LOGINONE YEAR LATER ā ZOEYāS POVI liked mornings in our home. They smelled like pancakes and sunshine. Mommy always said the sun hit our windows in a special way, but I thought it was because the sun liked us.Maybe the sun knew we were happy now.I woke up in my big girl bed, hugging Mr. Bunny. Daddy bought him for me when I had a bad dream last month, and he said Mr. Bunnyās job was to chase monsters away. I believed him. Daddy never lied.I climbed out of bed and padded down the hallway on my tippy toes. Mommy and Daddyās room door was half-open. I peeked in and saw them cuddling like they always did in the mornings. Daddyās arm was around Mommy, and Mommyās head was on his chest. They looked so warm and soft, like a picture from the storybooks Mommy read to me.I smiled and whispered, āMommy?āMommy lifted her head and smiled back. Daddy rubbed his eyes, still sleepy.āGood morning, baby,ā Mommy said.āCome here, sweetheart,ā Daddy added, opening his arm.I climbed into their bed, and
Olivia's pov;It had been months since the chaos that had almost torn our lives apart. Marcus and Layla were behind bars, finally dealt with by the law, and I could hardly believe the freedom we now had. New York had become more than a temporary refuge; it was home. Safe. Full of life. Full of possibility.I woke up one Saturday morning to the smell of coffee drifting from the kitchen. Damon was already awake, sitting at the small breakfast table, eyes focused on his laptop, but glancing up at me every so often with that soft, warm look that always made my heart skip.āMorning, beautiful,ā he said, closing the laptop as I stretched and walked toward him. His smile deepened when I sat across from him.āMorning,ā I replied, leaning forward to kiss him softly. āCoffee smells amazing.āāOnly the best for my wife,ā he said, teasing, but the tenderness in his tone made me smile. āAnd my little family.āI glanced toward the living room, where Zoey was already playing with her toys on the sof
Olivia's pov;The moment Marcus and Layla were finally taken away, I felt a weight lift off my chest that I hadnāt even realized was there. My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the couch, gasping. My hands were shaking, and my heart felt like it was trying to escape my chest. Damon was instantly at my side, his strong arms wrapping around me, holding me like he could absorb all the fear and tension that had built inside me.āLivā¦ā he whispered, his voice low and trembling just slightly. āItās over. Itās really over.āI pressed my face against his chest, taking in the steady beat of his heart. I wanted to believe him. I needed to believe him. After everythingāthe threats, the attacks, the fearāI finally felt a flicker of safety. Damonās arms felt like home. They always had. And right now, I realized just how much Iād missed that feeling, that security, that unconditional love.āI canāt⦠I canāt believe it,ā I murmured, my voice muffled against his shirt. āI was so scared⦠Damon⦠for
MARCUS;I sat in the dark cell, the cold metal biting into my skin through my clothes. The damp smell of the room filled my lungs, but I hardly noticed. All I could feel was the rage burning inside me, twisting my stomach into knots. How had it happened? How had I been so stupid? I had planned everything. Every detail. Every step. And yet⦠here I was, trapped, humiliated, powerless.Layla stood a few feet away, arms crossed, her eyes blazing. She didnāt speak, but I could feel her fury radiating through the small space. She was usually controlled, calculatingābut now⦠she was a storm waiting to explode.I ran my hands through my hair, pacing the small area as best I could. āI donāt understand,ā I growled. āI had them. I had them both. I had Damon in my sights. Liv was cornered. Zoey wasāā I stopped, swallowing hard, my chest tightening. āI was so close. And nowā¦ā My voice faltered, anger choked off by disbelief.Laylaās jaw tightened. āNow? Now theyāre alive, and youāre locked up like
Olivia's pov;The rain had finally slowed, but the house still smelled of wet wood. My chest was tight, my heart still pounding from what had just happened. The memory of Marcusāthe control, the terror, the sheer intensity of his presenceāwas still fresh in my mind. I shivered despite the warmth of the room.Damon was beside me, his hand tight around mine. I could feel his tension, the lingering adrenaline coursing through him. His face was pale, his jaw tight. He was still processing it too. Neither of us spoke immediately, just sat in the dim light of the living room, letting the quiet settle between us.āIs⦠is it over?ā I whispered, barely audible.Damonās eyes didnāt leave mine. āI think⦠yes,ā he said slowly, his voice rough. āTheyāve got him. The police⦠heās caught.āI let out a shaky breath, relief crashing over me in waves. I had thought weād lost everything for a momentāthe house, Zoey, Damon himself. That fear had clawed at my chest, sharp and unrelenting. Just thinking ab
MARCUS The storm had not let up. Rain pounded against the windows, lightning slicing the darkness in jagged, violent flashes. Thunder rumbled low, shaking the floorboards. Perfect. It added drama to the moment. I was in controlāor at least, I thought I was.Liv was there, pinned against the counter, her eyes wide, her body trembling. Every instinct in her screamed to fight, to run, to scream. But she couldnāt move. Not with me here. Not with Damonās attention divided, not with Layla at the other side of the room distracted by shadows I had planted, precise and calculated.āStay still,ā I whispered, leaning close to her, letting my hands rest firmly on her waist. My lips brushed her temple. āTonight⦠this is mine.āHer pulse raced beneath my fingertips. Fear. Panic. Anticipation. She shivered, and I could smell it, taste it almost. Everything I had planned, every detail I had worked through, every precautionāit was all culminating here.Damon⦠predictable as ever, too focused on her,
The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the city outside. The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast shadows across his face, highlighting everything I lovedāthe sharp jawline, the curve of his lips, the intensity in his eyes. I couldnāt stop staring. My chest tightened as I took in the sight of
Damon I didnāt know when it started.One moment, I was sitting on the couch in our New York apartment, trying to stretch out the dull ache that still lingered in my side⦠and the next, Liv walked into the room ā her hair down, her skin glowing from the warm light behind her, wearing one of my shir
DAMONThe moment I parked in front of my motherās house, I felt my chest tighten. I didnāt know what to expect. She had sounded shaken on the phoneācrying, even. My mother wasnāt the type to cry. Not in front of anyone. Not even me or Marcus when we were kids.So hearing her voice crackā¦Hearing fe
LIVThe drive to my grandmotherās house felt longer than usual. My hands were tight around the steering wheel and my chest felt heavy, like something was climbing up my throat and refusing to go back down. I tried to breathe through it, but the moment I parked in front of Grandmaās brown gate, the







