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Wrapped In Steam
Tanggal publikasi:
2026-04-22 19:38:00Anastasia
I glide through the water, letting it cool my skin, my muscles still taut from the hospital scare. I’m trying to focus on the rhythm of my strokes, the sound of splashing breaking the morning silence, but then I sense him. Levi. Crosswalk. Always watching. I try to ignore the heat creeping up my neck, the way my pulse jumps every time his gaze lands on me.
Before I can blink, he’s in the water beside me, moving with deliberate slowness, cuttin
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Beyond Rejection. Collapse Into Heat
LeviI don’t go to her immediately.Even after I’m told she’s back. Even after Greta confirms that she’s settled in. Even after I walk through the front door and feel it, that shift in the air that tells me she’s here again.I head to the study first.It’s a habit at this point. Work is easier. Numbers, contracts, signatures, they don’t look at me like I’ve done something wrong without saying a word. They don’t carry that quiet accusation that she does just by existing in the same space as me.I drop my briefcase on the desk and loosen my tie, staring at the stack of documents in front of me.I don’t read a single line.My mind keeps drifting. Back to the hospital. Back to the way she looked when I stood at the doorway and watched from a distance, making sure she was fine without stepping too close. Back to the way she held the child like she wasn’t sure i
Beyond Rejection. The Nursery
AnastasiaThe hospital room smells like antiseptic and something faintly metallic, like blood that has been scrubbed away but refuses to completely disappear. It clings to the back of my throat, making every breath feel heavier than it should.I lie still, staring at the ceiling, listening to the quiet rhythm of machines and distant footsteps in the hallway. My body feels like it doesn’t belong to me anymore. Every muscle aches in a way I didn’t know was possible, deep and lingering, like something inside me has been stretched and wrung out.But none of that matters.My gaze drifts slowly to the small cot beside my bed.He’s there.Tiny. Wrapped in a soft blue blanket. Barely moving except for the slow rise and fall of his chest.My son.A strange, overwhelming tightness fills my chest. Not pain. Not fear. Something else entirely. Something I don’t have the strength to name.I swallo
Beyond Rejection. Outside Her Door
LeviI do not think I will ever forget the sound of her voice in that room.It stays with me long after everything else fades, long after the doctors begin speaking in calmer tones and Greta finally allows herself to breathe without urgency. It stays even when the child cries for the first time, even when the nurses move efficiently around us, even when the worst of it is over.I stand there through all of it, and yet I feel like I am nowhere at all.I have been in control of my life for as long as I can remember. Every decision I have made, every path I have taken, every risk I have accepted has always been calculated. Even when things went wrong, I knew how to respond. I knew how to adjust.But there is nothing calculated about this.There is nothing controlled about watching her lie on that bed, her body trembling under the weight of pain she never asked f
Beyond Rejection. Early Delivery
AnastasiaEverything after the pain becomes a blur, but not the kind that fades. It is the kind that burns itself into memory, sharp and unrelenting.One moment, I am in his arms, struggling to breathe through the crushing pressure in my abdomen, and the next, I am being carried down the stairs while Greta rushes ahead of us, already issuing instructions in a voice that brooks no argument.I clutch at his shirt, not because I want to, but because my body refuses to let go. The fabric twists in my fists as another wave of pain tears through me, and this time I cannot hold it back. A cry rips out of my throat, loud and raw, echoing through the house in a way that makes everything feel too real.“It’s too early,” I whisper, even though I know neither of them needs to hear it again.“I know,” Greta replies quickly, her tone firm but not unkind. “Just focus on breathing. We are getting you to the hospital.”
Beyond Rejection. Contractions?
AnastasiaI don’t stay.If I stay, I will say something worse.Something I won’t be able to take back.So I turn.And I walk.Not fast enough to look like I’m running, not slow enough to invite him to stop me.My dignity is hanging by a thread, and I hold onto it with everything I have left.Behind me, I hear Greta call my name.I ignore her.I hear his chair scrape.That, I don’t ignore.Of course he’s coming.Of course he won’t let it end like that.My hand curls into a fist as I reach the stairs.“Purrey.”I don’t stop.The nerve.After everything—after that—he still has the audacity to call me like nothing is wrong.My feet hit the stairs harder than necessary.One step.Two.Three—“Anastasia.”I freeze.Damn
Beyond Rejection. Corbin
LeviThe name hangs in the air long after she says it.Corbin.It settles into my chest like something heavy and unwelcome, pressing against my ribs until breathing feels like work.I close the laptop slowly, deliberately, placing it on the table beside me. The soft click echoes louder than it should.Greta senses it first. Of course she does. Her pen stills mid-air, her gaze flicking between the both of us like she’s watching a storm roll in.“Ana…” she starts carefully, “that’s… a strong name.”Ana nods, calm. Too calm. “It is.”That’s it. No hesitation. No explanation.My patience snaps.“Corbin?” I repeat, my voice low, controlled, but there’s an edge to it I don’t bother hiding.For the first time tonight, she looks at me.Not fully. Just enough.“Yes, Crosswalk. Corbin.”
Beyond Rejection. Pillow Gamble
AnastasiaMy voice vanishes at that point. The certainty in his gaze is unmistakable. How did he arrive at such an accurate conclusion? Was it because of what the doctor said?All I can do is shrug.“Don’t give me that, Purrey. Say the words and I’ll make sure you never have to cross paths with her
Beyond Rejection. The Dance 2
Eight years ago.Anastasia.He stood at the doorway, his bag slung over one shoulder. He never frequented the library, but somehow managed to always remain top of the class.The moment I glanced up, he beckoned me to join him. I packed up my books and ran across the distance.I had told my driver n
Beyond Rejection. Greenlight
LeviI hate that she keeps hiding important things like this from me.Even Greta never mentioned it.Where do her loyalties lie? With me, her employer, or with Anastasia.I will chew the bloody nurse up when all this is over.I run a hand through my hair, closing the door behind me.The study has a
Beyond Rejection. Check Up
AnastasiaGreta walks in right then, pulling me out of the spell.His scent is too strong to ignore.Greta clears her throat.I quickly pull the towel back over my chest, my eyes never leaving his.Slowly, he inches his leg away from the bed.The ringing phone had long since been forgotten.Greta d
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