MasukRILEY'S POV The office plunged into darkness, so sudden and complete it felt like the world had blinked out of existence. A sharp gasp escaped my lips as my hands fumbled blindly across my desk.“No,” I whispered. “No, no, no.”Emergency lights sputtered on seconds later, casting the office in a dim red glow that felt more ominous than comforting. But they went out a few seconds later, leaving me stranded in the dark.Something like shadows stretched unnaturally across the far ends of the walls. The hum of electricity was gone, replaced by a heavy and unsettling silence.Someone screamed.The sound tore through the space, sharp and terrified, ricocheting off walls I could no longer see. My heart slammed violently against my ribs, my breath coming too fast, too shallow.“Hello?” I called out instinctively, hating how small my voice sounded.There was no answer.Footsteps shuffled somewhere nearby. A chair scraped against the floor and someone cursed under their breath. It made me a b
RILEY'S POV The clippers made a soft clicking sound as I trimmed the edge of my thumbnail, tiny crescents dropping onto the small towel I’d spread over my lap. My body still carried the heaviness that stretched from the beginning of the day. It had been long and tiring especially with Sofia constantly poking around me.I let out a soft sigh as my legs hummed from exhaustion, and my back reminded me I wasn’t taking care of myself half as well as I pretended to.My apartment was quiet in a warm and familiar way, which was absolutely normal.The standing lamp in the corner threw a soft amber glow across the living room, catching the dust motes drifting lazily in the air. Outside, the distant hum of traffic mixed with the occasional horn or the chatter of the neighbor’s TV leaking through the walls. It was the kind of evening where silence felt like a companion instead of a void.I filed the freshly trimmed nail, letting the rhythmic scrape settle my mind. Today was tiring. Not exactly
AIDEN'S POV For some reason I was relieved it wasn't Riley. The thought of her being in trouble again had weighed me down.I stared at my mom for a whole minute, wondering why she'd come here.She looked frail and tired, her posture was straight despite the hard seat, handbag folded neatly on her lap. Her cardigan was buttoned wrong off by one, and a thin scarf rested around her neck even though the morning wasn’t cold..She looked smaller than I remembered, more fragile somehow and painfully out of place in a room built for people in trouble.She looked up and her face softened immediately. “There you are,”Relief flooded her expression so fast it knocked the breath out of me. Anger flared right after.I crossed the room in long strides. “Mom, why're you here?”She smiled like I hadn’t just been summoned to a police station before breakfast. “Good morning.”“What are you doing here?” I demanded again, keeping my voice low but failing to hide the edge. “Why are you at the police sta
RILEY'S POVI wasn’t exactly sure when Claire decided that today was the day to drag me out for what she cheerfully called “a little retail therapy,” but I suspected she had planned it the second she noticed how pale I looked that morning.She didn’t ask if I wanted to go or not. She just marched straight into my room the moment I shuffled out of the shower, hands on her hips, already choosing an outfit for me like I was a life-sized Barbie she owned.“We’re going shopping,” she declared.I blinked at her. “Why? I have clothes.”“No, babe. You have fabric and you have vibes. Not clothes.” Then she added with a suspiciously casual tone, “And besides, you need new stuff.”The way she looked at my stomach for half a second made me narrow my eyes, but I pretended not to notice. Claire thought she was subtle. She wasn’t. But I didn’t have the energy to question anything this morning. Especially not that, talking about it was awkward.So I let her dress me and drag me out of the house like
AIDEN'S POV I didn’t sleep, not even for a full minute.Every time I closed my eyes, the only thing I saw was Riley’s face in that restaurant, pale, slightly sweaty, her lips pressed into a tight line as she insisted she was fine. “Just indigestion,” she’d said with a weak smile. As if I couldn’t see the way her hands trembled.I got home and sat on the edge of my bed still wearing the shirt from dinner, the fabric smelling faintly of the restaurant’s spices. My room was dim, quiet, and far too still, and my mind wouldn’t stop replaying everything.The way she pushed her food around instead of actually eating, the tiny wince she tried to hide every time she shifted in her seat.The way her voice trembled when she told me not to take her to the hospital.Anyone would've missed that, but not me. I was way too observant. Something was wrong with her, she didn't want me knowing what it was. I just hope it wasn't a terminal illness or something.I leaned forward and dragged both hands d
RILEY'S POVIf someone had told me earlier that dinner with Aiden would feel like sitting on a warm cloud and hot coals at the same time, I would’ve probably stayed in the office and slept under my desk.The moment we stepped into the restaurant, I regretted agreeing.It wasn’t anything fancy. Warm lighting, wood tables, soft jazz, the kind of place where conversations hummed but nothing felt overwhelming. But having Aiden across from me made everything feel too sharp, too intense, too present.He ordered something simple.I did too.We talked about small things, harmless, but somehow every second felt charged.“Do you always walk that fast when you’re trying to avoid someone?” he asked at one point, his tone annoyingly amused.I stabbed my food lightly, trying not to look at him. “I wasn’t avoiding you.”“Riley.”“Okay, maybe a little.” I sighed. He was stubborn when he needed to hear something from me.He smiled, that reluctant, gentle smile he’d been giving me lately. I looked aw







