INICIAR SESIÓNFor a moment, neither of them moved.Kelvin sat with his elbows on his knees, his hands loosely clasped, still wearing the same dark jacket he'd had on when he left. The lamp lit one side of his face and cast the other in shadows, making him look like someone who'd been waiting a long time without realizing how exhausted he was."What are you doing in my room?" Karen asked.“I forgot something.”"You forgot something," Karen repeated. "Yes."“In my room?”He didn't answer.She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, mostly to keep the housekeeper from hearing anything."Get out, Kelvin," Karen said firmly."You've been avoiding me," Kelvin said."You moved out," Karen said. "You said it should stay a dream. You said it was a mistake. You said you'd leave the house to make things easier for me. I didn't ask you to do any of that.""No, you didn't," Kelvin agreed. "But you didn't ask me to stay either."“How could I?” Karen's face flushed with anger. "You're Finn's best friend. I'
Kelvin realized he had forgotten his watch. This was the first time it had happened. He was standing in the doorway of the house he'd stayed with Finn when he mentioned it to the housekeeper. The housekeeper replied, "Miss Karen is out, sir." Kelvin then said, "That's okay, I'll just get it." He quickly found the watch on a shelf in the guest room where he had intentionally left it.The next time, Kelvin forgot his charger. The third time, he forgot a jacket he hadn't worn in a while. The fourth time, he forgot a book he had never even opened. Each time, the housekeeper gave the same response: "Miss Karen is out." Kelvin had moved out of Finn's house six days ago. He knew it was the right thing to do, but the words had lost their meaning because he had said them so many times. He was trying to convince himself it was the right decision, but it didn't feel that way. It was a mistake. We were both drunk. It should stay a dream.He'd said it in the car, and she'd looked at him as i
Serena's POVThe specialist sat in the living room waiting for us. She had a leather case on her lap and her pen was already ready.She was a small, energetic woman in her fifties with some gray hair. She wore a sari that looked like faded pink flowers. When I walked in, she stood up and looked at me for three seconds. Then said, “You look even prettier in person, Miss Cole.”“Hello to you too.” I replied with a smile on my face."Dr. Rao." She smiled as she introduced herself. "Please sit, Miss Cole. Mr. Vance, please have a seat as well.”Elliot was standing by the window and did not say anything. He had been at the house when I got there. His jacket was off and his sleeves were rolled up. He looked me over once, as if checking a package for damage."We'll discuss the station later," was all he said.I sat down.The check-up lasted one hour. Dr. Rao asked the same questions I had already answered many times in Dr. Layla's office. She asked about my cycle, my past, my medicine, and h
Serena's POVThe phone rang again.I was standing in the station hallway, my hand still resting on the door frame. I watched my bodyguard pull out his phone. His face stayed the same, but he checked the screen a bit longer than usual."Mr. Vance, ma'am.""I figured.""This is his twelfth call since morning."I looked at him. "Twelfth?""Yes, ma'am." He handed me the phone. "The first one came at six."The commissioner was standing a few steps back, acting like he was not listening. I took the phone, turned my back to him, and walked out of the station before I picked up."Where are you?"No hello.Elliot spoke in a low, flat voice that was so controlled that I knew he was not calm."Out.""I can see that. That is why I am asking where.""You already know where."Silence. Then, "Someone sent me a photo.""Of what?""Of my fiancée walking into the central police station with a limp and a bodyguard, without telling me." Another silence. "It has been shared eleven thousand times in forty
Serena's POV It was a week before the wedding, and the house was a whirlwind of activity.The house had turned into a factory of silk and measuring tape. Seamstresses knelt around my ankles, florists argued with the decorators, and every few minutes someone asked me to smile, turn, or breathe in.I went through it all absent-mindedly. Elliot had been around for most of the week, but all he'd done was give me instructions. "Eat. Rest. Take the medication." That was it. He still hadn't given me the police report, and I was starting to get frustrated.I'd asked Austin about it twice, but both times he'd just looked at his shoes and said, "Mr. Vance says the police are handling it." That was the end of it. I stopped asking because it was clear that was all I was going to get. "I have a checkup," I told the stylist on Thursday morning, slipping out of the dress. "The doctor said I shouldn't miss it."That was the truth. The checkup was at ten, and it was at the hospital, just seven minu
The reaction on their faces was priceless. Finn was the first to speak.“Don't think you can deceive us again, dear brother.” He turned to the rest of the family. “If only y’all believed me from the start. Each and every time, you place your trust in Elliot, and never care for what I have to say. Why? Because I am illegitimate??”“Finn-”“I told y’all from the start,” he pointed at Elliot and Serena, “They were playing us for a fool! Elliot can never be in love. We all know what happened two years ago.”“That's enough, Finn.” Jenson said. Bringing up Sandra was the surest method to rage bait Elliot and that was the last thing he wanted. “What happened two years ago?” Serena asked but the room went silent. Jenson rose and said to Elliot, “Serena wants to end this, are you going to force her to stay?”Elliot looked at Serena, “are you choosing to leave?”Serena knew he was reminding her of the choices. “Your family doesn't want me here. Everyone is quick to point accusing fingers at







