LOGINAfter work that day, Ryan drove me into the same street where I had spent some of the hardest years of my life. I had walked these roads countless times with tired feet, an empty stomach and a heart that had long become accustomed to disappointment. There had been days when simply returning to that house felt like walking toward another battle, because I never knew what mood my mother would be in or what version of myself I would have to become just to survive another evening.But this time was different.There was no anger in me as I stared through the car window. There wasn't even resentment. Just an odd emptiness, like I was looking at a place that had once been important to me but no longer had the power to hurt me the way it used to. Perhaps too much had happened since then. Perhaps I had simply outgrown the girl who used to tremble at the thought of coming home.Ryan pulled over in front of the house, and I looked at the familiar building for a few seconds before opening the doo
The next few days settled into a comfortable routine.Every morning, I left for work while José and Kara remained at the mansion under Evelyn's care. At first, I had been worried that bringing two children into such a large, unfamiliar house would make things awkward for everyone.Surprisingly, it didn't.Evelyn had somehow managed to make them feel at home within days.She cooked with Kara, patiently teaching her little recipes while pretending not to notice the flour that somehow always ended up on Kara's nose instead of inside the bowl.José, on the other hand, refused to sit around doing nothing. He followed the gardeners around whenever they were working outside and occasionally offered to help the house attendants carry things, despite them insisting it wasn't necessary.Little by little, the mansion stopped feeling like a stranger's house, it became home.Seeing that brought me more peace than I expected.Yes, José was already thirteen and Kara had just turned ten. They weren't
The moment the words left my mouth, both José and Kara stared at me for a few seconds as though they couldn't quite believe what they had just heard.Then, almost simultaneously, they sprang to their feet."Nanya really?" José asked, his voice filled with excitement.I smiled and nodded."Really."That was all the confirmation they needed.The two of them took off toward the stairs so quickly that I couldn't help laughing. Their hurried footsteps echoed throughout the quiet house as they raced to their rooms, bumping into each other more than once in their excitement.Children...It didn't take them more than a few minutes before they came running back downstairs, each clutching a travel bag that was obviously packed in the most chaotic way possible.José's shirt sleeves were sticking out of the zipper while Kara struggled to drag a bag that looked almost as big as she was.I shook my head, smiling."You two certainly don't waste time.""We don't want you changing your mind," José rep
From that day onward, I buried myself completely in work.There was no other choice.Every time I found myself sitting idly, my mind would drift back to Damian. I'd begin wondering where he was, whether he was eating, whether he was hurt, whether he regretted leaving me behind. Those thoughts always ended the same way, with me crying until I was too exhausted to stay awake.So I decided to stop giving myself the opportunity to think.If Damian had entrusted GnG to me, then I would protect it with everything I had.When he finally returned, I refused to let him think, even for a second, that placing his faith in me had been a mistake.Every morning, I was the first person to arrive at the company. Long before the rest of the executives filtered into the building, I would already be seated in my office with a cup of coffee beside me, reviewing reports, signing documents and preparing for the day's meetings.At first, many of the senior executives doubted me. They attended meetings expec
The next morning, I woke up with swollen eyes and a pounding headache. The events of the previous day felt like a distant dream, yet the heaviness in my chest reminded me they had all been real. Somehow, Evelyn had managed to get me to eat dinner after I cried myself to sleep. I still had no idea what she mixed into the drink she brings me every time I refused to eat, but whatever it was, it works like magic. Every single time.Maybe she wasn't feeding me food.Maybe she was feeding me the strength to survive another day.After taking a long shower, I dressed in a cream-colored business suit and tied my hair neatly behind my head. I stood in front of the mirror for a long moment, staring at my reflection."You can't keep crying forever," I whispered to myself."If Damian comes back today... I don't want the first thing he sees to be a woman who gave up."I picked up my handbag, took one deep breath and walked downstairs.Ryan was already waiting near the entrance as though he had been
The drive home was unusually quiet. Ryan stole a few glances at me through the rearview mirror, perhaps expecting me to say something after everything that had happened at the board meeting. I didn't. I simply stared out the window, watching the city rush by. People walked along the sidewalks carrying shopping bags. Children laughed as they chased one another across the street. Couples held hands without a care in the world. Life was moving on. Just as it always had. Just as it always would. Yet somehow... Mine had stopped the very day Damian disappeared. The car slowly rolled into the mansion. Ryan got out first and opened the door for me as he always did. "We're home, Ma'am." Home. The word stung more than it comforted. I forced a small smile, thanked him quietly and walked toward the entrance. The moment the front door opened, Evelyn's cheerful voice echoed through the living room. "Welcome back, dear. How did the meeting go? I've been praying for you all mor..."
By the time I dragged myself out of work, I was a walking corpse. The café had chewed me up and spit me out, the boss glaring holes through me every time I breathed too loud, and customers treating me like Siri with legs. My whole body ached. My brain begged for sleep. But the mark on my wrist b
The morning sunlight attacked me like it had been waiting all night for this exact moment. Right through my thin curtains, stabbing me in the face like I’d personally offended the sun. I groaned and rolled over, pulling the blanket over my head. Not today. Please not today. But the second I shut m
I hated nights like this.... You know... The type where everything goes wrong and life feels like it is laughing at you. My feet hurt from standing all day, my head pounded from my boss yelling at me like I was his personal stress ball, and my phone battery had decided to give up on life before I
As if the name unleashed something in me, I was immediately overpowered by a flood of emotions I couldn’t even separate properly. First, fear. Cold. Sharp. Immediate. Then Something else. Courage. It was Strange, unfamiliar. But there. I turned to him slowly, my brows pulling together.







