로그인Autumn returned to her lonely penthouse suite, broken and defeated. Her last conversation with Fin still rang clearly in her head as she fought back tears.The thought that he was paying the price for the foolish mistakes of the adults around him made her chest ache. She wanted nothing more than to run away with him again, even if it meant risking years behind bars.“I shouldn’t have returned to this city. I should have stayed away,” she whispered bitterly, cursing the past decisions that had brought her here.If she hadn’t come back to London, she and Fin would still be together. Struggling in a one-bedroom apartment with a broken heater, earning minimum wage at a diner run by an older couple who sometimes helped look after him because they enjoyed his company and treated him like their own.Even though they had no money and had to curl up together for warmth, she would trade everything she had now just to sleep with her child in her arms again.With those heavy thoughts of regret, s
She made it back to Fin’s room, where she finally broke down sobbing.She wasn’t crying because of Eric. She was mourning how powerless she felt. How she couldn’t stand her ground enough to see her daughter, even just once.She wanted a single moment with her. To hold her, even if it was only the urn. She had never gotten to hold that tiny body or see what her daughter looked like. She had only imagined it over and over.Would Mirabella have looked like Fin? Would she have taken after Eric, or after her?Even that small request had been refused, just like every other time.She laughed bitterly through the tears. She had promised herself she would avoid his sharp tongue, but it hadn’t gone as planned. He had cut her down the same way he always did.*Pathetic, Autumn. You’re pathetic for crying over a man who has shown you time and time again that he doesn’t care what you want.*She wiped her face roughly.*He’s already made it clear. No matter what you do, you can’t change his mind.*“
Just like the previous visit, Eric had scheduled something with her unannounced and last minute. Gabriel only informed her a few hours beforehand.She had to drop everything she was doing, which was organising the room for Fin to stay in during his visits, if Eric ever permitted it. She hurriedly made an excuse to the interior designer and tried to cover her rushed behaviour.She cursed him as she changed. She cursed him as she climbed into the taxi heading to the Kingston estate. She cursed him as she stepped out in front of the gates. She was still cursing him as she entered the house and waited for her son.She knew this was important. Seeing her child mattered.But she couldn’t help feeling that he was being ridiculous. He could have scheduled a proper date with her instead of choosing whatever time suited his mood and then ordering her to appear.She couldn’t protest. He would just turn her words against her with that sharp tongue of his, labelling her a workaholic who care
Gus arrived home tired. His joints ached from hauling boxes around. He had thought it would be easy since she was doing it alone. How foolish of him to think that. *She must be superhuman or something,* he thought, rubbing his aching muscles. He had lugged boxes down from the apartment into the moving truck she hired, then back up into her new place. He was sure she would have done everything by herself if he hadn’t shown up and offered to help. He sulked as he walked inside. “Where was Ezra when you needed the most, he disappears,” he muttered, grabbing a bottle of water. “All those muscles being wasted.” He headed toward his computer, the one place where he could actually show off his skills. “I’m much better off working with my brains than my brawn,” he said to himself as he powered on the computer and began typing. Even after Autumn’s emotional speech, he still couldn’t fully shake the ring of guilt. That was why, even though his muscles protested for rest, he wanted to do
Autumn busied herself sorting through her belongings, deciding what to keep and what to throw away.There wasn’t much she would be taking aside from her clothes, toiletries, and devices. Everything else belonged to the apartment, and the place she was moving to already had the rest.She wasn’t aware of the events currently unfolding at Nexus Corp.It was already midday by the time she finally woke up. The packing task occupied her thoughts.The sound of the doorbell pulled her out of her work.She reached for it expecting Ezra, since he had mentioned stopping by, but was mildly surprised to see Gus instead.“Hey Gus. Haven’t seen you in a minute,” she said, stepping aside so he could enter.He rubbed his hands on his jeans. “Yeah, I’ve been busy with work,” he said smoothly.Autumn didn’t dwell on it. She knew part of it was probably a lie and the other part was the truth. He was still stewing in guilt over her almost getting killed. That was why he had been acting so shifty around he
It was the day after the disastrous banquet, and all of London’s business district was talking about it.It was the news on everyone’s lips how the CEO and co-founder of Nexus Corp had tried to frame a former employee they had already disgraced.With this information out in the open, other news leaked as well. Footage of Autumn being assaulted by Rosaline surfaced, along with videos of Rosaline’s arrest, details of the compensation for Autumn’s illegal dismissal, and the pending lawsuit for workplace harassment.Combined, it painted a clear pattern of Nexus Corp higher-ups targeting an innocent woman for unknown reasons.The story trended across social media.“Giving medieval vibes 😭 I feel so bad for the other employees. Framed then fired.”“I wonder if there are more? This doesn’t seem like a one-time thing.”“Is it me or does she look familiar?”“No way. She does look like Eric Kingston’s wife. They even share a first name.”Nexus Corp’s stock had taken a tremendous hit, sinking t
I had spent the last few days trying to settle into the new house in Edinburgh. On the outside, everything looked perfect. The stone walls were strong, the air was fresh, and we were far away from the chaos of London. But inside the house, a different kind of war was starting.I had tried to get to
Autumn’s POVWe had finally arrived in Edinburgh. After the flight and the long drive from the private airfield, I was physically exhausted. The city was beautiful even in the dark, with its old stone streets and the looming castle in the distance, but I was too tired to truly appreciate
Autumn POVI sat down on the sofa, staring at the TV. A broadcast of an interview was playing on the screen, the bright lights of the television reflecting in my eyes. The words being said echoed in the vast, space of the living room. It felt like the house was too big now, especially with the
We had finally returned home after spending three grueling days at the hospital. The sterile smell of antiseptic seemed to have seeped into my skin, and the constant beep of monitors still echoed in my ears. Finn was much better, his laughter returning as we walked through the front doors of the es







