LOGIN[Olivia’s pov]The ceiling had started to blur.Not because there was anything wrong with it. But because I had been staring at it for too long, my thoughts circled the same place over and over again.Candice.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face.The way she had smiled when Carter told her she’d see me. The excitement in her voice when she mentioned ice cream. The small, trusting way she had walked away without looking back.My chest tightened.I should have been there.If I had just stayed in my cabin—If I hadn’t—I swallowed hard, my fingers curling slightly against the hospital sheet. What if something had happened to her?What if—The door opened.I turned my head instantly, my heart jumping into my throat.“Homer?”Homer stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.One look at his face—And I knew.I pushed myself up slightly, ignoring the way my body protested. “What happened?” I asked quickly. “Did they find her? Is she okay?”He didn’t make me wait.
[Olivia’s pov]The first thing I noticed was the ceiling.White hospital ceiling.For a moment, I just stared at it, blinking slowly as my mind tried to catch up with my body. There was a dull heaviness in my limbs, like I had been pulled under something and only just resurfaced.The faint beeping of a monitor reached my ears. A slow breath left me as I turned my head slightly.The room came into focus piece by piece, the IV stand, the curtain drawn halfway, the quiet hum of machines. And then I saw him.Homer?Homer stood near the foot of the bed, flipping through a medical chart, his expression focused in that familiar, detached way he had when he was working.For a second, I just watched him. Trying to remember. Trying to piece together why I was here.“Homer…” My voice came out softer than I intended. He looked up instantly.The shift in his expression was immediate—relief flashing across his face before he set the chart aside and crossed the room in a few quick steps.“You’re aw
[Carter’s pov]Waiting has never been my strength.In business, waiting means someone else is making a move. In war, it means you’re already a step behind. And in life if there’s one thing I’ve learned it means something is about to go wrong.I stood in Olivia’s cabin, hands braced on the edge of her desk, staring at nothing. She had gone for her regular rounds.The room still carried her presence subtle, familiar. A faint trace of her perfume lingered in the air, grounding and distracting all at once. For a moment, I let myself focus on that instead of everything else. The truth was waiting somewhere down a corridor I couldn’t see.I exhaled slowly, forcing my thoughts into order. Homer had everything under control. He said so himself.Discreet. Contained.No room for mistakes.Still—Something didn’t sit right.I pushed off the desk, pacing once, twice, the quiet ticking of the clock on the wall growing louder with every step.Too quiet.Too still.The door opened.I turned immedi
[Carter’s pov]Morning light cut through the windshield in sharp, pale streaks as I drove. Candice sat beside me, unusually quiet.She usually filled the car with endless questions, curious, relentless but today she just stared out the window, her small fingers tracing invisible patterns on the glass.Children notice things.Even when they don’t understand them.“You’re quiet,” I said, glancing at her briefly before returning my eyes to the road.She shrugged. “You’re quiet too, dad.”I huffed out a faint breath that might have been a laugh. “It’s just a checkup, kiddo.” I added, keeping my tone steady. “Nothing to worry about.”She turned to look at me then, her expression thoughtful in a way that didn’t belong on a child’s face. “Are you coming with me?”There it was. The part I couldn’t avoid. “I’ll be there,” I said carefully. “Just… not in the room.”Her brows pulled together slightly, but she nodded. “Okay. Will aunty Olivia be there too?”Silence settled again. “Yes, kiddo. Sh
[Olivia’s pov]The hospital always smelled the same in the morning.Sterile. Controlled. Predictable.Usually, that comforted me.Today, it didn’t.My steps slowed as I walked down the corridor toward my cabin. My fingers tightened slightly around the file I was carrying. I wasn’t thinking about the surgery scheduled in an hour. I wasn’t thinking about the DNA test Carter had agreed to.I was thinking about Ronan too. I knew him well enough to expect anger.Not loud. Not explosive.Worse.Quiet. Controlled. Cutting.He had seen everything last night, the confession, the way I had taken Carter’s hand, the way I had chosen publicly.And Ronan wasn’t a man who accepted things easily when they slipped out of his control.I exhaled slowly as I reached my cabin. Part of me almost expected him to be inside already, leaning against my desk, arms crossed, that unreadable look in his eyes.My hand rested on the handle for a second longer than necessary. Then I pushed it open, the room was empt
[Olivia’s pov]The house felt too quiet when I stepped inside.The faint scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, familiar and oddly comforting, blending with the soft hum of the lights. It was late enough that the world outside had gone quiet too, and for the first time since the gala, I could actually hear my own thoughts.That wasn’t a good thing.I slipped off my heels near the entrance, my fingers brushing absently against the console table as I steadied myself. Everything from tonight replayed in fragments—Carter’s voice, the look in his eyes, the way he had said my name like it mattered.My chest tightened.I had said it, finally. There was no taking it back now.“Olivia?”I barely had time to turn before I was pulled into a hug.“Whoa—”“Homer,” I laughed softly, surprised as his arms wrapped tightly around me.Homer smelled faintly of coffee and disinfectant, his embrace warm, grounding. So different from the chaos I had just walked out of.“I knew it,” he said against my ha
[Carter’s pov]A cold wave of dread crawled down my spine. I felt like my head was spinning. The restaurant noises faded into the background. For a moment, all I could hear was my own heartbeat.Six years ago.I stared at her. “You wouldn’t.” My shallow voice warned her. Despite how many times I tr
[Carter’s pov]Then there was silence. I could not speak anything. My mind struggled to catch up.“That’s not—” I shook my head instinctively. “That doesn’t make sense. How could Candice even do something so gruesome like this?” I denied. Not that I was worried that perhaps Olivia was lying to m
[Carter’s pov]My phone rang just as I was about to take a turn toward the school. I didn’t hear it at first among my worry and scattered mind. The phone rang once again and when the car stopped at the red traffic light I snapped out of it.Olivia.Her name flashed across the screen. For a second,
[Carter’s pov]The restaurant door closed behind Olivia with a dull thud. But the sound echoed inside my head like a gunshot. I felt it as if my heart had stopped pounding. My soul died at that moment.For several seconds, I didn’t move.I even forgot to breathe. Didn’t even blink.My eyes remaine







