MasukAriana’s POV The woman took a few more slow, calculated steps into the room, her eyes darting around like she expected a cockroach to leap out from the shadows. Then, her gaze snapped back to me, doing another slow crawl from my messy hair down to the thin, wrinkled fabric of my hospital gown.I was acutely aware of how I must look. My hair was likely a bird's nest from tossing and turning, and meeting the parents in a flimsy gown wasn't exactly the power move I would have chosen. I felt exposed and intimidated, but I didn't let it show. I forced a polite smile onto my face because, despite everything, a part of me desperately wanted Nathaniel’s family to like me."Hello, ma’am," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I’m Ariana. Nathaniel isn’t here at the moment. Would you like to wait for him?"The woman didn't answer immediately. She walked over to the chair Nathaniel had vacated, gripped the back of it with two manicured fingers, and dragged it several inches further away from
Ariana's POVThe first thing I heard was a rhythmic beep. It was steady and annoying, pulling me back from a deep, heavy darkness. I tried to move, but my limbs felt like they were made of wet sand. Everything was too much effort. Just as I realized someone was holding my left hand—their grip tight, warm, and oddly grounding—the weight of exhaustion dragged me back under. I slipped off the edge of consciousness again before I could even twitch a finger.The second time I woke, the fog had cleared. I felt lighter, more present. I slowly blinked my eyes open and the first thing I saw was a mop of sleek, dark hair resting on the edge of my mattress.Nathaniel.He was hunched over, his head resting on his arms right next to my hip. I stared at him for a moment, my mind wandering. I used to watch movies where the hero would sit by a hospital bed for days, and I’d always think it was so impractical. Why wouldn't they just go home, get a good night's sleep in a n actual bed, and come back fr
Nathaniel's POVI was barely three blocks away, still feeling the lingering warmth of Ariana’s arms around my neck, when my phone vibrated loudly. It was the lead security detail Gurner had placed on Maya’s street."Report," I said, my voice already tightening."Sir, we have an incident. A man approached Miss Ariana outside the building. He was aggressive. He had his hands on her throat. We intervened, but he fled into the alleys. Two men are in pursuit."The world seemed to stop for a second. The air in the car turned freezing. "Is she hurt?" I growled, my hand gripping the leather armrest so hard the stitching groaned."She’s shaken, sir. She’s retreated inside the apartment. We have a man at her door now.""Turn the car around," I snapped at the driver. "Now!"My driver didn't hesitate. He swung the heavy SUV into a violent u-turn, tires screeching as he navigated the narrow Astoria street with perfect ease. I made a mental note to give the man a substantial raise. He was faithful,
Ariana's POVIt felt like I was walking toward my own execution. My heart thumped frantically against my ribs, making me lightheaded. I kept telling myself to be brave, but with every step I took toward the shadows of that rusted street lamp, the air seemed to get thinner.He’s not going to hurt me, I tried to convince myself. Not in the middle of a street in Astoria. But I knew my father. I knew the man who had raised me, and I knew that logic didn't always apply to him when he was on a rave. The closer I got, the more my throat closed up, but I steeled my resolve. I wouldn't let him see me tremble. Not this time.I stopped several feet away at a safe distance, though it didn't feel safe enough. We stood there, the orange glow of the street light casting faint distorted shadows on the pavement between us. It was still daytime but the sun would go down soon. "Dad," I said, my voice flat and devoid of emotion.He looked at me, his eyes hooded and dark. A slow, mocking smile spread acr
Ariana's POVI stretched my arms over my head, feeling the satisfying ache in my muscles. I had put in ten hours of work already, my fingers flying across the keys as I processed the data for my remote contract. It was a nice burn, the kind that made me feel like I was accomplishing something on my own terms. The apartment was blissfully quiet since Maya had gone back to work for one of her twice-a-week office days, leaving me with nothing but my thoughts.I instinctively rubbed my stomach, a habit I had developed over the last few weeks. "Baby, you are eating so much," I whispered.I was constantly hungry these days. It felt like my body was a furnace, burning through everything I put into it. Since I had decided to stay with Maya for the time being because it felt safer and more grounded than moving again, I had used a small portion of my signing bonus to make the place more comfortable. I’d ordered some ergonomic furnishings for our workspace and a few high-end outfits for Maya to
Third person POV He had been watching that house for days but the neighborhood was starting to itch. A couple of poke-nosers who couldn't mind their own damn business had already approached him with suspicious looks and questions. He had blown them off with a cool, practiced ease, but he wasn’t a fool. He knew the windows of opportunity were closing. Security was tightening, and he could feel the invisible eyes of whatever goons were sniffing around.It was Sunday evening, and he had been trailing the Donovan girl. She was a busybody herself, flitting from place to place, but today she had spent the better part of the afternoon with an uptight, clean-looking man. A white collar worker, by the look of his expensive shoes and the way he carried himself. They were currently at a dimly lit bar, and by the way the drinks were flowing, they were well on their way to being completely shit-faced.Arthur watched from a corner booth, his mind whirring. He needed to get her alone. He pulled a c
Ariana's POVMaya and I spent the rest of the day just chilling and watching Friday shows. It felt surreal to be sitting on a comfortable sofa, surrounded by the sound of an air conditioner and the smell of scented candles, after so long in the wild. Maya had taken over the kitchen completely. She
Nathaniel's POVAriana was running in the rain on the island and laughing. She looked beautiful and radiant in the moonlight, her skin glowing with life. She turned toward me, her eyes sparkling, and hugged me. I held her back fiercely, burying my face in the crook of her neck, breathing in the sce
Ariana's POVIt’s been nearly two months. I know this because Nathaniel came up with a tally system carved into the side of one of our storage crates. Fifty-eight days since we have been here.We started the morning at the lagoon, our usual ritual. We bathed in the cool, clear water, and I used a b
Ariana's POV When I woke up, the raft was already warm from the early sun, and Nathaniel’s arm was draped heavily over my waist. For a few seconds, I stayed perfectly still, listening to his steady breathing and remembering the way the raft had swayed under the weight of our bodies the night befor







