INICIAR SESIÓNIsla’s POV For a second, a ridiculous, traitorous second, I considered letting it ring. Not because I didn’t want to answer, but because I knew exactly what answering would do to me.Three days.Three stupid days away from Seattle and somehow my body had already adjusted to missing him.Pathetic.I grabbed the phone before it could stop ringing.“Hi.”There was a brief pause. Then his voice came through low and familiar.“Did you forget how phones work?”A smile immediately tugged at my mouth.“I picked up.”“After ignoring my messages.”“Sorry, I was busy.”“Doing what?”I leaned back in my chair, spinning slightly. Paperwork scattered across the desk. Dad’s files. Ethan’s notes tucked carefully beneath them.“Work,” I said casually.Not technically a lie, just not the whole truth.Zayne hummed softly. “You sound tired.”“I’m fine.”“Did you eat?”I rolled my eyes. “There it is.”“What?”“The interrogation.”“That’s not interrogation,” he replied calmly. “That’s basic survival.”I
Isla’s POV Grief is a strange thing, people think it fades with time. They say things like healing and closure as if loss behaves like a wound that eventually seals itself shut.They’re wrong, some grief doesn’t fade. And lately…mine had started breathing again. I sat cross-legged on the floor of my studio office in Fairview, surrounded by paper.Actual paper. Printed articles, old newspaper clippings, sticky notes, police summaries. Coffee cups I had forgotten to throw away.My laptop glowed in front of me while rain tapped steadily against the tall windows. Dad’s photograph rested beside it. The same one I showed Zayne in the car days ago.I stared at it again.“Who hurt you?” I whispered.His smile in the photo never changed. Gentle and warm. The kind of man strangers trusted immediately, which made the way he died feel even more wrong.Four years and nothing. No suspects, no closure. Just a case file that gathered dust until I showed up angry enough to reopen wounds nobody wanted
Zayne’s POVThree days later. Isabella has been relentless with her messages for the past three days. And that was also how long I ignored her. My phone buzzed again on the desk beside me. Another message, I didn’t even need to look to know who it was.Good morning, Zayne.We need to talk.You can’t keep running from this.Do you hate me that much?I sighed, dragging a hand down my face before finally picking up the phone.Forty-two unread messages. Forty-two! All from her.Some apologies, some emotional. Some manipulative enough that I could practically hear her voice dripping through the screen. And sprinkled between them were the ones that actually mattered.Does Isla finally know?About us?My jaw tightened. I typed slowly.Pick a public place.The typing bubble appeared immediately. Like she had been waiting with the phone in her hand.Hotel Marquette. That’s a private suite… I stared at the message, then laughed once under my breath.No.Absolutely fucking not.My fingers move
Zayne’s POV My hand rested on her lap, fingers unconsciously tightening as I drove, the familiar weight of her beside me grounding and unsettling me all at once.The city lights stretched ahead in blurred streaks through the windshield. Then Isla spoke.“Are you wearing contacts right now?”My grip on the steering wheel faltered slightly. The question hit so abruptly my brain lagged behind my heartbeat.“What?” I asked, turning toward her briefly before forcing my eyes back to the road.She was watching me, not casually or teasingly. Studying me.“Contacts,” she repeated softly. “Are you wearing them?”Shock rippled through my chest, sharp and unexpected. Very few people knew about that. Fewer still ever asked directly.“No,” I said, the word coming out more clipped than I intended.Her gaze didn’t leave me.“Is that why you’re always wearing black outfits?” she asked gently.I swallowed.“Partially,” I admitted.Silence stretched again. Heavy. Pressurized. I could feel it building,
Isla’s POV I didn’t realize I had stopped breathing until Isabella reached across the counter and gently slid a small plate of lemon biscuits toward me.“Elena,” she repeated softly, as if the name itself deserved reverence. “My sister.”The word sister settled into the room, quiet, suffocating, and unavoidable.I forced my fingers to loosen slightly around my teacup, terrified I might drop it and shatter the fragile composure I was clinging to.“I… didn’t know you were related,” I said carefully.My voice sounded calm. Inside, questions were already forming sharp, jagged edges against my ribs.Isabella nodded slowly, lowering her gaze to her tea like she was watching memories swirl inside the cup.“We weren’t always close,” she admitted. “But blood is blood. And losing her…” She paused, exhaling softly. “It changed everything.”Silence stretched between us again. The ocean outside roared faintly against the cliffs, waves smashing into stone with relentless rhythm.I swallowed.“Zayn
Isla’s POV The next day…I woke up before my alarm rang. That alone told me my nerves were already awake long before my body decided to follow.Soft morning light filtered through the floor to floor window. For a few seconds, I stayed still, staring upward, listening to the distant sound of cars moving, muffled chatter from the street below, the faint cry of seagulls somewhere near the water.Waterfront property.My stomach fluttered slightly at the thought.It was a big gig, bigger than most private listings I had shot before. And the fact Isabella had trusted me with it… I didn’t know whether to feel proud, nervous, or suspicious of how easily things had aligned.Probably all three.I rolled onto my side, reaching for my phone on the nightstand. Still no address from Isabella yet. Just the confirmation message she sent late last night reminding me to be ready.I sighed softly and pushed myself out of bed.The cold floor sent a quick shiver through my feet as I walked toward the bat
ZayneI hated rain. Always had. But tonight, as I pulled into Dustfield, I didn’t even notice the slick, wet streets or the faint drizzle settling on the windshield. I parked outside the house, hands tight on the wheel. My chest was a little tighter than usual, and I hated the faint pulse of relie
Isla The drive to Dustfield was long and silent. Rain pelted the windshield, blurring streetlights into golden smears. My chest ached, and tears refused to stop. Every blink smeared them further, leaving streaks across my cheeks. My thoughts were a tangled mess of betrayal, fear, and curiosity. A
Isla’s POVI slipped on a puddle and caught myself against the brick wall, rain slamming down so hard it blurred everything into streaks of neon and shadow. My glasses fogged over completely, turning the alley into a smeared mess of reflections. Every step splashed water up my calves, heels wobblin
IslaI walked out of the corridor, adjusting my blazer with shaking fingers, trying to calm the burn still crawling up my neck. My lips still tingled. Silas had really— God, I couldn’t even think it without my stomach twisting. One more minute in that room and I might’ve forgotten where I was. He h







