LOGINSAPPHIRE POVThe second I realized Rafael was walking into the building, my chest constricted.Not in the usual way like I was nervous about him noticing me.No.This was different.This was that quiet, low hum of dread that crept into your bones when something about the universe was subtly, horribly off.I glanced at Clara.She was tapping her fingers on the arm of the chair, her jaw tight with nerves, oblivious to the fact that her own boss the man she’d just been gushing about all morning was standing less than twenty feet away.I wanted to warn her.I wanted to scream.But the moment I opened my mouth, the receptionist’s voice sliced through my panic.“Miss Sapphire? The boss asked to see you as well. Now, please.”My head snapped up.What?I looked around the room.The other candidates were still seated, whispering nervously.Clara’s eyes widened when she realized the receptionist was speaking to me.“Wait… me?” I asked.“Yes. Right now,” the woman said, her tone polite but firm.
A few days had passed since I spent an extra day at Rafael’s house, waiting for the storm to pass.Funny how something that simple being stuck somewhere because of the weather could turn into something I couldn’t shake off no matter how hard I tried.Because it wasn’t just the storm that stayed with me.It was him.Rafael.And the way everything between us had shifted into something I didn’t know how to name.Once the skies cleared, I went home like nothing had happened.Like I hadn’t stayed in his space longer than I should have.Like I hadn’t let my guard down in ways I never allowed myself to before.Like I hadn’t received that text.My jaw tightened at the thought.That message.Short.Direct.And just vague enough to make my mind spiral into places I didn’t want to go.I had tried to ignore it.Tried to pretend it didn’t affect me.But it did.More than I wanted to admit.Rafael hadn’t pushed the topic either.He never asked directly. Never cornered me into explaining.But someti
SAPPHIRE POVI didn’t want to feel anything.I told myself that three days ago, the moment I walked out of his house, leaving him behind.I told myself that as I avoided his calls, ignored the texts I didn’t want to answer, and convinced myself that I was done.But lying to myself was getting harder with every heartbeat.Because Rafael…He lingered.Not physically not yet but in the way my thoughts twisted around the memory of him, in the way my body remembered what I tried to forget.I remembered the morning he let me leave.Not just the leaving itself, but the way he watched me go. Calm. Controlled. Like he had every intention of letting me walk out of his life, but every fiber of him didn’t want to.The thought made my chest tighten.I hated that it did.I hated that I remembered the warmth of his hand when he brushed my hair back that night, the way his gaze pinned me in place, making my own defiance tremble.And I hated that I was already imagining it again, three days later, whi
RAFAEL POV She walked away. And I let her. That was the part that didn’t sit right. Not the silence after the door closed. Not the emptiness in the apartment that followed. Not even the way her scent lingered on my sheets long after she was gone. It was the fact that I let her go. I stood there for a long time after she left. Unmoving. Unbothered at least on the surface. But beneath that? Something sharp twisted in my chest. Annoyance. No Not just annoyance. Something deeper. Something I didn’t like naming. Because naming it meant acknowledging that she had gotten under my skin. And I didn’t allow that. Not with anyone. Not anymore. I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face before walking back inside. The apartment felt different now. Quieter. Colder. Wrong. My gaze drifted toward the couch. Then the window. Then the kitchen. Everywhere she had been. Everywhere she had existed just hours ago like she belonged there.
I didn’t answer. Because I couldn’t. Because if I stayed any longer in that moment right there, in his arms, with his hand still resting at my waist like I belonged there I wasn’t sure I’d be able to leave at all. And that alone was enough to snap something back into place inside me. Danger. This was danger. Not the loud kind. Not the obvious kind. But the quiet, consuming kind that didn’t ask for permission before it took everything. My fingers loosened from his arm. Slowly. Carefully. Like if I moved too fast, I’d break something fragile between us. Or worse I’d give myself away. “I should go,” I said softly. The words felt wrong the second they left my mouth. Too weak. Too uncertain. Rafael didn’t move. Didn’t step back. Didn’t let go. His hand remained at my waist, firm and grounding, like he hadn’t even heard what I said. Or like he simply didn’t accept it. “You just woke up,” he said, his voice calm. Too calm. Controlled. Alw
SAPPHIRE POV sniffed softly and burrowed deeper into the bed. The sheets were soft too soft. The kind of soft that didn’t belong to me. Warm. Too warm. And the scent… God. It wrapped around me slowly, like something alive. Something aware. Something dangerous. Clean. Masculine. Expensive. Him. It clung to my skin, to my senses, seeping into me like it had no intention of letting go. Like it already owned me. My fingers curled slightly against the sheets as I inhaled again, slower this time. That scent It wasn’t just comforting. It was addictive. And that terrified me more than anything else. Slowly, I rolled onto my stomach, my eyes fluttering open as consciousness crept in, unwelcome and heavy. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar. Dark. Elegant. Sharp lines, muted tones. Nothing like the bright, slightly messy space I called home. My brows furrowed as I blinked, trying to clear the lingering haze clouding my mind. Where am I? The que
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