LOGINPeace never really stuck around in Selana’s world. She always tried not to get too comfortable—it was pointless.Ireland had given her three days to breathe, just enough to laugh a little, sleep without nightmares, and let herself believe Keller actually saw something precious in her, not just broken pieces. She’d started to trust that feeling. She got used to it.But reality always finds a way back.This time, it slipped in through Daniel’s call. Selana stood by the hotel balcony with the rain smudging Dublin’s rooftops. Keller and her son were still knocked out in the other room; she pictured them splayed out after football highlights, peaceful and clueless. Then her phone buzzed on the nightstand, and everything inside her drew tight.Daniel.She picked up, and instantly, she could hear it.“You sound awful,” she whispered.Daniel blew out a shaky breath. “Things are getting worse.”His exhaustion woke something sharp inside her.“What happened?”“Ava crashed again last night.”Tha
Something had changed between them after the kiss.Not dramatically.Not loudly.But quietly, undeniably different.Selana noticed it the next morning before either of them even spoke.She walked calmly into the dining area, trying to avoid eye contact with him, not because she was ashamed but because a part of her was anticipating the next move.He immediately noticed her movement and lifted his eyes from his coffee when she walked in and smiled. Warm.Easy.Certain.And somehow that affected her more deeply than nervous tension would have.“Morning,” he said softly.Selena felt heat creep faintly into her cheeks. “Morning.”Her son looked between them suspiciously while chewing toast. “Why are you both smiling weirdly?”Keller answered immediately. “Adult business.”“That sounds fake.”“It usually is,” Keller replied calmly.Selena blushed as she sat beside her son,giving him a warm hug. Keller handed her a cup of coffee. She blinked slightly, relieving the taste. “You remembered
The rain had not stopped. It seemed like Ireland and rain were best buddies, as a major part of their stay had been rainy. Selana stood near the kitchen counter, pretending to organize untouched tea packets simply because she needed something to do with her hands.The conversation with her son still sat painfully inside her chest.His small voice was repeating the question over and over in her mind.Why isn’t Daddy here with us?No matter how much Marcus had hurt her, manipulated her, frightened her—Her son still loved him.And somehow that reality hurt almost more than the damage Marcus himself had caused.“I’m very sure those tea packets do not need to be arranged,” Keller said as he made his way towards her. Selena exhaled slowly without turning around. “Just thinking about something.”“More like overthinking.”“That too.”She heard his footsteps move closer until he stood beside her near the counter.Not touching.Just there.Present in the quiet way he always seemed to be when
The trip to Dublin was like a breath of fresh air when compared to their stay at Galway. The energy, streets bubbling with music from almost every corner, people laughing loudly in the cafes and pubs and the walkways packed with people despite the cold weather. For the first time since arriving in Ireland, Selana allowed herself to simply enjoy it.No investigations.No hospital updaZtes.No painful conversations about embryos or missing records.Just one normal day.At least that had been Keller’s plan.“You officially look less stressed today,” he said casually as they crossed one of the busy streets near Temple Bar that morning.Selana glanced toward him suspiciously. “That sounds like an insult.”“It’s progress.”Her son skipped ahead of them excitedly, stopping every few seconds to point at something new.Street performers.Colorful signs.A man is playing violin near the bridge.Everything fascinated him.“Mummy, can we stay here forever?”Selana laughed softly. “You say that
Rain kept tapping the hotel windows long after midnight. Ireland’s rain, she thought, had its own way about it—slower, more patient than in London. Like it just wanted to hang around, unhurried.Selana hovered by the balcony doors, wrapped in her hotel blanket, eyes locked on the black coast, dark under heavy clouds. The town below had gone still hours ago. Only the ocean waves and a stray pair of headlights slipping through mist broke the quiet.She ought to be asleep. She was exhausted. But her head just wouldn’t let her. It was crowded up there—Ava, Marcus, Elara, the little girl with dark curls. And Keller. Especially Keller.No sense pretending anymore. Something between them had shifted—sometime between quiet laughter, those glances that lingered, and how right it felt just to be next to him.The problem? She needed that feeling. Needed him, honestly. Admitting it shook her more than she wanted.“Normal people sleep at this hour, you know?”Keller’s voice slipped into the hush b
Selana woke up and, honestly, it was strange—the panic just wasn’t there. Usually it barged in, but not today. She felt something peaceful and clear as the sunlight crept through the curtains. Outside, waves rolled along the Irish coast, steady and soft. No alarms, no sirens, nobody pounding on her door. Just quiet. Real quiet.She lay in bed, staring up, letting herself sink into the gentleness of it all. Her breathing was different—fuller, deeper. Like the place handed her a scrap of calm she’d forgotten how to hold onto.Keller was at the window, drinking coffee, watching the world. When he saw her awake, he turned, his voice low and gentle. “There she is.”Selana rubbed her eyes. “How long’ve you been up?”He shrugged. “Long enough to know Irish weather doesn’t keep promises.”She laughed, actually laughed, the kind that bubbles up without thinking. Keller heard it—and that smile hit his eyes.“You laugh more here,” he said, just above a whisper.She moved slow, sitting up. “Guess
Selena barely paid any attention to what was happening in the news at first—just sitting in the living room, laptop open, staring past the screen. Her mind was everywhere. The silence pressed in, thick and heavy, like the air before a storm. Last night lingered—her shoulders ached, her body felt sl
The smell hit Selena before anything else—warm, sweet, drifting right through the walls. She stayed there for a bit, buried under her covers, feeling heavy but not overwhelmed like yesterday. The pain had eased up, almost enough to ignore. Instead, she felt this weird peace settling in. The scent g
Selena spent the next hour with her son, trying to get him back to bed after the circus event his father just threw. She herself was still a bit shaken up, her body seemed to be telling her she needed to rest. The next major thing to do was to change the locks as she would never have imagined Marc
The tension in the air was more than just heavy but tangible, that you could feel it. Marcus finally walked into the living room, moving in with full energy. There was definitely nothing uncertain about his movement. He clearly came with an agenda to scatter and scare her. Just pure intent, written







