Naya“Are you serious? No phones?”Zipper zipped his duffel shut and tossed it into the trunk. “Completely. No calls, no emails, no screens. Just us.”She folded her arms. “You know I can’t survive without music.”“You’ll live. I brought a speaker. Old-fashioned Bluetooth, no notifications.”“That’s cheating.”He smiled, sunglasses sliding down his nose. “That’s compromise.”She rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth lifted. He’d been hinting for days that he had “one last surprise.” Now she was standing beside his car in shorts and a loose white shirt, the Pacific air warm and salty.“Fine,” she said. “But if I get bored, I’m stealing your phone.”“You’ll be too busy.”****They reached the villa just before sunset. White walls, palm trees, and the sound of waves somewhere below the hill. The inside smelled of salt and lemons.Zipper carried the bags in while Naya explored barefoot, touching everything like she didn’t quite believe it was real.“This place is ridiculous,” she s
Naya“Did you watch me sleep?”Zipper smirked from where he leaned against the dresser, arms crossed. “For a bit. You snore.”“I do not!”“You kind of do. Like a baby bear.”She groaned and pulled the blanket over her face. Her head throbbed, her throat dry, and the smell of his cologne clung to the air. When she finally peeked out, she realized she was in his room on his bed, his sheets, his everything.“Oh my God,” she muttered. “I fainted in front of you.”“Collapsed like a princess,” he said. “Very dramatic.”She threw a pillow at him. “You could’ve at least carried me to my own bed.”“I tried,” he said with mock seriousness. “But you latched onto me like a koala. I took it as a sign.”“Zipper!”“What? You were comfortable.”She grabbed the nearest thing within reach which was a heel from the floor, and aimed it at him.“Put the weapon down,” he warned, laughing.“Say you’re sorry.”“For what?”“For being insufferable.”He stepped back, still grinning. “Never.”She got off the bed
NayaThe first thing Naya noticed when she walked into the ballroom was how everyone seemed to know Zipper.And how every woman wanted to.She had expected the charity gala to be formal, quiet, maybe even boring. But under the glittering chandeliers of the Beverly Grand, it was loud, alive, and sparkling with people who looked like they had stepped out of magazine covers.Zipper fit right in. He was tall, calm, and ridiculously good-looking in his black tux. The bow tie looked too tight, but somehow it made him look even more expensive.She stood beside him in her fitted emerald dress, pretending not to notice the way women kept brushing past just to say hello.“Zipper,” one of them purred, fingers lightly touching his sleeve. “You never told us you were bringing someone.”He smiled politely. “Wasn’t sure I’d survive the night alone.”The woman laughed, throwing her head back. “I could’ve helped with that.”Naya forced a smile. “He’s doing fine, thanks.”The woman gave her a quick onc
NayaThe slap still echoed between them long after the sound had died.For three days, the house was silent. Naya spent her mornings in the kitchen, her evenings on the balcony, and her nights staring at the ceiling until dawn. Zipper was still there, moving around the apartment like a ghost, always giving her room but never too far.They didn’t speak, but somehow he was everywhere.Every morning, there was coffee waiting for her on the counter. The first day she ignored it. The second, she poured it down the sink. By the third, she drank half before realizing she’d given in.When she saw him that afternoon, he didn’t say anything, just gave a small nod like it meant something. Maybe it did.****One evening, she found him sitting on the couch with his laptop. Papers were spread across the table, the glow of the screen highlighting the tired lines around his eyes.“Working again?” she asked before she could stop herself.He looked up slowly, surprised she’d spoken first. “Trying to.”
Naya's povFor a long time, neither of them said anything. Zipper’s eyes searched her face.She swallowed hard. “I want the truth. What's not fair is everyone lying to me.”He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You wouldn’t have gone looking if you didn’t already know it.”Her voice shook. “Then say it. Don’t make me guess.”He looked away, running a hand over the back of his neck. “It’s not that simple, Naya.”“It’s never simple with you.”He sighed and started toward the study. “Come with me.”She hesitated but followed him anyway, her bare feet silent on the hardwood. When he pushed open the door, the familiar scent of cedar hit her again. The envelope she’d touched earlier sat on the desk exactly where she’d left it, but now it felt heavier just being there.Zipper turned to face her, his hand resting on the edge of the desk. “You saw what was inside?”“I didn’t mean to,” she said quietly. “I just—”He nodded once. “Yeah. You did.”There was no anger in his voice. Just tiredness.N
NayaHer heart thudded when she peeled the wax seal open. The red cracked softly, and she froze for a second, glancing toward the door like she expected Zipper to appear out of nowhere.When no sound came from the hallway, she slid her thumb under the flap and pulled out the papers. A few photos fell onto the desk, spreading out like puzzle pieces.At first, she didn’t understand what she was seeing.The man in the old pictures was Zipper, only younger, his hair a little longer, his smile a little freer. But beside him were faces she knew too well. Her mother. Her father.What the hell?She picked up one photo, her hand trembling slightly. It was her parents standing in front of a house she remembered all too well, and there he was Zipper, standing right next to them, his hand on her father’s shoulder. They all looked happy.There were letters, too. Some had her father’s handwriting. One had Zipper’s name typed neatly at the top. Legal papers, agreements, signatures she didn’t unders