MasukDANIELLESlowly regaining consciousness, my body felt heavy and sluggish, as if I had slept for days. I was confused and disoriented as I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above me until I noticed a faint antiseptic smell, which told me I was in a hospital.The realization hit me so hard that I tried to sit up in panic, but a gentle hand stopped me before I could go too far.Michelle quickly leaned in to assure me that everything was okay. But my hand instinctively moved to my stomach. “What about my baby?" I whispered, fear still clawing at my throat despite her assurance, and she quickly reassured me that the baby was fine. Relief hit me hard, and my eyes burned as I sank back against the pillows.She explained that I had developed a high fever and was extremely exhausted. My body had essentially crashed as a result of acute emotional and physical stress.The doctor had asked her if she was aware of anything I'd been through, such as a challenging time or bad news that could have tr
NIKOLAIMy rage erupted the moment Alan opened his mouth; the sound of his voice alone was enough to send shivers through me, and I forgot about the pain. I yelled at him about how he sent Hunter after my money, like the coward he was. His expression darkened instantly as he stepped deeper into the room and growled back that he had now come himself. His hovering over me brought the sense of helplessness slamming into me so hard it almost made me vomit.I wanted to get up and smash my fist into his face, but all I could do was move my arms, weakly at that. So I clenched my hands into the hospital sheets, snarling at him to get out of my face instead.He didn't move. If anything, he leaned in, and the sight of him standing over me ripped open every wound I'd been trying to close for the past five years—it transported me back to the night I lost everything, and I saw myself in that bathroom again. I felt Hunter's mouth against mine, and I felt my father's shock and anger as he walked i
REVAI awoke to the gentle clink of porcelain and the faint scent of something warm and fragrant wafting through the room. I remained motionless for a moment, wrapped in the comfort of the unfamiliar sheets, before opening my eyes.A breakfast tray had been neatly placed across my lap, filled with a spread straight out of a magazine, and my favorite, my fiancé, lay beside me, watching me with that smile that made my heart skip a beat.“Good morning," he said, and I replied, leaning in for a kiss on the lips before pushing myself up, still half asleep but smiling as I took it all in. He asked how I slept, and I told him it was the best I'd had in a long time. He agreed.My bladder was full, and I needed to use the bathroom, so I put the tray down while I got up and went there, where I relieved myself and cleaned up before returning to bed.Levi told me our plans for the day: we were going to the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. He also presented me with a second option, but I chose the first
HUNTERThe doctor's voice was pleading as he advised me to stay in the hospital for another day. He explained that the impact on my ribs had caused additional damage and that pushing myself now could aggravate the situation, and I heard everything he said, but it didn't matter.I couldn't spend another second in the room without losing my mind. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard Alan's cold, disgusted voice telling me exactly what I meant to him.At first, as I lay there, doctors rushing around me, I had tried to justify what had happened as his wife monitoring him. But if that had been the case, he should have contacted me and explained.Furthermore, treating me the way he did to please his wife, whom he was supposed to leave, would have meant something else altogether.The truth was clear, and I had to accept it no matter how it stabbed at my heart each time—he used me. I pushed myself up despite my body's protests, and sharp pain spread through my ribs, causing me to pause despi
REVAWe touched down after sixteen hours, which I had to admit I had not felt, and the air felt different before the doors even opened. It was warmer, which was a welcome change from where we came from. Levi had said he was taking me somewhere warm, but he hadn't specified where, and my heart started racing. When he suggested we go away for the weekend, I didn't think we had the time with our hectic schedules, but he insisted, pointing out that we always have busy schedules and that we'd never live if we didn't. I was glad he insisted, because I was ready for this weekend away. I hadn't traveled much in my life. We had to make a refueling stop due to the flight's length, and I initially thought it would be a quick technical stop without us even stepping out. But I had been wrong. We didn't just land on a remote runway. It was another city, and a car awaited us as soon as we descended. We were driven away from the airport in minutes, and I remember looking at Levi, slightly conf
HUNTERI stood in front of Alan's office building, my heart racing as I forced myself through the revolving doors. I should not have had to come to him like this. But I had no choice after a month of no communication from him.The first two weeks following the attack had been a blur of pain, medication, and forced silence. I couldn't move without feeling it run through my body, with every bruise and strained muscle serving as a reminder of that night. When I finally got out of bed, I was still not myself. I walked with a slight limp, my strength not fully restored, and my body slower to respond than it once was.But I couldn't stay in bed any longer.Construction was supposed to begin next week, according to the timeline Alan had given me before everything fell apart, and then he vanished. We were supposed to have finalized the contract already. But I'd heard nothing from him. Not even to check on me after his brute of a wife nearly killed me. I tried calling him even at night becau
NIKOLAIHunter’s fingers laced with mine as we walked into the law offices. It was still holiday season, and everyone was basking in the magic it brought, except my fiancé and me. While everyone was sipping hot cocoa in pajamas on their balconies, we were hard at work to ensure that the coming sea
REVAMy stomach had already twisted into knots by the time my mother and I drove into the underground parking garage. I thought signing the divorce papers was the hardest part. But it appears to be only the beginning.“Are you alright?" Mom asked, turning off the engine and looking at me with that
REVAThe cup spun through the air and exploded against Hunter's shoulder, splattering coffee across his expensive coat and dripping on the table. There was a half-second of stunned silence before everything erupted. Hunter jumped to his feet so violently that his chair toppled backward. “Are you c
REVAThe jet's descent was so smooth that I barely noticed the ground until the wheels touched the private runway behind Levi's home. And San Francisco stretched beyond the perimeter, the city I both loved and dreaded, patiently waiting for me.By the time the jet came to a halt, a black luxury sed







