1.

Eva

—

The sky outside my window looks wide and pale with the December sun already beginning to hide behind the sleepy clouds. I traced the glass slowly with my fingers as Mateo, Chloe's driver, drove the car past trees already frosted by the early winter. We were only a few miles from the Callahans’ estate, and I still couldn’t decide whether i was making a good decision or not.

Chloe had insisted, more like demanded that I come stay with her for Christmas. I hadn’t fought it much, though I did protest a bit. The truth was, I needed to leave my house. I needed to breathe somewhere else. Somewhere else….where the air smelled fresh. My heart was still freshly bruised from everything that happened with—well, with him. My ex. The boyfriend who decided he was done with me via a voice note, showing no remorse at all and certainly not prepared to give explanations.

Chloe knew I’d be too stubborn to admit I was breaking, so she sent their driver and told me to pack. And now here I was with a suitcase on my lap, winding through familiar roads.

My thoughts drifted…. *Yesterday*.

I’d spent most of the night curled up in my bed drowning under my blanket. With the sharp ache coming from my chest refusing to let me sleep. My phone lay on the floor, buzzing occasionally with fake concern from people who only messaged when drama was trending. Very opportunistic people, I cursed under my breath. I didn’t even bother replying. I didn’t even cry, I lay there….I was just... blank.

He cheated.

There wasn’t even a fight…..not even one. It's just one late-night confession he made over the phone and then a dry, half-hearted apology before his line went dead. And a week later, the world still expected me to breathe like nothing shattered.

Like…I'm not lost. 

I hated the silence of my house. So….much. Every room echoed too much and my mind wandered too far.

Maybe I needed this– not the mansion or her extravagant family, but just the noise. Maybe I needed something loud…. Something loud enough to drown out the sound of my heartbreak. I only hope I'm right.

I didn’t pack much– I only took the basics. A few books, sweaters and a red velvet dress Chloe always said looked sinful on me. Not that I actually planned to wear it.

This morning…Mateo showed up late. Honking outside in the Callahans’ black SUV with the windows rolled down and a grin that looked like a smirk. 

The drive out of my house to Chloe's felt like a slow exhale. The deeper we got into the countryside, the quieter the world became. Many trees lined the roads like watchful giants and frost kissed the windows in very delicate patterns. It really felt like stepping into a different life and it felt really nice.

—

I squinted my eyes just as our car passed the Billboard that read “Callahan Estate.” I must have been jilted back by the sun's rays gleaming in my eyes. 

We'd passed a few more houses when I took a more closer look at the sky.

The sky looked grey, not cloudy and not exactly dark, just... heavy. Like it understood what I was carrying. 

But that was my broken heart speaking… the sky actually smelt of peppermint butter, it reeked of Christmas. Snow had started falling, though not much. 

The Callahan estate stood ahead like a dream wrapped in snow. It has tall stone walls, dark wood shutters and a string of golden lights already glowing around the windows. Warmth radiated from the place, even in the cold.

We stepped inside, the door leading to the house was already decked out in early Christmas spirit. Meteo was behind me, carrying my luggages. Gold and red ribbons curled around the stair railings. A tree taller than most adults stood proud in the living room, glittering with ornaments. Everything smelled like cinnamon and baked things. Everything reminded me of Christmas. 

Chloe came down the staircase running in fuzzy socks and silk shorts with her arms flung wide open. “Finally! I was really beginning to think you ditched me.”

“You took forever!” she yelled, jogging down the front steps in boots I’m sure cost more than my entire outfit. “I was about to call the cops.”

I chuckled, and let her into my arms.

“God, you really look like heartbreak,” she whispered in my ear.

“And you look like Chanel’s bad idea of a cowgirl,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

She grinned. “That’s the goal.”

We remained locked in each other arms, nearly 2 minutes.

“Everyone’s here already,” Chloe said, taking my suitcase from Mateo. “Even Aunt Lydia came yesterday. Ugh.”

“Aunt Lydia?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’ll see for yourself.”

And I did….. almost too quickly.

In the living room Aunt Lydia was already posted up on the velvet couch with a wine glass perched delicately in her manicured fingers. She was: Chloe’s aunt, Chloe's mother's younger sister. Loud laugh, too much perfume. She wore a red tight, low, and flashy blouse. Her laugh was inviting and her blouse too unbuttoned.

