LOGINMIA’S POVI looked up at the one who held me, Ethan, his eyes held comfort for the first time. I quickly put myself together. As I locked eyes with the scene in front of meThe applause didn’t stop.It swelled loud, overwhelming, suffocating as if the entire room had decided this moment was beautiful.Perfect.Worthy of celebration. I stood there, unmoving, as the sound wrapped around me like something heavy and inescapable. Because all I could see was them.Jason Miller and Lily Carter.Still close. Still smiling. Still… together. My chest felt tight. Not sharp.Not explosive.Just… heavy.Like something inside me had shifted out of place and hadn’t settled back. This wasn’t how it happened before. That thought echoed quietly in my mind. And yet Why did it still hurt the same?My fingers curled slightly at my sides, nails pressing into my palm, Because a part of me A part I hadn’t acknowledged had still believed something different might happen.That even knowing everything… Even
MIA’S POVI got home, with the proposal still at the back of my mind I walked absentmindedly into the house. Inside, everything looked the same. Too normal. Too calm. Which, in this family, usually meant the opposite.“Mia, you’re back.”My father’s voice carried from the living room. I turned, forcing a small smile as I walked in.Robert Carter stood near the center of the room, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his posture relaxed in a way I hadn’t seen in days. That alone was enough to make me pause.“Dad,” I greeted.“Good,” he said, nodding once as if ticking something off a mental list. “You’re here.” My brows pulled together slightly. “Was I expected?” A faint smile touched his lips. “Tomorrow night, yes.” He replied looking at my direction but not at me, his eyes held a mix of happiness and relieve. Before I could ask anything else, my mother’s voice cut in. “We have something to celebrate,” Margaret Carter said as she stepped forward, her expression composed, polished, perfe
MIA’S POVJason’s office smelled exactly the same. Clean. Polished. Controlled. Like nothing in his life ever slipped out of place.I stood just at the door for a second longer than necessary, letting my gaze sweep across the room the dark wood desk, the floor to ceiling windows, unlike Ethan’s own that faces the city his faces into the flower garden his mother owned.Familiar.Too familiar I always loved staring into the garden with the brightest smile on my face.Once upon a time, I had imagined myself here. Sitting across from him, planning a future that now felt like it belonged to someone else entirely.“Mia.”His voice pulled me back. Soft.Careful. Like he was approaching something fragile. I turned, forcing a small smile onto my lips.“Jason.” He looked… relieved, happy, even excited. That was the first thing I noticed. Not guilt. Not tension. Relief. Like just seeing me here had eased something inside him.Interesting.“You came to see me” he said, stepping closer,his voice l
MIA’S POVMy fingers tightened around the door handle.“You’re the trigger.” The words echoed in my head, louder now, heavier than before. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. Not yet. The room behind me was quiet, but I could feel him there. Still. Watching. Waiting. Always waiting.Slowly, I turned. Ethan hadn’t moved far. He stood a few steps behind me, one hand resting lightly against the edge of his desk, his posture relaxed—but his eyes… his eyes were anything but.Sharp.Focused.On me.“What does that mean?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended, but steady enough not to betray the storm inside me.Silence stretched between us. He didn’t answer immediately. Of course he didn’t. Ethan never gave anything easily.Instead, he straightened slightly, pushing off the desk, his movements slow, deliberate. Controlled. Like everything about him. Like he had all the time in the world.Unlike me.“You already know what it means,” he said finally. I frowned. “Then say it.” His gaze darkened j
ETHAN’S POV“They’re preparing to eliminate you.” The words settled between us like a loaded weapon. I didn’t move. Neither did she.Mia stood exactly where I’d left her too still, too quiet. Most people would have reacted by now. I could feel the fear, panic, questions brewing inside. But she was silent but it wasn’t empty.It was thinking.Calculating.And that more than anything was dangerous. Which shouldn't have bothered me but it did, and an undeniable urge to stop it to protect her from her own fears.My gaze sharpened on her face, tracking every little expression. The slight tightening of her jaw. The way her fingers curled subtly at her sides. The barely noticeable rise and fall of her chest.Fear was there. She just refused to let it control her.Interesting.A slow breath left me as I straightened from the desk, my fingers brushing against the polished surface before I began walking toward her.Deliberate.Measured.Each step I took closed the distance until there was noth
MIAS POVI took several steps back retreating into the pool area, the feeling of betrayal sat heavily on my chest, I knew they were together I knew he would always choose her over me. But I didn’t know why I felt betrayed, I felt my chest tighten, my eyes moisten.Suddenly I felt a conviction to confront them, every step I took towards them felt like walking on glass, my eyes blurred with tears.I reached for the door, Then I heard it“…she’s starting to suspect.” My breath caught, I didn’t move, Didn’t breathe, That voice, It wasn’t Lily’s.Cold. Sharp. Controlled.Another voice followed. It was lower, dangerous in a way that made my skin crawl. “Then stop playing around.”A pause. Then,“Or we finish it now. Before Mia becomes a problem.” My blood ran cold, They were talking about me.Not vaguely. Not indirectly.Specifically.I pressed myself closer to the wall. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure they could hear it through the silence. This wasn’t just Lily and Jason anymor
MIA’S POVI froze.“Robert Carter reported his daughter missing to the police.”The words echoed in my mind like a slow drumbeat.Heavy.Unbelievable.“That doesn’t make sense,” I whispered.My father never worried about me. Not like a normal parent would. If anything, my absence usually meant peac
MIA’S POVRobert Carter“Are you saying Robert Carter wants me dead?” I searched his dead eyes for answers.He hesitates “I…I don’t know, I never met the person”, he muttered.“They only sent letters through the mail,” he replied in a whisper.“it always had Robert Carter at the end”.I stared bla
MIA’S POVDarkness fills my apartment. Complete. Total.The kind that makes the air feel heavier.“Ethan?”“I’m here.”His voice through the phone is the only thing anchoring me right now.“What do you mean someone cut the power?”“I mean exactly that.”My throat tightens.“Like… a blackout?”“No.”
MIA’S POVI don’t go home. Instead, I sit in my car in the parking garage across the street from my apartment building. I stare at the steering wheel like it might give me answers.Thirty thousand dollars. That’s what I owe Ethan now. That's ten thousand less than yesterday. I didn’t even know wh







