LOGINWren CarterSomething was wrong with Cyrus.At first, I told myself I was imagining it.Maybe he was busy. Maybe his father had buried him under another mountain of responsibilities. Maybe he was simply giving me the space I'd once begged him for.But no matter how many excuses I came up with, none of them felt right.Because this wasn't the Cyrus I'd slowly begun to know.The Cyrus who would send me a sarcastic text after class.The Cyrus who would somehow appear outside the hospital at exactly the same time as my visits.The Cyrus who had started smiling more than smirking.This Cyrus...Looked haunted.It had been three days since we'd visited my mother together.Three days since we'd laughed over burnt pancakes he had proudly insisted were "perfectly edible."Three days since we'd sat under the stars talking about absolutely nothing.And in those three days, something inside him had changed.He still walked me home.He still made sure I reached my apartment safely.He still called
Cyrus Blackwood There were days when I wished ignorance had stayed bliss. Today wasn't one of them. I was halfway through dismantling the punching bag hanging in my private gym when my phone buzzed across the bench beside my towel. Sweat dripped from my forehead as I ignored it, driving another punch into the leather until the chain rattled violently above me. The ache in my knuckles was welcome. Physical pain was easier to deal with than the constant war going on inside my head. Wren. She had occupied every waking thought of mine for weeks now. Was she sleeping enough? Was she eating? Had her mother gotten better? Were those bastards still watching her? The questions never stopped. My phone buzzed again. This time, I glanced at the screen. Marcus. The investigator I had connections with. Immediately, my posture stiffened. Marcus never called unless he had something important. I grabbed the phone before the third ring. "What?" "I found something." Those three words we
Cyrus BlackwoodI wasn't sure what terrified me more. Business meetings with my father.Or asking Wren Carter to have dinner with me.At least in business meetings I knew exactly how I'd fail.With Wren...I never knew.Mrs. Carter had eventually fallen asleep after exhausting herself talking more than the doctors probably approved of, leaving Wren and me quietly walking side by side through the hospital corridor. Neither of us felt the need to fill the silence. It wasn't uncomfortable anymore. Somewhere along the way, silence with her had become... peaceful.She was adjusting the strap of her bag when I finally worked up the courage."Wren?""Hm?"She looked over.My rehearsed speech disappeared instantly."I..." I scratched the back of my neck. "I wanted to ask you something."She stopped walking. I almost wished she hadn't. Now she was actually waiting. Patiently."What is it?"I took a slow breath. "Would you..."No.Too direct."I was thinking maybe..."Still terrible.She tilted
Wren CarterThe elevator ride to my mother's floor felt strangely... peaceful.For once, my mind wasn't occupied by threatening messages or Adrian's confession or wondering whether someone was watching me.Instead, I found myself painfully aware of the man standing beside me.Cyrus leaned casually against the wall of the elevator, one hand tucked into the pocket of his jeans while the other held a small paper bag from the bakery downstairs.I glanced at it."You bought something?"He looked down as though he'd forgotten he was holding it."Oh."A sheepish smile tugged at his lips."Your mom likes those strawberry cream pastries."I blinked."You remembered?"He looked genuinely confused."Of course."Then, after a brief pause, he added quietly,"She mentioned it the second time I visited."The second time.He remembered something so insignificant that even I had forgotten she'd mentioned it.Before I could stop myself, I smiled.A real one.He caught it immediately."What?""Nothing."
Cyrus BlackwoodIf someone had told me a month ago that my Saturday morning would begin with Wren Carter calling me first...I would've laughed in their face.Yet here I was.Standing in my room with a folder full of reports spread across my desk, trying to make sense of names, numbers, and dead ends that all somehow led back to the men hunting Wren.Nothing fit together.Every lead I chased either disappeared or circled back to another fake identity.The photograph of her mother.The threatening messages.Adrian.The loan sharks.It all felt connected, but there was still a missing piece.One piece.And until I found it...Wren wasn't safe.I rubbed a tired hand over my face before throwing another file onto the desk with a frustrated sigh."Damn it."For the first time in years, I felt useless.No amount of money.No family influence.No connections.Nothing seemed enough.Whoever these people were...They knew how to disappear.I leaned both hands against the desk, staring blankly
Cyrus BlackwoodBy the time I pulled into the driveway, it was well past midnight.The entire estate was lit up as if someone important had arrived.That usually meant one thing.My father was home.I shut off the engine and sat there for a few seconds, rubbing my face with both hands. After everything Ryan had uncovered tonight, the last thing I wanted was another lecture from him.Unfortunately...Life rarely cared what I wanted.The moment I stepped through the front doors, one of the house staff approached me cautiously."Mr. Blackwood is waiting for you in his study, sir."Of course he was.I nodded once before making my way down the familiar hallway.The door was already open.My father stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows with a glass of whiskey in one hand, his back facing me. He didn't bother turning around when I entered."I hear you've been busy."I closed the door behind me."If this is about Christy—""It isn't."His calm tone somehow felt more dangerous than if he h
Wren Carter The smell of oil paint and linseed oil was strong and it added more tension to my already throbbing head. I had been in the art studio for the past two hours. It was a break before the exams and I decided to use this time to free my mind before getting to studies. The art room was open
Cyrus BlackwoodI pulled out of the hospital drop off as Wren’s back receded. I wondered to myself if this was the right thing to do. I was only doing this to fool her into trusting me. To tame her. Also because I wanted to know more about her. Something about her was intriguing, even more so past
Wren CarterBy the time I left the campus, the sun was on the horizon, about to dip into the abyss. The hues of red and oranges colored the sky as I matched my pace to the bricks on the floor. I looked up and smiled at people who walked past me.I stopped wearing my hoodie but it was cold and the a
Cyrus BlackwoodThe exam week was closing in and so was our first football match of the season. The practice was getting brutal every day; the drills were getting longer, the tackles were getting harsher, and the coach barked orders until his voice was hoarse. My muscles burned by the time I got ho







