MasukChapter 30Katy’s POVAfter two years of this I’m still yet to get used to the smell of it.Not the noise. Not the chatter or the low hum of people existing around me. Not even the sound of the espresso machine hissing like it has an attitude problem.No.it’s the smell of coffee.Warm. Bitter. Familiar.Like Home.I didn’t think I’d ever associate one place with staying.That used to feel really impossible. Like trying to hold water in my hands then give it a second and it’s gone, slipping through before you even realize you’re losing it.And yet, here I am.Still here.“Mom!”I barely have time to turn before a small body crashes into my legs, nearly knocking me off balance.“Whoa! hey, easy,” I laugh, instinctively reaching down to steady him.He doesn’t slow down though. Of course he doesn’t.He looks up at me, eyes bright, a little too proud of himself. “I helped!”I raise a brow. “You helped? How exactly?”A pause.Then, with full confidence “I didn’t spill anything.”I blink.
Chapter 29Katy’s POVEverywhere is really noisy but it’s more quiet in my head.Not the crowd. Not the music drifting faintly from somewhere outside the room. Not even the fact that in like what thirty minutes? less? I’m supposed to walk down an aisle and get married.No.It’s this.This stillness.I stare at my reflection, tilting my head slightly like maybe, just maybe. I’ll recognize the girl staring back if I look at her from a different angle.She looks calm.Which is strange.Because I’ve imagined this moment before well, not imagined exactly, more like avoided imagining it and in every version, there was panic. Cold feet. A dramatic exit plan. Something.But now?Nothing.Just this steady, quiet feeling sitting somewhere in my chest.Weird.“Stop overthinking,” I mutter to myself.Then pause.“…actually, no, think. Just don’t spiral.”Great. Helpful.A soft knock pulls me out of it.I don’t answer immediately. For a second, I just stand there, staring at the door like it might
Chapter 28Katy’s POVThe laughter around Not mine.Christine’s.It carries across the garden. It's light, unrestrained, the kind of laugh that doesn’t check itself halfway through. I catch it between conversations, between clinking glasses and soft music, and it makes me pause.Because when was the last time I heard her laugh like that?Really laugh?I tilt my head slightly, watching her from where I’m standing. She looks, God. Really happy. Not the curated, picture perfect kind people post online with captions that mean nothing. No, this is different. Real. A little overwhelming, probably.The kind of happiness that scares you a bit because you actually have something to lose.Funny.I used to run from that.“Careful,” Mark murmurs beside me, his voice low, teasing. “You’re staring.”“I’m observing,” I correct, glancing at him briefly before looking back. “There’s a difference.”“Mm. Sure there is.”I nudge him lightly with my elbow, but there’s no real heat behind it. My attentio
Chapter 27Katy’s POVIt’s strange, the things you remember.Not the big, dramatic moments everyone thinks will stick or the ones with raised voices and breaking hearts and all that cinematic nonsense. No. It’s the small things. The quiet ones. The ones that sneak up on you later when you’re brushing your teeth or staring at nothing in particular.Like the sound of a machine breathing for him.Yeah. That.That’s what stayed.One year later.And somehow, I’m still here.Still with him.Still firmly choosing this.Funny, right?Mark is asleep beside me now, one arm thrown carelessly across my waist like it belongs there, like I belong there. His breathing is steady, deep, annoyingly peaceful. I watched him for a second longer than necessary.Just to be sure.I still do that sometimes.Okay, a lot of times.Don’t judge me.I slip out of bed quietly, careful not to wake him. The floor is cold. New York mornings have that bite, especially this time of year and I almost curse under my breat
Chapter 26Katy’s POVThe ringing of my phone pulls me out of my thoughts.It has been constantly ringing for a while now.I almost ignored it.Almost.Because I’m in the middle of nothing, literally nothing. Sitting by the window in this small Paris hotel room, watching people walk past like they have somewhere to be, like their lives make sense. And mine…Mine feels paused. Suspended. Like I stepped out of it for a second and forgot how to get back in.The phone keeps ringing.I sigh, reaching for it without checking the screen. “Hello?”“Katy, finally got to you.”Christine.Her voice is wrong.That’s the first thing I notice.Too tight. Too careful.Something in my chest shifts.“What is it?”A pause.Just a second, but it stretches too long.“Mark’s been in an accident.”…No.No, that doesn’t—no.“What?”“He's in the hospital. It’s serious. They’re” she exhales shakily, “they’re taking him into surgery.”Everything after that blurs.I hear words. I think I do. But they don’t lan
Chapter 25Mark It’s been three days.That’s how long I last before it starts to get under my skin properly.Not the dramatic kind of pain. Nothing loud. Just this constant, low grade irritation that won’t go away no matter how much I try to drown it in work, noise, anything.Katy’s gone.Again.No message. No explanation. Just took her bags and gone.And the annoying part? I’m not even surprised.I should be, right? I should be shocked, angry, or something. But instead it’s this tired kind of acceptance like of course she left, what else was she going to do?Still doesn’t make it easier.If anything, it makes it worse.I’m halfway out of the company when I hear my name.“Mark?”I almost keep walking.Almost.But something about the voice, familiar, a little too familiar it makes me stop.Christine.Of course.I turn, forcing something that resembles a neutral expression. “Hey.”She looks relieved to see me, which is unexpected.“Hi. I’ve been meaning to ask how’s Katy?.”The questio
Chapter 89AdrianAdrian walked beside Christine as they made their way back to her office. He kept a calm expression, but inside, something in him was sinking. He felt so nervous for the first time. She had stood in front of him moments earlier, eyes gentle but guarded, telling him she couldn’t go
Chapter 86Christine The morning sunlight slid gently across Christine’s bedroom window, quiet and warm, the kind of light that usually made her feel calm. She stood in front of her mirror, brushing her hair slowly, trying to steady her thoughts. She looked at the framed sketch Adrian sent her las
Chapter 83AdrianThe door closed behind Christine, soft but final. Adrian stood there long after she disappeared into the early morning darkness, his chest tight and his breath uneven. He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He just simply stared at the empty doorway where the last piece of her warmth ha
Chapter 84Christine’s povChristine stepped off the train and felt the city swallow her whole. The familiar hum of traffic, the low chatter of people on the sidewalks, the smell of wet sand and early coffee all this should have felt comforting. It didn’t. Instead, it left a hollow ache in her ches







