ANMELDENDelia’s POVI took the long way home on purpose. The road that passed Elliot’s house wasn’t the fastest route, but it was the one I kept choosing. I told myself it was because the traffic was lighter, although lately, I had been telling myself a lot of things.Tessa’s car was in the driveway again. It wasn’t parked near the gate like it had been the last two times. This time, it was closer to the house, the way someone parks when they’ve been invited inside and have no reason to leave in a hurry. I slowed down without meaning to. The windows were dark, and nobody came outside.I had seen her leaving once before, late at night, with her coat draped over her arm and the ends of her hair still wet. That night, I had convinced myself it was a meeting that had run late, and I was still trying to believe that explanation. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel and kept driving.When I got home, I stood in front of the open fridge longer than necessary, feeling the cold air against my fac
Julian’s POVMarcus called while I was still sitting in my car outside the office, and I answered on the first ring.“He checked in two days ago,” Marcus informed me. “Different hotel, different name. He left a message with the front desk saying he was ready to talk if I came alone.”I pulled over before asking, “Which hotel?”“The one on the west side. Room 412. He hasn’t left since he arrived. Housekeeping went in once, but he told them to leave the towels and get out.”“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” I told him.“Do you want me to come with you?” Marcus asked.“No. Stay at the office. If this is another game, I don’t want him seeing both of us.”Marcus was quiet for a moment before continuing. “He said he has the folder.”“I know,” I replied.I ended the call and turned the car around. The hotel was a mid-range place with a parking lot facing the highway. I took the stairs instead of the elevator and found Room 412 at the end of the hallway. I knocked once, and Jude opened the d
Gail’s POVI read Katia’s statement three times before leaving the house. It was short and clear. She hadn’t mentioned Tessa by name or explained the photograph. She had simply said that I told the truth as I understood it and that the rest would be handled elsewhere. I sat in my car with the radio switched off, reading the statement on my phone while waiting at a red light. Part of me felt protected, while another part felt as though I had been left standing in the open with nobody beside me. When the light changed, I put my phone down and continued driving.Grandma was already in the garden when I arrived at the estate. She had placed two cups on the small table beside the stone bench near the fountain. She didn’t seem surprised to see me. I parked my car and walked across the grass, feeling the cool morning air against my skin. She poured me some tea without asking if I wanted any.“Sit,” she instructed.I sat beside her, holding the warm cup between my hands without taking a sip.
Katia’s POVI woke before sunrise. Julian was still asleep beside me, one arm stretched toward my side of the bed even though I had already moved. The house was quiet, with Clara still asleep and Aiden’s bedroom door closed. I reached for my phone on the nightstand, and the screen lit up with notifications. Tessa’s livestream was still trending, with people quoting parts of it and asking where I was.Others had already started deciding what the kiss meant. I opened the video and watched it again with the volume turned down. Tessa’s face filled the screen as she talked about Monaco, sounding as though she had been waiting years to say those words out loud. She held up the photograph, mentioned my name, and claimed Gail had lied. When the video ended, I locked my phone and placed it face down. Julian shifted beside me but didn’t wake, so I stayed there for a while, listening to him breathe, before getting up and heading downstairs.Sam called while I was making coffee, and I answered on
Katia’s POVI was standing at the kitchen island, cutting fruit for Clara, when my phone started vibrating across the counter. Sam’s name appeared on the screen. I wiped my hands and answered.“Turn on the stream,” she said without even greeting me. “Right now.”“What stream?” I asked.“Tessa. She is live. Just turn it on,” Sam urged.I put the phone on speaker and opened the app. Aiden was sitting at the table with his cereal, while Clara was in her high chair, chewing on a piece of banana and watching him. The stream loaded, and Tessa’s face filled the screen. She was smiling the way she always did when she thought she had won something.I listened as she started talking about Jules. She claimed she had always known his identity, mentioned Monaco, and then revealed that they had kissed. My hand froze over the cutting board, and Aiden looked up.“Mom, why is that lady talking about Dad?” he asked.I muted the phone for a moment. “Finish your cereal, baby. Then you can go upstairs and
Tessa’s POVI locked the door to my apartment and turned off every light except the ring light I used for my livestreams. The camera was already set up on the desk. I had changed into a red top that matched my lipstick and brushed my hair until I looked like I had not just walked out of a man’s house with his hands still on me. My phone sat on the desk beside the camera, with the file Elliot had sent already downloaded. I opened the streaming app, checked the camera angle one last time, and went live.The viewer count climbed faster than I expected. People had clearly been waiting. I smiled at the camera the way I always did when I had something they wanted.“Good evening,” I greeted my viewers. “I know a lot of you have been asking where I have been. Some of you have been quite loud about it, and a few of you have been downright rude. Well, I have been working, and tonight, I am finally ready to talk, so settle in.”I leaned forward slightly so the light caught my face. Comments star
~Katia~Vegas heat hit me like a wave the second I stepped off the private jet. The runway shimmered under the late afternoon sun, and I squinted past my sunglasses, already half-listening to the ping of updates on my encrypted racing burner phone. Six hours before the race, and my heart was alread
KatiaI woke up to the sound of people singing badly.“Happy birthday to you...” I blinked hard against the sunlight filtering through the curtains, my brain slow to reboot. The voices were getting louder, and for a second, I thought I was dreaming. A really weird, off-key dream.“Happy birthday, d
~Katia~“Get out!” my mom screamed, her voice tearing through the hallway like a bomb going off in a small room.The sound hit the walls and bounced back so violently, like the house itself was flinching. Even the air felt startled, buzzing with the kind of tension that makes your skin crawl. My he
~Katia~I woke up to the sour taste of bile creeping up my throat, and my legs threw me out of bed before my brain could even catch up. The morning light seared into my eyes like punishment, and I stumbled across the cold floor, my feet slapping against the wood, straight into the bathroom. My knee







