MasukKelly’s POVI didn’t expect him to call. Especially not after the days of silence that had stretched out far too long.The silence between us had become its own heavy thing, and I had spent the last few days convincing myself that I imagined the whole connection between us. I started to believe the island was just some kind of vivid illusion, a beautiful, strange dream that didn't actually belong in the cold, hard reality of my real life.But suddenly my phone lit up, vibrating against the wooden nightstand, the sound loud in my quiet room. I stared at the name on the screen for a few seconds. My heart skipped a beat, Michael was calling me. I waited for the third ring before I finally reached out and answered it. “Hello?” I said. My voice sounded smaller than I wanted it to be.There was a pause on the other end of the line, I could hear the faint sound of his breathing and the distant hum of the city through his end of the phone. “Come over,” Michael said.He didn't give a greetin
Kelly’s POVDylan was already seated at a corner table of ‘Raseen’ restaurant and bar when we arrived. But what wasn’t the part that surprised me, because Dylan was always early to any meeting. What was unusual was the fact that his glass of wine was still full and untouched. His phone was sitting face-down on the white tablecloth, and he was staring at it like he didn’t trust himself to pick it up. He looked so tense, that his shoulders pulled tight toward his ears.As we got closer he looked up noticing our arrival, and for a split second, I saw a distracted, haunted look that gave visuals to his voice during our phone call with mom. Suddenly, as if he flipped a switch, the expression was gone. He forced a smile and stood up to greet us. “There she is,” he said.I stepped into his hug, it was brief but firm, smelling of his familiar woodsy cologne. “You’ve been ignoring my calls, Dylan,” I said, pulling back to look at him. “I haven’t been ignoring you. I’ve been busy,” he re
Kelly’s POVBy mid-morning, I could feel the distance between me and Michael already settled in like a thick, invisible wall.It wasn’t a loud or dramatic change, but I felt it every time we almost glanced at each other, but didn't. I felt it in every moment where I knew, with absolute certainty, that he was aware of my presence in the room and was making a conscious, calculated choice not to show it.Michael moved through the executive floor like absolutely nothing had changed since before we went to the island. He was calm, he was perfectly controlled, and he was entirely untouchable. He spoke to the department heads with the same sharp, decisive tone he always used and he walked with the same confident stride that made people clear a path for him in the hallways.I hated how easily he could do it, how he could flip a switch and become the cold, distant CEO of Donovan Corporation again. While my own heart still felt like it was racing at a hundred miles an hour every time I hear
Michael’s POVThe front door of my parents' house swung open, and the scent of rosemary and garlic hit me instantly. It was an earthy aroma that filled the foyer, cutting through the lingering scent of my car’s leather interior that still clung to me. It was a smell that belonged exclusively to this house and it was familiar enough to make something deep in my chest loosen. “About time,” Owen’s voice called out from the living room. It was loud and filled with its usual impatient energy. “We were about thirty seconds away from starting without you.”“You say that every single time I’m more than five minutes late,” I replied, stepping further into the house. I reached up and pulled at the knot of my silk tie, loosening it just enough to breathe properly. I hung my suit jacket on the mahogany coat rack by the door. “And yet, you never actually do it.”“That is only because Mom would literally disown me, if I should try eating before the whole family gathers,” Owen shot back. I he
Kelly’s POVThe apartment was quiet, filled only with the faint hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of evening traffic from the Seattle streets outside. I was halfway through folding a large pile of laundry, the fabric still holding a lingering warmth from the dryer, the scent of lavender detergent still thick in the air. I reached for a white silk blouse, one I had worn to a particularly grueling meeting earlier in the week, and began to fold it with practiced ease. My life at Donovan Corporation felt increasingly chaotic lately, and these small, mundane chores were the only thing keeping me grounded.Just as I reached for a pair of jeans, my phone began to ring on the nightstand, the sharp, cheerful vibration cutting through the silence of the room. I glanced at the screen, and the tension I hadn't even realized I was carrying in my shoulders began to melt away instantly. My Mom was calling.I wiped my hands on my leggings and picked up the phone, dropping onto the edg
Kelly’s POVAfter the third day that I didn't receive any messages or calls from Michael, I finally stopped checking my phone every five minutes.It wasn’t because I didn't want to hear from him, it was because there were only so many times a person can stare at a dark, empty screen before it starts to feel pathetic. Every time the screen remained black, a small knot of embarrassment tightened in my chest. I was the one who had agreed to be part of this arrangement, yet, here I was, waiting for a text like a teenager after a first date.I stood in front of my closet for much longer than necessary, pushing the hangers back and forth, the rhythmic click-clink of the metal echoing in the quiet bedroom soothed my mind. I wasn't really seeing the clothes, but I had to pick an outfit because I was going shopping with Hope and Tessa. It was something that didn't involve me sitting by a silent phone.My phone sat in the middle of my unmade bed behind me. It looked small and insignificant







