LOGIN**Leylie’s POV**I was still in the dressing room, shoving clothes onto hangers, when my phone started buzzing on the bed. I didn’t even need to look at the screen. I already knew who it would be.I walked over, picked it up, and answered with a smooth little smile in my voice. “Hello, sir.”There was a beat of silence on the other end. Then Hayes let out a low, rough breath. “Sir? After what happened this morning, you’re really going to call me sir?”I sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned back on one hand, letting a grin spread across my face. “What? I’m just being a respectful employee.”“Leylie,” he growled, but I could hear the heat under the frustration. “Don’t play innocent. You know exactly what you did.”I bit my lip, loving the way his voice dropped. “I’m sorry, Mr. Doyle. Did I do something wrong? I was only trying to greet my boss properly.”He exhaled sharply, almost a laugh but not quite. I could picture him sitting in his office, dragging a hand down his face, tie
**Leylie’s POV**The early morning air stung my cheeks, but I didn’t care. I hadn’t slept more than thirty minutes all night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Finnian’s red Rolls-Royce and Ellie sliding into the passenger seat like she belonged there.I wasn’t going to let them destroy Hayes. Not without a fight.I walked straight up to the front door and pressed the bell; the loud sound cut through the quiet morning.The door opened fast.Ellie stood there in a pale blue silk robe, her red hair messy like she’d just climbed out of bed. Her eyes widened the second she saw me.What, is she the butler now?“Hi, Ellie,” I said, letting a wide smile curve my lips. The kind of smile that promised trouble.She gripped the doorframe. “Wh—what are you doing here?”I tilted my head, pretending to be confused. “I work here. Remember?”“But… you left. With your suitcase. Two days ago. We thought—”“So what?” I cut her off and stepped forward, forcing her to back up or get knocked over. “I’m ba
**Leylie’s POV**The lights in the supermarket made my head throb as I walked down one aisle after another, grabbing whatever caught my eye just to keep my hands busy. Extra pasta. Three boxes of tea I probably wouldn’t open. A loaf of bread that would harden on the counter before I remembered it was there. None of it really mattered. I only wanted to do something normal, something that said my life wasn’t fallen apart.I knew I was only deceiving myself.I paid without really seeing the cashier’s face and stepped outside with the plastic bags cutting into my palms. I lifted my arm for a taxi, already imagining the silence in my new apartment, the way I would crawl under the covers and just drift into a peaceful sleep.The driver glanced back when I slid into the seat. “Where to, miss?”I gave him the address and let my forehead rest against the cool window. We hadn’t even gone one full block when my eyes caught movement on the opposite side of the street.A woman in a wide sun hat a
**Hayes’ POV**The pediatrician’s office smelled like cherry cough syrup mixed with that cleaner they use in the hospitals. The walls were covered in posters of smiling animals and superheroes, but none of it helped the knot twisting tighter in my stomach. I sat on cushioned wooden chair, my right knee bouncing up and down without me telling it to. I couldn’t stop it. Every few seconds I caught myself doing it and forced my foot flat on the floor, only for the bouncing to start again a moment later.Ava perched on the exam table, her little legs swinging slowly back and forth. The sparkly pink sneakers I’d bought her last month caught the light every time they moved. She kept her head down, staring at those shoes, her fingers twisting and twisting the bottom of her yellow dress until the fabric bunched up in her fists. Since that single word she’d screamed in the hallway, she hadn’t made another sound. Dr. Aris sat on her rolling stool, gray hair pulled back neatly, watching both of
**Hayes’ POV**I sat on the leather sofa in the living room, my head resting on the headrest, eyes closed as Ellie’s voice cut through the silence.“You look worried.”She had come downstairs without me noticing. She walked around the couch and sat beside me, her shoulder brushing mine. She leaned in, those green eyes searching my face with a look that made my throat tighten. “Is it because of Leylie?”I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My mind was still stuck on the way Leylie had looked at me when she walked out earlier, the hurt, the anger, the way her voice had cracked when she said she needed space.Before I could find the words to answer her, the front door opened, and Matthew stepped inside, his phone in his hand and a joke already forming on his lips.The joke died the second he saw her.Matt froze in the doorway, his phone slipped from his fingers and fell on the marble floor, but he didn’t even look down. His face went pale. His jaw dropped so far I thought it might hit his chest.
**Leylie’s POV**The evening breeze was cold and windy, tugging at the scarf tied around my neck as I stood outside Grace’s apartment building. I hadn't spoken to her since that morning I’d screamed at her, blaming her for everything that had gone wrong with Hayes.I could have gone to my new apartment, the one I’d paid for with the money Hayes paid me in the club, but the thought of those empty, silent rooms terrified me. I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts. I needed my best friend.I climbed the stairs to her floor and reached for my keys, sliding the metal into the lock, but it wouldn't turn. My brows furrowed in confusion. I tried again, jiggling the handle, but it was stuck. Did she change the locks? Suddenly, the door swung open from the inside. I froze, coming face-to-face with a total stranger.She was striking, with hair as dark as midnight and sharp hazel eyes that scanned me with immediate suspicion. She leaned against the doorframe, her expression hard."Who are
**Leylie’s POV**I rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me, fumbling to lock it with fingers that wouldn’t stop shaking. I pressed my back against the cold wood, chest heaving like I’d run miles, heart pounding so hard it hurt."What have I done?" I whispered into the empty room. "W
**Hayes’ POV**I haven’t been myself since that private dance with Red. Every time I close my eyes, I feel the heat of her skin under my palms again, the way her body arched into my touch when I finally let my hands settle on her waist. The memory plays on repeat: the slow grind of her hips, the so
**Hayes’ POV**"Man, thanks for picking me up," Matt said as he slid into the passenger seat of my Ferrari, dressed like he’d been planning this night for weeks—black button-down, sleeves rolled, looking way more alive than I felt.He grinned, leaning back in the chair as if he owned the car. “I st
**Leylie’s POV**I ran out of the room, my vision blurred by tears that kept falling no matter how fast I blinked them away. I couldn’t breathe properly; my chest felt like someone was sitting on it, and I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate. In a panic, I reached up and ripped the mask of







