes staring down at me.Our gazes collide.Those eyes widen.As if she never expected me to be awake.In the next second, the gloved hand shoots up, a syringe flashing beneath the dim light as it plunges toward me.My hand flies up on instinct.I catch the wrist midair, stopping the needle inches from my skin.“Die! Just die!” she hisses, forcing the syringe downward.A chill shoots through me.That voice.“Selina!”The growl tears from my throat as I shove her hand aside. The syringe flies from her grip and clatters onto the floor.“How dare you!”My palm crashes against her cheek.Her head snaps sideways.“You really think you can kill me?” I let out a cold laugh.Her head slowly tur
(Amara)The day had already ended, but my mother’s question refused to leave my mind.I know I’ll have to answer it soon. But then…A car horn blares.Before I can even process what’s happening, a hand wraps around me and yanks me backward.Then…Bam!I whip around just in time to see the car slam into Maya.She’s thrown through the air before slamming onto the road, her body tumbling across the pavement before finally coming to a stop.For a second…I can’t breathe.I can’t think.I just stand there, frozen, my entire body trembling.The car lingers for only a heartbeat before speeding away.“Maya!”The spell breaks.I race toward her and collapse beside her, my hands shaking so violently I can barely touch her.“Maya… open your eyes.”My voice quivers.“Please… open your eyes.”Tears blur my vision.“You can’t die like this. Please…”Slowly, her eyelids flutter open.Blood trickles from the corner of her lips as she forces the faintest smile.“Thank goodness…” she whispers weakly.
(Isha)I stride through the bar, the one Nathan always frequents.Ever since I returned, I’ve done everything I could to see him. I called. I texted. I waited.Nothing.He ignored every single attempt.So I had no choice but to come here. At least if he saw me in person, he wouldn’t be able to avoid me again.My heels click sharply against the polished floor as I make my way toward the private room I’d been told he was in.The moment I push the door open, I freeze.My fists clench.Women surround him.One is practically sitting on his lap. Another trails her fingers across his shoulder while the rest laugh, flirt, and compete for his attention.Something twists painfully inside my chest.“Nathan!”My voice cracks through the room.Every head turns toward me.Nathan slowly lifts his eyes.A tired sigh escapes him.Not exhaustion.Irritation.The kind reserved for someone he’d rather not see.A bitter scoff leaves me.Without saying a word to me, he looks at the women.“Leave.”They imm
(Amara)My eyes land on the paper in Maya’s hand.The pregnancy test result.My heart plummets.Oh my God.How did she…I force the thought away and stride into the room.“How dare you go through my things?” I snarl, snatching the paper from her grasp.My pulse pounds violently against my ribs.She knows now. Oh God… she knows about my pregnancy.The realization sends panic rushing through me.What if…The doctor’s warning crashes back into my head.You should avoid whoever gave you those drugs, Amara. They don’t mean well for you. These pills might help with sleep, but an overdose can be dangerous. Especially for a pregnant woman. It can even lead to a miscarriage.My fingers crumple the edge of the paper.The memories of my miscarriages come rushing back. The pain. The grief. The helplessness. Losing my babies over and over again.I don’t get it.I’m still trying to understand everything.Why would she give me those drugs?She knew I was pregnant back then.So why?Did she really no
(Rayner)My grip tightens around the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white.Stefan’s words keep echoing in my head.“She’s gone to Pittsburgh. I heard she’s selling the house and plans to throw Felix and his mother out for good.”I press harder on the accelerator.Minutes later, my car rolls to a stop outside the address Stefan had sent me.The very thing I’d wanted him to look into before my mother interrupted us.One of our former employees now works closely with Amara at Eleanor Foods, so finding out where she’d gone and what she was planning hadn’t been difficult.I step out, shutting the door behind me as my eyes briefly trail over the building. Spacious enough to tell she’d invested heavily in the property.I tug at my jacket and head inside.Then her voice slips into my mind.“I can take care of this myself. This is my personal problem. I don’t want to keep dragging you into it.”A quiet breath leaves me.No, Amara.You’re wrong.I won’t let you face this alone.Not anymo
(Amara)“Out. I want everything out!”My voice rings through the house as the workers immediately spring into action, carrying out clothes, shoes, handbags, boxes, and every single thing that belongs to her.Theresa rushes toward me, desperation etched across her face.“Amara, you can’t do this. We’re family.”“Ex-family,” I cut in sharply.She stares at me as though I’ve just said the most unbelievable thing in the world.“Why?” A smirk tugs at my lips. “You thought I wouldn’t be able to put you where you belong?”I begin walking toward her, slow and deliberate.“We’re ex-family now, Theresa. Ex-family.”I let those words settle.“The word family between us ended the very moment Felix and I got divorced. So what makes you think you still have any right to what belongs to me?”I raise a hand, gesturing around the mansion.“This house…” My fingers sweep through the air. Her eyes follow the motion. “…belongs to me. Only I get to decide who lives here and who doesn’t. And as for you… you
(Felix)“Selina!”My voice crashes against the walls as I stride through the living room, anger boiling over with every step.I find her sprawled in one of the chairs like she owns the place. Her legs are propped casually on the table. One hand rubs slow circles over her stomach, the other lifts an
(Amara)The moment feels suspended until his voice breaks through it.“Are you okay?”His words are low and close, brushed against the side of my neck. There is a thickness to his voice, something steady and concerned, as if the question leaves him instinctively before he can think better of it.Sl
(Amara)Her eyes flicker.“Selina?” she repeats slowly, like the name itself doesn’t belong anywhere in her memory. For a brief second, there’s nothing behind her gaze. Then, recognition dawns. Slowly, her lips curl into a smile.“Ah yes,” she says lightly. “She’s a distant relative.”She lowers th
(Amara)I watch as Felix slowly turns toward me, his movements careful, almost hesitant. His eyes search my face before he speaks.“What’s come over you, Amara?”He steps closer, reaching for my shoulders, his hands warm and familiar in a way that makes my chest tighten. “This isn’t the Amara I got







