MasukAnabelle's POV The moment I saw them walk through the glass doors of the cinema, I knew I couldn’t let it go.It wasn’t just a coincidence, it couldn’t be.I stood there for a second longer than necessary, my heels planted firmly against the polished floor as my guards shifted uneasily behind me. The scent of popcorn and cheap perfume filled the air, but all I could focus on was that boy.Something about him had struck me the second I saw him earlier and there was no way I was going to let him evade me.“Ma’am? Is there a problem? Why are we in the cinema?”one of my guards murmured carefully.I didn’t answer immediately.My eyes were still fixed on the hallway leading deeper into the cinema, the direction the boy and the girl had just gone.“We’re going inside,” I said finally.There was a pause, like an hesitation.“Ma’am, this is a public place. Perhaps we should—” the second guard added, more cautiously this time but I cut him off.“I said we’re going inside.”My voice dropped in
Michael’s POV The scent of vanilla and sugar still clung to my fingers as I stood outside Theo’s door.It was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.A grown man, someone who had faced gunfire, death, betrayal, standing on a quiet suburban porch with a cake in his hands like some apologetic neighbor trying to smooth over a petty argument.I exhaled slowly.“This is stupid,” I muttered under my breath but I didn’t leave.Because no matter how much I tried to ignore it, something about the way I had treated Theo earlier had all been wrong.If Theo kept seeing me as an enemy, as someone hiding something, then everything would fall apart and I couldn’t afford that, not with Henry involved.So here I was, cake in hand, trying to fix something that probably couldn’t be fixed.I adjusted my grip on the box, shifting my weight slightly as I glanced toward the quiet street.My head snapped toward the direction of the sidewalk just as Theo appeared and i knew something was wrong.He wasn’t jogging
Anabelle's POVThe smell of gasoline, cheap air freshener, and something faintly burnt filled the cramped car repair store, and I hated every second of it.I tapped my manicured nails sharply against the counter, each click echoing louder than necessary, my irritation building with every passing second.“This is exactly why I don’t delegate important things to incompetent people” I said slowly, dangerously, The mechanic in front of me, a greasy, middle-aged man with oil-stained hands and a nervous smile, shifted uncomfortably.“Yes, ma’am. We’re doing everything we can. The part we need—” he said quickly. “I don’t care about the part,” I cut him off coldly. “I care about results.”Behind me, I could feel my guards stiffen because this was their fault.I turned my head slightly, my gaze slicing through the two men standing a few feet behind me.“You had one job,” I said, my voice low but razor-sharp. “Ma’am—” one of them started.“No, don’t insult me by explaining failure. Fix it” I
Theo's POV The pavement stretched endlessly ahead of me, lined with trees that swayed gently in the cool morning breeze. The suburban streets were calm, almost painfully so. A few joggers passed by occasionally, nodding politely.I should have felt at peace. Instead, my thoughts kept circling back to one person.Michael.I exhaled sharply, wiping the sweat forming at my temple as I slowed my pace.Why had he been acting like that?The image replayed in my head with frustrating clarity.The way his shoulders had tensed when I approached him, the way his eyes had flickered, not with anger, not even with annoyance, but with something else close to unease.I slowed to a stop at the corner, hands on my hips as I caught my breath. My chest rose and fell steadily, but my mind refused to settle.“Maybe I pushed too far,” I muttered under my breath.The memory of the gun flashed through my mind. The way I had pinned him in the car, the way he had looked at me then I frowned.“Or maybe he’s
Michael's POV The morning air was calm and I hated it because nothing about my life was normal anymore.I stood in the backyard, gripping the handle of a shovel harder than necessary as I drove it into the soil. The earth gave way with a soft crunch, dark and damp beneath the surface, and I exhaled slowly, trying to let the motion steady me.But it didn’t. The truth had a way of digging deeper than any blade ever could and right now, it was tearing me apart from the inside.I shoved the shovel down again, harder this time.Ashley noticed and stepped closer.“Still thinking about what he said?” she asked quietly.I didn’t answer immediately because answering meant admitting it.“I don’t know what to think. I keep trying to tell myself he’s wrong, that he’s confused, that it’s just… coincidence” I admitted finally, my voice lower now. Ashley didn’t interrupt, she just listened.“But then I remember what I used to be, what I did back then, the kind of life I lived, the kind of things
Theo’s POV I sat in my study, the only light in the room coming from the desk lamp casting a low amber glow across the scattered documents in front of me. The rest of the house was silent, exactly how I preferred it when I needed to think.And tonight, I needed to think.I exhaled slowly, leaning back in my chair as frustration simmered beneath my skin.I had spent seven years of searching and still nothing.Don Fernando’s husband had disappeared like he had never existed.That irritated me more than anything.My gaze dropped to the photograph clipped to one of the files.It was a picture of a man lying on the ground, blood pooling beneath him.My chest tightened painfully, like a memory cutting through the present. I reached out, my fingers brushing lightly over the image.Something heavy in my chest shifted because I remembered that day too clearly.My fingers curled slightly against the desk.“I’ll end them,” I whispered.Every last one, especially the man who pulled the trigger,
Michael’s POV Evening had long fallen, cloaking the city in shadows and silence. Inside the waiting room, the silence felt deeper. Henry’s soft breathing filled the air, his small chest rising and falling against mine in gentle rhythm. He was fast asleep, sprawled across my lap, his head tuck
Michael’s POV I was already feeling it—that slow, lazy heaviness creeping into my limbs, the kind that only came from sitting in one spot too long. My fingers lay limp on the steering wheel, the crust of my now-cold pizza sitting in the passenger seat like an afterthought. Today had not gone any
Fernando’s POV The sky had turned an inky blue when we finally pulled off the road. A blinking neon sign buzzed faintly in the distance, illuminating the weather-worn letters that read: Sunset Pines Motel. Its name sounded better than it looked. The parking lot was half-empty, cracked and litt
Micheal's POV The air in Saint Aldric’s Hospital parking lot was heavy. Not just with the thick evening mist that rolled in from the coastal cliffs, but with a kind of pressure that settled over my chest like wet cement. I needed a shower. I needed sleep. Hell, I needed peace. I was done with my







