Eva stepped into her fiancé’s study. The room was spacious, with large glass windows displaying the city view, an elegant classic-modern interior design, tall bookshelves, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingering on the desk.The girl walked closer to Justine, who sat in his chair, staring blankly out the window, lost in thought.“Darling…” Eva greeted softly.Justine flinched slightly, only then realizing her presence. Eva frowned, puzzled by her fiancé’s strange demeanor, something that rarely happened.“Yes, darling,” Justine replied briefly, then fell silent again.Eva sat on the edge of the desk, watching him with curiosity. “What are you thinking about? You didn’t even notice me coming in.”Justine let out a sigh, then gave a faint smile. “I’m thinking about our wedding preparations, of course.” He reached for Eva’s hand and pulled her onto his lap.Eva smiled at that, then wrapped her arms around the neck of the man who would soon officially become her husband. “I thoug
After finishing her shift at the clothing store, Nadine did not return to her apartment. Instead, she went to her friend Clara’s house. Later, they would go to a nightclub together.“Thanks, Clara, for letting me rest here,” said Nadine with a faint smile. Her eyes kept wandering across every corner of Clara’s house. The modern interior with a warm atmosphere, the soft beige sofa, the elegant chandelier, and the gentle scent of aromatherapy candles made Nadine feel as if she were in another world. So beautiful… and definitely expensive, she thought.“Yes,” Clara replied briefly, without much expression.Nadine was slightly puzzled by her friend’s cold attitude. “Did you buy this house yourself?” she asked in admiration.“Yes.” Again, the answer was short.Silence filled the room for a moment. Nadine looked at Clara, curious. “Clara, you must have a lot of money. But why do you still want to work at the store? The salary isn’t… that much.”Clara took a deep breath, then looked at Nadin
That morning, the sky over Amsterdam remained overcast. Thin clouds hung low, and the crisp morning air carried the aroma of toasted bread wafting through the windows of old flats lining the canal.Nadine stood before the mirror in her small apartment in the Oud-West neighborhood. Her body was neatly wrapped in her work outfit: a black sweater, gray trousers, and a long beige coat. But it wasn’t the outfit she was focused on.Her eyes were locked on the bruise on her right cheek. The mark had yet to fade completely—an echo of a terrible event she tried to forget, but hadn’t been able to heal from.“Hope no one notices,” she whispered softly.She combed her hair slowly, letting it fall over the bruised side of her face. The day was cold, but colder still was the loneliness—standing alone in a vast city, hiding a wound she never chose to bear.She took a deep breath, tightened her scarf, and stepped out of her little flat. The streets were damp, leaves scattered the ground, and bicycles
Justin’s office felt unnervingly silent.The man sat behind a large black-glass desk, but his mind was far from the neatly arranged documents in front of him. His eyes were fixed on a monitor screen, playing a nearly one-hour video that had just been sent by Teddy, his most trusted man.Justin’s face looked cold and calculating. On the screen, a petite young woman was cleaning the restroom area of his nightclub. Every movement she made was scrutinized without a blink, as if he were watching a mysterious film that stirred both curiosity and anger inside him.“I thought that woman would never return to this club after what I did to her,” Justin muttered, his voice low but venomous. “Turns out, she’s braver than I expected. Who sent her back? What are they looking for from me?”Justin clenched his fists. His eyes narrowed sharply, recalling how the girl chose to remain silent. He had already discovered that the beautiful yet fragile-looking woman was named Nadine Wilson. Even after being
Eva Marcelline, a famous 27-year-old actress, sat on the lap of her boyfriend, Justin. A sweet smile appeared on her beautiful face, even though her heart felt heavy. The man who had been her fiancé for two years brought up the topic of marriage once again.“Baby, I’m not ready to get married,” said Eva, her voice soft but firm.Justin looked at her deeply. He gently touched his lover’s ear. “Tell me your reason. We've been engaged for two years, Eva.”Eva squirmed slightly, tickled by Justin’s touch, but a sly smile played on her lips. She knew she was playing hard to get — a game she often played to maintain control.“I still want to focus on my career,” she answered. “The entertainment world still has a lot to offer me.”Justin sighed. “How long do I have to wait?”Eva tilted her head, her eyes sparkling. “Two or three more years. My target is to get married at 30.”Justin was silent for a moment. “What if I want to get married now?”Eva raised her hand, gently pushing Justin’s che
Nadine sat on her work chair, letting out a deep sigh and taking a short rest. Her legs were extremely tired. In order to save what little money she had, she had to walk from her place to the high-speed train station, and then walk again from the station to her workplace.“Turns out this is exhausting,” she murmured in her heart, while gently massaging her aching legs. She lifted the cap that covered part of her face slightly and wiped the sweat dripping from her temples. Then, her hand reached into her small bag and pulled out a bottle of water. She sipped it slowly, trying to cool her body and mind.Once the fatigue had eased a little, Nadine got up from her seat and resumed her work. She stepped toward the row of toilets, cleaning them one by one as usual. Fortunately, tonight there weren’t too many heavy tasks. Because before going home yesterday, she had already completed most of her duties.However, Nadine’s steps halted when she entered one of the men’s toilets, the scene from