ログインIsla’s POVShane Jr. comes bouncing down the stairs in his jeans and that shirt, half shirt, cropped tee, whatever they’re calling it now. Oversized but short at the same time. I swear, fashion makes no sense anymore. Of course, he’s got on Jordans. He grabs his jacket, throws it on, and for once, thank God, he doesn’t drown himself in cologne.I look him over.“Alright, let me see how you’re looking, son.”He groans. “Mom, stop. We gotta go. Come on, come on, come on. It’s almost seven.”I sigh. “The skating rink is twenty minutes away. We’ll be fine. You don’t want to be early.”“Yes, I do,” he says immediately. “Let’s go.”As we step outside, I glance down the street and spot Sadé getting into her car with Marco Jr. A few years ago, we would’ve all ridden together. Marco Jr. would’ve been in the backseat with Shane Jr., music loud, all of them laughing.I swallow that thought.“Let’s go.”Just as Sadé goes to pull off, one of the older twins runs out of the house. Trinity hops int
Crandon's POVSaturday, 2:30 p.m.Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont Convention CenterI exhale slowly as I stand in front of the Crowne Plaza, hands shoved into my coat pockets, trying not to look as nervous as I feel.People flood past me in every direction, in full blown costumes, graphic tees, long capes, foam armor, face paint. Different characters from Loki to Thor. Deadpool arguing with a Batman. Every Marvel, DC, and Star Wars character, even Boba Fett was represented. Anime I don’t even recognize probably made up were in attendance.Normally, this would be my element.Today? I’m jittery.Not because it’s Chicago Comic-Con. That part I can handle. I’ve been coming to this thing off and on for years.I glance toward the bus stop again.I’m nervous because Tempest is meeting me here.She told me to stand right in front of the hotel, so here I am, right in front of the same Crowne Plaza where that awful incident happened years ago. I push the thought away and focus on the crowd.Then
Shane’s POVI wake up early on this fine Saturday morning, and for the first time in a long time, I’m actually smiling.I look over to my right.Empty.No one in my bed.That alone makes the morning better, because she had no business being in here in the first place. Not after everything. Not after what she’s done.I get up quickly, wanting to stay ahead of my thoughts, and head straight for the shower. Hot water, steam, and silence. I let it hit my shoulders and try to wash the week off me, hell, the last few years if I’m being honest.By the time I’m done, my mind is clear enough to focus on the plan.I pull on khakis, stare at myself in the mirror, then immediately change my mind and swap them for jeans. Crew-neck sweater. Coat. Scarf. Comfortable gym shoes. I already know I’m going to be at the dealership all damn day.One thing’s for sure, two things are certain.I’m buying a brand new truck today.Which one? Still undecided, but the Range Rover Defender keeps calling my name. I
Isla’s POV.I sigh because I see my husband.I don’t just see him physically, no I see the changes in him. The way his jaw tightens. The way irritation flashes across his face when he wakes up and realizes I’m in his bed. His bed, the one he’s occupied for the last few years in the guest room, like this house has been divided by invisible borders neither of us knows how to cross anymore.I haven’t been this close to him in… years. Actual years.I lie there quietly, watching him sleep. He looks peaceful, stretched out fully dressed, which is insane in itself. What really gets me, though, is the smell, he smells clean of fresh floral soap and shampoo. That sharp, unmistakable scent of someone who showered away from home.I shake my head slowly.He came in well after three in the morning. I know that much. And I’m still flabbergasted, because this behavior is so unlike Shane. He used to be dependable to a fault. Up before everyone. Making breakfast. Doing the girls’ hair. Dropping them
Shane's POVI woke up early Friday morning with a long, tired sigh, staring up at the ceiling like it had answers for me.This week had been… good. Too good. Probably the best week I’d had in a long damn time.And that alone should’ve scared me.I’d been slipping. I knew it. Me the the best family man, the dependable dad, the one who prided himself on being present, I’d been off my square lately. Not enough to disappear, but enough to feel it in my chest. Enough to feel guilty.Thursday night with Maya didn’t help.I’d gotten home around three in the morning, exhausted in a way sleep doesn’t fix. I showered before I left her studio, crawled into my bed fully dressed, and passed out so hard I don’t even remember hitting the mattress.That’s why it damn near gave me a heart attack when I realized Isla was in my bed.I hadn’t even noticed.My alarm went off three hours later, with a loud as shrill and it was unforgiving. I rolled over, slapped snooze, and sank right back into sleep like
Crandon's POVBy the time the building started to quiet down, I could feel it in my shoulders.That deep, bone level exhaustion that didn’t come from physical labor, but from thinking too much for too long. We’d been working this case for a few weeks now, and today had been nothing but independent work and I am grateful that we don't have to deal with grand courtroom theatrics yet or dramatic confrontations. We are just in the paper stage now. Testimonies and statements stacked on top of statements.The kind of work that mattered the most.I sighed as I leaned back in my chair, eyes drifting across the small conference room. Tempest sat across from me, glasses perched low on her nose, eyes scanning another witness account like it owed her something.I’d ended up working with her the most on this case, and honestly? I was grateful for it.She had an eye for detail that couldn’t be taught. She caught witness inconsistencies, subtle contradictions, patterns buried so deep you’d miss the







