로그인**MATEO'S POV**I floated on my back in the infinity pool, arms spread wide, letting the warm water cradle my body while the afternoon light poured through the glass ceiling of the penthouse. Meetings could wait. The world could wait. Today I needed this - a few quiet hours to rest, to think, to stop pretending I wasn't counting every second until Isabella was back where she belonged.My phone sat on the edge of the deck, dry and waiting. I reached for it, water dripping down my arm, and dialed the number I'd saved but never bothered using before today.Lukas answered instantly."You're calling me for the first time," he said, tone already dripping with suspicion. "Did Isabella run crying to you already?"I smirked, staring up at the clear sky visible through the glass. "You have my number saved. That's impressive."A short, bitter laugh crackled through the speaker. "You have mine. I'd call that impressive too."I rolled my eyes and sighed, the sound heavier than I meant it to be. Th
The afternoon shift this week meant I could sleep in a little as I stepped into my apartment elevator. I pressed the button for the lobby floor and leaned against the mirrored wall, phone pressed to my ear.“You were saying?” Mateo’s deep voice rumbled through the line, warm and patient.I rubbed my temple, trying to shake off the last traces of laziness. “I was thinking about getting a doctor’s note to stop working earlier, or maybe an Aufhebungsvertrag — you know, the mutual termination thing. According to the law here, if I just resign it takes three to four weeks notice. I don’t want to drag it out.”There was a short pause on his end. I could almost picture him frowning, running a hand through his hair the way he did when he felt guilty.“Baby… I’m sorry,” he said, voice softening. “How did I not think about this sooner? I should’ve asked you about work the moment you told me about the pregnancy.”“It’s okay,” I replied quickly, shifting my weight from one foot to the other as th
Sunday morning hit me like a freaking train. My body felt heavy, limbs tangled in the sheets as if they weighed a ton. Yesterday’s shift had been brutal—long hours on my feet, the emotional rollercoaster of helping Olga pack the last of her things....it was just a lot.I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I checked the time on my phone. Almost eleven. I never slept this late.The apartment was quiet. Too quiet.I dragged myself out of bed and headed straight for the shower. The hot water pounded against my skin, loosening the knots in my shoulders and washing away the remnants of sleep. Steam filled the bathroom, fogging the mirror as I stood there longer than necessary, letting the warmth seep into my bones. My hand unconsciously drifted to my still-flat stomach. One month. It still didn’t feel entirely real.When I finally stepped out, I got dress and padded barefoot into the kitchen area. The smell of something savory—eggs, maybe toast—hit me before I even rounded the corner.Jake was st
A soft meow broke the silence again. The lights came up. Tears spilled down her cheeks, fast and silent at first, tracing glistening paths through her makeup. Then, a shaky laugh escaped her lips, a sound that was half sob, half joyous release. She reached out with trembling fingers and touched the cat's soft fur, then gently, reverently, touched the ring, as if she was afraid it would disappear if she breathed too hard, as if it were too precious to be real.Joshua stepped out from the side, his face etched with a mixture of hope and trepidation, his eyes locked on Olga's. He knelt in front of her, taking her trembling hands in his, his voice rough with emotion but steady with unwavering love."Olga... you've been my home since the day I saw you, the anchor that keeps me grounded, the light that guides me through the darkness. I want to spend the rest of my life sweeping you off your feet, making you laugh, and cherishing every moment we have together. Will you marry me, Olga? Wil
Saturday started with Jake downstairs on the phone, voice low, clipped-like he was finalizing a bomb. I heard him hang up just as Olga and I came down the stairs. He pocketed it fast, eyes flicking away. I caught his glance, smiled small, and looked past him. We both knew what was coming. Olga didn't.In the car to work, she leaned forward, grinning. "Got a girlfriend, Jake? You've been sneaking calls like a teenager."He laughed-real, easy. "Nah. I'm gay. Like men." Olga blinked, her expression comically bewildered. Then she burst out laughing, the sound echoing in the confined space of the car. "Wait – seriously? All this time? And you never said anything?"Jake shrugged, keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Yeah. Just never really... came up, I guess."We filled the rest of the drive with dumb stuff – hospital gossip, complaints about the perpetually lukewarm coffee in the break room, and how Olga's new haircut made her look like she belonged on the cover of a magazine. By t
It was Friday, and I was officially one month pregnant.The realization settled over me like a gentle wave that morning as I stood before the expansive mirror in the new penthouse. My hand rested lightly on my still-flat stomach, a silent promise to the life growing within. I was going to be a mom soon-well in 8 months but you get it.I felt... happy. Not the wild, almost manic happiness Mateo had displayed when I first told him – a reaction that had been both thrilling and slightly overwhelming – but a quiet, warm kind of happiness that settled deep in my chest, radiating outwards. The baby was real. Mine. Ours. And for the first time in weeks, the fear, that constant companion, felt smaller than the burgeoning hope. It was a fragile feeling, precious and new, and I held onto it tightly.Work was relentlessly busy, but good. We finished the shift sweaty and bone-tired, the kind of exhaustion that comes from the constant motion of running between rooms, answering call bells, and of
°Isabella's POV°I had a feeling Mateo was inside when I approached the door and saw it was unlocked. And sure enough, I was right.He was the only one with a key to my place, and even though I'd told him a hundred times not to just let himself in without asking, he kept doing it anyway.Honestly,
I gave her a lot of space. She said she was busy and I let her rest. She said she had 'work' and I let her be. She said she needed to breathe and I let her. At this point she was avoiding me and I knew it.Apology would have gone a lone way but I needed to see her face in and tell her everything.I
Those words from Lucian kept circling back no matter how hard I tried to push them away. "When does she even die?"My own son - twelve years old - already sounding like he'd swallowed every bitter thing his mother ever said about women who got close to me. I sat in the driver's seat with the engi
**Mateo's POV**I checked my phone again. Nothing. No call. No text. No angry voice note. No "fuck you Mateo" message. Just silence. She looked and acted like she knew something. Like she wanted to say more yesterday. She sounded angry.Isabella was pissed and I just wouldn't say the right thing