Eva!” she cooed. “You’re all grown and glowing.”

I smiled tightly, covering my disgust. “You haven’t changed at all.”

She sipped and chuckled slowly, her eyes sharp. “Oh, I’ve changed sweetheart. You’ll see.”

She even barely acknowledged me because her attention focused only at a point….at the man standing beside the fireplace—Dominic Callahan.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him.

He stood there.

Dominic Callahan 

By the staircase with one hand in his pocket and the other cradling a glass of something dark. He didn’t say a word he just stared.

And for a brief second, the weight in my chest shifted into something else entirely.

Something dangerous…..something I didn’t want to feel.

Not yet.

Chloe returned from the kitchen with a glass of smoothie and led me upstairs.

---

My room hadn’t changed much. The lavender curtains from my last visit still hung there and still smelled faintly of pine and old wood.

“You can rest,” Chloe urged, tossing me onto the bed. “Or cry dramatically. Whatever you need.” she made a face.

I smiled, genuinely this time. “Thank you for having me.”

She bent over and kissed my cheek. “You’re not alone, okay?”

I nodded, very greatful for a friend like her.

***

Later that night, dinner brought the rest of the chaos.

Chloe’s elder brother, Donald, hadn’t arrived yet. But Blaise Chloe’s on-and-off boyfriend sat across the table looking both bored and calculating. His smile was too polished and though he said all the right things, he didn’t meet my eyes. He never did.

And then… there was him.

Dominic Callahan walked in just as the turkey was being carved. His presence filled the room like thunder, very heavy and commanding. His dark shirt rolled up at the sleeves and hair slightly scattered. His jaw tightened as he nodded at the table.

“Evening,” he said simply, sitting beside Lydia. 

Chloe's mother, Lilian, divorced him earlier. I think right after twelfth grade, we never knew her reasons but I believe it has something to do with his dark business. Though she still kept much in touch.

He didn’t look at me.

Not yet.

I tried not to stare… I tried hard but the awareness of him made my skin feel too tight. My laps locked together and my clit felt hot. His voice when he did speak was low, calm, and cutting in its directness. I remembered being younger and very afraid of him. Everyone was, even Lillian. Though I always stared at his Abs each time he stood by the pool. I've wet my self in different occasions just looking at him..

But I saw it now… how his fingers brushed Lydia’s wine glass as he passed it to her. How her lips curled when he did so. Something passed between them like current, subtle but burning. She giggled but he didn’t smile.

I looked away.

Later that night, I found myself in the kitchen alone, trying to rinse out my mug. The kitchen light above flickered and I turned to find him leaning against the doorframe. He was without shirt. 

Dominic.

My heart jumped.

I stared at his Abs and my cravings came back. I knocked my knees together trying to hold in the heat between my legs.

My gaze shifted to his lips… ohh!! How much I'll love those lips crushing over mine. Or better still sucking my clit.

I tried to stop…I knew I should but I couldn't help it.

“You’ve grown,” he finally said, voice low.

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

He stepped forward, sweat dripped down my chin. “You were just a girl the last time I saw you. Now… you’re not.”

I swallowed hard. My fingers tightened around the mug.

I couldn't believe this was actually happening.

“You shouldn’t say things like that,” I whispered.

“Why?” he asked staring down at my breasts walking closer. “Because it’s wrong, or because it’s true?”

I was on my night gown, he could see my nipples standing strong and firm.

He stood close—too close. I smelled his cologne, it was always something deep and expensive. 

I should’ve walked away or maybe I should’ve said something. But I didn’t.

Instead, I stood still….frozen, watching his eyes scan my face, my lips, my neckline. His gaze burned like a matchstick waiting to fall.

Then he walked past me and left.

I stood in the dim kitchen, trembling.

And I hated that it felt good.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him. The way his eyes had lingered. The weight of his body when he passed behind me.

I couldn't bear it anymore so I went down stairs…towards his room. I heard screames but it wasn't pain…I knew that sound.... it was pleasure.

Worse still…I heard more than I should have. The walls in the Callahan house were not thick enough to muffle Lydia’s breathy moans or the low growl of a man’s voice. I didn’t need to guess.

He was sleeping with her.

And my stomach twisted.

The jealousy hit me like a slap. I had no right. But I wan

ted him to look at me again.

So instead of leaving, I stood there glued to the floor.