ANMELDENNATHAN’S POVLove has a cruel way of humbling people, stripping away pride and illusions until all that is left is the bare truth you once refused to see, and sometimes, that truth comes too late, arriving only when the person who mattered most is no longer within reach.That realization sat heavily on my chest, like a weight I could neither lift nor escape from, pressing down on me with every breath I took.I tilted the glass in my hand and swallowed the last drop of whiskey, letting the bitter liquid slide down my throat, but it did nothing to ease the ache spreading inside me, nothing to quiet the storm in my mind that refused to settle.My fingers tapped lightly against the counter, a silent signal for more, because stopping now felt impossible, and maybe, just maybe, drowning myself in alcohol would dull the sharp edges of everything I was feeling.“Sir, are you okay?” the young barman asked cautiously, his voice careful as his eyes studied me like he wasn’t sure what to expect,
“Listen, Megan!” Nathan’s voice thundered through the hall, loud and unrestrained.It carried with it a mixture of rage, disbelief, and a grief so deep it had begun to twist into something dangerous.Megan stopped mid-step, her heels freezing against the tiled floor as the sound of his voice pulled her back, and slowly, she turned to face him, her expression guarded at first, but the moment her eyes landed on him, something in her chest tightened painfully.“If you think I will fall for this bullshit tricks you all are playing, then you don’t know me,” he barked, his voice cracking yet still carrying force as he pointed a trembling finger directly at her, his hand shaking not from weakness alone but from the storm raging inside him. “I know my girlfriend is alive, and I will find her!”His words echoed harshly against the walls, bouncing back with a weight that made the few remaining people in the hall shift uneasily, unsure whether to pity him or fear the intensity pouring out of him
The hall fell into a suffocating stillness as three men stepped forward from the far end, one of them holding a small wooden box.Nathan’s body stiffened instantly, his entire frame going rigid as his eyes locked onto the box.They stopped directly in front of Megan, and for a second, no one spoke, as though the weight of the moment demanded silence before anything else could follow.Eventually, the man standing in front cleared his throat, his voice rough and strained as he spoke.“Mrs. Dean, this is Charlotte’s ashes, just as she requested her body be cremated, may her soul find eternal peace.”The words hung in the air like a final verdict, and Megan’s throat moved as she swallowed hard, her fingers twitching slightly at her sides before she slowly stretched out her hands to receive the box.And though it looked small and almost insignificant, the moment it settled into her palms, her fingers trembled under its weight.Her lips curved into something that resembled a smile but lacke
“Deranged boyfriend?” Nathan repeated, his lips curling into a bitter scoff. “I’m not here for you, Megan. Go and get me my woman right now. This trick stops here, right now!” His voice rose with each word, sharp and unyielding.Megan let out a laugh that carried no joy, only something hollow and broken beneath it. Her eyes glistened faintly under the soft lighting, but her lips remained firm, refusing to betray the storm building within her. “Did you just say your woman?” she asked, shaking her head slowly before another dry, disbelieving laugh escaped her lips.Nathan clenched his jaw tightly, his teeth grinding against each other as he refused to respond to that. He knew exactly where she was going with this, and he wasn’t ready to entertain it. Not now. Not when everything around him already felt like it was slipping beyond his control.Megan’s expression hardened as she stepped closer, her heels clicking softly against the tiled floor.“While she was begging for you to see, to
Nathan dragged himself up from the floor with Marcel’s help, his body trembling as though every ounce of strength had been drained out of him. His legs felt weak beneath him, barely able to support his weight, and for a brief moment, it seemed like he would collapse all over again if Marcel loosened his grip even slightly.His eyes refused to shift away from the framed picture of Charlotte on the stand. It was as though something had locked his gaze in place, forcing him to stare, to accept what he was seeing even when every part of him rejected it completely. The photograph captured her in a moment of pure life, her smile bright and warm. That smile was too alive, too full of warmth to belong to someone who was gone. It mocked the silence in the room, contradicted the arrangement of flowers and candles, and challenged the very idea that she was no longer part of this world.His lips trembled slightly, as if words were fighting desperately to escape, pushing against the weight in
The drive to the Dean’s house was quiet, but Nathan’s heart pounded like war drums against his chest, loud and relentless, as though it was trying to break free from within him. The silence inside the car was suffocating, thick with tension that neither he nor Marcel dared to break. Nathan sat in the back seat, leaning slightly forward, his elbows resting on his thighs while his hands clasped tightly together, his fingers interlocked so hard that the knuckles had turned pale. His eyes were fixed ahead, but they weren’t really seeing the road. His mind was racing far ahead of the car, already at the destination, already imagining Charlotte standing there, waiting for him, alive and safe.He didn’t even realize how fast the car had been moving until Marcel gradually slowed down, the tires crunching softly against the gravel as they pulled into the compound. The engine hummed faintly as Marcel brought it to a complete stop.Before Marcel could even turn off the engine, before the ca
"Celine," Megan called from beside her husband. She was still holding Johnson upright, one arm wrapped tightly around his shoulders as though afraid he might collapse again. Her face was pale, her eyes swollen from crying, but what burned inside them now was no longer fear.It was regret.Her gaze
“You shouldn’t have come here, Mr. Briggs.”Nathan’s voice carried across the quiet office with an almost casual calm as he slowly shook his head. The expression on his face showed neither fear nor urgency, only a faint disappointment, as though he were watching someone make a foolish mistake that
Charlotte's scream echoed through the hollow building as she rushed forward despite the sight of the bomb strapped tightly around Caleb's chest."Caleb!"Her steps were unsteady but determined. The device was large, wired carelessly yet dangerously around him, with a small digital screen blinking i
The music in the club was loud enough to shake the walls. Lights flashed in red, blue and purple streaks across the crowded dance floor. The air smelled of perfume, alcohol and sweat. In the middle of it all, Caleb and Charlotte stood dangerously close.Caleb’s hand rested gently on her waist. Ch







