登入分享
A QUIET AFTERNOON
publish date:
2026-06-26 19:55:38
最新章節
THE COST OF SAVING HIM A QUIET AFTERNOON
The morning after Kane left felt longer than it should have.I wandered. Not with a destination, just moving through rooms because staying still felt worse. The new house was different from the last one — slightly smaller, slightly warmer somehow, though still far too large for the number of people actually living in it. I passed through the sitting room, looked out a window for a while, walked back through the hallway, and generally accomplished nothing useful for about an hour.Then I noticed the kitchen door was open.I almost walked past it. Then a smell reached me and I stopped completely — warm and sweet and familiar in a way that had nothing to do with expensive houses or security rotations or any of the past few weeks. It smelled like something my mother used to make on slow Sunday mornings, something that belonged to a version of life that felt very far away right now.I stood in the doorway for a moment. Inside, one of the older housekeepers was working at the counter, her h
THE COST OF SAVING HIM ALONE AGAIN
Nadia's POVI woke up annoyed. Not because of the hospital, not because of my arm, not because of the fact that I was living in yet another unfamiliar house. No. I was annoyed because of a stupid head pat — a stupid, ridiculous, completely unnecessary head pat.I pulled the blanket over my face immediately, as if that would somehow erase the memory. It didn't, unfortunately, because the moment I closed my eyes I remembered exactly how close he'd been standing, the way he'd looked down at me, the almost-smile, and then — *happy to be home now?*I groaned into the pillow.I threw the blanket off and sat up. Not thinking about him today. Not happening. I got dressed, brushed my hair, ignored every thought that had his name attached to it, and headed downstairs.Breakfast was already prepared, the dining room quiet and warm, sunlight streaming through the large windows. One of the maids greeted me politely, I smiled, sat down, and immediately started eating. Peace. Finally — no Kane, no L
THE COST OF SAVING HIM TOO CLOSE
The file remained on the desk between them, untouched. Kane looked at it once, then away, and his father took another slow sip of tea, waiting, patient, like he already knew what the answer would be.Kane leaned back slightly. "I won't be available."His father looked at him, then said calmly, "No." A pause. "No objections." Another sip. "I wasn't asking, I was informing you."The room stayed quiet. His father placed the cup down and stood slowly. "The details are inside the file, you'll read them, you'll think about them," his eyes staying steady, "and you'll make the correct decision."Kane remained seated. His father adjusted his jacket and headed toward the door, then stopped halfway without turning. "You've been distracted lately," he said, and I don't tolerate distractions." Then the door opened and closed behind him, and the office went quiet.For several seconds Kane didn't move. Then he reached forward, closed the file, and stood.The drive back felt longer than usual — dar
THE COST OF SAVING HIM AN ASSESSMENT
Kane's POVThe hospital doors opened automatically and cold air met him immediately. Kane adjusted his sleeve once and kept walking — no rush, no delay — and the black SUV was already waiting outside with the driver standing beside it and the engine running. Lev stood near the car, looked at Kane once, and opened the back door. Kane got in, the door closed, and the car pulled away.Nobody spoke. Several minutes passed before Lev looked up from his phone. "Your father called."Kane looked outside. No reaction."He wants to see you."Silence."When," Kane said, still looking forward."Now," Lev answered immediately.Of course. Kane looked outside again and said nothing, and Lev returned to his phone, and the drive continued.Forty minutes later the gates opened onto a large property — old money, security, distance — and the car stopped. Kane stepped out and nobody greeted him, nobody needed to. Inside it was the same house, same silence, same atmosphere that had never changed in thirty
THE COST OF SAVING HIM AN ASSESSMENT
Kane's POVThe hospital doors opened automatically and cold air met him immediately. Kane adjusted his sleeve once and kept walking — no rush, no delay — and the black SUV was already waiting outside with the driver standing beside it and the engine running. Lev stood near the car, looked at Kane once, and opened the back door. Kane got in, the door closed, and the car pulled away.Nobody spoke. Several minutes passed before Lev looked up from his phone. "Your father called."Kane looked outside. No reaction."He wants to see you."Silence."When," Kane said, still looking forward."Now," Lev answered immediately.Of course. Kane looked outside again and said nothing, and Lev returned to his phone, and the drive continued.Forty minutes later the gates opened onto a large property — old money, security, distance — and the car stopped. Kane stepped out and nobody greeted him, nobody needed to. Inside it was the same house, same silence, same atmosphere that had never changed in thirty
THE COST OF SAVING HIM ANOTHER LOCATION
Nadia's POVI didn't move for several minutes after he left, still not fully believing any of it — not the warehouse, not the video, not even the fact that Mara was safe. For some reason the thing my mind kept returning to was his face, not while he shot, not after, but before, that calm expression like he'd already decided, like my fear wasn't part of the equation at all. I looked away from nothing in particular. Wonderful.I stood slowly and this time nobody stopped me, though my arm protested immediately and I ignored it and walked to the window. Outside there were trees and private buildings, too clean and too expensive, and I stared for a second before looking away. Still a hospital. Still.A knock came and the nurse entered smiling politely, then stopped halfway when she saw I wasn't in bed. Her eyes moved to my arm, then to me. "You're standing."I nodded.She looked relieved, which was interesting, and walked in carrying folded clothes — my clothes — placing them carefully nea
THE COST OF SAVING HIM NO MORE NORMAL ROUTINE
Nadia's POV I don't know how long we sat like that. Him in the chair, me on the couch with my face in my hands, the apartment sitting in a silence that had too many things moving underneath it. I was running calculations I didn't want to be running — exits, options, how fast I could get to my pho
THE COST OF SAVING HIM FINAL
Final Nadia's POV I didn't hear everything. But I heard enough. I set the last of my supplies down slowly and watched him end the call and turn toward me with that look — the one that had shifted somewhere between the beginning of the call and the end of it. Like I had changed categories withou
THE COST OF SAVING HIM THERE'S A PROBLEM
Nadia's POV --- He was not a good patient. Not in the dramatic, thrashing way — Kane didn't move an inch he hadn't calculated first. But there was a stillness to him that wasn't cooperation. It was tolerance. Like he was enduring me rather than accepting help, which was a distinction I felt ever
THE COST OF SAVING HIM MAN
Nadia's POV --- Getting him off the ground was its own ordeal. He was heavy in the way that had nothing to do with dead weight — all of it was solid, deliberate, like even his body resisted being helped. He made it to his feet on the second attempt, one hand braced against the car, the other han
你可能也喜歡
Italian Men
Sunshine110.2K 閱讀量The Shark Mafia Boss
Peyton Iuga301.2K 閱讀量Fallen From Grace [Married to the Mafia Novel]
Theia116.9K 閱讀量Mafia Lord's Innocent Bride
Rabia Sajal Niazi107.1K 閱讀量Resold To The Ruthless Mafia Lord
Miss Icecream 271 閱讀量The Master's wife
Amaris kade 160 閱讀量Devil's Obsession
Preshy_writes137 閱讀量Claimed by My Mafia King
Jasmine395 閱讀量
