LOGINDEREK’S POV“Good morning, sir.”A deep, unfamiliar voice greets me the moment I step into the hallway leading to my office,I pause mid-step, that’s new.Slowly, I turn my head, my gaze settling on a man standing stiffly by the side, dressed in a neatly pressed suit, posture straight like he’s been rehearsing this moment.“Who are you?” I ask, my tone clipped, brows furrowing slightly.“Sir, I’m the newly hired assistant,” he replies quickly. “My name is Duke Melias.”Of course, another one, I exhale quietly through my nose, already feeling the faint stirrings of irritation.“HR didn’t inform me about this hire,” I say flatly, adjusting the cuff of my sleeve. “I hope the last person briefed you about the current workforce.”He nods immediately. “Yes, sir.”“Good. Deliver Anibal’s contract to my desk in thirty minutes and while you’re at it, bring me a cup of coffee.”“Okay, sir.”
I resumed work on Monday because I knew, deep down, that staying at home alone with my thoughts would destroy me, the silence would be too loud, memories guilt too suffocating.At least at work, there are distractions, files to sort, emails to respond to, voices around me, movement, something to keep my mind from wandering into places I am not ready to face.My head still aches from everything that has happened over the past month. It feels like I haven’t had a proper moment to breathe, to process, to just exist without something going wrong and I don’t trust myself to be alone right now.Ella left this morning, she had stayed as long as she could, helping with the children, making sure I wasn’t drowning completely, but life had called her back, I didn’t try to stop her, I couldn’t, I’m already too dependent on everyone around me, and that thought alone makes something twist uncomfortably inside me.Mom has resumed babysitting duties, she moves a
We arrive at the hospital in a blur of panic and hurried footsteps, my heart pounding so loudly in my chest it feels like everyone around me can hear it and the moment we step through the sliding doors, everything becomes a rush, voices, movement, the sharp scent of antiseptic filling the air. We are immediately led into a ward. Doctors and nurses surround my baby, their hands moving quickly, efficiently and I try to stay out of the way, but it feels impossible when every instinct in me is screaming to be close to him, to protect him, to make whatever is happening stop. After what feels like forever but is probably only minutes, the doctor turns to me with a calm expression that does little to settle the storm inside me. “Your baby is stable now,” he says. “He had an allergic reaction.” I blink at him, trying to process his words. “An allergic reaction?” I repeat, my voice shaky
Ella arrives in the evening, just as the sun begins to dip and the sky takes on that soft orange glow that always makes everything feel calmer than it actually is, the moment I hear the knock, I don’t even bother pretending to act normal, I rush to the door like I’ve been waiting there all day because I have.The second I open it, she’s there, smiling wide, arms already open before I can even say anything.“Bella!” she squeals, and I laugh, stepping forward into her embrace.“You took forever,” I tease, even though I know she didn’t.“And you look like you haven’t slept,” she shoots back, pulling away to look at me properly.“That’s because I haven’t,” I reply honestly, and we both laugh.It feels good normal having her here, like a piece of me I didn’t realize was missing has suddenly clicked back into place and we don’t waste much time before heading out as there’s still so much left to get for the party, and with time already
I get home feeling both exhausted and restless, like my body wants to collapse but my mind refuses to slow down, the house greets me with warmth, not just from familiarity, but from the rich, comforting smell of baked goods that wraps around me the moment I step in, it smells like sugar, butter, and something slightly nutty, probably one of Mom’s experimental recipes and for a brief second, I just stand there at the entrance, inhaling deeply, letting it ground me.Then reality kicks back in, invitations and I slip off my shoes and head straight to my room, dropping my bag carelessly on the chair before reaching for my phone, I had already drafted most of the messages earlier, but now it’s time to actually send them out and one by one, I go through the list, attaching the digital invites and adding small personalized notes where I can.For the people closest to me, I make sure the tone is warm, almost intimate, for others, I keep it polite but still welcoming, I don
Today is Wednesday, and there are less than four days left until the twins’ birthday and the realization sits heavily and beautifully on my chest at the same time. For weeks now, preparation has been ongoing, quietly and steadily and sometimes chaotically but now, everything is almost in place, the only thing left is sending out the invitations. It sounds simple, something that should take no more than a few minutes, yet it has somehow become the one task I keep postponing, not because I don’t want people to come, but because sending those invites makes everything feel real, it makes time feel like it’s moving too fast, like I barely blinked and suddenly my babies are another year older. We agreed early on that we wanted something small just family but somewhere along the line, “family” stopped meaning just blood. It became the neighbors who check in every other evening, the women who bring food unannounced, the men who stop by to fix things without bei
After Tabitha leaves the library, I feel empty already. She is off to a date with her favorite godson, the mysterious Cole and I find myself battling a strange pang of jealousy. It isn’t a romantic jealousy, but rather a covetousness of her spirit. You can tell by the way her voice elevates, how he
I continue to stare blankly at Tabitha, my mind a spiraling thought flow, The air in the library feels different now thicker, charged with a current I haven’t felt in years. I am utterly lost for words, my tongue feeling like a heavy, useless weight in my mouth. The transition from being a libraria
“I do accept the job offer, but I have some conditions that I would like to negotiate,” I begin. My voice is steady, though my pulse is frantic tap-dance against my ribs. I keep my expression carefully neutral, projecting a seriousness I’m not entirely sure I feel. This is the moment where the powe
The weight of my reality follows me to my sleep In these dreams, I am always running toward a door that remains just out of reach, my pockets empty and my breath coming in ragged gasps. When I finally jerk awake, it isn’t the gentle touch of the sun that rouses me, but the cold, sharp clarity of m







