LOGINEvelyn POV“Would you get your ass off my couch before your husband comes to sue me for harboring his wife in my house?” Sophia yelled, staring at me like I had committed a personal offense against her existence.I didn’t even blink. “Point of correction,” I said lazily, eyes glued to my phone. “My husband on paper. And moreover, he doesn’t even know if I’m home or not. He hasn’t gone home these past few days.”Sophia sucked her teeth. “So you’re keeping tabs on his movement, yet you’re shouting ‘husband on paper.’ See contradiction. See madness.”I shrugged. “Since he isn’t home, what exactly are you staying here for? If he was home, I would have said you were avoiding him because of the last…” she trailed off and glanced up.She gave me that look. The one that always meant chaos was loading.“Can’t I stay with my friend again?” I said quickly. “And why would I hide from him? He should be the one hiding, not me.”“Oh absolutely,” Sophia said, collapsing onto the chair like a dramatic
Damien POVThe office lights were still on.This building slept when I decided it did. Until then, it breathed with me, hummed with quiet power, stayed awake because I stayed awake. I stood by the window with my phone pressed to my ear, my reflection faint in the glass, eyes locked on the city spread beneath me like something I owned and protected at the same time.The land project file lay open on the desk behind me.Three screens glowed.Numbers moved relentlessly. Losses calculated down to the decimal. Alternate routes plotted. Damage contained. Every red line was a wound, and I had learned a long time ago how to stitch without flinching.“Proceed,” I said calmly. “Yes. Tonight.”The voice on the other end hesitated.“No,” I continued, already anticipating the pushback. “Do not involve the board yet. I will absorb it.”Silence stretched.Then resistance.“I said I will absorb it.”There was nothing else to argue after that.I ended the call and placed the phone face down on the des
Evelyn POVFlashback;I was standing in his room, my hands trembling, my phone clutched so tight my fingers hurt. Like if I loosened my grip even a little, the truth would slip out and shatter completely. My father’s company was already crashing. It was not rumors anymore. It was headlines. Red numbers. Words like collapse, free fall, uncertainty screaming back at me from the screen.Investors were pulling out. Shares were falling. People were panicking.And I was standing in Damien’s room, surrounded by his quiet, his calm, while my entire world was burning.He noticed my shaking hands before I even spoke. That was the first thing. He always noticed first.“Evelyn,” he said softly, like saying my name alone could slow the chaos. “Hey. Come here.”I did not move.I lifted my phone instead, the screen glowing between us like an accusation. My voice came out broken before I even knew I was crying.“Why?” I asked. “Why did you do this?”His brows pulled together, confusion crossing his f
Evelyn POV“What?”Sophia practically jumped off the couch.“What did you just say?” Sophia stared at me like I had just confessed to a crime and was waiting for applause. “So let me get this straight,” she said slowly, dragging the words out, “you almost kissed a man you swear you are not in love with, your body leaned in first before your brain could object, your heart clearly signed the consent form, and your only defense is that lips did not meet.”I groaned and covered my face with a pillow. “You are twisting it.”“I am not twisting anything,” Sophia said, standing up and pacing the living room. “I am interpreting the facts loudly so your brain can hear them clearly.”“Lower your voice,” I hissed. “The neighbors do not need to know my business.”“No oo,” Sophia exclaimed dramatically. “I need to shout so your brain comes back home. You want to make another baby right? Because that is exactly how it starts. Standing too close. Breathing the same air. Looking into eyes for too long
Damien povI lasted exactly three more seconds before something in me snapped.Evelyn was still smiling at Charles like he had personally rebuilt her heart with his bare hands. Charles was still talking like he owned fresh air. And I was standing there like a man watching his oxygen get stolen right in front of him.I felt the heat climb my neck.My patience collapsed.My jealousy rose like a storm I could not hide.And then I moved.“Charles,” I said, my voice too calm to be real. “Come with me.”He blinked. “Oh. Sure. What did you want to—”I did not wait for him to finish.I grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door before Evelyn could even stand up. She let out a small gasp behind us, but I was already dragging him out of the living room and into the hallway.“Damien,” Charles protested, trying to free his arm. “What are you doing?”“What I should have done the moment you walked in.”“You could have just asked.”“I did,” I said. “By not asking.”He stumbled a little as I push
Damien povShe stared at me like she wasn’t prepared for her own reaction, like she didn’t understand why her body leaned before her mind could protest. Her breath brushed my neck, warm and shaky. Her hand slid up my chest, and that alone was enough to pull every sane thought out of me. She was choosing this. Choosing me. Even if just for a heartbeat.I tilted my head, and she did too.We moved together, slow and sure, like the moment had been waiting for us for years.Her lips grazed mine.The door flew open.Evelyn jerked back so fast she nearly stumbled. I turned sharply, ready to tell off whoever had the audacity, only to see Charles standing there with eyes wide like he’d walked into a crime scene and the cold that hit my chest made me want to throw him out the window.Perfect timing.The worst timing.For a full second he just stared at us, then his lips curled into a knowing grin. I wanted to wipe that grin off.“I think I should take you back to school so you can relearn the m







