LOGINFour's POVThe lawyer's office smelled like old paper and secrets. I sat between Veronica and Elena, staring at the small recording device on the table. Marcus, my attorney, stood by the window. Elena's lawyer sat across from us. Nobody spoke. We all knew what was coming."Are you ready?" the lawyer asked.I was not ready. I would never be ready. But I nodded anyway.He pressed play.My father's voice filled the room and I stopped breathing. I had not heard that voice in years but my body remembered it instantly. Every muscle tensed. My hands curled into fists. Veronica grabbed my arm, anchoring me."This is the confession of Antonio Lasombra," my father's voice said. Calm. Measured. Like he was discussing stock portfolios instead of murder. "I am recording this because I want the truth known after my death. Not for redemption. I d
Veronica's POVFour stopped sleeping. I watched him deteriorate over three days, pacing the house at night, jumping at shadows, refusing to talk about the nightmare that woke him screaming. He looked haunted in a way I had not seen since the early days after we first met. This was different though. Deeper. Older.On the fourth morning, I found him in Monte's room at dawn, just watching our son sleep. His face was wet with tears."Four," I said softly.He turned to me and I saw real fear in his eyes. Not the controlled vigilance he usually carried but raw terror."I think I remember," he whispered. "I think Elena was right. I think I watched my father kill someone and I buried it so deep I convinced myself it was a nightmare."I crossed the room and took his hands. They were ice cold."We need to call Dr Morrison," I said.
Four's POVThe café smelled like burnt coffee and regret. I sat by the window, watching strangers pass, wondering if any of them carried secrets as heavy as mine. My phone buzzed. She was here.Elena walked in and I recognised her immediately. Not from resemblance but from the way she moved. Guarded. Careful. Like she expected the world to hurt her and had learned to hurt it first. She was thirty-five, dressed in a sharp blazer that screamed lawyer, her dark hair pulled back tight. But it was her eyes that stopped me. Cold grey eyes. My father's eyes.She sat down without greeting me. No handshake. No smile. Just assessment."You look different from what I expected," she said."So do you."She ordered black coffee. I already had mine, though I had not touched it. The silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken histories and shared damage.
Four's POVI decided 3 am while Veronica slept beside me. The message on my phone had shaken me but it also clarified something. Running from my father's legacy had not protected me. Silence had not healed me. Maybe the only way forward was through the truth.I called Sarah at a reasonable hour the next morning. "I will do the interview. About my father. About everything.""Are you sure?""No. But I am doing it anyway."She scheduled the filming for three days later. Gave me time to prepare. To talk with Dr Morrison about what this might bring up. To warn Veronica that I might fall apart on camera."Then fall apart," Veronica said. "Let people see that healing is messy. That strength does not mean never breaking."The day of the interview I was terrified. Sweating through my shirt before we even started. Sarah
Four's POVI watched Veronica turn Sarah's business card over in her hands for three days straight. She carried it everywhere. Kitchen counter. Bedroom nightstand. Coffee table. The decision haunted her and I understood why. This was not just about her anymore. This was about all of us.We talked about it late at night when Monte was asleep. Veronica curled against my chest while I ran my fingers through her hair. The bedroom was dark except for the streetlight filtering through the curtains. Safe. Quiet. Our sanctuary."What are you thinking?" I asked."That I want to do it. That terrifies me. I do not know if wanting something and being ready for it are the same thing.""They are not always the same. But sometimes you have to jump before you feel ready.""Is that what you did? When you came to find me?""Yes. I was not ready to face you. To confront everything I had done wrong. But I jumped anyway because the alternative was losing you forever."She was quiet for a moment. "The docu
Veronica's POVFour's suspicion about the invitation lingered in my mind like smoke. I could not shake it. That night I called Dr Morrison. Then my parents. Then Margaret. We needed to talk through this together because the decision affected everyone.We gathered in the living room the next evening. Monte was asleep upstairs. Margaret made tea nobody drank it. My parents sat on the couch looking concerned. Four paced by the window. Dr Morrison joined us via video call on Four's laptop."Tell me about the invitation," Dr Morrison said.I read it aloud. Every word. Every detail. When I finished the room was silent.Four spoke first. "My instinct is to say no. We fought for privacy. For safety. For the right to live without eyes on us constantly. This throws all of that away.""But it could help people," I said. "Women trapped like I was. Women who think there is no way out. If my story gives even one of them hope is that not worth it?""Not if it puts Monte at risk.""How does it put Mo
Four's POV.“I feel no attraction for her,” “I feel nothing for her.”“She's got enough to worry about, I'm not about to insert myself in one of those situations.”Words. Words. Words. They crowded my thoughts, messed with the actual things that worked me up. Words!I reached for the new shipment
Veronica’s POV. After Four put me in my place, I remained there. Rigid in my new round throne with the walls of my heart locked tight, the key thrown out so no one could ever get a hold of it.It didn't help that the girl— Mia, was now assigned to me. Assigned to taking care of me until I was back
Veronica’s POV. Silence detonated between us and in that silence, Four changed. It was subtle, anyone else might have missed it. But I had spent enough time around him now to recognise the shift: the internal door closing, the walls sliding back into place, the distance he wore like armour settlin
Veronica’s POV. The day passed in a blur of muted sunlight and half-hearted attempts to focus. I had tried to eat, tried to scroll through the endless notifications from my assistant, Lily, and even tried to nap but my thoughts refused rest.Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing the girl— Mia







