LOGINOne month later, Emerson stood at the altar with his shoulders squared and his hands clasped loosely in front of him, though nothing about him felt loose inside.The church was full, every pew occupied, the air thick with perfume, flowers, and expectation.Light filtered through the high windows, catching on polished wood and white fabric, casting a soft glow that made everything look gentler than it truly was.His best man stood beside him, adjusting his cufflinks for the third time in five minutes. The priest remained a calm presence a few steps ahead, hands folded, eyes drifting occasionally toward the entrance doors.All of them were waiting for the same thing.The murmuring began quietly, like a ripple that had no clear source. A whisper here. A rustle there. Emerson felt it before he heard it, a tightening in his chest that made his breathing shallow.“What if she changed her mind?” he muttered, the words slipping out before he could stop them.His best man leaned closer immedia
By 4pm, the New York Police Department building had settled into its usual rhythm; phones ringing, doors opening and closing, voices layered with urgency and routine.Eva stepped out of the car beside Emerson, the weight of the place pressing into her chest before she had even crossed the threshold.The city noise dulled behind them as the glass doors slid shut.Inside, the air smelled faintly of disinfectant and old paper. Emerson stayed close, not touching her, but close enough that she felt the quiet steadiness of his presence.The detective approached them almost immediately, a man with tired eyes and a calm voice that suggested he had delivered too many difficult moments to count.“Ms. Mills. Dr. Emerson,” he said, shaking Emerson’s hand before turning to Eva. “Thank you for coming.”She nodded. Words felt unnecessary.They followed him down a narrow corridor, past desks stacked with files, past officers moving with purpose. Eva noticed how her heels echoed against the tiled floo
Emerson guided Eva to the couch and helped her sit, his hands steady even though his jaw was clenched tight. She sank into the cushions as if her bones had softened all at once.One of the housemaids returned quickly with a glass of water, holding it with both hands like something fragile.“Drink,” Emerson said softly, crouching in front of her. “Slowly.”Eva took the glass. Her fingers trembled against the cool surface. The first sip burned its way down, shocking her system enough to anchor her back in her body. She swallowed again, then again, until the tightness in her chest loosened slightly.The maids retreated quietly, leaving the two of them alone in the living room. The silence pressed in, thick and heavy, until Eva finally spoke.Her voice came out uneven at first. She told him about the mall. About the groceries. About the moment she noticed the man standing too close to her car.She described his eyes, the way they looked past her like he’d already decided what she was wort
“Your worst nightmare if you don’t let her go. Now!”The man’s voice tore through the air, loud, venomous, final. It wasn’t a threat dressed as bravado. It was a promise.Inside the car, Eva forced herself upright, her palms sliding against the leather seat slick with sweat.Her lungs burned as she sucked in air, her chest rising and falling too fast. Her eyes darted toward the figures outside, trying to make sense of what was happening through the haze of fear clouding her vision.Then recognition struck her like lightning.Her breath caught. Her lips parted.“Mrs. Olivia Blackburn?” she gasped, disbelief flooding her voice.The name gave her something solid to cling to. Something real.Her scream rose again, sharper now, louder. “Help! Please—help!”The man swallowed hard. The confidence he’d worn moments ago cracked visibly. His eyes flicked to the two men flanking the woman; tall, thickly built, shoulders stretching the seams of their jackets. They didn’t move. They didn’t need to
"Who I am isn't the problem," the man said, his voice low, sharp, vibrating with something raw and uncontrolled. "It's what you did."Eva tilted her head slowly, confusion crashing into fear like waves colliding. Her fingers tightened around her car keys, instinctively pulling them closer to her chest as she took a cautious step backward.Her heel brushed against the edge of the parking line, the yellow paint faded from years of tire marks and weather."I don't understand," she said, her voice barely holding together, each word carefully measured. "I don't know you.""Not one more step!" he barked, the command sharp enough to make her flinch.Eva froze instantly. Her breath hitched. The grocery bags slipped from her trembling hands and crashed onto the concrete, oranges rolling out in different directions like scattered planets, a carton of milk bursting and spreading across the ground like a slow white stain that pooled around her feet.Her heart slammed violently against her ribs.E
Morning light spread across the construction site in uneven patches, filtered through scaffolding and half-built concrete walls.Eva stood near the temporary safety railing, helmet on, tablet tucked against her side, eyes moving constantly from workers lifting blocks to supervisors shouting instructions over the noise of machinery.This project mattered. Not just because of its scale, but because it carried her name on every report sent back to the board.She had barely finished correcting a foreman on safety spacing when shouting erupted from above.It happened too fast for the mind to process cleanly.A man slipped. A sharp intake of breath rippled through the site. Someone screamed.Eva looked up just in time to see a labourer tumble from the fourth floor.Her heart dropped violently.Time seemed to slow as his body fell, arms flailing, helmet flying off in the air and spinning like a discarded toy. A few workers froze in shock, tools hanging uselessly in their hands.Others shoute







