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
I stood frozen in Elijah’s study, completely stunned by his words. His calm, steady tone was so casual, yet the authority behind it felt like a punch to the gut. My mind raced, trying to process what he had just said.“What?” I blurted, unable to hide the confusion in my voice.How could he be so ca
And now, so did Elijah. I was impressed that he had taken the time to look at my paper and he’d even asked me about the research itself, and I’d pointed to some academic texts I had used for the research, which he’d pored over in preparation for this discussion as well.Elijah’s gaze sharpened, and
AgnesI tucked Thea into bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin. She clutched her favorite stuffed rabbit to her chest as I settled on the bed beside her.“Mommy, can you read me a story?” she asked.“Of course, sweetheart,” I replied, reaching for the well-worn book of fairy tales that was sittin
We spent the next few minutes sorting through the few items I had brought with me. As I pulled out a small, worn pony plush toy from my bag, I felt a pang of nostalgia. It was one of the things I had prepared years ago when I was pregnant.The pony, along with a few storybooks and baby toys, had bee







