LOGINI had hoped not to skip a day at all this month but alas... I bit more than I can chew and had four deadlines crash on me yesterday on top of my headaches. Will hopefully drop another chapter later today. Thank you all for your understanding.
Belinda shut the door to the guest room with more force than necessary. She made it to the far wall and slid down against it, her back pressing into the wood as if she could hold the world out by sheer will alone.Her chest hurt.Not metaphorically. Physically. Each breath felt too sharp, too shallow, as if her lungs were refusing to expand properly. Tears blurred her vision until the room became nothing more than a smear of muted colours and unfamiliar furniture. Irene’s house had never felt like home, but now it felt actively hostile.Rafael’s words replayed in her head with cruel clarity.“What man would marry the homewrecker?”She pressed her hands over her mouth as another sob tore free, her shoulders shaking violently. She had not meant for any of this to happen. Not like this. Not so publicly. Not with him looking at her as if she were something ugly that he wanted gone.She loved him.That had to count for something.The door opened quietly.Belinda barely registered it at fir
Rafael arrived at his parents’ house with a police car trailing discreetly behind him, its presence both absurd and necessary.He had not wanted this. But this was the only way.He had told his mother as much on the phone the night before. He had tried to warn her that there was trouble between him and Felix and had told her that whatever urgency she believed existed did not outweigh the work he had going on and the fact that he was in the middle of legal proceedings. He did not feel inclined to walk into a house full of people who were ready to gang up on him, hear, and refuse to listen to whatever he had to say.Irene Nikolaidis had heard him, but she had not listened.She never did.Instead, she had ordered him home.Not asked. Ordered.So here he was.The familiar wrought-iron gates slid open, the house looming ahead of him in warm stone and symmetry, deceptively serene. It hid the social rot that was beginning to take root in theThe police officer parked a few metres behind him
She had thought about not going and just calling to cancel. She had considered it and had almost given in to the urge but she had decided to get it over with… Whatever he wanted to talk about.When she got out of Aris’ apartment, Hunter was already waiting downstairs by the time she reached the lobby. He straightened when he saw her, his expression alert but neutral.“Where to?” he asked.“A restaurant near Rafael’s office,” she said. “I will send you the address.”He nodded once and moved to open the car door for her.The drive was quiet.Adrea watched the city pass by through the window, lights beginning to glow as evening settled in. She felt strangely steady. Not numb. Not angry. Just resolved.By the time they pulled up in front of the restaurant, her thoughts had arranged themselves neatly.The place was understated. Warm light behind large windows. Familiar without being flashy. It was the kind of restaurant that prided itself on consistency rather than novelty.Hunter scanned
The late afternoon light slanted through the wide windows of the living room, softening the sharp lines of glass and steel into something warmer. She sat curled at one end of the sofa, her shoes kicked off, her legs tucked beneath her as she scrolled idly through her phone. The house felt different when it was quiet like this. Not empty, just unhurried. As if it was waiting rather than resting.From down the hall, she could hear Aris moving around his bedroom, drawers opening and closing, the faint clink of a belt buckle being set aside.“So,” his voice carried easily, casual and amused, “how do you feel about poker tonight?”Adrea looked up, interest sparking immediately. It had been a while since she had played… If she discounted the games they played together.“Poker?” she echoed. “With who?”“With Sanne, Moreau, and the rest of the usual suspects,” he replied. “I figured it has been a while. And before you say anything, yes, I am aware that inviting you to poker might be considere
Rafael sat back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin as he stared across his desk at the man waiting patiently opposite him.Anthony looked exactly like what he was. IT. Early thirties, neat beard, wire-rimmed glasses, tablet balanced on his knee as if it were an extension of his body. Calm. Methodical. The sort of person who did not panic when systems failed, because he understood why they failed.Rafael’s phone vibrated on the desk.He glanced down.It was his mother. Again. He too busy to be dealing with her right now. He phone went quiet and before he even had a moment to look away, it started again. His mother again.His jaw tightened. He turned the screen face down and silenced it in one smooth movement.“Go on,” he said turning his focus back on Anthony, “Talk.”Anthony nodded, adjusting his glasses.“When you asked me to check your system activity, I assumed it would be a routine scan,” he said. “Suspicious login. Maybe a compromised password. What I found was… more
The airport was loud in the way only airports could be. Not chaotic, not frantic, but layered. Rolling suitcases rattled over tiled floors. Announcements chimed overhead in neutral voices. Conversations overlapped and blurred into a constant hum that never quite faded.Felix stood just behind his parents and Belinda near the arrivals gate, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat, jaw set.He still did not understand why he was here.He glanced sideways at his mother for the third time in ten minutes. Irene Nikolaidis stood straight-backed, handbag clutched neatly at her side, eyes scanning the glass doors with barely contained anticipation. She looked every bit the composed matriarch, but Felix knew that beneath that polish she was brimming with nervous energy.Belinda stood slightly apart from them, one hand resting protectively against her belly. She had dressed carefully for this, Felix noted. Soft colours. Nothing too fitted. She looked pale but composed, her posture stiff with







