Mag-log inMara's PovI opened my eyes and the room was wrong. Its arrangement was the same way it was when Philip was alive. I was sitting on the edge of the bed, my back turned to the door.I heard the familiar click of the front lock. Then the sound of a heavy leather briefcase being set on the bed. Philip was home. He was inside.I felt a hot tear roll down my cheek. I didn't know why I was crying. I tried to reach up and wipe it away, but my arm felt weak. I wasn't in control. I was a passenger in my own body, watching a movie I had lived through once before. That's when it dawned on me I was reliving the night Philip had died.I stood up, and the world tilted. My head spun violently, a wave of nausea hitting me. I remembered this. I had been drinking. Clara had warned me specifically about the medication she’d put me on after the "molar pregnancy" procedure. She’d told me that alcohol would be dangerous, that my body was too weak. But I hadn't cared. That night, I had felt like I was alre
Vivian's Pov The condensation on my glass of soju was the only thing colder than the silence between us. I scoffed under my breath, taking a small, sharp sip. The liquid burned a path down my throat, but it didn't do anything to numb the awkwardness. Across from me, Mara was picking at a piece of grilled pork, her eyes fixed on the tabletop.I watched her for a long minute. For years, I had seen her as the obstacle. She was the legal one. The wife. The woman who stood in the center of the life I thought I wanted with Philip. I used to think she was the one disrupting us, the one who held onto the man I wanted. But with time, I got to realize she also went through alot. From me. From Philip. From everyone. "Why are you being so nice to me, Vivian?" She asked again. "What’s the plan?"I set my glass down with a soft clack. "There is no plan, Mara. I’m just tired. Aren't you?"She finally looked up. Her eyes holding a confused expression. Maybe the heavens wanted us to sort out our si
Mara's Pov"Mara,"My name in his tongue disgusted me. He reached out, coming close to me, but I didn't let him get close. I didn't even let him speak."Elias," I said, my voice as cold and flat. "I don't want him here. I don't want him near me, and I don't want him in this building."I felt Elias stare on me before he stepped into the space between us, his presence shielding me from David. He didn't look at David with anger; he looked at him with the detached boredom of a man swatting a fly. "You heard her," Elias said. He turned his head slightly toward the two security guards standing by the entrance. "If this man sets foot inside these doors, or if I see him within fifty feet of Mrs. Lawson again, you both lose your jobs by noon. Do I make myself clear?""Yes, sir!" the guards straightened, their hands moving toward their belts.David skidded to a halt, his chest heaving. "Mara, please! Just five minutes. I can explain, I can explain everything—"I didn't spare him a single glanc
Mara's Pov"A headache doesn't make a woman lock herself in her room for hours," he countered, stepping forward so I had to either retreat or let him in. I retreated. He walked into the room, his gaze scanning my face, noting the redness of my eyes despite my best efforts to hide it. "You haven't eaten since yesterday morning. You skipped dinner. You skipped breakfast. What is going on?""Nothing is going on," I said, walking toward my vanity to pick up my bag "As you can see, I'm ready for work. And besides, I’m just not hungry. It happens sometimes.""Not to you," he said. He watched me in the mirror. "I’ll tell the maids to bring up a tray. Something light for you to eat.""I told you, I'm not hungry," I snapped, but my voice wasn't harsh. "I don't want a tray. I don't want to eat. I'm late for work.""You can't run a company on an empty stomach.""Then I won't run the company today," I said, turning to face him. "I will stay back if that's what you want. I just want to be left alo
Elias’s Pov I stared at the eggs on my plate, the yellow yolks congealing into a cold, unappealing mess. Across from me, Andrea’s chair was empty—likely still recovering. But it was the chair opposite me that drew my gaze. Mara’s chair. She hadn't come down for breakfast. She hadn't even opened her door when I knocked. *What is she doing in there?* I asked myself, the worry gnawing at my gut like a physical hunger. *Is she crying? Is she staring at the wall? Or is she planning her exit?*She's always soft, and make decisions out of emotions. She needed to eat. I stood up, the chair legs scraping harshly against the floor. I was halfway to the grand staircase, my mind already rehearsing what I would say to get her to open that door, when a hand touched my elbow.I turned. Camille was standing there. “Can we talk?" she asked.I looked at the stairs, then back at her. There was something in her eyes—a flicker of desperation that she was trying very hard to hide. I gave a short, cu
Mara's PovI forced a smile, though my lips felt like they were made of dry parchment. I reached up and wiped the lingering dampness from my cheeks with the back of my hand, a quick, jerky motion. "I’m fine, Margaret," I said, my voice sounding thin and hollow even to my own ears. "Something just... something flew into my eye.""Are you sure, ma’am? You look very pale. Perhaps I should brew you some ginger tea? It helps with the shock.""No," I snapped, then immediately softened my tone. "No, thank you. I just need to lie down. It’s been a very long night."I didn't wait for her to respond. I pushed back from the table, the legs of the chair screeching against the tile. I walked out of the kitchen and climbed the stairs, each step feeling like I was lifting a mountain. When I reached my room, I didn't turn on the lights. I walked inside, closed the door, and turned the lock with a definitive *click*.The darkness swallowed me, and for the first time in hours, I let the mask fall. I d
Elias POVI had gone through Philip’s medical report the other day, buried in the tests he had run in secret.Why so many tests?And why hide them?He’d always been healthy. What changed?I fastened my cufflinks, adjusted my tie, staring at myself in the mirror. Today, I had not planned to go to th
Mara's POVElias’ hand closed around my wrist before I even found the strength to step away from him. One moment I was blinking at him, startled, my mouth still tasting of mint and acid, and the next he yanked me back into the restroom and shut the door with a sharp slam.“What did you just say?” H
Mara’s POVI woke up with a heaviness pressing against my chest, the kind that made each breath feel too slow. After yesterday’s chaos, Elias dragging me into the restroom, David apologizing awkwardly in the hallway, Andrea appearing at the worst possible moment, I barely slept.When I finally ste
Mara's POV“David—please stop!” I yanked my wrist free from his grasp. He tried grabbing me again, but I jerked away, my pulse hammering. We stood in the hallway, the echo of our footsteps filling the silence.“Why would you do that In front of him? Are you insane?” I demanded.He ran a hand over h







