LOGINViolet I watched him walk away, my heart pounding so hard it almost hurt.I didn’t even know why I felt this nervous or scared, or whatever this mess in my head was.Roman hadn’t done anything wrong. He had been calm, and polite. But the whole time we sat there, I could barely breathe. My palms wouldn’t stop sweating, and every time his eyes met mine, I felt like my thoughts scattered into pieces. And now, as his back disappeared from my view, I could finally exhale. But it didn’t help. The nerves were still there.How was I supposed to tell him the truth about Hades and me?I’d gone over it a hundred times in my head, trying to find the right words, but nothing ever sounded right. Telling someone like Roman that I was involved with his brother felt impossible.A part of me wanted to just leave. Roman would find out eventually, everyone would. Maybe it would be easier that way, to let someone else tell him instead of seeing his face when he heard it from me. I didn’t think I could ha
RomanIf she hadn’t stopped me, I would have killed him.I was furious, no, furious didn’t even begin to cover it. I’d never felt anger like this before. It burned through me, tearing apart every ounce of control I’d spent years building. It was like every emotion I’d ever buried erupted all at once, crashing over me with no room to breathe. For a moment, I couldn’t even think straight.I forced myself to breathe. I needed to stay in control. Losing it now would do nothing but destroy everything I was trying to protect. I couldn’t afford to scare her. If she saw the side of me I worked so hard to hide, she’d run. And I couldn’t let that happen.I grabbed Matthew and flung him away like an insect. He slammed into the curb and skidded across the pavement, coughing and clutching himself. I dusted my coat off slowly, as if nothing had happened. I ignored his grunts; my hand slid into my pocket.“Don’t come near her again, Matthew.” I said, my voice low and flat. “Next time, I won’t be so
Violet I was genuinely scared Matthew would do something. I’d never seen him that angry, and there was no way I was going to be stupid enough to admit I’d slept with his father, or that I was going to marry him. If I said it, he’d snap. He could hit me, strangle me; I wasn’t about to hand Sebastian a world without a big sister. And I’d watched enough true-crime to know how it ends, a body, a headline, and a funeral. I wouldn’t make my brother an orphan.If worst came to worst I’d kick him where it hurts and run. That was the plan. It felt childish, but it was the best solution. That was before Roman stepped in.He stepped in front of us, hands in his pockets, and the room shifted. He was tall, so tall he completely blocked my view of Matthew, but I didn’t need to see Matthew to know his color had drained away. Matthew was scared. I was confused, Roman wasn’t a terrifying man. He was stern, cold sometimes, but not savage like his older brother. Still, looking at Roman now, some insti
Matthew I was going crazy.Actually, crazy didn’t even begin to cover it, I was losing my mind. Every damn thing in my life was spiraling, and I couldn’t seem to stop it. One moment, Violet was mine, she loved me, she looked at me like I was her entire world. She’d smile when I entered the room, and hold my hand without me asking. Another moment, she looked at me like I was a stranger. No, worse than that, like I was nothing.She didn’t return my calls. Didn’t answer my messages. And when I went to see her, she was cold, and distant in a way that didn’t feel like anger anymore. I kept telling myself she was just upset, acting out of jealousy, that she’d come around once she realized how ridiculous it was to be jealous of Nora. But seeing her now, I knew it wasn’t jealousy. It was indifference.And that scared me. The idea of Violet not loving me made my stomach twist in ways I didn’t think were possible. To make it worse, that night at the event, I saw my father with a woman. He was
Violet I honestly didn’t care about Matthew. To my credit, I’d moved past whatever fury I’d once felt. He had his chance to matter and blew it. If people decided to say I’d only attached myself to Hades to make my ex jealous, I wouldn’t waste the breath to argue. There are some things you don’t bother explaining, and this was one of them.I’d never planned how I’d act if I saw him again. Should I pretend nothing happened? Ignore him like he didn’t exist? Or let some of that old frustration loose so he’d understand the amount of pain he kept me through in the past? Part of me felt empty toward him, like a book I’d finished and shelved. Part of me still had scars from what he put me through when his first love came back. Right now, I didn’t know which version of myself would show up.He stood there with his hands in his pockets, his blue suit hanging on him like he’d stepped straight out of a magazine. His gaze flicked to me, then to Sebastian, who looked like he’d launch himself out
Violet Sebastian rubbed his hand over his head, fingers dragging through his messy hair as he let out a low groan. The stress was written all over his face, his brows furrowed, lips pressed tight, eyes darting everywhere but at me. I sighed softly and picked up a slice of apple with the fork, poking it lightly before holding it out in front of him. “Here.” He looked at me blankly for a moment before opening his mouth like a sulky child. I placed the apple in, and he chewed slowly, still frowning. Another sigh. I rolled my eyes a little and poked another apple slice, this time nudging it closer until he opened his mouth again without a word. He chewed slower this time, and I just watched him, wondering if I should’ve kept my mouth shut about Hades. He looked like he was trying to solve a thousand-piece puzzle while his brain melted. Maybe telling him had been a bad idea. Just then, the door opened. I turned around and saw Penelope and Kai stepping inside. The moment







