LOGINCLAYâS POVAnyta was still quiet the next morning, after I noticed her apparent coldness.She had stayed up late with the letter Siena wrote for her and the blank page. When I came out of the study after my last call, the kitchen light was still on. She had written something down, folded it carefully and sealed it in an envelope. She didnât show me the contents, and I didnât ask either. Some things needed to stay between her and that was okay.Over coffee she told me the basics of what Siena had confessed. I listened carefully to her without interrupting, holding my gaze to her. When she finished, I reached across the table and took her hand in mine.âYou okay?â I asked carefully.âI will be,â she said. âI just needed to answer her. Even if itâs only two pages.âI let her be and nodded in understanding. Teddy appeared almost immediately in pajamas, demanded toast with too much jam, and informed us that his blue train was âthe boss of the tracks today.â His bossiness made us relax into
ANYTAâS POVI sat at the kitchen table with the cream envelope in front of me. The return address was in Portugal. Sienaâs handwriting was the same neat, slightly slanted script I remembered from years ago.The apartment was quiet except for the low hum of the refrigerator, and my hand shook despite myself.I opened the envelope carefully and pulled out two folded pages. The paper was thin, contrasting the dark blue ink. I started reading carefully.The first paragraph was entirely not what I expected.Anyta,I am writing this because I finally understand that keeping silence is another kind of damage. I will not ask for forgiveness. I do not even deserve it. But I need you to know and hear the truth from me, not from anyone else.My hands tightened on the paper.She wrote about the years of envy. How she had watched me from the edges of Everettâs life and decided I had everything she always wanted. She admitted she had used Everett deliberately. She had seen his restlessness and fatu
ANYTAâS POVThree days after we landed, Clay stood at a podium in a midtown hotel ballroom and told the truth as honest as he could.I sat in the front row in a simple black dress, with my hands folded, watching him. The room was packed from wall to wall. Camera crews lined the back of the hall amd reporters filled every seat and stood deep along the walls. The air felt thick with anticipation, as everyone waited to hear The Owen Grayson speak.Clay looked steady in a dark navy suit I picked earlier for him. He looked very handsome, and Ai couldnât help the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.âGood afternoon,â he began, his vouce clear, a complete ray of sunshine. âMy name is Owen Grayson, and for the past ten years I have lived and worked under the name Clay Banner. Today I am confirming that identity and addressing the events of the past several months.âHe took his time to explained the long counter-operation against the remnants of his fatherâs Syndicate network. He spoke about
EVERETTâS POVI turned away from the crowd and walked.The noise of the terminal faded behind me as I moved through the flow of travelers. Cameras flashed in the distance for Clay and Anyta, and shouts followed them. I didnât look back again and walked with my head down,I reached the parking garage and found my car. The black SUV waited exactly where my driver had left it. I told him I needed a minute alone. He nodded and stepped away and I climbed into the driverâs seat, closed the door, and sat in the silence.I rested my hands on the steering wheel and stared straight ahead at the concrete wall. My mind would not stay quiet. I thought about Siena and Anyta, the two sisters who had my head in a spiral. I had lost every contact with Siena, with her flying to Europe without any goodbye. Siena and I had a complicated relationship, and I loved her more than I had ever loved anyone.Anyta was different, and the moment she had Teddy, who means everything to me, I forgot all about Siena.
ANYTAâS POVThe moment we stepped into the main terminal at JFK, the world exploded.Flashes went off like fireworks. A wall of cameras and reporters surged forward, held back only by airport security and a thin line of Clayâs private team. Shouts and voices overlapped in a chaotic roar.âOwen! Owen Grayson!ââAnyta, over here!ââIs it true you helped bring down Victor Crane?ââAre you engaged?âClayâs hand stayed firm around mine. He walked through the storm of people with a surprising calmness. I kept my chin up and matched his stride. I had faced the press before, but this felt entirely different.I was walking beside the man I loved, freshly engaged, and stepping into our future without any shame or fear whatsoever. The realization gave me the strength I needed to faced the cameras without flinching.Clay squeezed my hand once more, silently reminding me that we were doing this together. His expression beside me was the most unguarded I had ever seen in public, holding and looked
ANYTAâS POVThe silence stretched between us on the sunlit terrace.Clayâs hands held mine steadily, but I could see the uncertainty creeping into his eyes. I had been quiet for too long. Long enough that his expression had started to shift from hope to worry. I needed him to understand why.I took a slow breath and looked at him directly.âI hesitated because this is enormous,â I said softly. âAfter everything I have been through, trusting someone completely again feels so terrifying. I trusted my adopted family, Everett. Iâve trusted the world to be fair. It had all cost me more than I thought I could survive. With you, it is deeply different. But that also makes it scarier. Because if I say yes and something goes wrong, it will not just break me. It will break Teddy too, and I canât put my little boy through that.âClay stayed quiet, listening with full attention.I continued, my voice steady but honest. âYou need to know exactly what you are signing up for. Teddy is a wonderful li
CLAY'S POVAt least she'd put his trashy gifts where they belonged. In the trash.Anyta sat on the stool behind the kitchen island, her bare feet hooked around the legs like she was anchoring herself there.I stood on the other side after I forced myself to keep my back turned to her, as I slowly p
SIENNAâS POVI glared daggers behind me, through the mirror as I finished unpinning my hair.Leo was already stretched out on the bed like he owned it.Which, apparently, he now did.I moved slowly, deliberately, letting the quiet thicken between us as I placed my jewelry on the dresser, each soft
SIENNAâS POVâWhat are you watching?âGrandma Jo barely spared me a glance before turning her focus back to the television.The lack of warmth in her demeanour almost discouraged me. But I held the plate firmer and walked fully into the living room.âGeneral hospital,â she finally replied.There wa
ANYTA'S POVThe old lady's hardened as she folded her hands on the table. âI said Siennaâs planning something stinky. I just haven't found out what yet.âMy stomach tightened. I tightened my fingers around the fork and swallowed again as I felt my brows knit together. âWhy do you think that?âShe w







