LOGINTATIANAI knew Hasan hated me.It wasn’t something I had to guess at or piece together from fragments. It was there, plain and unhidden, in the sharpness of his voice, in the way his eyes held mine like I was something he would rather erase than face. He had said so a thousand times.If given the chance, he would ruin me. I had no doubt about that.And yet, standing there with my back pressed against the door I had just been kicked out of, my palm flat against the wood like it could somehow ground me, I found myself thinking something far worse.I would rather he run me over with a truck than touch another woman the way he had touched me.The thought was ugly, and painfully honest.Because no matter how much hatred lived between us, there had always been something else tangled beneath it. Something neither of us had ever been able to bury properly, no matter how much time passed or how far we tried to run from it.He hated me. But he had never been able to stop wanting me. And that wa
HASANI froze mid-kiss.Althea’s presence made the room collapse in on itself, thick with tension. Tatiana’s body stiffened beneath me, her breath catching as she realized, too, who had intruded. My hands didn’t release her immediately, but I felt the shift in her energy, the sudden awareness of eyes on us that were not mine.In the blink of an eye, Tatiana was pulled away from me as Althea’s hand fisted in her hair, yanking her off me with such force that the warmth of her body disappeared before my mind could process the movement itself.Tatiana stumbled, her balance thrown off as Althea forced her back. A sharp inhale left her lips, more shock than pain, but it cut through the fog in my head all the same.I should have moved. That thought came and went in the same instant because the heat inside me didn’t loosen its grip. If anything, it tightened, coiling through my body in slow, suffocating waves that made every limb feel heavier than the last.“What the hell do you think you are
HASANThe dizziness didn’t leave with Althea. Even after the study door had clicked shut behind her, the room still spun. My head pounded in rhythm with the fire coursing through my veins that was impossible to ignore.I had barely managed the call with my PA when I slammed my laptop shut. The sound did nothing for the heat that had taken residence in my body. My shirt clung to me like a second skin, every nerve alert and screaming, and I could not stand it.My fingers fumbled at the buttons as I dragged myself toward the stairs, a sluggish, heavy dizziness turning each step into a chore, a challenge my body had no business failing.By the time I reached the first door I saw, I barely registered its location. Instinct carried me forward, my body reacting before my mind had fully processed. The door opened with a push, and I froze for the briefest of moments before registering the figure before me.Althea.I didn’t even think. The accusation ripped from my throat before I could stop it
HASANTatiana was hiding something.I had known it the moment I saw her outside the boutique struggling with those ridiculous shopping bags while clutching her phone like it contained the key to her survival.People thought they were subtle when they were nervous.They weren’t.Tatiana had always been especially bad at hiding fear. Her eyes widened slightly. Her shoulders stiffened. Her breathing changed.Five years had passed and apparently, she hadn’t learned a thing.My suspicions had solidified the moment I approached her from behind. The second my voice sounded, she jumped like someone had fired a gun next to her ear. Her phone slipped straight out of her hand.For a brief moment I had seen something in her expression that I hadn’t expected. Pure panic.It was the kind of reaction someone had when they were caught with something they shouldn’t have.And that meant only one thing: Tatiana was hiding something.As I wrapped my arm around Althea’s waist and walked her into the house
TATIANA Of course it hurt.Watching Hasan kiss Althea like that after what had happened earlier in that locked room felt like someone had taken my heart and squeezed it slowly between their fingers.His hands were on her the way they had been on me not long ago. Possessive. Certain. Like the person in his arms was the only thing in the world that existed.I could still remember the way his mouth had felt against mine, the way his breath had warmed my skin when he held me close.And now he was giving all of that to her.My throat tightened painfully.I swallowed hard, trying to force the feeling down before it could rise any further. There was nothing I could do except stand there and watch them shatter whatever pieces of me were left.The sound of their kissing echoed softly in the quiet parking area.I turned away.My feet moved automatically, carrying me toward the nearest pillar. I slipped behind it quickly, pressing my back against the cold surface like it could somehow shield me
TATIANAAlthea’s lips parted, disbelief flickering for the first time since her accusations. “Where did—how did—?” she began, but Emily held the bracelet up, her eyes steady.“I think you’ll find, Althea,” Emily said quietly but firmly, “that this was never removed from your wrist.”The words landed with a quiet finality that seemed to drain the color from Althea’s face. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to process the humiliation, the evidence so clearly stacked against her, yet she refused to cede control.I remained frozen, my eyes lowered, unsure whether I should step forward or stay hidden behind Emily’s unwavering stance. Relief mingled with guilt, a bitter cocktail that made my hands clammy and my stomach churn.Emily’s eyes flicked to mine, a small, almost imperceptible nod that seemed to say, You’re okay. I’ve got you.I wanted to respond, to thank her, to say something, anything. But the words lodged in my throat. The shame of what I had done five years ago, the a
HasanFuck me sideways.I hear Taty murmur under her breath, clearly displeased at the sight of me. But I don’t let it get in the way of my mission. Instead, I give her my signature smirk, the one I know makes her boil with seething rage. Only this time, it doesn’t get me the reaction I wanted.Tat
TatianaI wake up to the blinding glare of fluorescent lights, my head pounding like it’s been split in two. My body aches from every angle, almost like I’ve been hit repeatedly by a massive truck. A groan slips past my lips as I try to move, but a firm hand presses against my shoulder, keeping me
I hear them talk. Really, I do. But I don’t give a damn. Their words blur together, meaningless noise compared to the only thing that matters right now—the one person I did all this for.HasanI hear them talk. Really, I do. But I don’t give a damn. Their words blur together, meaningless noise comp
TatianaI spend the entire Saturday at home—a rare occurrence, really. I had so much free time that I finished my Yale essay, decluttered my room, set up an online store to sell clothes I no longer need, and even started making dinner.By five, I was bored out of my mind, staring at the same spot i







