LOGIN~FIORELLA~My eyes snap open.The scream tears out of me as I jolt upright so violently my body aches from it.I can’t get enough air.My chest heaves, dragging in sharp, uneven breaths that scrape my throat. My hands fly to my body instantly, trembling, frantic, and searching.There's no blood, no knife, no alley.Just… darkness in the room.I’m in my room.For a few seconds, I don’t trust it.My eyes dart wildly around, my heart still racing like I’m being chased. The familiar outline of my wardrobe stands in the corner. The soft glow of the streetlight leaks through the curtains. My bedside table is exactly where it should be.Everything is still and quiet….too quiet.I swallow hard, my throat dry as sand, and press a shaking hand against my chest.“I’m… here,” I whisper, my voice hoarse and unsteady. “I’m home.”But my body hasn’t caught up yet.My pulse is still pounding violently under my skin, my breaths shallow and fast. I can still feel it…..the cold all
~FIORELLA~Something tells me that Lucas is somewhere in the firm watching me right now.But I don't care about him right now.I just need to get home with no one invading or intruding into my personal space.So I just enter my car without bothering to scan the environment or to confirm that Lucas is really watching.I throw my bag to the back seat, and then I start the car.“Just drive, Fiorella… just drive,” I mutter to myself, gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary.Soon, I'm driving out of the firm, and I'm now on the road.The drive home is a blur.I don’t remember the traffic lights. I don’t remember the turns.I just… arrive at my house.The house greets me with silence….. heavy, suffocating silence.I drop my bag on the table and kick off my heels, the relief almost painful.For a moment, I just stand there in the middle of the living room.I'm alone, completely alone, and the quiet presses in too loud and too much.“Why does it feel like the
~LUCAS~The door clicks shut behind me, soft, controlled, and final.And for the first time in a long time… I just stand there, not moving, not thinking.Just… standing in the middle of the hallway like an idiot.My jaw tightens slowly, then harder.What the hell was that?Why did she switch up so bad like that??Did it offend her to know that I'm in love with another woman??Wait…. don't tell me she's jealous??A humorless scoff almost leaves me, but I swallow it down, my gaze dropping briefly to the floor before lifting again.People are still moving around… staff rushing, voices low, tension thick from everything that happened outside.But it all sounds distant and muted.Because my head?It’s still in that office with her.Every word she said plays back, sharp and precise.‘You should never have walked into my office without permission.’‘Forget everything that happened today.’‘Don’t ever help me again.’‘You are not allowed to come close to me.’My tongu
~FIORELLA~“Why do you even care?” I ask Lucas, my voice quieter now… but sharper in a different way. “I mean….why did you stand up for me back then? It's not like we're close or something.”He doesn’t answer immediately.And for a second…I think he won’t.Then…..“Because,” he says slowly, “you have Marcella's face, and because of that….I don't want them hurting you because in my mind, I see Marcella being hurt instead of you.”I blink twice.And am I really feeling a tiny bit of hurt??Wait ... .did I really think he stood up for me because it's me?? Because he did it for me?I laugh at my stupid self inwardly.Oh com'on Fiorella…. how could you think that?It's not like we both are close or something for him to risk himself defending and protecting me out there.I let out a dry laugh.“The lady you mistook me for?” I ask.“Yes,” he replies.“What's the full name of this Marcella you keep talking about, and who is she to you??” I ask.“Marcella Nico,” he says
~FIORELLA~I hate that he’s here.No… that’s not true.I hate what his presence is doing to me.The air in my office feels different now, heavier, like it’s pressing against my chest and making it harder to breathe. Or maybe that’s just me. Maybe it’s everything I’ve been holding in finally deciding it’s had enough.Lucas hasn’t moved.He’s still standing by the door, watching me like he’s trying to figure something out… like I’m something that doesn’t quite make sense to him.And I don’t like that.I don’t like being seen.Not like this.And no…. I'm not hugging him.The silence is very awkward, and tense.“You must have something to say, right??” I force out, my voice tighter than I want it to be. “Or are you just going to stand there and stare?”It comes out sharp, edged, controlled.It's familiar and safe, but it doesn’t feel as strong as it usually does.His gaze doesn’t waver.If anything, it deepens.He keeps staring at me for a while, and then he finally
~LUCAS~The drive back to the firm is quieter than it should be, and that alone irritates me.My mind doesn’t shut up.It replays everything…..the crowd, the chaos, her hand in mine, the way she looked at me.The way she held on.I grip the steering wheel tighter than necessary.This is exactly why I don’t get involved.Because now?Now she’s in my head, and I don’t like it.Not one bit. I’m already expecting things to have calmed down at the court with security in place, order and normalcy restored.But the moment my car slows to a stop, I know that’s not the case.There’s a crowd now in front of the law firm, and not just a small one.It’s worse than the one at the court, and they're louder and restless.Press, journalists and reporters, shouting over each other like they’re waiting for something… or someone.My jaw tightens.You’ve got to be kidding me.I cut the engine and step out, shutting the door harder than necessary.The noise hits immediately.The qu
~FIORELLA~“Mr. Santis,” I repeat, my voice dropping dangerously, “I do not repeat myself often. You are already on unstable ground. I suggest you start explaining yourself.”He finally speaks again.“I’m sorry, once again.” His words are quiet, and measured. “I apologize for
~FIORELLA~No, this is not happening.I don’t react because I never show my reaction in public, and yet, for the briefest, most treacherous second… something inside me stills when my eyes land on him.The stranger from earlier, the one who touched me without permission.My ex
~FIORELLA~I'll never have to see him again…. right??The thought lingers for half a second too long, and I hate that.I stop walking….not abruptly, not in a way anyone else would notice.Just a slight pause… a near-invisible hesitation.But I feel it….that tiny crack in my
~FIORELLA~“Marcella…”The name hits me before anything else does.It's soft, broken, and desperate, and then I feel arms.Strong arms wrap around me out of nowhere, pulling me into a body that is completely unfamiliar.My entire body stiffens instantly.For half a second…







