Se connecterCharlotte hurried down the quiet hallway, clutching a small box wrapped neatly with a bright red ribbon against her chest as though it was something precious she couldn’t afford to drop. Her heart beat faster with every step she took, the excitement clear on her face as a soft smile played on her lips. She'd spent the entire morning putting the gift together, carefully choosing every little detail, imagining the look on Nathan’s face when he saw it. That thought alone had filled her with warmth, pushing her forward with eager anticipation.But just as she reached the top of the staircase, her steps slowed to a halt.Voices drifted up from the living room below, familiar and unmistakable.Her smile faded almost instantly.She stood still, her fingers tightening slightly around the box as she listened. Something in the tone of the voices made her cautious, and instead of continuing down, she moved quietly, her footsteps light, almost soundless, until she stood just out of sight, hid
Charlotte’s eyelids fluttered gently, her chest rising and falling in slow, uncertain breaths. She turned her head slightly on the pillow, and the harsh white light pouring down from the ceiling lamp burned into her eyes. Her left hand felt unusually heavy, weighed down by something unfamiliar. When she tried to move it, a soft tug followed immediately, and her gaze drifted downward sluggishly. A drip tube was connected to her wrist.The room was quiet, eerily so, with only the faint hum of medical equipment.Then a voice came, soft but trembling with emotion.“Charlotte,” Megan whispered, her voice shaking slightly with a mixture of relief and disbelief as she leaned forward quickly, clutching her daughter’s free hand with both of hers as if afraid she might disappear again. “You’re awake.”Charlotte blinked slowly again, forcing her vision to clear as the blurry shapes around her gradually took form. She turned her head weakly toward the familiar face, her eyes settling on Megan
Nathan rolled over lazily on the damp sheet until his shoulder bumped against another body.For a brief moment he remained still, his mind trapped somewhere between sleep and reality as sunlight filtered through the curtains and stretched across the room in thin golden lines, brushing against his face like a quiet attempt to wake him gently.Then it hit him.His eyes snapped open.He sat upright so suddenly that his head spun, the room tilting slightly before settling again, his breath catching as awareness rushed back all at once.And there, beside him, was a body, warm, still, breathing steadily, close enough for him to feel the faint rise and fall against his arm.His heart slammed hard against his chest.“What the hell…” he muttered under his breath, his voice rough and dry, as he swung his legs off the bed and staggered to his feet.He nearly lost his balance before steadying himself with a hand on the wall.For a second, he didn’t look back.He didn’t want to.But something pull
It was already late when Nathan finally got home. His driver eased the car into the parking lot and jumped down quickly. Nathan’s head lolled to one side, his eyes half-closed, his breath heavy with alcohol. The moment the door opened, he stumbled out, barely able to keep his balance.“Sir, easy,” the driver muttered, holding his arm.Mr. Painter - the butler, was already waiting by the entrance. His face, calm but lined with worry, softened when he saw Nathan. He hurried down the steps, took Nathan’s other arm, and together they helped him inside.“Sir, you need to take it easy on yourself,” Mr. Painter said gently. “This alcohol will not heal your pain. It will only worsen your sorrows.”Nathan didn’t answer. His body sagged against the butler’s hold until they lowered him onto the couch in the wide, extravagant living room. He dragged in a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. Something caught his attention.There, on the other couch, lay a handbag. A wo
NATHAN’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 urgent call from Marcel turned out to be strictly work-related, though it came at the worst possible time imaginable. A major client from New York—one Nathan had spent years carefully cultivating, had suddenly requested a face-to-face meeting, insisting emphatically that it had to be Nathan hi
A sharp knock echoed through the apartment, cutting through the fragile calm that had settled in the room like a knife through silk. Charlotte stiffened instantly, her entire body going rigid. Her hands paused mid-movement as she packed the ointment back into the first-aid box with careful precisi
Nathan followed the doctor down the quiet hospital corridor, his footsteps heavy, each one echoing loudly in his ears like a countdown he couldn't stop. The walls were sterile white, lined with motivational posters that felt hollow and meaningless. The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed faintly,
Nathan strode toward her with long, furious steps and grabbed her wrist roughly, yanking her sharply to his side with barely controlled violence. His grip was tight, possessive, burning with panic and jealousy all at once, his fingers digging into her skin hard enough to leave marks."Who the hell







