LOGINBy the time I got home, the quiet felt heavier than usual.The kind of silence that leaves too much space for thoughts you would rather not sit with.I dropped my bag on the chair and stood there for a second longer than necessary, still in my heels, still in the same dress, as if moving too quickly would force everything from the night to settle into something real.It already had and that was the problem.I exhaled slowly and pushed my hair back, walking toward the kitchen without thinking. I poured a glass of water, took a sip, then set it down untouched.My reflection in the dark window caught my attention for a second.I looked normal. Composed. Like nothing had shifted, like nothing had changed. But something had, and I could feel it in the way my thoughts kept circling back to the same moments.The dinner. Chloe. Family. The way that word had landed.Then tonight. The way Daniel had leaned in, confid
I should have said no to the event.That thought had followed me from the moment Chloe mentioned it three days earlier, through the dress she insisted I borrow, through the message she sent that morning reminding me not to wear black because, in her words, I always wore black when I was trying not to be perceived. By the time I was standing inside the crowded ballroom with a drink I did not want in my hand, I knew my first instinct had been the right one.It wasn't that the event was bad. It was polished, expensive, and full of exactly the kind of people who knew how to make money look effortless. A charity auction, technically, but nobody here was pretending it was only about charity. It was about visibility, connection, influence, and the kind of conversations that started with donations and ended with business.Chloe was thriving.Of course she was.She moved through the room with the ease of someone who had grown up around these
The next morning, I woke up before my alarm and stayed still for a full minute, staring at the ceiling above me as if that would somehow make the weight in my chest easier to name.I pushed the blanket aside and sat up slowly. My body still felt too aware, as if sleep had rested my mind more than anything else. For a few seconds, I let my feet remain on the floor without moving. Then I stood, got dressed, and forced myself into the routine of the morning because routine was easier than thought.By the time Chloe called, I was already halfway through my coffee."Are you alive?" she asked the second I picked up."Barely.""Good. Then come save me. I've decided exam stress is a disease."Despite myself, I smiled. "That sounds serious.""It is. I'm suffering."I could hear movement on her end, the rustle of papers, the quick distracted energy that always came over her when she was overwhelmed but pretending she
He just said: "You're not jealous. I hear you."The words hung between them, not like weapons but like bridges. Eva remained still in his arms, the warmth of his body seeping through the thin fabric of her dress. She didn't pull away. He didn't release her. The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable—it was filled with unspoken understanding.Damian's hand rested against the small of her back, fingers spread wide as if memorizing the curve of her spine. She could feel his heartbeat against her cheek, steady and reassuring.Eva shifted slightly, a barely perceptible movement that brought her flush against him. Her hands, which had been clenched into fists at her sides, slowly unfurled, palms coming to rest against his chest. The cotton of his shirt was warm, and beneath it, the steady rhythm of his heart pulsed against her skin."Still thinking?" he murmured, his voice low enough to vibrate through he
I didn't answer his message immediately.That was new.Normally, I replied within minutes, sometimes seconds, even when I told myself I wouldn't. This time I let the phone sit on the table beside me, screen dark, like ignoring it might somehow settle the restlessness that had been following me since the dinner.It didn't. The message had come not long after I got back.Are you free tomorrow?Simple. Exactly like always.Nothing in it acknowledged what I had seen. Nothing hinted at the woman, the conversation, the ease of it. If anything, it felt like the night had never happened.I stared at the screen longer than I should have before finally picking it up.My thumb hovered for a second before I typed.Maybe. I have work.I watched the message send. Three dots appeared almost immediately.What time do you finish?I exhaled quietly. Of course he would move straight to logi
I didn't expect to see him there.If anything, I had told myself the night would be simple.Show up. Smile. Listen. Leave.That was the plan.The restaurant was already half full when I arrived, the kind of place where conversations stayed low and everything—from the lighting to the way the tables were arranged—felt intentionally controlled. It wasn't loud, but it wasn't quiet either. Just enough noise to make everything feel private.Andre spotted me first and lifted a hand slightly."Over here."I made my way toward the table, slipping into the empty seat beside him."You're late," he said, though his tone carried no real complaint."Traffic," I replied, smoothing my sleeve unconsciously."Relax," he said. "You're not presenting anything tonight.""I know.""Then stop looking like you are."I exhaled softly and leaned back a little."Noted."T







