LOGINIt glints softly and as I run my thumb over it, it grounds me. Tethers me to the present and reminds me that I am not alone.The panic doesn’t disappear, but it eases just enough for me to breathe again. Just because they’re suing me doesn’t mean my life or my career is over. It feels catastrophic,
SIERRAI’m sitting on the couch, laptop open in front of me, pretending to read through research articles, but I can’t get my mind to focus. At this point I think I won’t be able to focus on anything until everything is cleared.The company hasn’t sent their lawyers, but I know it’s not a matter of
Just thinking about it makes bile rise in my throat.Slowly, I reach into the drawer and pull out Chloe’s diary. I need something solid. Something real. Something to anchor me.My fingers tremble slightly as I flip it open and turn the page.[We all used to hang out even though it wasn't often, but
She freezes, just for a second, before her face smooths out. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”I advance on her slowly. “So you’re going to play stupid?”“I really don’t know…”“Jocelyn.”I say the name and watch her closely… Then I see it. The widening of her eyes and the split-second panic
For a second, everything freezes. My hand tightens around the car door handle, my feet rooted to the ground.“Mr. Wood?” Blaze’s voice pulls me out of the paralysis.“Are you sure?” I ask.“Yes,” he replies. “I ran through security footage. They’ve been meeting at least twice a week.”I inhale slowl
“If I remember correctly,” she says coolly, “you stopped me.”“That’s because I didn’t want us to sleep together before I officially made you mine,” I reply. “And before I could do that, you told me to get out.”She scoffs. “What did you expect? You basically rejected me and even after that, I gave
The sound of the flatline drills into my skull like a blade. I can’t move. I can’t breathe. All I can do is stare as the doctors keep pressing those damn paddles to her chest, shouting numbers, shouting for life.“Come on, Sierra,” I whisper. “Come on.”This can’t be happening.This can’t be happeni
“She’s a problem,” I mutter under my breath. “She shouldn’t even exist in my equation.”“Then let her breathe for now,” the second woman replies, walking toward me. Her voice is like ice sliding beneath the skin. “You’ll get another chance. But not if you draw attention. We’ve already failed twice.
The air shifts the moment the officers step inside.“I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Officer Mark says, his tone casual but the look in his eyes says otherwise.Noah straightens in his seat, his entire demeanor changing. Shoulders squared and jaw set. The easy smirk from moments ago vanishe
Noah I don’t know how long I’ve been standing here. Long enough to feel like an intruder in my own house. Sierra’s laugh drifts across the room, wrapping around my children like sunlight. Nova is nestled in her lap, Nolan pressed close on the other side, both of them chattering and grinning as i







