LOGINLumi’s POV
The door opened. And for a second, nothing made sense. My brain refused to catch up with my eyes. It was like I had stepped into the wrong room, the wrong house, the wrong life. Because what I was seeing couldn’t be mine. Wren on the bed, her body half-covered by the sheets, but not enough to hide her nakedness. . What broke me was the lingerie, my lingerie. The one I bought, the I folded carefully, and hid away for tonight. For Caius. My stomach dropped so hard it felt like something inside me tore loose. “No…” The word didn’t even sound like mine, It came out thin, weak, unreal. And then, Caius beside her, not scrambling or shocked even. Just there, like this wasn’t wrong. The air left my lungs, completely. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even feel my own body. All I could see was her, on top of Caius. My chest tightened painfully. My fingers went numb around my bag, my knees buckled slightly. I reached for the doorframe without thinking, my hand gripping it tightly just to stay upright. “Lumi…” Wren’s voice, soft and careful. Like she was afraid of breaking something, like she hadn’t already shattered everything. My eyes moved to her slowly, mechanically. Like I was forcing myself to look. And God…she looked comfortable. Not even ashamed, like she had been there before. My stomach twisted violently. “How long?” The question slipped out before I could stop it. Wren froze, just for a second. My heart dropped. “No…” I shook my head slowly. “No… no…” Because that meant, this wasn’t a mistake. This wasn’t sudden, they had history. My vision blurred, I blinked hard. I tried to steady myself, but everything felt like it was slipping. My gaze shifted to Caius, waiting, begging for something. Anything. Even a lie would have been something, but he just looked at me like I had walked in on something inconvenient. Not devastating. “…Caius?” His name felt foreign. Like it didn’t belong to me anymore. He didn’t answer immediately, he just watched me. And somehow, that hurt more than anything else. Because it meant, he didn’t even feel the need to explain. Finally, he spoke. “Why didn’t you call me when I told you to?” My breath caught. I blinked, once, twice. Trying to understand what he just said. “That’s… that’s what you’re asking me?” My voice shook now, from disbelief. From something breaking inside me piece by piece. He shrugged slightly. “What else is there?” The world tilted, not physically. But everything inside me cracked and fell apart. Clover’s voice came from behind me, sharp and disbelieving. “What the hell is this?” I hadn’t even heard her walk in, but now I felt her presence beside me. Real and solid. The only thing in that moment that felt real. “Lumi…” she said, softer now. But I couldn’t respond, because my chest felt too tight. “How long, Caius?” I asked again, this time louder. He didn’t blink. “Does it matter?” I laughed. A short, empty sound that didn’t feel like mine. “Does it—” My voice broke. I swallowed hard, tried again. “Does it matter?” I stepped forward, my legs unsteady. But I forced them to move. “Months?” I asked. “Years?” Silence. “That whole time?” I continued. “While you were with me? While you were planning this—” My voice cracked again. “While I trusted you?” He watched me, unmoved. “You can’t undo what’s done,” he said flatly. Something inside me went still, completely. I straightened slightly. My breathing slowed, not because I was okay, but because I was done. “I know,” I said softly. My fingers moved to my hand to the ring. I hadn’t even realized I was still wearing it, until now. I pulled it off slowly. Caius’s eyes flickered slightly, just for a second. I stepped closer, then tossed the ring toward him. It hit the bed. Soft and meaningless. Just like everything else. “I’m done,” I said. My voice didn’t shake this time. “I’m done being the woman you take for granted.” Silence filled the room, heavy and final. “The engagement is over.” Wren inhaled sharply. “Lumi—” I looked at her, then at the lingerie and the way it fit her. On the way she sat there, in something that was never meant for her. “You can keep it,” I said coldly. “Clearly it suits you.” Her face changed, but I didn’t care. I took one last look at both of them, and burned the image into my mind. So I will never forget. “So yeah,” I said quietly. “Screw you both.” Then I turned. And this time, I didn’t hesitate. I walked out.Clover POV I was on top, riding him slow and steady the way he liked, hands braced on his chest while the old bedsprings creaked under us. The afternoon light filtered through the blinds in my bedroom, catching the sweat on his skin. Cameron’s eyes were half-closed, his hands gripping my hips like he was trying to anchor himself. For a minute it felt almost normal, like we could pretend the last few months of on-again-off-again bullshit didn’t exist. Then his mouth fell open and the moan came out wrong. “Rhea… fuck, Rhea, just like that…” The name hit me like cold water. I froze mid-thrust, staring down at him. My body went from hot to completely checked out in half a second. I climbed off so fast I almost knocked the lamp off the nightstand. “What the hell did you just say?” I snapped, yanking the sheet up to cover myself. Cameron blinked like he was coming out of a trance, then his face went pale. “Clover—shit, I didn’t mean—” “Get out.” I pointed at the door, voice flat. “G
