LOGIN[Alma]My fingers tightened around the handle as I slowly pushed the door wider, watching the room gradually come into view. I swallowed, pressing my lips into a thin line as I took a cautious step forward, my gaze moving over the space as curiosity tugged at me. I was just about to take another step when my phone suddenly buzzed, the sharp sound cutting through the silence so unexpectedly that I flinched."Oh, goodness," I growled, my heart hammering against my chest as I instinctively took a step back.I stared at the screen, trying to steady my breathing as I studied the unfamiliar number. I didn't recognise it, and there was something about it that made me hesitate for a second before finally swiping the green button.I brought the phone to my ear, and the first thing I heard was a woman's panicked voice, accompanied by heavy, uneven breathing."Hello..." she began, but the word came out strained, as though she'd been running or was struggling to catch her breath. "Please, is this
[Alma]My brow creased as I stared at Zevyn until he walked out of the entrance, the door closing behind him.Something was off.My stomach churned immediately, as though agreeing with whatever my instincts were trying to tell me. I kept staring at the closed door, almost as if looking hard enough would help me understand what I'd seen on his face.One second, he was smiling, and the next, his face had hardened like rock as he muttered something beneath his breath that I couldn't make out. There had been a strange tension in his expression, something that hadn't been there moments earlier, and I couldn't figure out what had caused it.Just before I could ask him what was going on, he'd made his way out.I swallowed, forcing down the pancake in my mouth as my gaze remained fixed on the door. I waited for a few more minutes, hoping the strange feeling in my stomach would ease or that I'd somehow figure out what had just happened. But the door remained shut, and I had no answers.Eventua
[Zevyn]The second the last word left my lips, I felt her behind me.Her scent wrapped around me so quickly that my jaw clenched. I held the phone to my ear and ended the call.I knew I hadn't said anything she could pick up on, even if she'd been standing there for minutes, which I knew she hadn't.I tucked my phone back into my pocket, my gaze settling on the fresh pancakes with honey toppings I'd made for her about an hour ago, before dressing up for work.My hand paused over the black coffee I was stirring. I picked it up and took a small sip before turning toward the kitchen entrance, and there she was.Alma stood there with one hand wrapped around her chest, her brow creased as she stared at me."Finally awake?" I chuckled, leaning back against the counter while keeping my gaze on her.Her brows creased even more as she made her way into the kitchen. "Are you always this scary when you're speaking to people on the phone?" Alma asked.My throat bobbed before I could stop it. I to
[Alma]My hand curled into the blanket as I stared up at Zevyn. His long lashes rested against his cheeks, his eyes closed as he slept peacefully. One of his hands was wrapped securely around my waist, holding me close to him as his chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. I swallowed, trying to clear the lump in my throat as Zevyn's words from a few hours ago rang in my ears.He'd looked so sure when he said Sienna didn't like me at all and that whatever she'd been displaying might be a facade.And no, he hadn't stopped there.He'd pointed out the way he'd seen her stare at me, her hands clenching by her sides as though she couldn't stand my existence, only for her to force a smile back onto her face whenever I looked at her.It didn't make a single bit of sense, even though another part of my brain was trying to drag an event back into my mind.When Sienna and Zevyn were talking, and he'd called me over, I knew I'd seen the smile on Sienna's face disappear, only to reappear th
[Alma]"We need to leave now," Elara said as she hugged me for the umpteenth time. I smiled at her, but my eyes were barely on her as I stared ahead of me.Sienna had walked over to Zevyn to bid him goodbye, but she was still right there, smiles plastered all over her face as she said things I couldn't make out to him. Her lips kept moving, her smile never quite fading, and I found myself watching every little thing she did despite my efforts to look away.The way she kept shifting from one foot to the other made my jaw clench before I could stop it. She would lean slightly toward him, say something else, then smile again, and I could only stand there wondering what on earth they had to talk about for so long.It shouldn't be my business. Whatever they were talking about shouldn't concern me, but why the hell did it feel like my chest was splitting in two just from seeing another woman standing there with Zevyn?Zevyn wasn't even my boyfriend. It was fake, but even so, I knew Sienna w
[Sienna]"You really like her?" I asked Zevyn, my hand clenched at my side as I stared at the man who was supposed to be mine.A man I couldn't stop thinking about from the very first day I set my eyes on him, and Alma thought she could have him?It was impossible.I wouldn't fucking be alive and let that happen.Zevyn stared at me, his face totally blank, giving nothing away.The man was fucking gorgeous. I didn't have to stare twice to confirm it. The way he had his back rested against the couch, his legs parted slightly, and one hand resting on his lap made him look effortlessly composed. Even sitting there doing absolutely nothing, he had a presence that made it difficult to look away.How could one person be this cute?"Is there a problem?" Zevyn finally asked, and I almost moaned at the sound of his deep voice.Elara cleared her throat across from us, but I barely spared her a glance. I knew she hated the fact that she was part of this with me, but she had absolutely no choice b
[Alma]I bit down hard on my lips as I stared back at my reflection, before shifting my gaze to the closed door. I gulped, repeating the lies I was going to tell Grandma, if this had to do with where I was or why I had a different outfit on.I took another deep breath, smoothing my hand over my dr
[Zevyn]I don’t lose control. But something about this green-eyed woman...The way she looked at me— like she already knew exactly what I was capable of—I let her stand there.Let her think. Let her try to piece it together—why she was here, what I really wanted, what she’d just broken.She was s
[Alma] I gulped down, my eyes fixed on the closed door as if Mason would walk back in if I looked hard enough Walk back in and take back those words. "Tessy needs me." "Nothing is more important than making sure she's safe." "You’ve been terribly out of shape." The words echoed in my he
[Alma]I stood by the window longer than I should have, my fingers lightly gripping the edge of the curtain as my gaze drifted once again toward the dining table behind me.Everything was setToday wasn’t just our anniversary. It was also my birthday.My eyes lingered on the table, taking in every







