MasukI stopped beside the table and watched the look that passed between Dennis and the man across from him.
It was quick, barely a shift of the eyes, but the meaning sat plain in the space between them.A second later the other man shoved back from the booth and bolted for the rear exit, shoes hammering the sticky floor as he ran.I tracked him through the glass until two of my people stepped into his path outside and took him down against the side of the building.Dennis saw i>>>Samantha's POVA month slipped by in the quiet rhythm of the ward.Every day I cleaned her with lukewarm water and a soft towel, moving slowly over her arms, her shoulders, the places the bandages used to cover. The wounds and bruises had faded. Only a few pale scars remained where the deeper cuts had been. I talked while I worked, the way I always did, because the silence felt too heavy if I didn’t fill it.“Opticon’s doing really well,” I told her one afternoon, brushing her hair back from her forehead. The strands slid through my fingers, soft and familiar. “The facility’s fully running again. We even extended a couple of the lines. You’d like how clean the new section looks.”I dipped the cloth again, wrung it out, and kept going.“Lawrence and Miguel went back to Berlin for work. They didn’t want to leave, but things over there needed them. Claire’s been coming by so I can actually sleep sometimes. She brings food and sits with you when I can
>>>Samantha's POVA knock cut through the room.Both of us turned toward the door at the same time. I thought it would be the nurses on a routine check.It wasn’t.A child came running straight to Mikayla’s bedside, already sobbing. A man followed close behind, picked the boy up, and held him while he tried to comfort him.When I got a better look at the man, recognition settled in at once. Yves. I glanced at Claire, then back at the child in his arms, confusion pulling tight across my chest. I knew Yves and Claire had worked at the energy reserve facility during construction, but I had only ever thought of them as acquaintances. Mikayla had supervised most of that site. I never had a clear picture of how Claire was connected to Yves at all.Then the security footage rose in my mind, the one where Yves climbed into Mikayla’s car moments later after Claire. Realization hit hard enough that I looked at Claire and the question left me in a
>>>Samantha's POVI recovered from the surprise enough to find my voice.“Please. Sit with me.”Claire looked at me for a second, then set the fruit basket down on the table. Then followed me to the couch. The cushions dipped under our weight, and an awkward silence settled between us. My heart was still too loud in my chest. I kept telling myself to calm down, to stop assuming anything before I heard the details. I had already done enough damage by filling in blanks on my own. I wasn’t going to do it again. I drew a deep breath, the air cool in my throat, and opened my mouth, but Claire spoke first.“I heard about the breakup from Mikayla’s livestream,” she said softly.I went still. The monitors by the bed kept their steady rhythm behind us. I nodded, unable to find the right words to keep the conversation moving.Claire waited a beat, then added, “I only learned about the accident from the news. We were in the province for a family reunio
>>>Samantha's POVThe visiting room was cold and plain, and the woman across the table barely looked like the Kylie I remembered.The socialite who used to cling to my brother’s arm was gone. In her place sat someone thin and unkempt, hair messy, orange uniform hanging loose on a frame that had lost its polish. She looked like the world had been after her for a long time and finally caught up.When she saw me her face drained. Terror moved through her so fast she started shaking. Her hands flew up like she didn’t know where to put them, then clutched at her own hair, pulling at the strands while her eyes darted toward the door and back to me.“I’m sorry.....I’m so sorry....” The words came out broken, almost too fast to catch. “Please. Forgive me. I don’t want the monster coming for me. Please don’t let her....please.....”She folded in on herself in the chair, shoulders hunched, still gripping her hair. Her leg bounced under the table. When she
>>>Samantha's POVI sat with it for a long time after the last file closed.The truth was simple once I stopped running from it. I had believed the pictures over her words. I had let jealousy and doubt fill the space where listening should have been, and I never really let her finish explaining. When she told me about her sexuality, about Claire, I treated those admissions like evidence against her instead of a door she was trying to open so I could understand why she had kept them hidden. I had been so busy protecting myself from the pain that I never gave her room to stand in it with me.My phone rang while I was still at the desk. Lawrence.“Go home and rest,” he said. His voice was tired but steadier than during the day. “Take the time you need to do what you’re doing. We can take turns watching over her. Miguel won’t let any of us burn ourselves out like that. He won’t allow that kind of reckless devotion if it means everyone collapse
>>>Samantha's POVI went back to the ward only long enough to tell Lawrence and Miguel I needed to step out, there was something I had to do. They said they would stay with her. I walked to the bed, kissed Mikayla softly on the lips, and whispered that I was going out and would be back as soon as I could. Then I left.The drive to Opticon felt longer than it was. The hospital stayed with me the whole way, a weight behind my ribs that wouldn’t ease. Once I was inside my lab I sat down, woke the computer, and opened the files Kevin had sent. My hands were not quite steady. For a moment I only stared at the screen. Then I went to the timeline Alicia had given me and started watching every angle of the turnover footage, almost afraid of what I might confirm.Not once was there a kiss.From the security camera’s view it was exactly what Alicia had described, Mikayla pointing something out on the documents, Alicia leaning in to check and no
The first light of dawn was just creeping in when I reached for the tent zipper, still wrapped around Claire’s warm body. One second of peace. That’s all we got. The zipper ripped open and rough hands yanked me out by my hair. I hit the dirt hard, pain exploding through my ribs. Claire screame
I walked back into campus after a week of hell, my body covered from head to toe. Long sleeves, high collar, and pants that hid the fading bruises my father had left on my back and arms. Every step still ached a little, but I kept my face calm. The second Claire saw me in the hallway, her eyes li
The heavy wooden doors of the Stonefield estate felt colder than usual as I pushed them open. My body was still buzzing from the afternoon with Claire, but the second I stepped into the living room, the high disappeared. My father, Silverstein Stonefield, sat in his massive leather chair lik
My back slammed against the cold metal door of the bathroom stall as I crushed my lips against Claire’s. The kiss was hungry, almost violent, like we’d been starving for each other all morning. Her strawberry lip gloss mixed with the faint taste of coffee on her tongue. My hand was alre







