MasukEvan stood close to the girl in the photo, though the angle made it unclear how near they really were. She leaned slightly toward him, her features mostly obscured by the blur, making it impossible to judge their exact distance.He wore a crisp three‑piece suit, posture calm and composed, while the girl’s face remained mostly indistinct, leaving their closeness open to interpretation.The image pierced straight through her chest.The sight of what looked like closeness, effortless and natural, made Jenna’s chest tighten. Tears welled up, spilling over as the warmth of betrayal burned through her.No, Evan, you can’t be that!She panicked, and her breath hitched, caught in a moment of hesitation over the screen.Have I pushed him away too much?The realization hit her hard. She clutched the chair’s armrest, nails whitening.Has he lost interest in me because I never let him get close?She leaned forward, pressing her face into her palms, as Alexa’s voice cut sharply through her mind.“
She caught the scar near his left cheek bridge, a flicker of human imperfection that only made him more dangerous.Dark strands of hair fell across his brow, catching the faint light, while the mole under his bottom lip seemed to draw her gaze without effort.Every inch of him commanded her attention, a presence she couldn’t ignore and he knew it.Her nerves tensed near him and she forced her eyes downward, but his gaze held her steady.He pressed a finger under her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his, his gaze sharp and commanding.“You’re insane if you think you own me,” she shot back, her breath sharp. “You don’t. You never will.”“I don’t care what fantasy you’re clinging to. Everything you do happens because I allow it, every word you speak survives because I haven’t silenced it.”Her knees buckled but she held his stare. “You can cage my body,” she said, “but not my soul. I’m not a thing to be owned.”He leaned slightly closer, positioning himself firmly, ensuring she couldn’t st
Time blurred into midnight as he came up the stairs, yawning, lazily sweeping his eyes around as though half-asleep until they landed on her figure, messily tangled on the couch.He twitched his brows, examining her from head to toe and huffed in annoyance, nostrils flaring.“Such a stubborn kitten, huh? Let’s see how long you remain away,” he murmured under his breath, devilish shadows crossing his face before disappearing to change.Silence lingered in his absence, thick and heavy, until it thinned, rippled and cracked open with something else, as the place was no longer still but alive, bursting with cheers and laughter.Music vibrated through the walls like a heartbeat too loud for her chest. Glasses clinked, voices climbed higher and Jenna turned her head toward the commotion and froze.Her breath snagged when she spotted Evan entering, his presence swallowing the air whole, causing everyone to scream even louder as though his very existence pulled noise from their throats.She s
She sat on the swing, swaying in slow arcs, blonde hair spilling over her shoulders like sunlight cascading across rippling water.Her gaze clung to the sky as though she were a bird mapping escape routes. The golden rays filtering through the trees softened her sharp features, turning them almost ethereal, like a portrait caught somewhere between dream and waking.A faint smirk played at his lips when his eyes finally found her after the long, isolating day.He stayed behind the pillar a moment, silent, as if observing a fragile sculpture stir to life, beautiful, delicate, unreachable, the very embodiment of a dream hovering just out of reach.She didn’t sense him at first, lost in her own world, until his quiet step forward and the clearing of his throat sliced through her thoughts.She flinched, his sudden step snapping her attention sharply, as her head turned sharply to meet his eyes.His dark, intense stare pierced through her, unwavering.She tried to avert her eyes and slip fr
Next DayThe chilly evening silence settled over the office like a heavy blanket, pressing down as Evan reclined in his chair, eyes drifting across the pile of documents before him. The ticking clock marked the stillness, its steady beat a stark contrast to the tension winding through the room.Suddenly, the door swung open without a knock, the hinges groaning as the person stepped inside.Mr. Enzo didn’t glance up immediately, as if he already knew who had entered. He set his pen aside, letting the pause stretch like the calm before a storm, before finally lifting his gaze. His eyes examined the figure standing there, expression flat, revealing neither surprise nor welcome.He leaned forward, his presence sharp as a blade, and sank into the chair opposite him. “You called me,” he said after a brief greeting, his voice measured. “What’s so important?”Mr. Enzo closed the file in front of him, sliding it aside. His fingers intertwined as he leaned forward, elbows resting on the polishe
The harsh fluorescent light washed across her face, exposing the crimson streaks smeared along her palms. Her chest heaved violently, each breath a shard of pain, her pulse hammering through her temples.She leaned over the sink, knuckles pressed hard to the porcelain, fighting to steady herself. The chill of the tiles beneath her hands offered no anchor. For a fleeting moment, she thought her legs would give out.She kept glaring at her face as the mirror betrayed her, wide eyes flickering with shock and pain, fear and disbelief warring in their depths.How had a simple visit to my family’s house turned into punishment? I didn’t deserve to be treated like that just for coming home late.She cupped cold water to her nose, trying to rinse the blood away, but her shoulders caved inward as though something had hollowed her out. The tears coursed down her face, soaking his shirt as she clung to him, refusing to stop.Meanwhile, Evan entered the room after changing into his nightclothes. H







