LOGINDANTE.“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll be in touch.”I ended the call and leaned back, contemplating calling her again but decided against it for now. She would tell me when she was ready; she would eventually answer, and when she did, I'd listen to her explanation—that’s just who she was and what our marriage meant.My phone buzzed again before I could gather my thoughts.Another notification.A pending authorization request.I tightened my grip on the device as I opened it, half-expecting to see another outrageous number staring back at me.It hadn’t cleared yet.This meant that whatever she was doing—She wasn’t done.I was still mulling over it all when there came a knock at my office door—three soft taps.“Come in,” I said as I reached for my phone one more time.The door opened.I looked up.Risa.I set the phone down.She appeared dressed for business—blazer fitted, heels softly tapping against the carpet—but there was something about her demeanor that felt less than professional.“
DANTE.The front door felt heavier than usual. Or perhaps it was just me. As I stepped into the house, the first thing that struck me was the silence. Not a peaceful quiet, but troublesome and uncomfortable. The hallway lights were on, yet the atmosphere felt off, empty."Cinnamon." My voice echoed against the walls, but returned to me alone.I moved deeper inside, loosening my tie with two fingers and glancing left and right as if she might suddenly appear from one of the doorways. "Cinnamon?"Nothing.The kitchen was tidy; all the dining chairs were pushed in. A single glass sat on the counter, half-filled with water.I checked the living room, then the study, calling her name up the staircase while gripping the banister and leaning forward, waiting. The house simply breathed back at me.I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone; the screen nearly stopped my heart. A hundred missed calls from Cinnamon.My thumb hovered over the screen.One call—okay. Two—perhaps urgent.But t
CINNAMON.If I get my hands on Dove's ex-husband, I swear I'll skin him alive. God, please help me. Help my family. I just want to enjoy my marriage and family. Haven't I lost enough already? Why is all this happening? What did she need such a large sum of money for?A knock at the door made me hold my breath completely. "Cinnamon?" Dante's mom called calmly from the other side of the door, her tone curious. "Are you alright in there?"I pressed my fist harder against my lips and counted to three. "Yes!" My voice came out bright, almost cheerful, and I hated myself for how easily it slipped out. "I'm so sorry; I think something I ate isn’t sitting well with me. Don't worry about me; go ahead with the kids. I might need to take the morning off."There was a pause. "Oh." Disappointment laced her quick response. "Alright, take the day of work if you need it. I'm taking the kids to school.""Thank you, Mom." My voice cracked slightly on that last word, and I swallowed hard. "I'll be okay.
CINNAMONSleep had caught me off guard. One moment I was sitting on the edge of the couch, tense as a board, staring at the front door with my heart racing. The next, my alarm blared in my ear, and I woke up sideways, disoriented, with drool drying in the corner of my mouth and my neck protesting from the awkward position I had twisted myself into.I nearly sprang up from the couch in confusion, causing the room to tilt around me. I pressed my palm flat against the cushion and blinked until the walls stopped spinning. My phone. I grabbed it with both hands, my fingers trembling even before I unlocked the screen.No messages from Dante. No messages from Dove. The clock showed 6:14 AM, and the silence in the house felt suffocating, tightening around my chest.I pushed my hair back from my face and sat there for a moment, just breathing and trying to collect myself, desperately seeking to calm my restless mind. Because once I stood up, the day would begin. And once it began, I had to pre
DANTEI raised a finger at Mom and stepped back, pressing the phone harder against my ear. She watched me leave with a look of dread and hope.I exhaled slowly, keeping my voice steady."I'm listening," I said.The man on the other end hesitated. When he spoke again, his words tumbled out in a rush."I fell for her," he admitted. "I wasn't supposed to, but I did. And I've been living with what I've done to her every single day."My grip on the phone tightened."Someone hired me," he continued. "To get her hooked. She injects through her big toe, so no one would find the marks if they looked in obvious places." He paused. "I'm sorry. I know that's not—"I was already on the move.Up the stairs, down the hallway, into the bedroom. My keys were on the dresser, and I snatched them without slowing down.My baby sister. Damn! How could I have let her walk out that door?"Why?" I asked as I bounded down the stairs two at a time. "Who paid you?""Her ex-husband." His voice steadied a bit. "He
DANTE.The chef and I had spent the better part of the afternoon in that kitchen, and it showed. The table had lamb ribs glistening under the chandelier, roasted vegetables fanned out, warm bread. Cinnamon was radiant in burnt orange, cutting Oliver's meat into smaller pieces while he babbled about something that had happened at school. Mom sat at the head happy seeing the full table. She laughed at something Dove said, and for a moment she looked ten years younger. Dove wiped Thessa's mouth with the corner of a napkin and the little girl scrunched her face, probably thinking she was too old for that."There's something beautiful about this," I said, cutting into my lamb. "All of us, right here."Mom set her fork down just to place her hand over her chest. "I almost forgot," she said quietly, more to herself than anyone. "I almost forgot what it felt like to just live." She laughed softly and picked her fork back up, shaking her head like she was embarrassed by the admission.The foo
DANTEDistance had its bite, and it had been gnawing at me for over a month since my last effort to reach out to her. Every attempt to connect with Cinnamon had spectacularly backfired. The cabin incident, my desperate act, had only driven the knife deeper. I had seen it in her eyes before she lef
DANTE"Technically," I said calmly, "I had you brought to me because you refused to meet with me.""That should've made it clear that we want NOTHING to do with you!" Risa's voice escalated with each word."I understand. But I can't live without Cinnamon.""Well, you'd better start getting used to
CINNAMON The incline bit into my calves as I pushed forward, lungs burning with each gulp of cold mountain air. Twelve hours. Twelve hours of unanswered calls left me with a growing dread that coiled tighter around my ribs until Khole's text finally arrived: We need help. Come now. It was followed
CINNAMONWhen Dad's funeral took place, I was eight years old. I wore a black dress that Mom had bought just the day before. I stood beside her as people shared their thoughts about heaven and better places. I watched them lower a shiny casket into the ground, thinking, "He's just sleeping. He'll w







