MasukLumi’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 disappears down the hallway, and just like that, I’m alone. I walk toward the kitchen island slowly and drop my bag beside me. Then I see it, the pregnancy test strip, sitting in my bag. My fingers hover over it, but I don’t pick it up. I just… stare.How did I get here? How did I go from being someone’s fiancée…To this?Standing in another woman’s apartment, holding a test that could change my life overnight.I swallow hard. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared me for what I saw earlier. Wren and Caius together. Like the six years we spent building something…was just a phase he outgrew.It hurts. God, it hurts. But what hurts more? He doesn’t even care, not even a little.My jaw t
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 well enough to see the alertness underneath it.Fedric keeps moving until the back of his knees hit the edge of the bed. He stops, not because he wants to. Because he has to.“What? Are you going to beat me up now?” he asks, forcing out a laugh that doesn’t quite land.I don’t answer immediately, I take my time. Let the silence sit and stretch enough for him to feel it. Then—“Yes.” I step forward. “Hands down.”His smile falters, just slightly.“Why did you think you could lay hands on my worker?” I continue, voice calm, and controlled. “And record her,” I added. “And then threaten her on top of that?”He raises his hands defensively. “Briggs, listen—”“No,” I cut in. “You listen.”He swall
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, not honking, not pacing aggressively, just there. So I didn’t think much of it, that was my mistake. A rare one, but still mine.The truth is, I was distracted. Not by something trivial, but by something that demanded my attention. Ellen. And the video she sent.I walk back into the car and lean back slightly against the driver’s seat, one hand resting loosely on the steering wheel as I replay the last few minutes in my head. Running a sex club isn’t what people think it is. They see the surface, the lights, the music, the bodies. They assume it’s chaos, It’s not, It’s control. Every single thing that happens in my space is monitored, filtered, and accounted for. I don’t run a business wher
Lumi’s POV“We should drop by the nearest pharmacy and get a pregnancy test strip,” Clover says from behind me, her voice echoing through the silence that had settled between us after that last conversation.I keep my eyes on the road.“Yeah… we should,” I replied.The words feel heavier than they should. A pregnancy test, something so small. But right now? It feels like it could change everything.The drive is quiet for a few minutes, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s the kind of silence that sits between people who don’t need to fill every second with words. Still… my mind isn’t quiet. It keeps replaying her words.When last did you run a pregnancy test?My grip tightens slightly on the steering wheel. I try to remember, but I don’t want to. Because the more I think about it, the more real it starts to feel. And I’m not ready for that.“Take the next turn,” Clover says suddenly, pointing ahead. “There’s a pharmacy down that street.”I nod, turning the wheel without arguing. Five min
Lumi’s POV“What about him?” I ask, glancing sideways at Clover as I slow down at a traffic light.She doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, she leans closer, already unlocking her phone, her excitement practically vibrating off her.“You need to see this,” she says.That alone should’ve been my warning. Clover doesn’t just show things, she introduces chaos. Before I can protest, she angles her phone toward me. A video is playing. Dim lighting, loud music, a lounge setting. Then, men, dancing, not just dancing, performing. My brows pull together slightly as I try to focus without crashing the car.“Clover—”“Just look,” she insists, tapping the screen.I sigh and glance again, slower this time.Men in fitted black pants, open shirts, confident movements. Women seated, laughing, reaching, enjoying the attention.I blink.“…What am I looking for?”She lets out a dramatic gasp. “Excuse me? Art. You’re looking at art.”I huff a laugh despite myself.“I don’t recognize anyone,” I say.She
Lumi’s POVI take the stairs two steps at a time.My heels slam against the concrete, sharp and uneven, echoing louder than they should, as if the entire building is listening, watching, judging.“Lumi!”Clover’s voice chases after me, breathless, but I don’t stop. I can’t. If I stop, I might feel it, and I refuse to feel anything right now. Not the betrayal, the humiliation or the fact that the man I gave six years of my life to didn’t even look sorry.I push the entrance door open and the cool night air outside hits my face, but it does nothing to calm the heat burning under my skin.My car is right there. It’s more safe, familiar, mine. I walk faster.“Hey—hey!”Clover finally catches up, grabbing my arm just as I reach for the door handle.I pause, not because I want to. But because she sounds… worried. Really worried.I turn slightly, just enough to look at her.Her face is tight, brows drawn together, eyes scanning me like she’s trying to figure out if I’m about to collapse.“I