Briggs POV We were still standing outside the courthouse when the weight of the day really hit her. Lumi clutched those island papers like they were the only thing keeping her upright, eyes glassy from everything Caius had thrown at her. I kept my arm around her waist, guiding her toward the passenger seat without letting go. She’d just asked what she should do about the island, and I’d told her the choice was hers, but I wasn’t going anywhere. That seemed to crack something open in both of us. The drive back to the penthouse was quiet at first. She sat close, her hand resting on my thigh like she needed the contact. Lumi stepped inside looking wrecked—eyes red, shoulders tight, the island papers still clutched in one hand like they might burn her. I crossed the room in two strides and dragged her against my chest, arms locking around her like I could shield her from the whole damn day. “Fuck, baby,” I muttered into her hair. “You’re shaking.” She stayed pressed against me f
Lumi POVI pushed open the penthouse door and stepped into silence. The place felt too big without Briggs’s presence filling it. Brianna was nowhere to be found too. No lights on in the kitchen, no jacket slung over the couch, no sound of him pacing while on a call. I dropped my keys in the bowl by the door and stood there for a minute, listening to nothing. My chest tightened the way it always did when something felt off with him lately.The phone rang in my hand before I could even set my bag down. Briggs’s name lit up the screen with a FaceTime request. I answered fast, needing to see his face after the day I’d had.“Hey,” I said, forcing a smile as the screen connected. The background behind him was blurry and dim, some kind of hallway or lobby with lights that didn’t help me place it. “Where are you? The house is empty.”He didn’t smile back. His jaw looked tight, the same way it had after he came home unsettled from his mom’s. “Just handling something. You okay? Did Wren say any
Lumi POVI parked two blocks away from the hotel lounge Wren had picked, even though the spot she suggested had a valet. Briggs had refused to open up to me and that I couldn’t push. Something about meeting Wren on her terms felt too much like walking into a trap already set. The afternoon sun was too bright for how heavy my chest felt, and I sat in the car for an extra minute just breathing. My phone buzzed with a text from Briggs asking if I was okay. I typed back that I was fine and would call him after, even though fine was the last thing I felt. He’d wanted to come with me. I’d said no. This was between me and Wren, and dragging Briggs into it would only give her more to twist.The lounge was one of those places that tried too hard to look exclusive—dim lights, leather chairs that swallowed you, soft jazz that made every conversation feel like a secret. I checked in at the desk and was led to a corner table near the window. Wren was already there when I arrived, which annoyed m
Lumi POVI woke up alone, the sheets, sunlight was already illuminating across the room in thick stripes, which meant I’d slept far later than I meant to. My phone showed a string of missed calls and one new text from Wren confirming our meeting later that afternoon. I sighed and sat up, rubbing my eyes. The house felt too quiet without Briggs’s steady presence somewhere nearby.The sound of the front door opening pulled me out of bed. I grabbed one of his shirts from the chair and slipped it on before padding out to the living room. Briggs was just stepping inside with Brianna right behind him. Both of them looked like they’d walked through a storm. Briggs’s jaw was tight, his shoulders set in that rigid way he got when something had gone wrong but he didn’t want to say it out loud. Brianna’s mouth was pulled into a thin line, her eyes sharp with whatever she’d just witnessed.“Morning,” I said, trying to sound casual even though my stomach tightened at the sight of him. “You two lo
Briggs POVI was halfway through signing off on a contract when my phone lit up again. Mom’s name. Third time this morning. I let it ring out the first two, but the third one came with a text that said “Please, Briggs. It’s important.” That word—important—always meant someone wanted something from me, and lately that someone was circling Lumi like she was fair game.I rubbed the back of my neck and stared at the penthouse window, the city spread out below like it didn’t give a damn about any of this. Lumi was still asleep in our bed, the sheets tangled around her legs the way I’d left them after last night. She looked peaceful for once. I wasn’t about to wake her for this mess.Brianna showed up at the door ten minutes later, already dressed like she was heading to a board meeting instead of a family ambush. She raised an eyebrow when she saw me grabbing my keys. “Going somewhere without telling me?”“Mom’s blowing up my phone. Said it’s important.”Brianna smirked, the kind that m
Lumi’s POVA few minutes later, we finally got to Clover’s apartment. The moment we step inside, the world outside feels… quieter. But not enough to silence my thoughts.“I’m going to shower first,” Clover says, already kicking off her shoes and heading toward her room.“Go ahead,” I reply.She dis
Briggs’ POV“What do you think you’re doing?”Fedric’s voice comes out sharper than I expected, but not stronger. He’s already stepping backward. Already realizing this isn’t a conversation.The door shuts behind me with a quiet click.Riki moves in after me, casual, almost bored, but I know him we
Briggs’ POVDon’t get me wrong. I never knew I parked that long in front of them. If I had, I would’ve moved. I’m not that careless. I don’t do unnecessary inconvenience. At least, not without reason.When I first noticed them, I assumed they were waiting for someone. Two women standing by a car,
Lumi’s POV I didn’t remember getting into the car. One second I was walking out of that house, the next, I was seated, door slammed, breathing too fast. “Lumi.” Clover’s voice. I blinked, my hands were shaking. Still, I pressed them against my thighs, trying to steady them. It didn’t work. “Hey







