MasukThe waiting room wasn't nearly as intimidating as Anna remembered. Or perhaps it only felt that way because this time, she had Leah and Elena with her. Leah had commandeered the chair beside her, scrolling through her phone while her crossed leg bounced restlessly every few seconds. Every now and then, she shot Anna a poorly concealed look of concern.Elena, meanwhile, had somehow managed to strike up a conversation with an elderly woman knitting a tiny yellow sweater across the room."...So your granddaughter's due in September? That's so cute!"The woman laughed. "My daughter.""Oh… sorry. I spoke out of turn.” Leah didn't even look up. "You usually do."The woman chuckled. Elena glared at Leah. Just then, a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties walked out from the office, both hands on either side of her waist. She was heavily pregnant. The older woman stood immediately, packed her knitting stuff into her bag and hurried over to the young woman. “What did the doctor
The most exhausting, therapeutic day ever? The girls' day out had felt exactly that way.The moment Anna had mentioned a day out, Leah had called it quits with the breakfast but made sure Anna finished hers in the car. “All tabs on me!” Elena had hollered in the car with a Dua Lipa playlist blasting through the speakers. And spent the entire drive to The Domain arguing with Leah about whose tab the bills were on. When Anna had tried to suggest they split it amongst themselves, they had both snapped, “Stay out of it!” Eventually, Leah had won, leaving Elena sulking until they strode into The Domain. They spent the next hour trying on clothes and critiquing each other. Anna couldn't remember the last time she laughed so hard that her stomach hurt. As they exited The Domain, arms loaded with more shopping bags than they could comfortably carry, they dumped everything into the car before Leah dragged Anna into Kendra Scott next. Then a lingerie store where Anna threatened to scream blo
Jason groaned low in his throat, pressing his face further into the pillow beneath him. He could barely move. Every muscle ached like he'd been hit by a truck, and when he tried, a low sound escaped his throat. His skull was splitting in two from a pounding headache, and it took great effort before he managed to roll onto his side, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. “Fuck me,” he grumbled, his mouth disgustingly dry. “No, thank you. I don't roll that way,” a low voice interjected casually. Jason's head snapped off the pillow, his eyes flying open. A sharp pain ripped through his skull at the sudden movement, his vision blurring at the edges. “Fuck!” He lay his head back down, gave the pain a few seconds to subside and his vision to clear, before slowly turning his head toward the voice. Cole sat on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The curtains were still drawn, shutting out what would've been an impressive view of Zürich. He sat cross-legged, cup of coffee in one h
‘I believe in your vision, Mr. Knight. I see your works. I just don’t believe in your current state of mind.’The words had followed Jason out of the private meeting, into the elevator, into the suffocating quiet of his hotel suite, and now, the hotel bar three floors below.He raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly, a server appeared before him, bearing another bottle of whiskey. It was the third bottle for the night. And still, he felt numb. The server replaced his ice, uncorked the new bottle, poured a generous amount into his glass, and grabbed the empty bottle before scurrying away. Jason dragged a hand through his hair as he brought the glass to his lips. The expensive low-lit hotel bar overlooked the city. Jazz played softly in the background beneath muted conversations and the clink of half-melted ice against whiskey glasses. Jason sat in a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled once, his tie gone and the top buttons undone. Exhaustion sitting on him like bruises.His
Anna woke to the smell of butter and something burning slightly. For a second, disorientation held her still against the couch cushions. Then her lower back protested as she pushed herself upright and everything from yesterday came rushing back at once.The exchange with Maya, passing out, Elena finding out about the baby, and drifting off to sleep on her shoulder right there on the couch. God.Anna dragged a hand over her face with a groan.“You’re alive.” Leah’s voice floated in from the kitchen.Anna blinked toward it to find Leah standing by the stove in one of Anna's oversized shirts while Elena sat at the island scrolling through something on her phone.Both women looked up immediately, and Anna instantly regretted waking up.“You should still be sleeping,” Elena said carefully, like she wasn’t sure where they stood yet.“I’m fine.”Leah snorted loudly. “Drink every time Anna says she’s fine and suddenly everyone dies of alcohol poisoning.”Anna glared weakly, her gaze flicking
Anna had barely slept last night. She barely remembered Leah helping her to the couch, or Helen knocking softly at some point during the night. Olivia had come too, hovering awkwardly behind her mother with worry written all over her face while Anna sat there emotionally flayed open, and exhausted.“Do you need anything, sweetheart?” Helen had asked gently.Anna had wanted to say yes; instead, she'd shaken her head. Olivia looked like she wanted to hug her, and Anna pretended not to notice. Elena never came back.That hurt more than Anna wanted to admit, especially after the raw words they’d exchanged. Everything had gone quiet sometime after three in the morning, but sleep still eluded her. Every time Anna closed her eyes, she saw Elena again. Heard her own voice cracking in the hallway. Felt the humiliation of falling apart in front of everyone.The sun had barely risen by the time she drifted off into sleep. By the time Anna dragged herself off the couch and toward the shower in
The rap on the door was louder this time but Anna stood rooted to the floor, staring at it with wide eyes. What if he wanted to say goodbye? “Anna—are you on a call?” Jason's voice came through the door. Anna took a step forward, then stopped again. “I'll just—” Jason trailed off and the apart
Anna's eyes lingered on Jason, wondering if he had noticed after all. His gaze moved to her and she quickly looked away, leaning back into the seat. “Home,” she said, fingers tightening around the bottle of water. Then quieter, “Please.”He hummed low in his throat, his eyes focused on the road ah
Anna stared at the bottle of water in her hands, the coldness seeping into her skin, her lips pressed together into a slight frown. What did she want? Familiar walls. Predictability. A chance to regroup before facing whatever ‘this’ was becoming. She hadn't wanted to face him exhausted, raw, and
Anna's shift officially ended at seven. She stayed a few minutes longer handing over, signed out and walked to the door on fumes, her feet dragging. “Morning, Vegas.” She didn't need to look to know it was Dr. Pierce. Her ears picked up his familiar tone. “You sound bright.” He chuckled, hands







