I didn’t know how to give it to him. The invitation felt heavier the more I held onto it. Aleksander was in the study. The door was cracked a little, enough for me to hear the quiet murmur of his voice over a call. His voice didn’t carry like it usually did. It was tired. Drained. Like he was finally letting go of everything he’d carried through the court case. And here I was, holding something that could undo it all. That name. Ida. Just weeks ago, she was here. In this house. In his arms. I saw it. The way she looked at him. The way he didn’t stop her from kissing him. And now, she was marrying his brother? I didn’t understand. None of it made sense. It felt like a betrayal buried under velvet and gold ink. I started down the hall slowly, holding the card like it was going to bite me. Maybe I’d leave it on his desk. Maybe he’d find it on his own. Let the card do the talking so I wouldn’t have to. I didn’t want to see what it would do to him. I didn’t want to be the one to brin
The final court session felt like a storm we all knew was coming but hoped would pass quietly.Aleksander didn’t say much on the drive there. He sat stiffly in his seat, eyes locked on the window like the answers to everything he carried were out there. Alf was in the car too. I sat between them, silent, my thoughts heavy. His lawyers rode ahead of us.Sofia wasn’t there.She wanted to come but Aleksander said no.She didn’t take it well, of course. Her face said it all when he told her to stay behind. I knew she didn’t like it. She wanted to be part of the spotlight again. But this wasn’t about her. Not this time.The court building felt colder than I remembered. The walls, the floors, the faces. All of it looked grey. Aleksander walked like a man who had already won. Not arrogant, just tired of fighting. Like he just wanted it done.When the judge finally read out the decision, there wasn’t a sound in the room except the voice that sealed it all.Aleksander was to maintain his posit
It had only been a few days since Sofia walked in on me and Alf. Nothing happened between us. But she saw what she wanted to see. That was enough for her. The way she looked at us, it was like she had finally gotten what she needed. Like she had been waiting for it. And she didn’t waste time. The second Aleksander came back, she ran her mouth. Told him her version. Full of lies. Full of poison. She added things that didn’t happen. Twisted the rest. Made it sound ugly. I could tell something was off the moment Aleksander stepped into the house. The way he looked at me. Like I had betrayed him. Like I was nothing. He didn’t come to me first. He went straight to Alf. No words. Just a blow. Right to his jaw. Alf stumbled back, caught off guard. I gasped. Aleksander didn’t stop. “You think I wouldn’t find out?” he shouted. “You think you could do this under my roof?” Alf tried to speak, but Aleksander pointed at the door. “Get out. You’re done. Don’t ever let me see you a
The past few days in London have been alright for the most part. School’s been going fine, and I spend a lot of time at this café not far from the apartment where I made a friend. It’s peaceful, and the fresh air away from the house helps. But then there’s Sofia. Always finding a way to make my life miserable. She doesn’t need to say much just her looks, her presence, the comments she drops whenever we cross paths. I’ve been trying my best to ignore her, keeping myself busy, going out early and coming back late just to avoid her. Aleksander and I seem okay for now. He hasn’t been cold or rude lately, and at least he’s not ignoring me like he used to. But that’s about it. We haven’t spent much time together. He’s been working or out most of the time. He did say we’d be going back to Oslo next week for the final meeting. It was the weekend. Aleksander had gone on a business trip on Friday, so I was stuck in the house with his mom. The silence between us was uncomfortable, but I stay
Aleksander hovered above me, careful not to press his full weight into mine. We were both breathless, our bodies tangled and warm, our chests rising and falling in sync after a kiss that felt like it stripped us bare in ways words never could. Then he kissed me again. Slow at first, then deeper, fuller, as if he was starving and I was the only thing he craved. It had started as comfort. I had cried in his arms, humiliated by his mother and broken in ways I could not admit out loud. But then I kissed him. I was the one who reached for his lips, and once I did, there was no going back. He kissed me like he had wanted to do it for a long time. His hand slid up my thigh, slow and steady, fingers curling against the soft skin as if he was learning me by touch alone. I felt my body respond to his without hesitation, like it already knew what to do. My arms wrapped around his neck, my fingers threading through his hair as I arched beneath him. His mouth left mine and traveled along m
I cried myself to sleep that night. I did not even care when she made Erik switch our rooms. It was not just what she did, it was the way she spoke to me. Cold. Sharp. Like she already had a problem with me even though we had only just met. And when Aleksander came home, he did not even bother to check on me. Morning came. I got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Sarah was going to pick me up for college. His mother was in the kitchen, moving around like she owned the air. Aleksander sat on a stool by the counter with his laptop open, sipping coffee. “Good morning,” I said as I walked in. I did not even feel like eating much. They both nodded in response. No smiles. No warmth. Just silence. “Sarah will pick me up in a few minutes so we can go to the school,” I told Aleksander. He barely looked up from his screen. “Does that mean you start today?” he asked calmly. I nodded. He seemed more composed than usual this morning. Maybe it was because of her. Then his mother c