ログインWyatt's POVShe turned forward and didn’t look back.I kept my eyes on the road and let the silence sit between us. Avery rested her head against the window, watching the city pass by but my mind wasn’t quiet.Anonymous…The word had stuck in my head since the officer slid that folder across the table. Someone sent an email that cracked open a years-old murder case, someone with evidence Marcus didn’t have, someone that had time and access to build the evidence. By the time we got home, Avery’s eyes were heavy. She made it upstairs and fell asleep within minutes, still in her clothes, one shoe half off. I pulled the blanket over her, kissed her forehead, and turned off the lamp.Then I went downstairs.The kitchen stayed quiet. I made coffee I probably didn’t need and stood at the counter staring at nothing while the machine ran.Three weeks ago, I’d been sure Marcus sent that email. I’d told him to send the evidence he got to California. He was the only one who made sense, he'd be
Avery’s POVTwo weeks later, things had finally settled.It wasn’t perfect, but for the first time in a long time, I could breathe.Celeste was still in custody.The pool deck investigation had officially closed after she admitted she intentionally tampered with the railing to delay the divorce proceedings and buy herself time to secure more of Nate’s assets.California was a different story.The investigation into her first husband’s death was still ongoing. The police kept uncovering pieces of information they hadn’t seen before, and the nurse connected to the case had also been taken into custody for questioning.Through all of it, Monochrome kept thriving.I sat in my office with Elise and two staff members reviewing the final reports from California Fashion Week. The sales reports and media rankings on my tablet made me blink twice.“Top three,” I said slowly.“Top three,” Elise repeated, looking entirely too pleased with herself.“Not just in California,” my assistant added exci
Wyatt’s POV“Did he just say death?” Someone finally broke the silence.“First husband?”“California?”Nobody moved. Nobody even seemed to breathe. Every eye in the room stayed on Celeste.Then a laugh broke the tension. Everyone turned at the same time.Nate sat at the hallway entrance in his wheelchair. He must have rolled back quietly. It wasn't a happy laugh. It sounded tired like a man who had finally run out of reasons to keep pretending.“Well,” Nate said, voice flat, “I guess some secrets really do expire.”Celeste spun toward him. "You knew?"“You told me about one husband,” he said quietly. “You forgot to mention the second one.” The room exploded into whispers. Questions came from every direction. People looked at each other, then back at Celeste.Tobias turned to the cousin beside him with wide eyes."Wait." Tobias pointed at Celeste. "Married before? As in... twice? Before Nate?"“Twice?” someone repeated behind him.One aunt pressed both hands over her mouth. Three peop
Wyatt's POV“I’m telling you, the build matches her perfectly, Wyatt.”Marcus’s words still echoed in my head. The call had ended less than a minute ago, but I could still hear him.Across the ballroom, Celeste laughed softly and lifted her champagne.The figure on the footage moved like Celeste. I’d thought as much because Avery told me she saw her in the garden that night. Same height, same build, same way of walking.It wasn’t enough to accuse anyone but it was enough to make my stomach turn."Are you absolutely sure?" I asked him.“I can’t really tell you it’s definitely her,” Marcus had said. “But if it were me? I wouldn’t let this go.”I slipped the phone into my pocket. Celeste was still laughing, as if the world hadn’t shifted beneath her feet.Then I looked at Anna dancing with Edward, laughing at something he had said, face lit up with real joy. I could walk over there right now. I could ask every question burning in my head.But Anna was happy and I wasn’t going to ruin t
Avery’s PovI woke up smiling into the pillow. Last night in the shower replayed in my mind, the hot water, Wyatt’s hands on my face, his low voice telling me he loved me like it was the simplest truth in the world. The way he’d held me after, as if I was the only thing that mattered. I pressed my face deeper, trying to stop the grin but it wasn’t working.The bedroom door opened. Wyatt came in, balancing a tray with coffee, fruit, pancakes, and the orange juice. He set it on the nightstand and turned.He stopped when he saw my face. "What?" he asked, already suspicious."Nothing." I sat up and reached for the coffee."You're smiling weird.""I smile normally."He walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, then kissed me slowly. “Good morning, baby,” he murmured.“Good morning.” I looked at him over the cup. “You made pancakes.”“Staff made them. I carried them.” He settled beside me and stole a piece of fruit. “There’s a difference.”“Very hero
Wyatt's POVI pulled Avery straight into the bathroom. The massive glass shower gleamed under the low lights, steam already rising as I cranked the hot water on full. It poured down in a heavy rush, filling the space with heat and the steady roar that drowned out every noise in the house.Avery stepped in first, still in her bikini, water instantly soaking her hair and making the fabric cling to her body like a second skin.I followed, sliding the glass door closed with a soft thud. She turned to me, eyes tired but sparkling with that spark I loved, and I didn’t hesitate. I cupped her face with both hands and kissed her. Our lips met soft and slow at first, tasting the day’s salt and exhaustion. Her arms looped around my neck, fingers sliding into my wet hair, and the kiss deepened. Tongues tangled, gentle then urgent, like we were pouring all the leftover tension from the pool party into each other. She pressed closer, her body molding to mine under the spray.“You feel like ever
Nate ’s POVI was in my office going through some documents when I remembered I hadn't checked up on Celeste. I picked up my phone and dialed her number.“Hey, how’s the meeting going?”There was silence, followed by a quick and shallow breathing. Celeste?" I called out. "It's fine." She answered
Avery’s POVNina’s hands gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles almost turned white as she drove fast through the traffic towards the emergency clinic.I sat folded in the passenger seat with arms wrapped around my belly, trying to breathe through another wave of cramp pain that hadn’t stopped si
Avery’s POVThe whispers had started small.A friendly customer who wouldn’t make eye contact with me, a woman at the grocery store who pulled her child closer when I walked past, like me being close will contaminate him.I told myself it was nothing. But by the third day, I couldn’t deny it anymor
Avery’s POVI was still standing on Nina's apartment building stairs with heavy bags weight on my shoulders, staring at Jessica.“You’re Marcus’s girlfriend.”The words didn’t make sense in my head.Marcus… Wyatt’s head of security, the man who was always beside him in Seabrook, watching everything







