LOGINSERENAI pushed the door open slowly, half-expecting the hinges to creak and wake him up accidentally, and the first thing I noticed was how still everything felt inside the room. The lights were dimmed low, the curtains were drawn halfway, and the steady hum of machines filled the space with a quiet mechanical rhythm that made my chest tighten.Aiden was lying on the bed with his head turned slightly to the side, his dark lashes resting against his pale skin, his breathing slow and shallow but steady. There was a thin IV line taped to his arm, a few monitors attached to his chest, and a clear bag hanging beside the bed that dripped steadily. He looked smaller than I remembered, and thinner in a way that made something uncomfortable twist in my stomach.I stood there for a few seconds longer than necessary, my hand still resting lightly on the door handle, because I couldn’t believe this was Aiden Knight, the notorious badboy of Manhattan who every woman wanted to have. I couldn’t bel
SERENAI stood in the middle of the hallway with my phone still pressed against my ear even after the call had already ended, staring at the blank wall like it might suddenly give me an explanation for what Adrian had just said.Aiden collapsed. Kidneys failing. Surgery. Adrian donating one of his own.The words felt unreal in my head, like they belonged to someone else’s life and not mine, but the tight knot forming in my stomach told me very clearly that this was real and happening whether I liked it or not.I lowered the phone slowly and exhaled through my nose, trying to steady my breathing before my hands started shaking too badly. My thoughts jumped in circles, landing on Aiden’s pale face from the last time I’d seen him, the IV in his arm at the hospital, the way he’d looked exhausted and irritated and stubborn all at once. I’d ignored it because that was easier than asking questions I didn’t want the answers to.Now he was in surgery.Now Adrian was on an operating table too.
ADRIANI drove to Aiden’s building faster than I should have, my hands tight on the steering wheel, my jaw locked in a way that made my teeth ache. The city blurred past in blocks of familiar streets and traffic lights I barely registered, my mind already running ahead of me, replaying the lawyer’s voice, the words confiscated and frozen and breach, and the cold certainty that this confrontation was going to explode whether I wanted it to or not.The doorman barely had time to greet me before I pushed past him, my stride sharp and impatient as I crossed the polished lobby and headed straight for the elevators. My reflection in the mirrored doors looked tense and worn, with dark circles under my eyes, my hair slightly out of place, and my shoulders rigid like I was bracing for impact. The elevator ride up felt too slow, the numbers climbing with deliberate laziness that only fed my irritation.When the doors finally opened onto the penthouse floor, the hallway was quiet and empty, the
ADRIANI sat on the porch with a heavy glass bottle of vodka resting beside my foot, the cold concrete pressing through the thin fabric of my pants as the night air settled against my skin in a way that made me feel too exposed. The city line stretched out in front of me, with lights blinking in uneven patterns, buildings standing tall and indifferent like they had no idea what kind of mess was unfolding inside one of their many apartments. My elbows rested on my knees, my hands loosely clasped together, my shoulders slumped forward without me even realizing it.My head kept circling back to Serena’s voice in the hallway earlier, sharp and angry and so final that it still rang in my ears even now.‘I didn’t want Adrian anyway.’The words replayed again and again, and each time they landed, they carried the same dull ache in my chest that refused to settle no matter how much vodka burned down my throat. I lifted the bottle, took another slow drink, and let the bitter warmth spread thr
SERENABy the time I finally shut my laptop, my shoulders ached in a dull and heavy way that came from sitting too long and thinking too hard at the same time. My inbox was cleared, my notes were organized, and my brain felt like it had been wrung out and left to dry somewhere behind my eyes. Working from Adrian’s study had been productive, but it was also suffocating in a way I hadn’t expected, like the room carried too much of his presence even when he wasn’t in it.I stretched slowly in the chair, one hand drifting to my lower back while the other rested against my belly. The baby had been quiet most of the afternoon, which always made me nervous even though I knew that was normal. I reminded myself that everything was fine, that I’d eaten, that I’d drank water earlier, and that I was not allowed to spiral over every sensation anymore.Except I was thirsty now, and my mouth had turned into sandpaper while I was typing.I pushed myself up carefully and stepped out into the hallway,
SERENAI had woken up earlier than I needed to.That had been happening a lot lately, my body dragging me awake before my mind was ready to deal with anything, like it was afraid of missing something important even though nothing important ever actually happened at six in the morning. The guest room was still dim, the heavy curtains barely letting in the early light, and for a few seconds I had forgotten where I was again. It always took a moment for the room to rearrange itself in my head, for me to remember that I wasn’t in my apartment anymore.Adrian’s place still didn’t feel like mine.It smelled faintly of his cologne and expensive cleaning products, and the floors were always cold under my feet when I padded out into the hallway in my socks. I moved slowly, one hand resting at the small curve of my belly like I was reminding myself that I was still here, that this was real and not some strange in-between stretch of my life that I’d wake up from eventually.I decided to make pa







