Mag-log inDoris woke up to the smell of fresh bread and tea and light moving across the floor in slow gold lines, she lay still for a moment and listened because the mansion sounded different now, no more footsteps running like someone was chasing, no more doors slamming like someone was afraid, just soft sounds of people moving because they wanted to, not because they had toShe opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was the flower Delvis had put in the vase on her desk yesterday, it was still fresh and the light made the petals look bright, she smiled because small things felt big nowWhen she opened the door Delvis was already in his chair with coffee in one hand and a small plate of bread in the other, his hair was a little messy like he had run his hand through it too many times and his eyes looked tired but calm“Morning,” Delvis said and held out the breadDoris took it and sat on the floor next to his chair instead of going to the balcony, “you’re getting better at breakfast”Delvi
Doris woke up before the sun and the room felt different again, not because anything changed but because her heart felt lighter, she opened her door and Delvis was already awake in his chair with coffee in one hand and a notebook in the other“Morning,” Doris said and took the coffee he held outDelvis nodded, “morning, you slept without moving, I checked”Doris laughed soft, “you checked my breathing again”Delvis looked down at the notebook, “I check what matters”They drank coffee on the balcony while the sky turned pink, below them Mama Rose was already in the garden picking herbs and humming, the safe wing windows glowed warm because the women inside were awake and not scaredEthan came up the stairs with a letter and a tired smile, “more good news, the court sent word that Stanley’s appeal was denied, he’s not getting out, not ever”Doris felt relief move through her chest like a wave, “then it’s really finished”Ethan set the letter on the table, “as finished as it gets, his na
Doris woke up to the sound of birds and light moving across the floor, she lay still for a moment and listened to the quiet because quiet now meant peace instead of waiting for something bad, then she sat up and saw Delvis was already at her door with two cups of coffee and that small look on his face that meant he had been up for hours watching the halls“Morning,” Delvis said and held out one cupDoris took it and smiled, “you always beat me up”Delvis shrugged, “I don’t sleep much, you do now, that’s enough”They drank coffee together on her balcony, the garden below looked green and alive and the air smelled like flowers after rain from last night, guards walked the paths but they waved instead of staring hard like beforeEthan came up the stairs with a folder under his arm and a paper in his hand, he looked tired but lighter, “court sent the last of Stanley’s paperwork, house is officially his no more, everything goes to the family trust now, which means you and Delvis”Doris set
Doris woke up and the first thing she noticed was that the room did not feel like a cage anymore, the safe room still had thick walls and one door but now the lamp made warm light and the bed had extra blankets and there was a small vase on the table with the flower she picked from the garden yesterday, Delvis had put it there while she sleptDelvis was in his chair by the door like always but his shoulders looked less tight today, he had a book open on his lap but he was not reading it, he was watching the door and listening to every sound in the hall“You’re awake,” he said when he heard her moveDoris sat up and stretched her arms, “I slept through the whole night without checking the lock, that’s new”Delvis nodded once, “that’s good”Ethan knocked and came in with a tray of food and a stack of papers, he set the tray on the table and looked at both of them, “court sent the final papers this morning, Stanley’s sentence is official, he’s not coming out for a long time”Doris felt s
The morning light came in through the gap in the curtains before Doris was ready for it. She lay still for a moment with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling of a room that was not her room in the mansion. Not her room at home. Not any room she had ever woken up in before this morning. The ceiling was cream. The sheets were expensive. The city outside the window was already moving. She turned her head slowly. The other side of the bed was empty. Neat, almost. Like it had been vacated carefully rather than abruptly. The pillow held the faint impression of where his head had been but that was all that remained of him in the space. Doris sat up slowly. The room was quiet. The lamp on the desk had been turned off at some point. The curtains were still mostly closed. The table near the window held the wine bottle from the night before, the glass beside it rinsed and placed upside down on the small tray, which meant someone had been awake and deliberate before leaving. She sat on th
The room Charlie had set up for monitoring was small. Not uncomfortable exactly, but functional in the way that only spaces built for one purpose ever were. Two screens on the table. One laptop running the hotel's internal camera system through the access their contact had provided three days earlier. One phone for communication. A glass of water that had gone warm two hours ago and remained untouched. Stanley sat in front of the screens with his jacket off and both forearms resting on the table. He had been waiting since midnight. Charlie stood near the wall behind him, quieter than usual. He had learned a long time ago when to stop talking around Stanley. Tonight was one of those nights where the silence between them carried more weight than anything either of them could have said out loud. The plan had been clean. The contact inside the hotel had confirmed placement. The wine service had been arranged through the correct channel. The bottle had been switched during the prep wi
Doris froze the moment Delvis turned toward her.For a second, neither of them spoke. The phone remained in Delvis’ hand while the cold night air moved quietly through the garden. Doris tightened her grip around her own phone because honestly, she already felt like she had heard something she was n
The drive back to the mansion remained quiet for most of the journey. Doris sat beside Delvis while staring outside the window, but honestly her thoughts stayed crowded the entire time. Stanley’s face kept replaying inside her head, especially the way he smiled while threatening her like it was com
Doris’ heartbeat became uneven immediately after the cold voice spoke from behind them.“Take your hands off her.”The entire reception area went silent.Stanley’s grip remained against her jaw for one second longer before he slowly turned his head.Then Doris saw Delvis walking toward them.And fo
A few days later, Doris had slowly started adjusting to life inside Delvis’ mansion.She still felt awkward sometimes whenever she woke up and remembered where she was. The house remained too large, too quiet, and too expensive for her to fully relax inside it. Even after several days, she still oc







