LOGINThe crowd continued to applaud as Thea took one final bow before exiting the stage. The moment she was out of sight, Elijah grabbed my hand.“Come on,” he said, already pulling me toward the aisle. “Let’s get backstage before everyone else.”We made our way through the crowd, accepting congratulatio
AgnesEight years had passed by.The concert hall was packed to capacity, not a single empty seat in sight. My spine ached like hell from sitting on the hard wooden chair for the past two hours, and my pregnant belly made it impossible to find a comfortable position. Elijah kept rubbing his neck and
“Mom?” Thea’s voice called. “Everyone’s waiting. Are you ready?”I took one last look in the mirror, adjusted the mask slightly, and turned toward the door.“Ready,” I said, opening it to find my daughter standing there in a midnight blue dress that she had designed herself. Her own mask, shaped lik
AgnesOne year later.I stood in front of my mirror, hardly recognizing the woman staring back at me. Two years. It had been two years since I met Elijah—not counting that foggy night we conceived Thea seven years before that, a night neither of us could fully remember thanks to whatever drugs had b
Initially, I resisted. The thought of sharing my pain with a stranger when I had spent so many years being treated like a madwoman for my trauma scared the hell out of me. But Elijah was persistent, reminding me that we all carried burdens that were too heavy to bear alone.And so, twice a week, we
AgnesThe weeks following the destruction of the Lunaris Stone passed in a blur.Elemental Enterprises, of course, was immediately shut down by the authorities. Every known international law enforcement agency descended on Richard’s territory, working alongside Richard and us to document the crimes
The designers murmured amongst themselves, wondering what the prize could be. Meanwhile, Maria stood at the back of the group, her lips pressed into a thin, slightly worried line. I shot her a meaningful look as if to say “Don’t worry,” then glanced over at where Ava was standing.She was leaning ag
Agnes“And that concludes the initial lineup,” I said, clicking off the presentation. “I’ll be sending out feedback forms later today, but if anyone has immediate thoughts, feel free to share now.”The room shifted as a few hands went up, and I spent the next several minutes fielding questions and c
AgnesWhen I looked down at the spot where Elijah’s hand met my body, it felt as if all of the air had just been sucked out of the car.His palm was cupping my breast.My breast.I didn’t speak. I couldn’t speak. All I could do was sit there, staring at it.It felt like an eternity before Elijah’s e
I shook my head quickly, recalling the interview with my college professor all too well. “That won’t be necessary,” I said, forcing a small, wry smile. “I think you’ve already made your point pretty clear.”His lips twitched, the faintest hint of a smile playing at the edges of his mouth. But his ey







