LOGINThe living room felt still. Not quiet in a peaceful way, but quiet like something was about to shift.Gabriel sat upright, his hands resting on his knees while Prisca remained standing for a moment, watching him.Then she walked slowly to the chair across from him and sat down. Neither of them spoke immediately.This time, silence wasn’t avoidance, it was preparation.Gabriel broke it first. You said we need to talk, his voice was calm.Prisca nodded once.“Yes.” She clasped her hands together lightly. “I know about the case,” she said. Gabriel’s eyes sharpened slightly.“What case?” You don’t need to pretend,” she replied quietly. “The public hearing.”He leaned back slightly. “Who told you?”“It doesn’t matter, you are acting as if am not part of this family.” She continued.“They’re going to bring everything out.” Gabriel didn’t respond. “They’ll talk about your past,” she added. “About me and possibly the children.”That made him sit forward again. “No.” His voice was firm.“ That
The office was quiet.Not the kind of quiet that felt empty, but the one that carried focus.Victoria sat across the table, her hands resting on a closed file. She had not opened it yet and she didn’t need to.Not immediately.Her lawyer sat opposite her, flipping through a set of organized documents. Nothing in the room felt rushed.Everything had been planned.“Are you ready to go through it?” he asked. Victoria nodded once, “Yes.”Her voice was calm and steady.But inside, something shifted.This was not about emotions anymore, this was proof.Her lawyer turned the file toward her and opened it slowly.“Let’s start from the beginning,” he said. Victoria leaned slightly forward.Her eyes moved to the first page. A timeline, dates, events and movements. Simple on the surface but precise.Her lawyer tapped the page lightly. “This is the structure of our argument,” he explained.Victoria read through it carefully. The early dates were familiar. Her marriage, her illness, doctor visits,
Victoria sat across from Aunt Mary, her fingers resting lightly on the arm of the chair. She took a slow breath before speaking.“Well, Aunt Mary… Gabriel and I have nothing in common anymore. And as a matter of fact, I am still insisting on the divorce.” Her voice was calm.Aunt Mary leaned forward, studying her face. “Are you sure about this?” she asked gently.Victoria nodded once, “Yes.”She paused briefly, then continued.“Gabriel is going through a lot right now. The woman he thought would give him peace… has taken his peace away from him. She broke him.”Aunt Mary frowned slightly. “I don’t understand,” she said.Victoria leaned back and continued, “Gabriel also filed for divorce against Prisca.” Aunt Mary’s eyes widened.“They’re divorcing too?” she asked.“Yes.” “And they still live together?”Victoria nodded. “Like strangers.”Aunt Mary shook her head slowly. “What happened?” Victoria’s expression didn’t change.“Gabriel found out something.” She paused then said it clearly.
Victoria leaned back in her seat, her head slightly tilted as she sang along to the music playing from the speakers.Her voice wasn’t perfect.She didn’t care.Beside her, Aunt Mary clapped her hands lightly, laughing as she joined in.“You’ve missed your calling,” Aunt Mary teased.Victoria smiled.“Please, don’t encourage me. I might actually believe you.”They both laughed again.The road stretched ahead of them, long but smooth.Traffic moved slowly, but neither of them seemed to mind.For once, there was no rush.Victoria glanced out the window, people moved along the streets, vendors stood by the roadside, cars passed in both directions, and life looked normal and simple.And for the first time in a long while, she felt like she was part of it again.“You look different,” Aunt Mary said suddenly.Victoria turned slightly.“Different how?”“Lighter,” she replied.Victoria didn’t answer immediately.She thought about it.Was she lighter? Hmm maybe.Anne was better now.That alone
Victoria closed the car door gently.The sound felt louder than usual.Not because of the noise but because of what she had just heard.Aunt Mary settled into the passenger seat, adjusting her bag.She glanced at Victoria, “You’ve been quiet,” she said softly.Victoria didn’t respond immediately.Her hands rested on the steering wheel, but she hadn’t started the engine.Her eyes were distant and focused on something far beyond the road ahead.“Victoria?” Aunt Mary called again.Victoria inhaled slowly, then turned the key.The engine came alive.“I’m fine,” she said.But her voice didn’t match the words, they drove in silence.Aunt Mary didn’t push.She had learned something about Victoria over time—When she goes quiet, something serious is happening.After a few minutes, the car slowed.Then turned into a large compound, it is a hospital.Aunt Mary frowned slightly.“Why are we here?”Victoria parked, she turned off the engine, and for a moment, she didn’t move.Then she spoke.“Som
Victoria had not planned anything serious that evening.No meetings, no calls, no legal discussions, and for once, she wanted something simple.“Let’s go out,” she had said earlier.Aunt Mary looked up from where she sat.“Go out to where?”“To the cinema.” Victoria saidAunt Mary raised a brow.“Cinema?”Victoria smiled faintly.“Yes. Just a movie. Nothing heavy.”Aunt Mary studied her for a moment, then nodded “Alright.”It had been a long time since they did something ordinary.Something not tied to pain and something not tied to the past.The cinema hall was half full when they arrived.The lights were dim, and the soft chatter filled the space.Victoria bought popcorn.Aunt Mary insisted on drinks.“You always forget buying drinks,” she said.Victoria smiled.“And you always remember.”They walked in side by side together and found their seats.The screen lit up shortly after.The movie began.At first, it felt like any other film.Characters introduced, scenes unfolding slowly,
The next morning felt strange.Too quiet.Gabriel woke before sunrise. He had not really slept. He had only closed his eyes and waited for morning to come.The house was still.For years, this place had felt full. Full of noise. Full of children running. Full of arguments, laughter, tension, and lo
Gabriel felt trapped.Not by walls.Not by chains.But by two ghosts.One was his past — Victoria, standing strong, ready to drag him to court and tear down the image he had built for years.The other was inside his own house — the truth about Daniel.He did not know which battle to fight first.Th
The house was too quiet.Michael stood outside the small cream-painted duplex, staring at the black gate. The paint was chipped near the hinges. Someone had tried to fix it before and failed. It leaned slightly to the left, stubborn but still standing.Just like his marriage.He checked the address
Gabriel did not accept silence as an answer.At first, it was messages.Long ones. Emotional ones. Voice notes sent late at night. Paragraphs about regret. About memory. About how he still loved her.Victoria ignored them.Then came the flowers.White roses at her office.Lilies at her gate.A hand







