MasukCIERRA’S POVI blinked multiple times, almost convinced I must have misheard him, some strange ringing settling into my ears that made his words sound distorted and wrong.“What? What did you just say?” I asked, confusion clear in my voice, my heart already beginning to pound harder against my ribs before I fully understood why.“You heard exactly what I said,” he replied, pushing himself completely off the bed and standing up. He was already pacing back and forth across the bedroom floor, his bare feet moving restlessly against the carpet. “We have less than forty-eight hours to leave this house.”My heart dropped instantly, a cold, sinking feeling spreading through my chest like ice water. My brows drew together sharply, my mouth already falling open before I could stop it.What?“Forty-eight hours to leave?” I said, forcing a laugh, hoping desperately he would suddenly turn around and admit this was all some kind of ridiculous, poorly timed joke, that he’d gotten me good and now we
CIERRA’S POV“Well, at least the water trick worked. I can see you’re doing a lot better now,” I said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and watching him carefully. It had been more than thirty minutes since I’d dragged him into that shower for what I could only describe as a forced reset, and it seemed to have actually done the job, sobering him up enough to at least stand upright without swaying.He didn’t answer. He simply continued buttoning his nightshirt with his back turned toward me, his movements stiff and deliberate, like he was buying himself extra time before he’d actually have to face whatever conversation was coming.If he genuinely thought avoiding eye contact was going to help him dodge my questions, he was sorely mistaken. I’d known this man for years, long enough to recognize exactly when he was stalling.“Now that your head’s clear,” I said, keeping my voice level, “I’d like to know exactly what happened tonight.”“Nothing happened,” he said coldly, finishing the
CIERRA’S POV “Ew, ew, ew,” I muttered, snatching my hands back from his belt the second I realized exactly what I was looking at. “No. Absolutely not. I am not touching him. I’m not taking that off with actual urine on it.” I stood there for a long moment, staring down at him sprawled across the bed, completely unconscious and utterly oblivious to the disgusting state he’d left himself in. Part of me genuinely considered just leaving him there exactly as he was, walking straight back downstairs, and sleeping in one of the guest rooms until morning. He could wake up in his own mess as some kind of poetic justice for whatever ridiculous bender he’d apparently gone on tonight. But realistically, I knew that wasn’t going to work. This was still my bedroom too, and I certainly wasn’t sleeping on some lumpy guest bed just because he’d decided to drink himself into a stupor and lose control of his bladder in the process. If I left him here like this, that smell would seep into everything,
CIERRA’S POVAfter calling him for what felt like the hundredth time, he still wasn’t picking up. This was exactly the problem I had with Miles. He’d never done anything like this before, disappearing for hours without a single word, but of course, the one night he decided to stay out late, he also chose not to call or text me back even once.Roman would never do this to me. He would never leave me sitting here for hours, phone pressed to my ear, listening to endless rings that eventually went to voicemail. That alone was reason enough to remind myself exactly why I couldn’t wait to finally leave Miles behind for good and settle permanently into the life Roman was actually building for us.Just then, I heard the front door open downstairs.So he’d finally decided it was time to grace me with his presence, wherever he’d been sulking off to for the past several hours.I stood and walked quickly toward the door, expecting to see my usual, put-together husband, maybe rumpled from a stress
MILES’ POVThe bartender set my fifth bottle down in front of me, though this time his movements were slower and more hesitant. His eyes lingered on me for a beat too long before he pulled his hand back.“You sure you want another one?” he asked, his voice carrying a note of genuine concern, though I honestly couldn’t care less whether it was genuine or just for the sake of some liability policy he was worried about.“Did I ask for your opinion?” I said, my words already dragging slightly at the edges. The alcohol was thick enough in my system now that even I could hear the slur creeping into my own voice. “Mind your own business. I’m the one paying the bill, not you.”“I’m just saying, man. Maybe slow down a little,” he tried again, wiping down the counter beside me, clearly not taking the hint.“You know what?” I said, letting out a short, humorless laugh. “At least you still have a job to worry about tomorrow morning. Count yourself lucky. Some of us aren’t quite so fortunate right
ANABEL’S POV“You think Miles was behind Zach’s death?” I asked, genuinely startled that he’d brought something like that up so casually over dinner.“Well, I mean, it’s a hunch,” he said, leaning back slightly in his chair. “I haven’t known Miles nearly as long as you have, but from the little interaction I’ve had with him, he strikes me as an incredibly greedy man, someone who wants everything for himself, similar to the guy I told you about. I’m not a hundred percent certain about this, and it wouldn’t be the first time a hunch of mine turned out to be wrong. But something about it feels fairly clear to me.”I sat with that for a moment, turning it over in my mind. I hadn’t really thought about it that way before, because why would I have? They were brothers. If I had a sister, I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to hurt her simply to inherit property or money. That felt like the most heartless thing a person could possibly do, even for someone like Miles.“I know Miles is greedy, desp
ANABEL’S POVI woke up the next morning emotionally exhausted.The moment I opened my eyes, reality settled over me again. Cierra remained in the house. Miles was still avoiding me. And somehow everything that had happened over the past few days still seemed impossible to process even after everyth
ANABEL’S POV~ Four Days Later ~The atmosphere inside the church felt heavy the moment I stepped in.Soft instrumental music drifted through the speakers while low whispers spread across the room, as though people were afraid to speak too loudly around death.Everyone was dressed in black, their f
ANABEL’S POVMy fingers trembled over the laptop as I looked at the screen, still trying to convince myself there had to be another explanation for what I was seeing. Maybe I misunderstood something. Maybe my mind was twisting everything because of what happened last night. But the more I went th
ANABEL’S POVA low groan pulled me out of sleep.At first, I thought I was dreaming. My eyes stayed closed while I turned on the bed, reaching for Miles out of habit.The sheets beside me were cold.I frowned and opened my eyes. The other side of the bed was empty.The digital clock beside me read







