MasukVICTORIAFour years laterThe air feels different today — softer, lighter, almost unreal.The sun pours gently over the gardens of Valemont estate, painting the marble white and the grass gold.Children run barefoot across the lawn, their laughter spilling through the breeze like music.I am standin
******************************************************************************************CHASEThe music floats across the beach, slow and warm, the kind that makes the night feel softer than it is.Fairy lights sway in the ocean breeze, and laughter ripples through the guests as I stand near the
VICTORIAThe sand is warm under my heels as we walk down the narrow path leading to the beach, the faint hum of waves mixing with distant laughter.My hand rests lightly on my belly, the other laced tightly with Chase’s because I still can’t believe this is real — that he’s this happy, that we are.
I pretend not to notice, but something cracks quietly inside me.On the jet, she wasn’t exaggerating about sleeping. The moment she sits down, she curls up, adjusts the blanket, and shuts her eyes without a word. I sit across from her and just… stare as the engines hum softly, clouds drift past the
CHASE“That’s it. Close that laptop; we’ll be late,” I say, standing from the couch at House of Valemont, telling her for the tenth time, pretending she didn’t hear me.Victoria doesn’t even flinch. Her eyes stay fixed on the screen, the faint light tracing her sharp cheekbones as she scrolls. “One
The entire ride to House of Valemont, I can’t calm down. I keep rehearsing my steps, my greetings, my smile. My mind runs wild with what-ifs—what if nothing’s the same, what if I walk in and everyone stares? What if I can’t do this? but I try to remain strong until we get there.Once we finally arr
CHASEMy hands ache where the ropes cut into my wrists. The marble beneath me is cold, and the city lights blur beyond the glass — and inside me, there's one fiery thing: fury. It tastes like copper, regret, and a hundred promises I doubt I can keep.Victoria sits across from me with that broken, fi
The rope slips; red blooms where the cord rubbed. She coughs, breath ragged, and for the briefest second, I see the raw, human relief on her face and I almost lose myself.Harry’s skepticism is a physical thing. He lingers, watching, not trusting the whole of the room to breath. He steps closer to m
“I don’t know if I’m happy he’s alive,” she says softly, her voice barely there. “And that makes me feel… anxious.”I turn to her, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. “He won’t get near you again,” I promise. “Once he’s out of the hospital, he’s going straight to prison. He won’t even breathe
VICTORIAI couldn’t sleep either. Every time I closed my eyes, Chase’s voice found its way through the noise. How he looked at me earlier in his office — quiet, steady, like he saw straight through the storm inside me — keeps looping in my head.I toss again, the sheets cold against my skin, the cei







