LOGINBETTYAs promised, ten minutes later, I see Rhys shaking hands with the men before making his way toward me.I am seated at the bar counter, halfway through an iced coffee I haven’t really been drinking, my fingers wrapped loosely around the glass as I watch him approach.He stops just behind me, close enough for me to feel his presence before he even speaks, one hand sliding into his pocket.“We can take that walk now,” he says.I push the glass aside, slide off the barstool without finishing it and lead the way out of the club.The shift from dim lighting to open air is immediate as we step onto the street, the late afternoon stretching into early evening.We start walking side by side. Not too close, not too far. And for the first ten minutes, all I could hear was just the sound of our footsteps and the quiet movements of the city around us.I tilt my head slightly toward him, the silence becoming awkward. “How are you?”“Good,” he replies immediately. “You?”“I’m good too.”Anothe
BETTYI hadn’t seen or heard from Rhys since he left my kitchen.At first, I told myself it was okay. That it didn’t mean anything. He was busy running his club or caught up in whatever it was that filled his time when he wasn’t with me.But by the third day, that excuse stopped holding.I tried not to overthink and convinced myself that I didn’t have to reach out because if he wanted to talk, he would.But when the silence stretched way too long, I finally I texted him. Then I called. But I got no response.And just like that, it became something I couldn’t ignore anymore. He was avoiding me.The realization settled in slowly, not sharp enough to hurt, but heavy enough to sit in my chest and refuse to move.And the worst part of it all was that I still didn’t know what my answer would have been. I still didn’t know what I would say if he stood in front of me again, looked at me the way, and said those little magic words.But I was sure of one thing. I hated the distance. I hated this
NATHANIEL“Excuse?” I scoff, the sound sharp, disbelieving. “I did not exaggerate anything. I…” I stop myself. Because why the hell am I explaining myself? I owe him nothing.“You know what,” my tone flattens as I pull back from the edge of saying too much, “I don’t have to explain myself to you.” And I turn to leave, but his hand clamps around my bicep.The grip is rough. Aggressive. Not meant to stop me, but to challenge me.I go still, my gaze dropping first to his hand, before I look back at him.“Get your hand off me,” I order, my voice stripped of the concern I felt a few minutes ago, replaced with anger beneath it.“I will,” he says, stepping closer, his grip tightening instead of loosening, his breath carrying the faint edge of alcohol, not enough to dull him, just enough to make him reckless. “But you’re going to admit it first.”My jaw locks.“That you told her that so she would panic. So she wouldn’t leave with me.” A pause settles between us. “Admit it.”I yank my arm free
NATHANIELTwo days ago, I left work earlier than I should have, telling myself that the distance from the office would somehow make the decisions easier to navigate.That was the justification. And it held on all the way until I got home.When I arrived, I went to Grace. Because it made sense that I check on her now that I'm here. That it was responsible, and had nothing to do with anything else, even though I was sure she would not be alone.My hand settled on the knob and stayed there for a second longer than necessary, long enough for hesitation to register, long enough for me to reconsider and walk, but then I heard them talking.“What’s complicated?” Grace’s voice, light and curious, carried through the door with a clarity that made stepping away feel like a conscious decision rather than an instinctive one.I leaned back against the door not fully, not enough to draw attention, but enough to remain close, enough to hear what came next.“It’s a grown-up word adults use when it’s
BETTYWhy the hell does an almost seven-year-old have a television in her bedroom? That’s my first question.My second is, who thought this was a good idea? And that doesn’t need to be answered because I already know. Nathaniel.I turn toward Grace, and she is completely absorbed, her eyes glued to the screen, her entire body angled toward it as if nothing else in the world exists at the moment.She doesn’t even notice me.I set the cookie jar down on her bedside table and walk straight in front of the television, blocking it entirely.I get an immediate protest.“Mom, you’re blocking the TV!” She fumbles for the remote and pauses the movie with surprising speed, her expression already full of offense.“You didn’t even hear me come in,” I point out, folding my arms.“Sorry,” she says quickly, though her eyes flick back to the screen like she’s afraid it might disappear if she looks away too long.“But my favorite part is coming. Can I watch just a few more minutes? Pleeease….pleeease…
BETTY“I love you, Betty.”The words echo in my head once, twice, then a third time, each repetition settling deeper than the last until I can’t seem to move past them.I freeze in his arms, and my lips part slightly, the response right there, hovering, ready, but it doesn’t come.We stay like that a second too long, suspended in something that should have been simple, until I feel the shift in him before I see it.His grip loosens around my waist, his hands no longer holding me with the same certainty, and when I look up, his expression has changed.The amusement is gone. Replaced with something quieter. Something he smooths over quickly. Too quickly.“You don’t have to say anything right now.” He breaks the silence, before his hands fall away completely as he straightens, putting just enough space between us to make the absence noticeable.“I just needed you to know.”A breath escapes me, small and uneven, and I nod, forcing a faint smile that doesn’t quite reach where it’s supposed
BETTY“Girls’ night out, huh?” Rhys’s voice slips into the air behind me, smooth and amused, with that kind of teasing tone that says he knows what happened here tonight.I turn toward him, or rather, I try to, but the world sways a little too much for me to look graceful doing it.“Yeah, we might’
BETTYI freeze outside the door, my breath caught somewhere between my chest and my throat.I force myself to look in, and the sight steals whatever air was left in my lungs.The room looks like a battlefield, books scattered like fallen soldiers, and papers littering the floor in torn, angry flurri
NATHANIELIt’s finally time to close the Virnkirk deal, a moment that should feel clean and decisive, but for reasons no one has bothered to explain properly, they want Rhys present.The request irritates me more than it should because I don’t need his theatrics or his unpredictable presence muddyin
BETTYAfter a full day of dust, drills, and paint samples, I still feel like the construction site clings to my skin.My fingers smell faintly of fresh cement and marker ink, and my back aches from leaning over blueprints all day.I should have gone home to shower, but Lucy can be very persuasive.S







