ELENA’S POV,“I-I should… I should check on the food and prepare the salad,” I stammered, before I even realized the words were tumbling out of my mouth. “Ollie would want dinner soon. It's almost time for her dinner.”Ryan looked at me in confusion, and the smirk he had on his face when he pulled away from the kiss, turned into a frown. He tried to ask... to understand what happened, but I couldn't face him, even though I wanted to kiss him again. Without waiting for his words, I slipped away, practically fleeing into the kitchen.“—Elena,” I heard Ryan call after me, but I didn’t stop or look back. I couldn't, because looking back meant running back into his arms. The kitchen was safe, kind of a neutral territory, but I wasn't completely sure of that.I braced my hands on the island and took a deep breath, but it didn’t slow down the blood rushing through my veins. My lips were still tingling from his touch, and the cheeks were burning. I could still feel the warmth of his breath a
ELENA’S POV,Ollie carefully packed one of her gifts, a plushie bunny she received from Ryan, into a box she had found in the living room cupboard. She was humming to herself as she tied the box with a colorful ribbon, which in itself was a very strange behaviour from her. That's why no one disturbed her; they simply stared at her while she worked. “Is it a gift for someone else?” I asked, looking at Ryan. I thought he must have known if it was something she does every birthday. But Ryan was just as confused as I was, and he shook his head, unsure what was going on. “I have no idea. She had never done this before. She doesn't even open her presents on her birthday, so today has been both confusing and shocking for me.” Once she was satisfied with the result, she held it out with a proud smile. “Why did you pack the gift again?” Ryan asked while walking towards her. He was trying not to sound rude, fearing he might hurt Ollie if she didn't actually like the gift and was packing it
ELENA’S POV, The castle cake stood proudly in the center of the table, a frosted dream in cream and grey colour, with ice cream cone towers dusted in powdered sugar like snow. Ollie’s eyes shone with awe as she circled it for the tenth time, hands clasped in front of her chest like she was afraid to touch something so magical. “It’s perfect, Elena,” she whispered to me, her voice was trembling with excitement. “Just the way I wanted.” My heart swelled at her words. All the hours spent stacking, frosting, and adjusting tiny details had been worth it just to see that look on her face. Behind us, Ryan moved about the kitchen, humming under his breath as he stirred something on the stove. The smell of herbs and roasted vegetables filled the air, while he cooked the dinner for us. He wasn't kidding when he said that he was a good cook, and that made me see in a different light. He glanced over his shoulder, watching Ollie’s bouncing figure as she added paper flags to the cake towers.
ELENA’S POV,The kitchen smelled of sugar and cocoa, and the air was filled with Ollie’s giggles.She was sitting on the kitchen island, with her legs folded and her little hands dusted in flour that she didn't want to clean yet. Her reason was that she wanted to feel like the chiefs from the TV shows. I couldn't say no to her, especially when she was so excited for the day.She was looking at the picture of a cake castle that we were preparing for her birthday. She liked the shape of that cake, but hated the light pink frosting, so I suggested that we could prepare the base from that picture and find a different design for the frosting. She was on board with the idea, but couldn't find a cake that looked like a real castle.“R-real castles... not pink, or p-purple,” she complained when I asked her what was wrong, why she looked sad.I told her that she would find a cake that looked exactly like a real castle, and continued mixing the fillings—chocolate and cookie dough—when Ryan walk
ELENA’S POV,Lauren's sharp words echoed in my ears long after she left.I sat there in the lobby, waiting for Ryan while my brain kept thinking over her words, even when I didn't want to. I was exhausted and hungry, my body felt unnecessarily heavy, and I wanted to close my eyes and fall asleep for days. However, due to the new revelations she made, I was sure proper sleep was going to be a luxury for me.I felt numb to everything, whereas her words swirled in my chest like venom and honey, both fighting to drown the other. When Ryan returned, carrying two blue colored files, his smile faltered the second his eyes fell on me. Seeing me like that, he didn’t hesitate and dropped the files on the chair next to mine, before kneeling in front of me, right there on the marble floor.“Elena,” his voice was careful, and he searched my face for any answers. “What happened to you? Are you okay?”The sight of him kneeling—the Alpha President of the nation, the man everyone else looked at with r
LAUREN’S POV,The hospital room from back then still haunted me.And for some reason, talking to Elena about Julian and our shared pains at the hands of men took me back there. While I stared at her, trying to calm myself down, I was back in that small hospital room smelling the antiseptic and hearing the frantic shuffle of nurses outside. The image of Molly’s pale face under the dim light was right in front of my eyes.That day, jealousy made me cruel, and no matter how much I wanted to forget it, to leave it in the past, I simply couldn't. I tried lying to myself, again and again, but I couldn't make peace with what I did to her daughter. A girl younger than my own, one who was yet to see the world.I lied to Julian and asked him to let Dr. Jenna look after Lucy because she needed her attention more than Molly. I thought I was in the right for doing that, even clever for protecting my own daughter, while making sure Elena would feel the weight of helplessness I had once felt.But cl