LOGINThe rain had stopped, but the air still felt heavy, like the sky itself was holding its breath. Alaricâs safe house in the Catskills sat in near-total silence, broken only by the occasional creak of old wood and the distant call of a night bird. We had been here three days, living like ghostsâsleeping in shifts, jumping at every sound, surviving on canned food and the fragile hope that the police would find Elias before he found us.I was curled on the couch with a blanket when the knock came.Three measured raps. Polite. Controlled.Alaric was instantly on his feet, gun in hand, motioning me to stay back. He moved to the window, peering through a crack in the curtain.His entire body went rigid.âItâs Helena,â he said, voice low.My stomach dropped. âDonât open it.âBut he did.The rain had stopped, but the air still felt thick, like the storm hadnât fully passed.The house was too quiet.Alaricâs safe house in the Catskills sat in total silence, except for the occasional creak of ol
The lake house didnât feel safe anymore.It felt exposed. Alaric stood at the kitchen counter, at 5:47 a.m. beside him. A cup of coffee sat untouched, already going cold. His attention was fixed on the photo Elias had sent, the one taken from outside our bedroom window while we slept. His jaw was clenched so tightly that his muscle tickled. The gun lay beside his mug, loaded and ready.âWe canât stay here,â he said quietly. âHeâs too close.â A pause. âAnd heâs not doing this alone.âI wrapped my arms around myself, the oversized sweater of his I wore doing little to chase away the chill. âWho else would help him? Heâs broke. Disgraced.âAlaric turned, eyes dark with something dangerous. âHelena. Or someone connected to her old network. People who owe her favors from the days when she ran half the board. People who donât ask questions if the price is right.âHe opened his laptop on the table. For the next two hours we worked in tense silence. Alaric still had people he could call.
The call came at 3:12 a.m.Marielâs phone rang first. Then mine.The ringing tone woke the whole house up.I was half-asleep on her couch, Alaricâs arm still wrapped around my waist, when it pulled me upright. Mariel stumbled out of her room, hair a mess, still half in a dream as she answered. âHello?âThen her face changed instantly. Just like that.âPut it on speaker,â I said, already sitting up.She did.âMs. Dane, this is Detective Ramirez. Elias Stone has escaped custody. He made bail yesterday afternoon and disappeared sometime after midnight. We believe he is armed and dangerous. Do not leave your apartment. Officers are on their way.âAlaricâs arm tightened around me without thinking, his body going still beside mine.And just like that, the fear weâd been trying to outrun was right back in the room with us.The room tilted.Everything felt suddenly unsteady, like the ground beneath me had shifted.Alaric was already moving out of bed, pulling on his clothes, his expression
The knock came at 2:17 a.m.I was half-asleep on Marielâs couch, the TV playing softly in the background, when three sharp knocks sounded on the door.My heart jumped instantly. Elias was still in custody, but the fear hadnât left me, it never really did.I reached for the baseball bat Mariel kept beside the couch and moved slowly to the door, peering through the peephole.Alaric.He stood in the hallway, coat pulled tight, eyes scanning the corridor like he expected danger to follow him.Relief hit so hard it almost made my knees weak.I unlocked the door quickly and pulled him inside before he could say anything. The moment it shut, he had me against it, his mouth crashing onto mine with months of pent-up hunger. His hands cupped my face, thumbs brushing my cheekbones as if making sure I was real.âYouâre here,â I whispered between kisses, tasting rain and desperation on his lips.âI couldnât stay away any longer,â he said, breathing unevenly.And in that moment, nothing else matt
The morning after Nikoâs testimony, the world felt⊠smaller and strange. Like the walls had shifted in overnight.My phone wouldnât stop buzzing.Calls. Messages. Unknown numbers lighting up the screen one after another. A few names I actually recognized slipped in between, some old colleagues, people I hadnât heard from in months. âJust checking on you.â âIâm so sorry youâre going through this.âBut under their fake pretending concern, they were fishing for details.The headlines weren't left out. Tweets, posts all over the internet.âDoctorâs Secret Affair Exposed â Patient Testifies in Sonâs Assault Trial.ââSt. Lucia Scandal Deepens: Was It Love or Grooming?âI sat on Marielâs couch in the same clothes from yesterday, knees drawn to my chest, staring at the glowing screen.Nikoâs voice kept replaying in my head.The affair wasnât mutual⊠It was manipulation.Mariel walked in with two steaming mugs and that look on her face⊠the one that meant sheâd already decided how this was g
The courtroom felt different today. Not in a good way though. It was filled with thick tension that was enough to make someone feel uneasy.I sat in the front row of the gallery, back straight, my sweaty hands clenched tightly on my laps.Eliasâs trial had dragged into its third week, but today felt different.The air was thicker, heavier, like the moment before a storm breaks. The judges weren't even smiling.It felt like waking up on a monday to resume work. Alaric sat a couple of rows behind me. I didnât have to turn to know he was there⊠I could feel it. His life hadnât gone back to normal. His license was still suspended. His name is still dragged in rumors and headlines. But he was here⊠watching, supporting, refusing to hide.He stayed.Niko Voss took the stand.He looked exactly like he always did, controlled, polished, with an unreadable expression.His navy suit fit him perfectly, his blond hair was in place.If you didnât know better, youâd think he was here to give a l
By six the next morning, I was back at Marielâs apartment. We had coffee together, talking about some groceries she needs to get while coming back from work, then we both left for work.Immediately I got to work, I checked my clientsâ emails. With everything happening between Alaric and Elias, it
The boardroom at St. Lucia Hospital felt like a lion's den.A fortress, polished mahogany, frosted glass, high above the city where every decision seemed heavier. The boardroom is big, with frosted glass, it is located on the last floor. Where every one's fate gets to be decided.Sunlight came in
As I slipped out, I was greeted with the night's chilly wind that slapped my face and made my hair fly in different directions.The city was lit with neon lights. I wore my hoodieâs cap over my hair and held the burner phone.Doubt gnawed at me. Marielâs warnings. Helenaâs scandals. Still, whatever
I managed to ignore Elias and make it back to Marielâs apartment.Her place felt like a sanctuary with mismatched mugs on every surface, with fairy lights kept carelessly on the walls. It was the kind of place where secrets felt safer after being talked about, and laughed over under blankets and d







