LOGINMaya’s POVMorning light came through my small window too soon. I forced my eyes open after a night of broken sleep. My hand still hurt from the glass. Liam had left early with promises to check on the children. I stood up slow and looked at myself in the cracked mirror. My warm brown skin looked pale. Dark curly hair messy around my face. I could not skip work. Mr. Havisham would ask questions. Questions I did not want to answer.I dressed in a simple white blouse and black skirt. Nothing too tight. Nothing that would remind me of yesterday. My legs felt heavy as I walked to the tall building. The elevator ride to the top floor made my stomach twist. Chloe might be there. Or worse, she might tell everyone. I took a deep breath and stepped into the office.Mr. Havisham sat behind his big desk already. He looked up with that calm smile. “Good morning, Maya,” he said. “You are on time today. After yesterday’s drama, I wondered if you would come back.”I nodded and kept my eyes low. “I n
Maya’s POVI left the office with heavy legs that night. The streets blurred under street lights as I walked home. My phone felt like fire in my pocket after that video. Chloe’s hurt face kept flashing in my mind. I pushed open my apartment door and stepped inside. The small space felt too quiet. Too empty. I dropped my bag on the floor and slid down against the wall.Tears came fast. I hugged my knees tight. “Why did everything go wrong?” I whispered to the dark room. My body still ached from the desk. From Mr. Havisham’s touch. From the shame. I closed my eyes but images rushed in. The warehouse. The safe house. Sarah holding the children. All of it felt so real before.Suddenly the room changed. Soft light filled the corner. Sarah stood there, my sister. Her dark curly hair like mine, warm brown skin glowing. She smiled at me like old times. “Maya, you came back,” she said softly. “The children are safe. Come see them.”I blinked hard. “Sarah? You are here?” I stood up on shaky leg
Maya’s POVMy heart slammed against my ribs like a wild bird trapped in a cage. I stayed bent over Mr. Havisham’s big wooden desk, my blue dress still pushed up around my waist. Cool air touched my bare skin. His hands gripped my hips tight from behind. The sound of our bodies still echoed in my ears. Then the door clicked open.Chloe stood there in her yellow summer dress. Her blonde hair looked messy like she had run here fast. Her eyes went wide when she saw us. Me. Her father. Like this.“Oh my God,” she whispered. Her voice cracked. “Maya? Dad?”I tried to stand up straight but Mr. Havisham held me in place for one second longer. His fingers pressed into my skin like a warning. Then he stepped back slowly and fixed his tie. A small smile played on his lips. He looked so calm. Like nothing bad happened.“Chloe, sweetheart,” he said in that low smooth voice. “This is not what it looks like.”I pulled my dress down with shaking hands. My face burned hot. Te
Maya’s POVThe warehouse lights blinded me for a second. Mr. Havisham’s voice echoed from the speakers again. “Welcome back to the game, Maya. I’m not dead yet.” The words sent ice down my back. I pushed away from Liam and looked around. Red camera lights blinked on the walls like evil eyes.Liam pulled up his pants fast. “That bastard. He planned this. The cameras were here the whole time.”I fixed my clothes with shaky hands. “He is watching us right now? After the river house and the motel, he still follows me?”We moved deeper into the warehouse. Old boxes and rusty shelves filled the space. Liam found a small office room at the back. The door was half open. We stepped inside carefully. Papers covered a metal desk. Dust floated in the air.“Look at this,” Liam said. He picked up a stack of folders. “Party guest lists. Masked events. Names from the Cross family and Havisham’s company.”I opened one folder. Photos spilled out. Pictures from the truth or dar
Maya’s POVGunshots cracked through the night. Glass shattered in the main room. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my clothes. Liam already had his gun in hand. His face looked hard in the dim light.“Stay low!” he shouted. “They are shooting at the windows.”Another bullet hit the wall near us. Wood splinters flew everywhere. I pulled on my shirt fast. My heart hammered in my chest. The children started crying in the back room.“Julian, stop this!” I yelled toward the broken window. “You said you would give me one day!”Julian’s voice came back loud through a speaker. “Plans change, Maya. Bring out the girl now or I burn the place with all of you inside!”Sarah ran into our room with the children. The little girl clung to my leg. The boy hid his face in Sarah’s shoulder. Their small bodies shook with fear.“We have to run,” Sarah said. Her voice trembled. “Alexander is outside. He can take us through the back trees.”Liam checked his gun. “Maya and I will draw them away. You take the k
Maya’s POVJulian stood in the headlights with two men beside him. Their shadows stretched long across the dirt road. I stepped forward from the cabin porch, my heart racing. Sarah had pulled the children into the back room. Liam stayed just inside the door, ready to act.“Answer now, Maya,” Julian called out. “Join me or lose everything.”I crossed my arms to hide my shaking hands. “You show up with guns and expect me to say yes? Lower your weapons first. The children are scared.”Julian waved his hand. The men lowered their guns slightly. “Better? I am offering you power. Help me take the empire and the children stay with you. Safe. Rich. Free from Havisham forever.”Liam stepped out beside me. “She does not need your help, Julian. Walk away.”Julian laughed. “Always the protector, cousin. But Maya knows the truth now. The council voted. Forty eight hours and Victoria takes the girl. The boy too if she fights.”I felt cold inside. “How do you know about the vote?”“Because I sit on
Maya’s POV I stood in the middle of the dark room. The fake Sarah pointed her gun at Liam. Why does my life stay full of pain and touches from strangers? I just want peace with the people I love. Liam looked at me with strong eyes. “Maya do not listen to her. She is not your sister.” The fake Sa
Maya’s POVThe car raced through the dark streets. Liam kept one hand on the wheel and the other near his phone. My fingers still gripped the screen with Julian’s message. The photo of the sleeping children made my chest tight. We had to get back fast.“We are almost there,” Liam said. His voice st
Maya’s POVThe parking garage felt darker than before. Annabelle stood too close. The ultrasound photo shook slightly in her hand. I stared at the small gray shape. My sister’s baby. My stomach twisted into knots. I could not breathe right.“Explain this,” I said. My voice came out rough. “Now.”An
Maya’s POVMidnight is rude.It removes logic. It removes fear. It removes clothing in your imagination before you can stop it. And unfortunately, my imagination has a favorite victim.My next door neighbor is tall, unfairly attractive, and has the kind of voice that could convince a nun to sin wit







