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
Agnes The touch on my back startled me, and I nearly spilled my drink as I jolted upright. But when I turned, it was just Elijah who was standing behind me. His hand was resting lightly on my shoulder blade, and he was staring at my back. “You’re sunburnt,” he said simply before I could ask what
AgnesAs soon as I saw that headline, I practically bolted out of bed and ran straight to Elijah. I found him in the living room, his tie loose and his feet kicked up on the ottoman with a book open in his lap. I shoved the phone in his face without preamble.“Look at this.”He frowned, leaning clos
“Yeah, and maybe some better lighting? These fluorescents give me migraines every day. It’s awful.”“Don’t even get me started on the coffee machine,” another chimed in. “It’s been broken for months! I don’t want to traipse halfway across the building to the marketing department just to refill my cu
“Don’t worry, Agnes,” she purred. “It’s official.”I took a step closer, snatching the papers from her to read them. Sure enough, the transfer from her original department to this one was legitimate. Signed off by one of Ava’s superiors.“I see,” I said evenly, handing the papers back to her.Inside







