LOGIN(Amara)“Do you have to return?”Maya sets the glass of juice down on the table, her voice softer this time, almost careful.I don’t answer immediately. I just reach for the glass and take a slow sip, letting the coldness settle against the tightness in my chest.“I mean…” she continues, curling her legs beneath herself on the couch. “You can go back to living the way you used to. We can return to Pittsburgh and start afresh again. Me and you. Just the both of us.”I lower the glass slowly into my lap.“That’s not possible, Maya.”“Why?” she asks quickly, shifting closer. “You have a place to stay in Pittsburgh, remember? We can—”“Even then,” I cut in quietly, lifting my eyes to hers, “I can’t return to that life anymore. I already made a promise to return.”“But—”“No buts, Maya.” My voice comes out firmer this time. “You should understand why I have to do this. Besides, my condition was accepted and I think it’s time I go back already. After everything that has happened, it’s just…
(Rayner)“She’s finally agreed. The rest is left for you to finish up now.”Eleanor’s voice filters through the phone, calm and steady.“Hmm.” The sound leaves me quietly as I lean back against my chair. “I understand, Eleanor.”The call ends shortly after, but her words remain.My hand slowly slips away from my ear while my eyes close shut. The silence around my office fades, dragging me backward into the memory I cannot stop replaying.The beginning of everything.****TWO DAYS BEFORE “You’ll have to return back as Amara Roosevelt.”The words hit me so hard I stop breathing for a second.I stand frozen by the other end of the hallway, staring at Eleanor while she addresses Amara as her daughter.Her daughter.Amara Roosevelt.Shock crashes through me so suddenly my body reacts before my mind does. I move back instantly, stepping away before Amara can turn and see me standing there like some fool spying on them.My heart pounds violently against my chest.No.No, that can’t be right
(Amara)The words die in my throat the moment noise rises outside the room.“How could you leave mother alone with Amara? What if—”The door suddenly pushes open.Grace storms in first, breathing hard, her eyes sharp with panic. Lillian rushes in after her immediately.“Grace. Grace, stop,” Lillian says quickly, trying to grab her arm.But Grace doesn’t stop.Her eyes land on me instantly.“What are you doing here, Amara?” she demands. “Are you here to cause more pain to mother?”My brows pull together.“What?”From the corner of my eyes, I see Lillian wince, her fingers curling tightly against her face like she already knows this is going to end badly.Grace ignores everyone and moves carefully toward my mother by the side.“The doctor said you shouldn’t stress yourself,” she says, voice shaking with emotion. “So I don’t support leaving you alone with her.”Her gaze snaps toward me again.“What if she makes you angry again? What if she causes you to collapse again? That would not—”“
(Amara)“I don’t know what to do now.”The words finally leave my mouth as I begin pacing the room restlessly. My fingers drag hard through my hair, my chest tightening with every passing second.“What if he—”I stop abruptly.My words die instantly in my throat as my eyes snap toward Kelvin.He’s still standing there.My heartbeat skips.His gaze shifts everywhere except me and I freeze completely. Why is he still here? How am I supposed to continue talking about my family with him standing there listening?Then suddenly, his eyes lift.Straight to me.I startle slightly.“What’s wrong, Amara?” he asks, sounding almost confused by the look on my face. “Is anything the matter?”For a second, I can only stare at him.Then I quickly snap out of it, forcing myself to breathe as I rake my fingers through my hair again.“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just…”My voice trails off.I look back up at him and find his eyes still fixed on me. Searching. Watching too carefully.Before I can think of what
(Maya)I’m lost in my own world, my mind replaying every single moment from last night.The hospital.Amara.The Roosevelts.The way the air shifted the second she stood before them.A single thought forms: She’s… She’s a Roosevelt.Even now, the thought still doesn’t feel real. It keeps circling through my head like a broken record, louder and louder until I can barely hear anything else.“You’ll end up making our department issue more money for the next purchase.”The voice slices through my thoughts so suddenly that I jerk hard.Hot coffee slips from my hand.“Ah—”The cup tips over, brown liquid splashing across the table. Some of it lands on my skin and the sting burns instantly.Before I can react properly, someone rushes toward me.“Goodness, are you alright?” Kelvin grabs my wrist carefully, his expression tightening. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”His voice comes out fast, sharp with panic.I look up at him.His eyes stay fixed on my hand, concern flashing across his face so
(Rayner)“That’s what I was trying to talk to you about then.”Ruben’s voice echoes through the phone, each word hitting heavier than the last.“It was strange because for someone who was supposedly in Switzerland, I couldn't find her in person. So I wanted to tell you that when you asked for a picture of her. It was all a lie.” He pauses briefly. “The Switzerland story was fake. Amara Roosevelt was never actually here.”The last sentence lodges deep inside my chest.Amara Roosevelt was never in Switzerland.My breath catches sharply. My fingers slowly tighten around my phone as the words replay again and again inside my head, louder each time.Amara Roosevelt was never in Switzerland.“Rayner?” Ruben calls from the other side. “Rayner, are you there?”But I can’t answer.My throat locks completely.I lower the phone from my ear and end the call without another word.Silence crashes into the office.My jaw clenches hard as I stare blankly ahead, my thoughts spiraling faster than I can
(Amara)“Is this where you’re staying?” Maya asks, standing just inside the room. Her eyes move slowly around, taking in the modest space. “I thought you mentioned something about a five-star hotel or something.”Her words pull me back fully to the present. To this hotel. To this room. To the place
(Amara)Argh.A soft groan slips from my lips as my phone alarm beeps insistently. It’s crazy how, even now, I still haven’t learned how to ignore this damn thing. Half-asleep, I stretch a hand toward the bedside table to shut it off like I always do, but my fingers meet nothing.I frown.Slowly, m
(Amara)I scoff and turn back to my drink, deliberately ignoring his greeting. I’m not in the mood to talk. Not to anyone. Especially not to someone who looks like he wants to be friendly.I hear him sigh, unbothered by my coldness.“You seem to be alone. Mind if I join you?”The words hit somethin
(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







