MasukDownstairs, Cheryl stood exactly where he expected her to be.
Composed.
Untouched.
Like the night had gone exactly the way she wanted.
He walked straight toward her.
Didn’t stop.
I didn’t sleep.Not properly.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again.That room.That moment.That image I couldn’t unsee no matter how much I tried to reason with it.So I stopped trying.I lay there instead, staring at the ceiling, my body still but my mind running in circles that never quite closed.Susan had checked on me twice.Kate once.Neither of them pushed.
Downstairs, Cheryl stood exactly where he expected her to be.Composed.Untouched.Like the night had gone exactly the way she wanted.He walked straight toward her.Didn’t stop.Didn’t slow.“Where is she?” he asked.Her gaze lifted slowly.“Who?”His expression didn’t change.“Celeste,” he said.A small pause.
The first thing he felt was the weight.Heavy.Pressing down on his chest like something had settled there and refused to move.Then the noise came.Muted at first.Distant.Voices blending together in a low hum that didn’t quite make sense.Flavian forced his eyes open.The room tilted before settling.Too bright.Too quiet.Wrong.He pushed himself up slowly, his head throbbing.His gaze moved across the room.The bed.The sheets.Disheveled.ThenMemory hit.Not clearly.Fragments.Celeste.Her voice.The way his body refused to cooperate.The way the room spun just slightly out of control.And then-Fiona.At the door.The look on her face.Cold.Final.His chest tightened sharply.“Fiona.”He was on his feet before the dizziness fully passed.The room swayed.He steadied himself against the wall.Think.Focus.Drink.He had a drink.That was the last clear thing.After thatNothing made sense.His jaw tightened.“Sir?”Amara’s voice pulled him back.“Come in.”She stepped in caref
The ride back felt longer than it should have.Not because of traffic.But because something in my chest refused to settle.I held the garment bag across my lap, my fingers gripping it tighter than necessary.You’re overthinking.That’s what I told myself.That’s what I kept telling myself.But the feeling didn’t go away.It sat there.Heavy.Persistent.Like a warning I couldn’t quite understand yet.The car slowed as we approached the house.Lights glowed from inside.Warm. Inviting.Normal.I stepped out, smoothing my hand over my dress instinctively.Ground yourself.You’re fine.Everything is fine.I walked in through the front door.Voices filled the space immediately.Laughter. Conversation. Music low in the background.The dinner had already started.Good.That meant I wasn’t late.That meant nothing had gone wrong.Amara approached me almost immediately.“Ma’am, you’re back.”“Yes,” I said, handing her the garment bag. “Can you—”“Of course.”She took it quickly.But something
The boutique was quieter than I expected.Soft lighting. Neutral tones. Everything curated to feel effortless and expensive.I moved quickly anyway.Time mattered.Not because of the dinner.But because I didn’t want to be away from the house longer than necessary.Something about leaving like that hadn’t sat right with me.Like I had stepped out of something mid-motion.And whatever was waiting for me there?Wasn’t done yet.“Good evening, ma’am,” the attendant said, approaching with a polite smile. “Looking for something specific?”“Yes,” I said. “Something simple. Elegant. I don’t have time to browse.”She nodded immediately, already scanning me.“Of course.”Within minutes, she returned with options.Black. Ivory. Deep emerald.Clean cuts. Structured lines.No drama.I picked one almost instantly.Black. Fitted. Minimal.It wasn’t what I originally planned.But it didn’t need to be.“I’ll take this,” I said.“Perfect choice,” she replied.I didn’t respond.My attention had already
The morning of the dinner started quietly.Too quietly.I woke before Flavian, slipping out of bed carefully so I wouldn’t disturb him. For a moment, I stood there, watching him.Peaceful.Unaware.It felt strange how quickly things could shift. How easily something fragile could feel stable again, even when you knew better.I turned away before I could overthink it and moved into the bathroom to get ready.Today mattered.Not because of the dinner itself.But because of what it represented.Showing up.Standing my ground.Not letting everything that had been happening push me out of a life I had every right to be in.When I came back into the room, the dress was still there.Exactly where I left it.Folded neatly across the bed.Simple. Elegant. Mine.I ran my fingers over the fabric again, smoothing it out, already picturing how it would look once I put it on.For the first time in days, I felt ready.Not defensive.Not reactive.Just… steady.“I was starting to think you’d changed
FLAVIANI arrived at the bar later than planned, the last call of the day still echoing in my head. My assistant had insisted I show my face—good optics, she said.But business had nothing to do with why I was here.I stepped inside, noise and laughter crashing over me, but my focus narrowed instan
FIONAIt had been a week since I got those unnerving text messages. I had only told my neighbour because she had noticed I was more on edge when it came to Flavian. She brushed it off, saying some kids played pranks like that all the time. Luna’s going-away party was today.I had channelled most o
FIONAWhen he offered to walk me to my car, I thought it was cute so I let him.It wasn’t far, but the company was nice. a little too nice. It felt easy in a way nothing between us had ever been.Then his phone rang.I watched the warmth leave his face mid‑call. Whatever he heard dragged him somewh
FLAVIAN’S POVI tried not to stare, but my eyes had a mind of their own, following her as she excused herself from the conference room. Probably the bathroom. No one objected.We wrapped up shortly after. I told them my assistant would follow up. My former lawyers had been a disaster two senior par







