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
AgnesElijah pulled the car into the parking lot, and the moment I recognized the neon sign above the diner entrance, my stomach twisted. The lights buzzing over the glass door were the same ones that used to flicker every night at the end of my shift, casting dim halos across the cracked pavement.
AgnesThe sunlight poured through the large windows of the shopping mall, glinting off the polished tiles and creating a light, cheerful atmosphere. It was hard to feel anxious here, surrounded by the happy hum of families and the occasional laughter from kids darting past us. And yet my nerves were
“Agnes.” Elijah’s voice was low as he crossed the room. Before I could even react, he plucked the phone right out of my hand, turning it over in his palm. His thumb brushed over the shattered glass, and he shook his head.“This isn’t fixable. You need a new one.”“It’s not a big deal,” I insisted, r
AgnesI blinked at Elijah in stunned, terrified silence for a long moment.He knew. He knew the truth.He knew about my lies.I wasn’t sure if I should admit to it or not. If I did, I feared that it might alienate me from Thea for good—that perhaps he would accuse me of trying to take her away, have







