Madam Estelle povI sat at the long dining table, my back straight, my fingers resting lightly on the edge of my plate. The girl, Alina, moved about nervously, carrying bowls and dishes as if she wanted to impress me. Her hands shook a little when she set a bowl in front of me. She stood too careful, too eager, like a servant waiting for praise.I picked up my spoon without a word. I dipped it into the food and lifted it to my mouth. The taste surprised me. It was good, too good. The flavors were rich and soft on my tongue, better than I expected. I almost wanted to eat more, but I stopped myself. I could never let her see me pleased.I forced my face to remain hard. I made a sound in my throat, sharp and full of disgust. I dropped the spoon back onto the plate with a loud clatter that echoed across the room.“This food is unfit for humans,” I said in a cold voice.Sebastian, sitting across from me, lifted his head. His eyes met mine for a moment, but he did not speak. He only studied
I reached home with a painful heart and the house, I quickly went and dropped my bag in my room and walked back to the sitting room as I paced around the sitting room. My hands shook and my mind was only on him.Minutes felt like hours until I heard the sound of the main door and I turned quickly.Sebastian walked in.And in his arms was Leo.“Leo!” I cried out and rushed to him.“Mommy!” Leo’s little voice broke into my chest like warm light. He jumped from Sebastian’s arms and ran to me.I dropped to my knees and quickly opened my arms wide. He fell into me, and I hugged him so tight that my tears wet his hair. I kept kissing his face again and again.“My baby… my baby…” I whispered, and I held him like I would never let go.Leo laughed softly and touched my cheek. “Mommy, don’t cry. I’m okay.”I nodded and held him tighter. “I missed you. I missed you so much.”At that moment, I felt something strange and I looked up. Sebastian was standing near the door, watching us. His face was
After work, I walked behind Sebastian as he went into his office.He did not walk slowly, he did not walk lightly. It looked almost like he was dragging the whole world with him, and the world was too heavy to carry.When we entered, the room felt quiet, but the quiet was not soft. It was the kind of quiet that made my heart beat louder in my own ears.Sebastian’s face was stiff, like stone. It did not bend, it did not change, it did not show any sign of rest. No smile, no kindness, not even a small softness. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were dark, as if they belonged to someone far away.Without a word, he pulled off his jacket. He did not fold it. He did not place it gently. He just threw it down on the chair, like the jacket meant nothing. The sound of it falling made me blink, because in that silence, even a soft thud felt loud.Then he sat down. His back was straight, his shoulders still hard. He leaned a little forward, his eyes dropping to the papers that lay on the desk. Hi
My phone shook in my hand and the screen lit up. The name there made my chest squeezed tight.Lila.I froze and my fingers turned weak, my breath felt stuck in my throat. Why is she calling me now? After all this time?I looked around the office and Claire sat at her desk, her hands moved on the keyboard, but her eyes were on me. Watching. She always watched. I pressed the phone against my chest and whispered, “Not here… please not here.”But I couldn’t stop myself. I pressed the green button and brought it to my ear. My voice shook when I said. “Hello?”Her voice came through at once and it was soft and sweet, like honey dripping, but it cut into me. “Alina, dear cousin. It had been too long.”I gripped the phone so hard that my hand hurts. “What do you want, Lila?”She laughed, lit and cruel. “Is that how you greet family? Come meet me. A cafe near your office. You know the one. I will be waiting.”The line went dead there and I was shocked how she got to know my office, the job I ju
Sebastian’s fingers turned the small flash drive slowly, it was like he was playing with it.Like he already knew everything.My heart banged in my chest and closed the door behind me.“Where did you get this?” His voice was low, and dangerous.I forced myself to breathe. “It’s not mine.”He tilted his head, and his eyes narrowed. “Really? Then why did I just see you walking in here holding it?”I shook my head. “I wasn’t…”“Don’t lie to me, Alina.” His voice cut through the room like a knife.I stepped back without meaning to. “I found it outside.”He took a slow step toward me. “Outside? On the street? Or from someone who wants to see you destroy yourself?”“I don’t know what’s on it,” I said quickly. “I didn’t even look.”“Of course you didn’t,” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “But you still took it. You still brought it into my house.”“I wasn’t…”“Enough.” He threw the flash drive onto the desk with a sharp clatter. “I will ask you one more time. Who gave you this?”I s
I was still holding the card in my hand when I heard voices in the hallway. Sebastian was calling and the door to my room was open just a little.And I heard the voices, his voice and the one echoing from his phone through the gap in my door.“She will not leave,” he said. His voice was calm, like he was stating some facts.Another man laughed softly. “And if she tries?”Sebastian’s voice changed totally, like the man said something that hurt him.“I will win custody of Leo and she will never ever set her eyes on him again.”My fingers held the card so hard that it even bent more in my hands and I could feel my nails pressed into the paper.My chest was tight, it was like something that was heavily pressed on it.The other man said, “You sound sure.”Sebastian answered right away.“I have more power than she thinks.”And then I heard the faint sound of shoes on the floor as he walked away.Their voices grew quieter until I couldn't hear them anymore.__I pushed the door closed very