LOGINWas it a silly prank or worse is about to happen? Keep reading to find out!
SOFIA:My lips part in surprise. The way his muscles still look as great as before sends my brain into a chaos of flashbacks.“It’s not that serious” Carlos says, stepping close and reaching for the box from my hand but I can't help the way tension clings to me from the sudden proximity. He isn't even that close yet the space between us feels so small.“Thanks” He murmurs tiredly as I let go of the box. Just as he is about to turn from me, I ask what I must.“That tattoo” I start, making him halt and take a quick glance at his chest.“It wasn't there before” I add.“Mhm, it wasn't” He says, flicking his gaze back at me. “I got it after… you know” he sighs, “I had to do something to feel like you're still with me”“Do you feel stupid?” I ask, not knowing why I even ask that.“Should I? Is it too tacky?” He asks.“Nothing can be tacky on you” I comment, receiving a smile from him. He nods, putting the box on the corner of the bathtub and begins to unbuckle his belt. I can't help but st
SOFIA:A soft sound pulls me out of sleep.It’s faint, almost nothing like a door closing too carefully. For a moment I lie still, listening, my body already alert. The room is dark, lit only by the thin wash of moonlight through the curtains.I turn toward the kids.Killian is sprawled on his stomach, one arm flung over his pillow. Cherry is curled on her side, her small breaths even. I brush a hand over their hair, making sure they’re warm and deep asleep. They don’t stir.I slip out of bed quietly and step into the hallway, my bare feet silent against the floor. The noise comes again. It’s coming from the room across the hall.I pause outside the door, heart thudding once, then I push it open.The light is on.Carlos stands inside, jacket draped over the chair, clothes lying around on the corner of the bed while he is completely changed into a simple white t-shirt and sweats. He looks up instantly when he sees me.“Oh—” he says softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”Relief loosens s
SOFIA:The road stretches endlessly ahead of us, dark and quiet except for the steady hum of the engine. I sit in the passenger seat, hands folded tightly in my lap, trying to keep my breathing even. The kids are in the back, finally asleep after hours of fear and questions, their small chests rising and falling in sync.Carlos drives without speaking, his focus fixed on the road. The tension in him is constant like a wire pulled too tight. Every few minutes, I glance at the rearview mirror where Ethan’s car's headlights trail us, a silent promise that we aren’t alone.Still, my stomach won’t settle.Leaving the city feels like stepping into something irreversible. Each mile puts more distance between us and the life I've been living, the house, the routines, even Liam. I don’t know when I’ll see him again, or what condition he is truly in. Morticia’s text echo in my head, unsettling and vague.‘The kids must be protected at any cost’“Did you inform your parents?” I ask quietly.Carl
SOFIA:I sit on Carlos’s couch with my arms locked around the kids, holding them so close it feels like I’m trying to melt them into my skin. Killian’s cheek is smashed against my chest, his little body trembling. Cherry curls into my other side, silent but wide-eyed. My heartbeat hasn’t slowed since the gunshot outside Liam’s house. Every sound in this apartment, every creak, every footstep hits my nerves like lightning.The front door clicks softly. The softness of it keeps me from freaking out because if it were those hunters then the urgency would have given it away.Carlos steps inside, chest rising and falling sharply. His hands… God. His hands are covered in blood.My breath catches. “Carlos…”He lifts them immediately like he is surrendering. “Not mine,” he says quickly. “It’s not mine, Sofia. Relax. They ran off.”I glance down at the kids, ensuring their faces are tucked in my arms so they don't see the stains on him. My stomach twists at the sight, dark red smeared across h
SOFIA VEZSleep didn't come easily anymore. Not with Liam’s ultimatum echoing inside my skull. Not with Carlos’ scent still clinging to my clothes from this evening.Not with the feeling that the threads of my life are all fraying at the same time.I must’ve drifted off for minutes, maybe seconds because the next thing I feel is a vibration through the floorboards. A heavy thud then another.My eyes snap open at that.I slide out of the bed carefully so I don’t wake Cherry. My feet hit the cold floor and the moment I step into the hallway, I hear it again, a scrape, low and close, coming from the living room.My pulse jumps. I inch forward, sticking to the wall. When I reach the corner, I stop and freeze. The lamp in the living room is always on but it's the shadow that gets me alert.Two men stand inside the house.They move with purpose, rifles slung at their backs, their faces shadowed. Both have the same tattoo curling around their necks, the same I saw on the kidnapper earlier. T
MELANIE: The tires screech as Carlos slams the accelerator, the car launching forward so fast my shoulder hits the seat. My children’s screams still echo in my skull.“Faster, Carlos—please—please!” My voice cracks.“I’m trying!” His grip on the wheel is white-knuckled. “Hold on.”My heart is slamming against my ribs so violently I can barely breathe. The other car darts through a narrow street, swerving recklessly. I spot Killian’s small face pressed against the back window, crying, banging his fists against the glass.“Cherry! Killian!” I scream uselessly, my chest tearing apart.Carlos swerves, nearly missing a lamppost. “They’re slowing down!”Ahead, the kidnappers try turning sharply into an alley but Carlos cuts them off, ramming our car into theirs from the side. Metal screeches. Their car spins, the tires dragging across the road before slamming into a stacked pile of crates.I jump out before the engine even dies.“Mommy!” Cherry cries, face red, eyes wet. The driver from th







