LOGINALYONAMorning came quietly. I opened my eyes to soft light slipping through the curtains, the steady sound of the ocean wrapping around the room. For a moment, I didn’t move. Then I realized I wasn’t alone. Alexander was sleeping beside me. My breath caught, just for a second. Instinctively, I held still, afraid that even the smallest movement might wake him. Then last night came back to me in fragments—the nightmare, his arms around me, the way his voice had anchored me when I was falling apart.Slowly, I turned toward him. He looked different in sleep, softer somehow. His thick lashes rested against his cheeks, hiding those hazel eyes that carried so much emotion when he looked at me. His face was calm, almost peaceful, and there was the faintest hint of a smile on his lips, like a child lost in a good dream.Without thinking, I lifted my hand and traced my fingers lightly along his cheek. The warmth of his skin startled me, but it didn’t feel wrong. It felt… familiar, in a way I c
ALEXANDERShe was still there. I could feel it—beneath the careful distance, beneath the way she kept herself guarded. The Alyona I had known hadn’t disappeared. She was buried, yes, wrapped in caution and fear, but she surfaced in flashes. In the way she scolded me about the milk. In the way her eyes softened for a second too long when something felt familiar.The woman walking beside me now was more restrained, more measured. She thought before every step, every word, as if she was afraid of wanting too much. And that hurt more than her forgetting ever could.Still, she had given me a chance. One chance to exist beside her again. One chance to live with her, not in the past, but here—now. I wasn’t going to waste it. Not with hesitation. Not with half-efforts.When I held her hand on the way back, my mind replayed the small moments from earlier—the way she had immediately stood up for me, the instinctive way she reached for help when the spice burned too much. That wasn’t logic. That
ALYONAWe settled into the rhythm of the cruise slowly, as if both of us were afraid to rush what we had been given. Outside, the ocean stretched endlessly, calm and steady, as if it knew how fragile my thoughts still were.Alexander stayed close, but not in a way that felt overwhelming. He walked beside me through the corridors, matched his pace to mine, and spoke only when it felt natural. Yet I could feel his attention on me constantly, not in a watchful way, but in a quiet, devoted one. As if in a space filled with people, laughter, and movement, I was the only thing he truly saw.We stood on the deck for a while, the wind brushing against my hair. I leaned on the railing, watching the water move beneath us. When I turned, I found him looking at me again. His eyes held something deep and careful, memorizing every detail he feared he might lose again.“What?” I asked softly, a little self-conscious.“Nothing,” he replied. “I just like seeing you like this.”“Like what?”“Here,” he
ALYONAHe extended his hand toward me, open and patient. I hesitated for a second, my heart unsure, my mind still crowded with questions. Then I placed my hand in his. His fingers closed around mine gently, as if he knew how fragile this moment was. He smiled, and we began walking toward the rooms. I glanced down at the card in my hand, checking the room number I had booked at the last moment. But Alexander was heading in a different direction.“I think my room is this way,” I said softly, slowing my steps. “I didn’t get the chance to book anything upgraded.” He looked back at me with a calm smile. “You don’t need to worry about that,” he said.I frowned slightly but followed him anyway. He stopped in front of a large door and opened it. The moment I stepped inside, my eyes widened. This was not what I had booked. The room was spacious, warm, and far more beautiful than I had imagined. I turned to him quickly. “Alexander… this isn’t my room. This is not what I booked.”“It’s okay,” he
ALYONAOn the last day, just before leaving the house, I stopped by the gate and looked at the watchman with quiet hope in my eyes. I didn’t even need to ask the question out loud.“He didn’t come, ma’am,” he said gently. “I haven’t seen him these past few days.” Something inside me sank. I thanked him with a small nod and walked away, carrying my suitcase and a heart filled with unanswered prayers.I got into the car and headed toward the port. The city passed by in a blur as I tried to prepare myself for what lay ahead. When I reached the place where the ship waited, familiar faces surrounded me. Everyone had come to say goodbye, their voices warm, their smiles comforting. Yet my eyes kept searching through the crowd.I looked everywhere.But he wasn’t there.“Is everything okay, Alyona?” Mom asked, holding my hands tightly.“Yes,” I replied with a smile that took effort to hold. “I’m fine.”She studied my face the way only a mother could. “Promise me you’ll be careful. Don’t overwo
ALYONAI reached home long after the concert ended. My phone kept buzzing with calls and messages, everyone praising my performance, but I couldn’t bring myself to talk to anyone. My chest felt too tight. I went straight to my room and closed the door behind me.“Mom, I want to sleep,” I called out, even though I knew sleep would not come. As soon as I lay down, my heart began to race again. His face returned to me without warning. I closed my eyes and let myself remember him.“Hazel eyes… dimples… thick lashes,” I whispered into the quiet room.I suddenly sat up and rushed to my closet. My hands shook as I pulled out the small box I kept hidden. Inside was my diary. I opened it to the page where I had written about him, my handwriting messy, rushed, honest.I read my own words slowly.I fell in love with you the moment our eyes met. Your hazel eyes and the dimples on your cheeks stole my heart. I was scared to ask you for the dance, but you made it easy for me. The way you held my wa
ALEXANDERIn the middle of the night, a private Boeing helicopter descended onto the rooftop of New York’s tallest residential tower. The blades sliced through the silence, stirring the cold air into sharp gusts that swept across the glass skyline.As the door slid open, I stepped out.The wind tug
They say people come to New York for two reasons — to follow their hearts or chase their dreams. The first time I ever came to New York, I wasn't even born yet. I was curled up in my mother’s womb, just a tiny peanut.My parents’ love story was short but intense — enough to bring two children into
ALYONAWe breathed out together, but the relief was short-lived. Now came the part none of us were ready for. I turned and shot Olivia and Ivy a deadly glare. One lie will lead to a thousand more. My mom’s voice echoed in my head like a warning bell. And here I was—living proof of that wisdom. Shaw
ALYONAExcited and nervous, the three of us climbed into the taxi. I could feel the rush of thoughts swirling in my head, my stomach fluttering with anticipation. Olivia, Ivy, and I had waited for so long, and now that it was finally here, none of us could sit still. We kept stealing glances at eac







