LOGINI sat in bed, wrapped in cashmere blankets, my cocoon of softness shielding me from the weight of everything pressing in on my heart. Phoe lingered in my thoughts. So much had happened to him in such a short time, his world shaken, rearranged, rewritten. And yet… there was comfort in knowing he now had two places where he belonged. Two men who loved him. Two homes that would never question his place in them. In the future, if doubts ever tried to creep in, he would have answers. Certainty. Family My hand drifted instinctively to my stomach, fingers tracing slow, protective circles over the gentle swell beneath my palm. The twins would have a story of their own one day. A familiar fear surfaced quiet but persistent. Will they hate me for giving them a father who isn’t biologically theirs? The memory of Phoe’s face flashed through my mind, the terror, the confusion, the way his spirit had seemed to dim the moment he believed Apollo wasn’t his father. My heart had shattered f
I sat there, staring at him as he read from the strange device in his hand. One by one, he listed everything I had done in that country, every misstep, every secret, every sin I had paid dearly to keep buried. Two months from now my marriage contract with Dragma would end. Why was this happening to me? Hadn’t I gone through enough. With each word, my body grew colder. It felt as though the air itself was being siphoned from the room, replaced by dread. “Stephanie,” he said lightly, mockery dripping from his voice, “you’ve really been a naughty girl, haven’t you?” The way he said it made my skin crawl. “And now,” he continued, tapping the screen, “what was that little story you mentioned earlier?” My face went numb. I was sure all the color had drained from it. In my fear, I had forgotten he’d been listening watching, absorbing every word I’d spoken. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” I said quickly. He chuckled, then tapped the device again. My own voice filled the room
I can’t breathe. I can’t… I can’t breathe. I willed my lungs to pull in air, but my body refused to obey. Panic clawed up my throat, sharp and merciless. “Breathe,” he said coolly. “I can’t have you dying just yet.” The command sliced through me. My body reacted instantly, sucking in a deep, desperate breath. Air burned my lungs, and I doubled over as a violent cough tore through me. Clutching my chest, I forced myself upright and looked at him. The man. I had only seen him once before, but his presence felt even colder now. His face was carved from ice, eyes devoid of warmth or mercy. “Stephanie,” he said, lips curling faintly, “why aren’t you learning? Are you really that stupid?” The insult stung, but I swallowed my response. This man wasn’t someone you talked back to. “How did you get into my house?” I rasped, the words barely leaving my throat. What was it about him that made my body fear him, obey him? “It’s only right,” he replied calmly, stepping clo
I held Phoe in my arms, studying his little face. The uncertainty in his eyes cut deeper than any blade. I hadn’t wanted to have this conversation with him not now, not while everything was still unsettled. But I also couldn’t risk anyone else using the truth against him. If he was going to hear it, it had to be from me. From his family. “Before anything else,” I said quietly, “I need you to know something very important. I love you. And you will always be my son.” God, this was nerve wracking. I’d take a hostile business negotiation over this any day. “What you heard is true,” I continued, choosing my words carefully. “Biologically… I’m not your father.” The moment the tears spilled from his eyes, it felt like my heart was being carved open. Every instinct screamed to stop, to pull the words back, but we couldn’t. If we didn’t face this now, Phoe would carry questions he might never feel safe enough to ask. Or he could go searching and be led a stray I wouldn’t take that r
Something felt off, it was as if something had shifted after my talk with Amir. I noticed it the moment I stepped back into the main corridor the way seemed muted, like the walls were holding their breath. Like someone who wasn’t supposed to be there had been. Something had already gone wrong. I found Jess in our bedroom, Phoe curled unnaturally tight beside her. Not asleep. Not crying. Just… still. Too still. Jess looked up immediately. Her eyes told me everything before she spoke. “He’s been quiet,” she said softly. “He won’t let go of me.” My chest tightened. Phoe wouldn’t look at me. I crouched slowly in front of him. “Hey, my little man.” Nothing. “Phoe,” I tried again, gentler. “What’s wrong?” I watched his little fingers tightening in Jess’s shirt. “I heard something,” Phoe whispered, his voice sounding distant as if he were else where. The air left my lungs. Shit what had he heard? Jess stiffened. “What did you hear, sweetheart?” Phoe swallowed. His
Amir stood alone in the training room, hands braced on the edge of the mat, head bowed like the weight of the world had finally found a place to land. Apollo didn’t announce himself. He never needed to. Amir could sense his cousin’s presence when he entered the room. “I should’ve been there,” Amir said quietly, before Apollo could speak. “For my wife. For my life. I ran instead.” Apollo stopped a few feet away, arms crossed, fury locked down so tightly it hummed beneath his skin. “You didn’t just run,” Apollo said. “You disappeared after you buried Dalia.” Amir nodded once. “I buried her. Two days later I was in my brother’s club, drinking myself numb. I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t present.” “That doesn’t excuse what happened,” Apollo snapped. “But it explains why you don’t remember.” Amir finally turned. His eyes were red, haunted, filled with something dangerously close to self-hatred. “She used that,” he said hoarsely. “Didn’t she?” Apollo didn’t answer immediatel







