LOGINPOV Jackson
A deafening silence hung between us. Amy’s eyes pleaded with me to finally confess, to speak the love I felt for my half-sister. I didn’t want to know how Amy had discovered the truth, but I knew I had, at some point, let her realize her words were right.
Amy’s words kept hitting me like a punch for long, agonizing minutes. “She has always loved you.” The idea that Sara felt the same way I did—that the years of indifference were just a façade of fear—was intoxicating, yet terrifying.
I tried to cling to the cynicism, to the pragmatism that had brought me back from abroad. I took a step back, trying to conceal the intensity building in my chest.
“Even if you’re right, it seems a little too late,” I said, forcing myself to keep my voice steady. “There’s no time to live out a love. I came back to manage the family business, not to… be with Sara. My family would
POV SimonThe blue glow of my phone screen provided the only light in the dark corner of the Safehouse. Outside, rain drummed against the tin roof, creating a monotonous, depressing melody that perfectly matched the constant state of hyper-vigilance I lived in. When Amy’s notification popped up, my stomach knotted.Her words were brief, urgent, and heavy with the danger I’d been expecting—yet they were no less terrifying:“Get Sara out of the country now. Peter has stopped playing games. He’s hired mercenaries and is working with her family. They’re scouring every inch of the city, knocking on doors they shouldn’t. It’s only a matter of time before they get too close.”I closed my eyes for a second, feeling the weight of that responsibility. Peter wouldn’t accept defeat easily, and his alliance with Sara’s family made everything worse; they had personal motives and shadowy resources.
POV AmyThe silence following Warren’s declaration about the wedding grew so heavy I could hear the frantic thumping of my blood pulsing in my temples. He tucked the receipt into his jacket’s inner pocket with the flair of a magician finishing a masterstroke. Then, he flashed that rehearsed benevolence that once charmed me but now made me want to scream.“I’ve scheduled a dinner for tomorrow night at my place,” he announced, his voice smooth as if we were merely discussing the weather. “I invited several vendors and a top-tier wedding planner. We need to finalize the date, choose the flowers, set the menu… in short, we're preparing the event of the year.”I stared at him for a long beat. His audacity almost fascinated me. He truly believed that after paying off a debt with money of questionable origin, I would simply revert to the porcelain bride he so admired.“Don't bother, Warren,” I replied,
Amy’s POVPale afternoon light filtered through the gaps in the bungalow’s curtains, casting jagged lines across the frayed carpet. Nora watched me, her expression flickering between pity and scorn. She let out a dry, humorless laugh and shook her head.“You’re being quite convincing, Amy, I’ll admit,” she said, her voice still thick with the hoarseness of recent tears. “But I’m not naïve. Everyone knows how you look at him. Everyone at the office used to whisper about how you gravitated toward Warren, as if he were the sun and you were a planet with no light of your own. You love him. You’ve always loved him with a blindness that bordered on pathological. Why should I believe you’ve suddenly become this relentless vigilante?”The weight of her words hit me. To everyone else, the old Amy—the woman I was desperately trying to bury—was a pathetic figure. I took a deep breath, lettin
POV AmyThe following days were a blur of claustrophobic hours inside the mansion. I felt like a caged animal, watching the world through the heavy living room curtains. I knew that outside, in some unmarked car or around a strategic corner, Detective Silva’s men monitored my every move, waiting for me to lead them straight to Sara.The pressure was stifling. My phone buzzed constantly with notifications I refused to open. Simon. He had sent dozens of messages and called countless times. Every time his name lit up the screen, my heart gave a painful jolt—a volatile mix of longing and fear. I needed to know if Sara was okay, if she was eating, and if she was safe. But responding to Simon carried a risk I couldn’t take. If the police intercepted our communication, they would find the hideout, and the protective order would send me straight to a cell.To make matters worse, April Enterprises was hemorrhaging.I spent my mornings staring at
Amy’s POVDetective Silva’s gaze cut like a sharp blade, searching for any crack in my mask of lies, ready to slice it into a thousand pieces. My heart hammered against my ribs, but I refused to let it show. Years of dealing with corporate snakes and the trauma of my “rebirth” had honed a skill I never lost: the ability to lie with the conviction of a martyr.“Make yourself at home, Detective,” I said, gesturing toward the vastness of the mansion behind me with practiced disdain. “Have your men search every closet, every attic, and every corner of this house. Look for Sara until you’re exhausted, because you won’t find her here. Quite simply, she isn’t here.”Silva narrowed his eyes, his jaw tight.“Mr. Peter’s statement is very specific, Miss Romano,” he shot back, his voice dry.“Would a detective with your experience—with so many years on the force&md
Amy’s POVThe asphalt seemed to vanish beneath my tires as I drove in a feverish silence. Beside me, Sara gripped her hands so tightly her knuckles turned white. The tulle of her wedding dress spilled over the passenger seat—a white, stained cloud contrasting sharply with the darkness radiating from her. Her green eyes, once so vibrant, were now dull, lost in the blurred landscape rushing past.Her dream of marriage lay in ruins, and I hated seeing her this broken.“Amy, why are we here?” She asked, her voice small and laced with confusion as I pulled up in front of the discreet yet imposing facade of Simon’s bar. “Simon’s bar? Why him? He’s Warren’s rival… My God, if my father or Peter finds out…”“That’s precisely why, Sara,” I replied, killing the engine and turning to face her. I took her trembling hands, feeling the chill of her skin. “No one in their ri







