MasukAuthor's POV.The dim lighting of the upscale restaurant did little to settle the uneasiness sitting in Jolene's chest. She smiled whenever her fiancé looked at her, complimented the wine when he poured her another glass, and tried to stay present throughout dinner, but her mind kept drifting back to that day with Ronan.She still couldn't remember what had happened. That was the part that frightened her most.She had quietly hired someone to look into the hotel and everything surrounding that day, hoping there would be something that could explain how she had ended up in that room. So far, there had been nothing.No strange charges, no useful footage, nothing that made sense.By the time dinner was over, her fiancé, Daniel was watching her more closely."You've been quiet tonight," he remarked, resting his arms on the table. "Are you alright?"Jolene forced a small smile. "I'm fine. Just tired from work."He studied her for another moment but didn't push. "Alright. If you're sure.""
Author's POV.The apartment had been unusually quiet for days.Even with the sun finally coming back out over the weekend, Andre still couldn't seem to shake the heaviness that had settled over him since Jessica left. He spent most of his time walking from one room to another, staring out the window, or sitting in silence while Joshua's warnings just kept replaying in his head.His brother had been blunt with him, and the more Andre thought about it, the harder it became to ignore what he had been doing to himself.He had spent so much time trying to hold on to something that was no longer there.Part of him still wondered if he should reach out to Nadia one last time, just to get some kind of closure. But then he remembered the restraining order she had filed against him, and the thought immediately became harder to justify.What would he even say?He had already pushed her away enough. Showing up again would only prove that he still wasn't listening.Eventually, Andre gave in to an
Nadia's POV.The heavy glass doors closed behind me as I finally stepped out of the office building and headed toward the parking lot. The cool evening air felt good against my face after spending most of the afternoon in back-to-back meetings.My head was still full of everything we'd discussed, but somehow, Ronan's voice kept coming back to me.He had promised to explain everything properly when I saw him tonight. I was still worried about what his investigator had found, but knowing Ronan was already handling it made it easier to keep my thoughts from running away with me.Diego already had the car waiting.He opened the back door for me, taking a quick look around the parking lot before getting into the driver's seat. I slipped inside and rested my head against the seat, finally allowing myself to relax as he drove me back to the Holt estate.By the time I walked through the front doors, the familiar warmth of home had already started easing some of the tension in my shoulders.I
Ronan's POV.A second later, the photo appeared on my screen and I stared at it, almost forgetting to breathe.The man stood in the shadows of the courtyard, his phone raised toward the terrace lights. A dark handkerchief covered the lower half of his face, but it wasn't enough to hide him completely. The side of his nose, his eyes, and the sharp line of his jaw were still visible beneath the glow of the street lamp behind him.Then I saw his face properly and my stomach dropped.I knew him.The memory of that car chase attack on Nadia and I months ago came rushing back. The sound of gunshots, Nadia beside me, the car swerving as I tried to get us out of there.And that face.. it was definitely him.The man Simone had sent after us.My fingers tightened around my phone as anger surged through me. I immediately typed back. 'Is that the only picture you got of him last night?'The investigator replied almost immediately.'No. I managed to get another one from a different angle when he
Ronan's POV.I stepped out of the conference room and loosened my collar as the heavy doors closed behind me. I was just finishing a meeting with the board and two clients who had spent nearly an hour arguing over our transit insurance rates.My shoulders were sore from sitting through it all, but the second I started walking toward my office, my thoughts went straight to Nadia. I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick message, checking in after the chaotic rush to get Lily to school that morning. I stopped near the reception desk, scrolling through our earlier messages while I waited for her reply."Sorry to interrupt, Boss."I looked up to find Marcus standing beside the wooden partition, his attention shifting toward the elevators. "There's a woman waiting outside your office. She says her name is Jolene."My thumb stopped over the screen.I lowered the phone slowly, the irritation I had been trying to shake off all morning returning in an instant."Tell her I'm busy, and don't
Author's POV. The television played quietly in the background, barely loud enough to fill the silence that had settled over the living room. Afternoon light filtered through the windows, falling across the scattered things that had been left untouched for most of the day.Andre was still scrolling through the same article for the third time, not actually reading a single word of it, when Jessica walked into the living room and stopped in the doorway, watching him with an expression that had gone past frustration into a look more flatter and more exhausted."You're doing it again," she said.He looked up. "Doing what?""That thing where your body's here and your mind's somewhere else entirely." She crossed her arms. "I don't even have to ask where.""Jessica—""You know, Andre. I honestly hope you'd have moved on by now," she said, cutting him off. "I've tried to be patient, babe. God knows I've tried. I've given you every excuse, every benefit of the doubt, told myself it was just le
Nadia’s POVSimone had left them. Simone had walked out six years ago and never once looked back. And still, when Lucas fell, when Isabella was scared, the school called her. Damian called her. And I was told not to trouble myself.I walked away from Margaret without speaking. I walked into my bed
Nadia It was my 30th birthday that day when I hoped my husband and my step children would at least remember that this day was a little bit out of the ordinary.But I could only dream… I am not certain of when I became invisible in my own home. It happened slowly, until one morning I woke up and
Nadia Pain was the first thing that returned to me, and not the darkness I had expected to remain in forever.My breathing was uneven, shallow at first, then deeper as if my body was reminding me of how to stay alive. I laid still, with my eyes closed, trying to understand why I could feel anythin
Nadia Dinner was torture. I stood by the counter, serving the food as they ate. Simone made a face after her first bite of the roast. "This is very dry," she said, pushing her plate away. She dabbed at her lips with a napkin. "Honestly, Nadia, how long have you been cooking and you still can’t







