LOGINSTONESI am not sure it was daybreak yet when the first call came into my phone.The second followed thirty seconds later. The third was before I even finished answering the second. Something was wrong.By the time I reached the office, six missed calls waited on my phone. From three attorneys, two board members and one government contact.I walked to the window and looked down at the city. For years, this view had comforted me. Power looked beautiful from above.Every moving car. Every office tower. Every politician pretending to matter. I owned pieces of all of them. Today, for the first time, things looked different.Another call came into my phone. I answered.“What?”The voice on the other end sounded shaky and intimidated.“We have another resignation.”I closed my eyes.“Who?”The answer came. Another senior executive. Another ally. Just another sailor abandoning a sinking ship, waiting for the tsunami to capsize it.His call ended. Then another. Then another. Things were not m
QUINN“Your mother's name was Elara.”“Elara.”I whispered it carefully, as though saying it too loudly might make it disappear. I wanted to hear about her. I wanted him to tell me about this woman I waited years to learn about.A small laugh escaped my father. His eyes grew distant.“She hated coffee.”I blinked.“Yes. One sip and she would make the most dramatic face you’ve ever seen.”A fresh wave of emotions hit me.She could spend entire days reading,” he said softly. “And thunderstorms terrified her.”I listened in silence.For the first time in my life, my mother wasn't a question. She was becoming a person. Tears slid down my cheeks. Not because I had found her. But because I never would.I turned to the man who said he was my father.“How do I believe you?”He sighed.“I know it is difficult, Quinn. I know I might spend the rest of my life trying to convince you.”Joe’s mother arms crossed over Joe’s shoulders on the sofa.“We were happy once.”A sad smile touched his lips.“
QUINNI stared at Joe's father.The man stared right back as though the rest of the room had vanished. Even when Joe shifted in front of me, protective and confused, those eyes never left my face. Not for a second.“Who does she look like?” Joe asked.Unease crawled beneath my skin. This wasn't the reunion I had imagined. I expected tears, apologies, maybe even forgiveness. Instead, a stranger was looking at me like he'd just seen someone rise from the dead. His chest rose and fell unevenly.Beside him, Joe’s mother also looked confused and lost.“Wilson?”The man didn’t respond. He couldn’t look away from me. His eyes made my skin prickle. Finally, he swallowed and asked,“How old are you?”The question hit me like a slap.“What?”“Your age.” His voice shook. “How old are you?”Joe frowned. “Father—”“Please. I am talking to her.”The desperation in his voice immediately silenced everyone. I hesitated, then answered. His eyes closed briefly, as though that answer meant everything. Wh
JOEThe call came at exactly 7:02 a.m.The moment I saw my mother's name on the screen, my stomach tightened. There was a time her calls felt like home. Now they felt like warnings.Lately, every conversation with her seemed to end with another wound reopening. But one thing I can’t do is ignore her. So, I picked up the call.“Mom…”Nothing. Just breathing. Uneven breathing. I pushed myself from the bed.“Mom? Good morning.”A small sound escaped her. Almost like a sob. Before I knew it, I was already on my feet, apprehensive.“Mom, what happened?”Her voice finally came, shaking.“He found us, son. He found us.I paced the room. “You mean—”"Your father, Joe."Her voice cracked."He's back."The room seemed to tilt. For years, I had imagined this moment. Dreamed about it. Hated it. Wanted it. And suddenly it was here.“Where is he?” I asked quietly.“Home.”My chest tightened.“He came home?”I could hear my mother crying now.“He is asking about you,” she sniffed. “Joe…”I knew what
JASPERWhy did I marry her? The question hit hard.Four weeks in prison. A stab wound. A public downfall. None of it haunted me the way Quinn did. Every road I followed somehow led back to her.Every secret, lie and regret. And now, someone was finally offering answers. For the first time in months, fear lost to desperation.I clicked on the attached photograph and opened it. An image of a younger Quinn. Timestamp, nine years ago. Way before I even met her.Another message arrived.>You better be here before it is too late.~~~An hour later, I was driving through the city alone. Against every medical recommendation and rational thought.The wound protested every movement, but I barely felt it. There were pains worse than physical ones. Like discovering your entire marriage might have been built on secrets and that the woman you loved most had suffered because of them.The address led me away from the city center and every expensive district. I kept going. Streetlights became scarce.
JASPERTIME STAMP: Four Weeks Later“Finn. Get up.”I opened my eyes to pain.The stab wound in my abdomen throbbed beneath the sheets, a cruel reminder that I was still far from healed.Four weeks ago, I never imagined my life would end up here. Not even prison itself had broken me the way the last month had. If I were told that would happen to me, I wouldn’t believe it.The guard stood beside the bed.“You’re due in court.”I blinked. My heart danced. And for a moment, that little piece of hope crept into my chest again. I pushed myself upright slowly. Pain immediately shot through my side. Breathing sometimes hurts. The prison doctor wouldn’t stop reminding me of how lucky I was.“I want to urinate,” I said slowly to the prison guard.“Five minutes.”I sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, gathering myself.“God, please. Let today be different. Grant me bail.”It wasn't much, but it was enough hope to get me on my feet. I limped toward the restroom.~~~I sat inside the black Ma
MORRISONThe whiskey in front of me had remained untouched for three straight hours.I sat, staring at it while frustration and restlessness crawled steadily beneath my skin.Rain clung to the windows like grief, refusing to leave. Behind me, reports remained scattered across the desk.They compris
QUINNThe door exploded with a violent bang that echoed through the abandoned church like a gunshot.My body jerked before my mind could even process what was happening. For one terrifying second, I thought they found me again.“Oh goodness!”My pulse slammed against my ribs so bad it hurt. Joe cov
QUINNFor the first time in what felt like forever, I woke up without fear tearing through my chest.I brushed my hair away carefully as I slowly opened my eyes to soft gray light filtering through the curtains.For a few seconds, I stayed beneath the blanket, listening.There were no footsteps, sho
QUINN“We are leaving. To the car, please!”Joe said as he held my hands, not waiting even once for a reply from me.The car drove into a quieter part of the city before slowing in front of a building tucked far enough from the main road to avoid attention. Or so we hoped.I swallowed around the ac







