MasukThe 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
AgnesI stood under the shower, letting the cold water cascade over my skin. My body had long since returned to normal temperature—below it at this point, honestly—but I’d stayed in the pool until my fingers pruned up and added a cold shower to my routine just to be safe.Just as I was turning off t
AgnesThe dress I’d chosen for tonight’s banquet, hosted by Richard to celebrate our visit and our new partnership, was a deep burgundy color that complimented my skin tone. It had an elegantly beaded bodice and a flowing skirt that brushed the floor when I walked.It would have been perfect if I co
“It must be hard, keeping up appearances while dealing with this privately,” Elijah said.Richard’s expression shifted, a flash of something—gratitude? Relief?—crossing his face. “It is. I appreciate your understanding. Few know the full extent of her condition.” He gave Elijah and I both a meaningf
Elijah stepped in smoothly before I could stammer out a response. “Just a bit careless with a cigar,” he said with a rueful smile. “Nothing serious.”Richard raised an eyebrow. “Smoking in bed? That’s a dangerous habit, Elijah.”“Hence the small fire,” Elijah replied with a self-deprecating shrug. “







