ログインElena locked her bedroom door and leaned against it.Her hand went straight to her chest. Her heart was beating so fast it was almost embarrassing. She pressed her palm flat against it like she could slow it down by force.She walked to the mirror and looked at herself.Her cheeks were still red. She touched her lips slowly and the whole kiss came rushing back. The way he had moved between her upper lip and her lower lip without rushing, like he had decided to take his time and nothing was going to change that. His hand on her waist. The other one wrapped against the side of her neck. The way her knees had simply stopped working.She pressed her fingers against her mouth.It didn't help.She stood there for a full minute letting her heart do whatever it wanted. Then the smile on her face began to fade on its own.Reality dawned on her. She had a purpose, she had a list of people who had taken things from her that she intended to get back. A kiss, however much her body had responded to
The house was still lit up when Elena walked in.She had barely closed the door behind her when the sound of small fast feet came from down the hall and then Ethan appeared around the corner running at full speed with his arms already open before he reached her.She crouched down and caught him.He pressed his face into her neck and held on with both arms and both legs like he was making sure she couldn't go anywhere. She held him back just as tightly, closing her eyes for a second.The nanny appeared a moment later, slightly out of breath. She stopped when she saw Elena."I'm so sorry ma'am. He refused to sleep. He kept saying he wanted to wait for you and I couldn't …..""It's fine." Elena looked up at her over Ethan's shoulder. "I will take it from here. You can rest."The nanny nodded with visible relief and disappeared down the hall.Elena straightened up with Ethan still attached to her, his legs wrapped around her waist. She carried him toward the stairs and that was when he pu
Fifteen minutes later the heat came.It started at the back of her neck and spread quickly. She felt dizzy.She found Victoria in the crowd and touched her arm."Victoria." Her voice came out hoarse and disoriented. "I don't feel good."Victoria looked at her. "Already? You didn't even drink that much." She took Elena's arm gently. "Come on. I booked rooms for the night. I will take you to lie down."She guided Elena away from the bar, away from the pool, toward the doors that led back inside the hotel. Elena leaned into her slightly, grateful, trusting.They moved through the doors and into the hallway that was filled with a series of rooms. The music faded behind them.Victoria stopped."Oh no." She pressed her hand to her forehead. "I forgot to tell the girls something important. I have to go back for just a second."Elena turned to look at her. The hallway was tilting slightly. "Vic, don't leave me alone. I feel really strange.""Room 801," Victoria said, already stepping back tow
*FLASHBACK*The changing room was quiet compared to the rooftop. It had white walls and long mirrors and the faint sound of music still blasting from above.Elena stood in front of one of the mirrors and unclipped the earrings slowly. She set them on the counter and looked at them for a moment without saying anything.Victoria came and stood beside her. She put her hand on Elena's shoulder."Sis, I'm sorry for what my friends said. They can be like that sometimes. I should have stopped them sooner."Elena moved her shoulder gently so that Victoria's hand slid off. "You gave me the earrings to wear Vic. Why didn't you say something when they started making fun of them?"Victoria's face shifted. Something soft and wounded moved across it. "I didn't know they were fake either. I swear. I bought them from a vendor who told me they were real. I just wanted us to match." Her voice dropped. "I can't believe you think I would do something like that to you on purpose. Is that really how you se
*FLASHBACK(ON THE NIGHT OF VICTORIA’S BIRTHDAY PARTY)*Elena was in her own world.She lay on her bed with her headset on, music pouring into her ears loud enough to block out everything else. Her eyes were closed. Her feet were crossed at the ankle. She was completely immersed in her own world.The headset was yanked off her head. Elena’s eyes flew open.Victoria stood over her, dangling the headset above her head with a wide grin on her face. “Ughhh. You are always like this.”“Victoria.” Elena sat up. “Give it back.”“No.” Victoria took a step back, still grinning. “If you want it, you are going to have to come and get it.”Victoria was taller. She knew it and she was using it. She held the headset just high enough for Elena to struggle. Elena stood up and reached for it and Victoria moved it higher and they went back and forth like that for a few seconds until Elena jumped for it and caught Victoria’s arm instead and they both toppled sideways onto the bed.They burst out laughing
Elena’s hands were shaking before she even reached the car.She got in, slammed the door and sat there for a second with both hands on the steering wheel, breathing hard. The confrontation with Victoria was still running through her body like electricity, hot. She could still feel the weight of her own hand around Victoria’s throat. She could still hear the words Victoria said to her.“You lost your child. You had a miscarriage”.She started the car and pulled out into the road.She had no destination. She just needed to move, sitting still felt impossible right now, like the walls of wherever she was would close in if she stopped. She drove, taking turns without thinking, moving through the city with no map and no plan. Her chest felt tight. She pressed her fist against it once, then again, like she could loosen whatever was sitting there. Her breathing was coming in shorter, like she was struggling to breathe.She pressed harder on the accelerator. And then it started.It came the
They had reached the board members; Mr. Chen, Mrs. Kim, Mr. Davis, and several others, all holding drinks and engaged in what had probably been an intense discussion before Elena’s entrance had stopped everything.Elena turned to face them with a warm, professional smile that was worlds away from t
Elena had pushed aside most of her work documents, accepting that she wasn’t going to get much done with Adrian around. Not that she minded, his energy was infectious, and after the tension of the past few days, his lighthearted presence felt like a breath of fresh air.“So,” Elena said, settling b
Adrian stopped halfway, dropping his arms with an exaggerated pout. "One of these days, big brother, you are going to let me hug you. One of these days.""Not today," Damien said flatly, but there was the barest hint of warmth in his voice that only someone who knew him well would catch.Adrian had
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the tall windows of Elena's bedroom, painting golden patterns across the cream-colored walls. Elena stirred, her body protesting slightly from yesterday's tension, but the brightness of the new day felt like a fresh start.She stretched her arms above her







