LOGINMONIQUEMarcus opened the door to his office.Inside, the space was expansive but restrained, no excess, no warmth for the sake of comfort. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the city as if it were something owned rather than admired. The desk was dark wood, immaculate, positioned so Marcus would never have to turn his back on the view or on anyone standing before him.This wasn’t a place built to impress. It was built for power.Marcus stepped aside slightly, letting me enter first.“Take your time,” he said. “You’re not a guest here.”I wasn’t sure if that was reassurance or an invitation.As the door closed behind us with a soft, final click, I understood something: This was not where Marcus escaped to work. This was where he became who he really was. I remember vividly when he told me of his struggles after his mother's passing. This company was like his baby.And the biggest part of all is that he wanted me in his space.I stepped farther into Marcus’s office, my heels sinking softl
MONIQUEMr Smith turned towards me.“So,” he said, “have you made a decision?”“Yes,” I replied. “I’m going to sign.”“Good,” he replied.He placed the document in front of me and handed me a pen. I took it, my fingers tightening slightly around it before I signed my name. When I was done, I slid the document back toward him.Mr Smith took another pen, signed it, and then closed the file.“I’ll begin the proceedings immediately,” he said.“Immediately?” I echoed.“Yes,” he confirmed. “Thank you.”“Of course.” He paused, then continued, “Before I do anything, I want you to know this, I’ll begin drafting everything right away. I’ll send you the documents before they go to court, just to make sure we have everything we need. If you’re not in a hurry, you could stay around and go through them once I’m done. Or I can send them later.....whichever is easier for you.”“I have somewhere to be,” I said, “but I’ll be around. If needed, I’ll come by again.”Mr Smith nodded. I was about to stand
MONIQUEI looked up at him, my thoughts racing.“And I should probably go to his office today,” I continued, “so we can begin my divorce proceedings.”Then another thought surfaced.“And you didn’t tell me anything from your friend’s side.... Patrick. What’s going on with the police?” I asked.“Okay,” he said getting comfortable. “Let’s talk. Patrick hasn’t called me with anything new yet, but I’m going to call him today and push him.""That's good. I want an answer that actually satisfies me.” I thought for a second. “I’m also thinking about signing Mr Smith's contract. What do you think?”“The contract,” he said. “Where is it?”“I think I left it in the car yesterday,” I admitted. “ I were so out of it, and honestly, I forgot about it.”“Okay,” he said decisively. “I’ll get someone to bring it.”He took his phone, made a quick call, and a few minutes later the driver came in with the document and handed it to Marcus. The driver nodded politely and left.Marcus handed the agreement t
MONIQUEDinner that night was quiet.Nadia didn’t join us. It was just Marcus and me. We ate together but I had no appetite. Marcus kept trying to get me to eat. He even fed me at one point, which somehow made me laugh despite everything. I knew he was trying, telling stories, joking, doing everything he could to cheer me up, to loosen me up..... But all I could think about was my aunt.Before I went to bed, I called her. She didn’t pick up.I didn’t have Violet’s number. I didn’t have her husband’s number either. I had no one else to call, no one else to check with. So I sent her a message instead, asking her to at least tell me if she had landed safely, if she was back home.Marcus went into his office. He said he had to look over a few things, and I didn’t want to disturb him.I waited thirty minutes for my aunt to respond. When she didn’t, I called again.Still nothing.That’s when I decided to go upstairs. I thought about going to Marcus’s bedroom, but then I changed my mind. I
MONIQUE“So you’re choosing him over me?” Aunt Jane asked sharply. “You’re choosing Marcus over your own family?”“No, Auntie, that’s not what I’m doing,” I said quickly. “I’m not choosing him over you. I just…” My voice faltered. “I wish you could see things the same way I do.”“All I see,” she said, “is you pushing me away the same way you did when you were with Ryan.”“Please stop mentioning Ryan!” I snapped before I could stop myself. “I know right now he’s a big issue for me because I want to get far away from him and get my inheritance back if I can. I won’t fight for him if he’s going to use it to keep me married to him.... But let’s not pretend that you wanting to leave has anything to do with Ryan, because it doesn’t.”“It has everything to do with Ryan,” she shot back. “If it wasn’t for him doing this to you, we wouldn’t be here right now. You would be in your home with your family. Happy.”“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry about what happened to you. I didn
MONIQUEViolet was my aunt Jane's daughter. My only cousin.“Yes… Maybe she doesn’t. At least I’m a phone call away., At least I’m just three hours away from her.... Here, I’m in another part of the world.” Aunt Jane responded.“I left my husband to come here and take care of you,” she continued, her voice shaking now. “I left my marriage, only for you to continue making the same mistakes.""I promise you Marcus isn't a mistake, he's not Ryan...."But she interrupted me," Because if you keep making mistakes while I’m here watching you, then what good am I? What good am I to you? To your life? And why am I even here?”She shook her head slowly.“It’s just better if I leave.”I felt like the room was shrinking around me. My chest hurt, and my throat burned.“I....” I said, my voice cracking. “Please don’t do this to me. Please don’t make me choose.”She turned away from me, shaking her head. “I’m not asking for much, Monique. I’m just asking you to stop destroying yourself.”“I’m not de







