MasukDevi: My breath hitched as my entire body froze in place, like I had walked into something I wasn’t meant to see. Something I couldn’t unsee. Ethan shoved her away, immediately, the movement abrupt, frantic—like he had just realized he was standing on the edge of a cliff. “Devi...” he called, sounding a little breathless. “Ethan.” I called his name, my voice came out thin, strained, like it had been dragged through glass. I stared at him, my chest rising too fast, my heart slamming violently against my ribs as if it wanted out of my body. “She kissed me,” Ethan said quickly, his voice rushing over itself, desperate, defensive. Genevieve didn’t argue with me or Ethan. She didn’t look ashamed. She didn’t even look surprised. She just smiled, and I felt like grabbing her hair and hitting her head on the wall. Then she walked past me like nothing had happened. Like she hadn’t just lit a match in a room full of gasoline. My fingers curled slowly into fists at my sides
Devi: My breath hitched as my entire body froze in place, like I had walked into something I wasn’t meant to see. Something I couldn’t unsee. Ethan shoved her away, immediately, the movement abrupt, frantic—like he had just realized he was standing on the edge of a cliff. “Devi...” he called, sounding a little breathless. “Ethan.” I called his name, my voice came out thin, strained, like it had been dragged through glass. I stared at him, my chest rising too fast, my heart slamming violently against my ribs as if it wanted out of my body. “She kissed me,” Ethan said quickly, his voice rushing over itself, desperate, defensive. Genevieve didn’t argue with me or Ethan. She didn’t look ashamed. She didn’t even look surprised. She just smiled, and I felt like grabbing her hair and hitting her head on the wall. Then she walked past me like nothing had happened. Like she hadn’t just lit a match in a room full of gasoline. My fingers curled slowly into fists at my sides. “And yo
Aria’s POV I sat on the couch in my room with my legs crossed, my fingers loosely intertwined over my knee as my thoughts spiraled in every direction at once. The silence around me felt heavier than usual, pressing against my chest like an unseen weight. I exhaled slowly, but it did nothing to ease the restlessness clawing inside me. My phone rested beside me, the screen dark. I stare at it for a long moment before finally reaching for it, my fingers hovering briefly before I dialed the number that had called earlier, right in the middle of my breakfast with Ethan. The line rang once. Twice. Then it connected. “You finally decided to call me back.” His voice. Familiar. Unmistakable. A humorless chuckle slipped past my lips, bitter and dry. Of course I knew it was him. I know he'd call after sending the flowers, the diamonds—those extravagant gestures screamed his name louder than anything else ever could. Lucien never did anything halfway. Even his regret came wrapped in luxur
(Third Person's POV) Elena had been sitting in her father’s study long before the call came through. The heavy oak desk, polished to perfection, stood between her and the door like an unspoken barrier, while the tall bookshelves lining the walls seemed to close in around her. Even the faint scent of aged paper and leather, something she once found comforting, now felt oppressive. She hadn’t come here just to sit. There had been a storm brewing inside her long before Lucien’s name lit up her phone screen. And when it finally did, her fingers had trembled as she answered, her heart already bracing itself for something she couldn’t quite name, but deeply feared. Her father had been there the entire time. He hadn’t interrupted. He hadn’t spoken to her. He had simply listened. Every word. Every silence. Every crack in her voice. And now, the aftermath hung thick in the air. Elena parted her lips, her throat dry, her chest rising and falling unevenly. She wanted to speak—to
Lucien: “Has she received the diamonds?” I asked, my tone calm but sharp, as I looked over at Timothy. He was seated casually on the edge of the playing ground, stretching his legs like he didn’t have a single concern in the world. We had come out for some exercise, but my mind wasn’t here. It’s stuck in my memories with Aria. These days I don't even feel myself anymore, it feels like I'm losing it, I feel lonely, I don’t feel like myself anymore. “Yes, she did,” he replied. Then he glanced at me sideways. “Do you have anything else in your head that you’re thinking about except Aria?” “No,” I said flatly. I don’t think about anyone except her, she's my whole world, and I lost her. Regret was a foreign thing to me once, it was something I believed belonged to weaker men, to those who failed to take what they wanted when it was within their reach. But now it sat in my chest like a slow, suffocating weight, tightening every time her name crossed my mind. Anytime I remem
Ethan: “I am…” The words sat heavily in my throat, like they refused to be spoken. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her. Couldn’t tell her that I was getting engaged. That everything between us was standing on the edge of something irreversible. I had been trying to handle the situation quietly, trying to find a way to soften the blow, to make it hurt less but nothing was working. And I feel like telling her will solve all my problems. Her phone stopped ringing, the silence settling between us in a way that felt louder than any noise. Aria nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on me, expectant, waiting for me to say something. But I just shook my head. “I just want to say…Thank you for being a part of my life.” I forced a bright smile, one that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Thank you,” she replied, mirroring my smile. She stared at me, her gaze sharpening slightly, suspicion flickering beneath her calm expression. I knew that look. She wasn’t convinced, at all. “I saw the v
I held his hands but he removed his hands slowly away from mine, the warmth of his touch fading, leaving my fingers cold. “You don’t trust me?” he asked quietly. His voice wasn’t angry. It was soft and calm. A sad smile tugged at my lips as tears gathered in my eyes. I lifted my hands and gen
For a moment, I couldn’t even breathe. And suddenly, his old words echoed loudly in my mind. “If I ever kneel to anyone, then that person would have to be as important to me as my God.” My heart pounded violently. I stared at him in stunned silence. For a moment, I thought my eyes were pl
Author’s POV The sound of shattering glass echoed through the living room suddenly. The flower vase hit the marble floor and exploded into fragments, water spilling everywhere, petals scattering like casualties of a quiet war. Mrs. Volkov stood frozen for a second, her chest rising and falling vi
“Aria…” Her name slipped out of my mouth barely a whisper, I checked the caller ID again, it was an unknown number. My fingers trembled around the phone,my heart pounding so hard. Her cruel, venomous laugh came through the phone. “How does it feel,” she asked, every word dripping with sarcasm,







