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
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I blinked, struggling to find a response. Thea just stared back at me, her chin jutting out in defiance, as if daring me to disagree with her.And truthfully, I couldn’t.“Thea,” I began, but the words wouldn’t come. How could they? What could I possibly say
Mustache nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. Are you truly prepared to handle the additional supply chains needed for materials to produce these goods?”I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say a word, Bowtie continued, “And then there’s the question of oversight. Who’s managing the da
I shot him a warning glance, but he only smirked.“It’s written all over your face,” he continued, utterly unbothered by my glare. “You’ve been brooding all week. Something’s on your mind, and I’d bet my life it has to do with her.”“It’s not like that,” I muttered, although my tone lacked convictio
AgnesThe comedy show ended sooner than I wanted it to, the overhead lights coming on like a sudden burst of sunlight. I jolted upright, blinking rapidly and suddenly realizing that I had spent the better part of the show leaning against Elijah’s shoulder.“We should probably head out,” he said, cle







