Se connecterKiara’s povMy hands were shaking. They were trembling so badly that I had to tighten my grip around the steering wheel just to keep the car steady.The black SUV with dark tinted windows was still behind me.Same distance, same slow movement that matched mine too perfectly to be a coincidence.My breathing turned uneven. I glanced at the rearview mirror again and swallowed hard. Forced my eyes back forward, trying to calm the storm building inside my chest.Think, Kiara.Panicing wouldn’t help you right now. But it was difficult not to panic when every instinct in my body was screaming that something was wrong.My phone buzzed suddenly against the passenger seat.I flinched so hard the car swerved slightly.A horn blasted from another lane.“Damn it,” I whispered shakily, steadying the wheel again.The screen lit up. It was an unknown number. My heart dropped instantly.For one second, I just stared at it ringing before I answered.“Hello?”Silence. I frowned slightly.“Hello?” I repe
Kiara’s POVSomething wasn’t right. I didn’t know what exactly, but the feeling had been there all day sitting quietly at the back of my mind like a warning I couldn’t quite hear properly. Maybe it was the call.Miriam’s voice hadn’t left me since morning.“I’ll be coming for your daughter.”I tried to shake it off, forcing myself to focus on the meeting in front of me.“And if we push the timeline forward by two weeks, we can secure the contract before—”“Ma’am?”I blinked. My assistant was staring at me.“Sorry?” I said, straightening slightly.“You zoned out,” she said carefully.“I didn’t,” I replied automatically.She didn’t argue. She just nodded and continued. But I wasn’t listening anymore.My phone sat on the table, screen facing up. I glanced at the time. 3:10 PM.Sophia should be home by now. I told myself not to overreact.I picked up my phone and dialed the nanny.It rang and she picked up on the second ring.“Hello, ma’am.”“Has Sophia gotten home?” I asked immediately.
Kiara’s povThe next morning, I opened my eyes and just lay there staring at the ceiling for a few seconds.It felt like my brain was still trying to wake up properly.Everything from the past few days came rushing back slowly. Mark. Miriam. The threats. The tension hanging over all of us like a dark cloud that refused to leave.“Dad!”Sophia’s voice echoed faintly from downstairs.I shut my eyes briefly and exhaled. Back to reality.I pushed the duvet off slowly and sat up, rubbing a tired hand over my face before slipping into my robe.Soft movements downstairs. Utensils clinking lightly in the kitchen. Sophia’s laughter ringing through the air.And surprisingly, Leo’s laughter too.I paused halfway down the stairs. For a second, I just stood there quietly, listening.Sophia was talking so fast I could barely catch half of what she was saying, and Leo was actually responding like every single word mattered.The sound pulled something soft in my chest. Because lately? Those moments h
Miriam’s povI tried calling Mark again after few days and the call connected on the fourth try.I froze completely, staring at the phone pressed against my ear as silence stretched between us.Then he finally said something. “Hello Miriam.”My chest tightened instantly.Like he hadn’t disappeared for days. Like he hadn’t humiliated me publicly with an engagement post that made me look like a complete fool.“Mark?” I breathed.A quiet sigh came from the other end.“You’ve been calling too much.”Too much? I let out a sharp laugh, pushing myself off the couch immediately.“Too much?” I repeated. “Are you serious right now?”“You’re being emotional,” he said flatly. “That’s exactly why I avoided this conversation.”My grip tightened around the phone.“Avoided?” I snapped. “You vanished!”“I relocated.”The calmness in his voice made something inside me burn.“You relocated,” I repeated slowly, like the words tasted bitter in my mouth. “Without saying a word to me?”“You’re saying that l
Kiara’s povThe first time I noticed it, I told myself it was stress. Nothing more.After everything Alex uncovered, after the conversations, the betrayal, the lies… of course Leo would be affected. Anyone would.But this was becoming something else.I stood quietly by the bedroom door, watching him. It was past 2 a.m.The room was dark except for the faint glow from his laptop screen reflecting against his face.Leo sat at the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees, completely focused on the security footage playing on the screen again and again.I frowned slightly. “Leo.”No response. My chest tightened a little.“Leo,” I called again, softer this time.He blinked and finally looked up.“You’re still awake?” he asked distractedly.I stared at him in disbelief.“Still awake?” I repeated quietly. “Leo, it’s two in the morning.”His eyes shifted briefly toward the laptop again.“I know.”“Then why are you watching security footage by this time?”His jaw tightened slightly. “Becau
Miriam’s povThe line went dead after Susan ended the call.I slowly lowered the phone from my ear, staring at the blank screen for a few seconds before tossing it onto the couch beside me.Heavy silence filled the apartment again.I leaned back against the couch cushions and shut my eyes briefly, exhaling through my nose.“Thinking about Leo isn’t even my problem right now,” I muttered to myself.Atleast not yet.Right now, there was something else eating me up, which is Mark and his stupid engagement post.My chest tightened again at the thought of it.“No,” I whispered, shaking my head slightly. “Something about it doesn’t make sense. Maybe it was fake.”I needed to hear his voice. I needed him to explain it himself. Because no matter how angry I was, a part of me still refused to believe Mark would really do something like this.I picked up my phone again and click his contact, stared at it a little while, before dialing it The line rang three times and went to voicemail. I frown
Leo’s POV“I expected you to come as fast as possible,” Miriam said the moment we stepped outside the station. “What took you so long?”I stopped walking and turned to her slowly. She kept touching the swollen part of her face as if to remind me it existed.“What do you mean?” I asked flatly. “I ca
Kiara’s POVMy phone vibrated just as I was pacing the narrow corridor outside the interrogation rooms. Alex.I hesitated before answering, then swiped up. “Alex.”“Kiara,” his voice came through, tense. “What is this I’m hearing about Sandra?”I stopped pacing. “What do you mean?”“My phone has be
Leo’s POVThe moment I stepped into the warehouse Vincent had kept him, I didn’t waste time with words. I moved fast.He was tied to a chair, eyes widening in fear when he saw me. Before he could open his mouth, my fist connected with his nose so hard.He groaned loudly, his head snapping back as b
Kiara’s POVI couldn't sleep that night. No matter how many times I closed my eyes, the truth Leo revealed replayed itself in my head. So this is the extent Miriam can get to just to destroy me.I stared at the ceiling, my chest tight, my fingers clenched beneath the sheets. Hatred was one thing.







