ログインSalome’s POV"He is actually insane," I whispered, staring at the dark screen of my phone.The silence in the back of the car felt heavy. I could feel Jeremiah watching me from the seat beside me. In the front, Benedict kept his eyes on the road, but he kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror. I shoved the phone deep into my bag, wishing I could bury the memory of that voice along with it. Barnabas sounded like he was losing his mind. He had used a random office number just to get me to pick up."You are divorced?" Benedict asked. His voice broke the quiet, but it didn't make me feel any better."Yes, Benedict, she is," Jeremiah said. He sounded bored, like we were discussing the weather instead of my failed marriage. "Can we focus on the road? We have a schedule to keep."I turned my head toward the window. I didn't want to talk about Barnabas. I didn't want to talk about the divorce papers that were barely dry. Most of all, I didn't
Remigio’s POV“It is a dessert for young women,” Helen said, her voice tight with a strange kind of worry.I looked at the screen of the phone again. My son, Jeremiah, had posted a photo of a strawberry cake. It was a small thing, pink and sugary, sitting on his table at home. To anyone else, it was just a snack. To my wife, it was a flashing neon sign. She was convinced some girl had forced it on him.I knew my son. Jeremiah did not do things he didn’t want to do. If that cake was on his social media, it was because he wanted it there. That was the scandalous part. He was making a statement.“You think a girl is behind this?” I asked.I was genuinely stunned. I hadn’t considered a romantic angle until Helen pointed it out. But once the thought was there, it stuck. We didn’t know any girl he was seeing. There was that one phone call a while back, but I had dismissed it. That girl was a friend of Salom
Salome’s POV“Salome, stay right where you are.”I froze. My hand was already hovering over the door handle, but Jeremiah’s voice pinned me to the spot. I took a slow breath and turned around. He was watching me with an unreadable expression.“Don’t leave yet,” he said. He didn’t wait for my answer. He just looked over at Arthur. “Arthur, go ahead and open that cake. It looks like it might actually be good.”Arthur nodded. He reached into the paper bag and pulled out the container. He was careful, almost gentle, as he set the strawberry shortcake down on the table right in front of Jeremiah. The smell of fresh cream and sugar filled the small space immediately.Jeremiah picked up his fork. He took a small bite and leaned back, closing his eyes for a second as if he were savouring it. Then, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He held it up and started moving it around the cake, trying to
Salome’s POV“You have to be kidding me,” I whispered to the empty room.The light from the phone screen felt like a heat lamp against my face. There it was, sitting in the chat history with a timestamp of 2:48 AM. Three words that made my stomach do a slow, agonizing flip: Of course, baby.I gripped the edges of the device so hard my knuckles turned white. I wanted to hurl it across the room, but I just stood there, paralyzed. I must have been completely out of my mind. The wine from last night felt like it was still swirling in my head, mocking me. I had been exhausted and tipsy, and now I was mortified.I dropped onto the edge of my bed and buried my face in my palms. My skin was hot. This was easily the worst thing I had done in months, and I had a long list of recent embarrassments to choose from.Maybe we can break into his place, Vesper suggested in the back of my mind. We could find h
Salome’s POV"I will be there, boss," I muttered into my pillow, the words catching in my dry throat.My head felt like it was stuffed with wet cotton. I had drifted off twice in the last ten minutes, my brain refusing to stay online. The morning light poked through the curtains, stabbing at my eyes. I didn't even open them. I just reached for the nightstand, my fingers grazing the cold glass of my phone. I knew the keyboard by heart. I didn't need to look. I just needed to tell him I was on my way so he would stop looming over my conscience.I tapped the screen, the haptic clicks feeling like tiny hammers against my thumb. My coordination was gone. I meant to type the word boss. It was a simple word. But my thumb slipped. It hit the 'a' instead of the 'o.' It doubled the 'b' and threw a 'y' at the end just for spite.Me: Of course, baby.I didn't check it. I didn't even look at the blue bubble. The phone tumbled from my hand, bouncing off th
Salome’s POV"The kitchen, Salome," Jeremiah said, his voice flat and heavy with that familiar tone of command.I didn't argue. I just turned on my heel and marched back toward the stove. Every step I took felt like a tiny protest against the floorboards. I had just spent the last ten minutes trying to be helpful, and this was the thanks I got. He wouldn't even look at me. He just walked into the dining room like he owned every inch of air I was breathing, bringing that sharp, medicinal smell of his ointment with him.I stared at the pot on the burner. I wasn't in the mood for anything fancy, so I had just grabbed a can of tomato soup. It was simple. It was fast. The steam hit my face as I stirred, the scent of herbs and salt filling the small space. It was actually a bit much, honestly. The smell was so thick I had to step toward the window for a second just to catch my breath before I could finish.I turned off the heat and ladled the red liquid i
Salome’s POV"You really think a few tears make you the victim here?" I asked, my voice steady despite the heat in my chest.I didn't wait for Portia to answer. I leaned forward and slapped her. The sound was loud, a sharp crack that echoed against the linoleum floors of the a
Salome’s POV“You’re actually going to make me pay for my own clearance?” Barnabas asked.The smug look he usually wore didn’t just fade. It shattered. He looked at the paperwork like it was a death warrant rather than a simple fee.Jeremiah didn
Salome’s POV“So, what is the plan for the factory?” I asked, breaking the heavy silence that filled the hospital room.The truth about Román and Rosendo was still sinking in. They had played everyone for over ten years, right under our noses. I shifted agai
Salome’s POV“We leave for New York in the morning,” Benedict said. He leaned against the wall, looking far too relaxed for a man who just spent all night in an interrogation room. “It is over. The mess at the factory is finally under control.”I shifte







