Knoxx’s Point of ViewThe press conference room feels colder than it should.Maybe it’s the nerves. Or maybe it’s guilt. It doesn’t matter. I sit there in front of the microphone, eyes locked on the crowd of journalists filtering in—cameras, notepads, recorders.All of them waiting to hear what the CEO of Wayne & Co. is about to say.I glance at the clock behind them.Three minutes left.My heart pounds. I’ve faced shareholders before. Negotiated millions. Led boardroom takeovers. But this is different.Because this time, I’m here to burn myself down.“Sir,” my assistant whispers beside me, handing over a final document. “Press release, just in case you want to stick to the talking points.”I shake my head slowly. “No script.”He nods, lips tight.I wait until the countdown hits zero
Knoxx’s Point of View“You can’t do this to me, Knoxx!”Dolly’s voice pierces the air like a siren. We’re inside the station office, and heads are turning. I don’t care. Let them watch.I stop walking.She catches up to me, breath heavy, her slippers scraping the pavement. She grabs my wrist.“You think you can just erase me like that?” she snaps. “After everything we’ve been through?”I pull my hand back. “What we’ve been through was built on a lie.”Dolly laughs—short and bitter. “You benefited from it, Knoxx. Don’t pretend you didn’t.”I grit my teeth. “I made mistakes. But I didn’t drag a child into it to trap someone.”She scoffs. “You loved Elle.”My throat tightens. I did. I still do. But it’s not the same now.
Caroline's Point of ViewAdrian’s quiet when we get home.Too quiet.Liam runs ahead of us, kicking his shoes off and flopping on the couch like nothing happened. Like Knoxx didn’t show up. Like my entire body didn’t go cold when I saw him staring at our son like he recognized something he shouldn't have.I don't know how Liam does it—how he carries so much light without realizing the darkness trying to crawl back in.I set my purse down on the counter and open the fridge just to keep my hands busy. I’m not hungry. I’m not thirsty. I just need something to do so I don’t look at Adrian and answer the questions I know are waiting in his silence.He finally speaks when Liam runs upstairs to get his toy robot.“I didn’t mean to listen.”I close the fridge and look at him. “You did.”He exhales slowly. “I only heard part of it.”I don’t answer.He walks toward me, slow, measured. “You asked Knoxx why it matters now.”My jaw tightens. “It doesn’t.”He stops a few steps away from me. His eye
Knoxx’s Point of ViewI spend the entire week drowning in files.Surveillance reports. Background checks. Photos.Everything I can get my hands on about Caroline Hill.I don’t eat much. I barely sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see his face. Liam. The way he held his chopsticks. The exact curl of his lip when he frowned at the lake. The same way I used to as a kid, according to my mother.At first, I tried to shrug it off.Coincidence.Kids mimic adults. Maybe he got it from someone else.But the more I watched, the more it gnawed at me. The way he walks. The shape of his fingers. The look he gives when he’s unsure about something. I’ve seen it before. In the mirror.So I called in a favor. No name, no paperwork. Just a quiet investigation. One of the old agents who sti
Knoxx’s Point of ViewI don’t know why I’m still standing here.I should’ve left ten minutes ago. Elle’s been huffing beside me, trying to get my attention, whispering shit under her breath about how boring this place is. I ignore her.I can’t look away.Caroline is laughing at something the kid says. She hands him a napkin, brushes something off his cheek. Her hand lingers on the side of his face for a second. And he leans into it.It should annoy me.But it doesn’t.It makes something twist in my chest.I don’t even know this kid. And yet—He’s sitting between her and Adrian like it’s the most natural thing in the world. They look like a family. Like that’s how it’s always been.I know it’s n
Caroline's Point of ViewThe afternoon sun dips lower, casting a soft glow over the lake as Liam skips another rock across the water’s surface.“One, two, three, four—” he counts, squealing when the stone bounces five times. “Did you see that, Mommy?”“I did,” I call from the blanket where I’m setting out snacks. “You're getting really good at that.”Adrian chuckles as he walks up beside Liam. “At this rate, you’ll be teaching me soon.”Liam grins, proud. “I can teach both of you!”It’s peaceful. The kind of peace I’ve fought hard for. Just us, by the lake. A rare day with no work, no tension, no shadows.Then I hear it—the crunch of tires on gravel.My entire body stiffens.I don’t turn around immediately. Maybe it’s a park ranger. Or someone just passing through.But then I hear the car door. A second one. Then her voice.“I told you I wanted the spot with the trees!”No.I turn slowly, praying I’m wrong.But of course. Of course I’m not.Knoxx Wayne steps out of the driver’s side.