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
“You know, the first time it happened, we were being intimate,” I pointed out with a tiny smile. “And just now, I was watching you work, thinking about how attractive you are.” I felt my cheeks warm at the admission. “Maybe strong emotions trigger it?”Elijah finished bandaging my hands and looked u
AgnesThe next few days passed in a whirlwind. I threw myself into finalizing the survival bag prototype, making the last adjustments to ensure every feature worked perfectly. The panic button compartment had been the biggest challenge, requiring three complete redesigns before I was satisfied with
But when I turned to face the mirror, disappointment washed over me. The dress hung from my frame like a child playing dress-up in her mother’s clothes.Frowning, I tugged at the fabric, trying to make it sit right. Had I really lost that much weight? I turned sideways, studying my reflection. My ri
AgnesI stared at the smoking trail behind me, my mind refusing to process what my eyes were seeing. The grass was charred black.As if it had been burnt by my very feet.“Did I do that?” I whispered, looking from the scorched earth to Elijah’s stunned face.Before Elijah could answer, I became awar







