I QUIT, I'M DONE.

When I walked into the café the next morning, I didn’t even know what to expect. Sleep hadn’t really come. Not properly. My body had rested, but my mind had stayed wide awake, replaying everything over and over again. Claire. Velmora. The council. Damian’s voice. That place. It all sat heavy in my chest like something waiting to explode. Damian had told me to stay back. He suggested it, actually, but I knew better. If she were who I now knew her to be, then there was no running. No hiding. No pretending I could stay away from this. So I came. Because if this was a war, I wasn’t going to be the one hiding behind walls. The bell above the café door chimed softly as I pushed it open. And immediately, everything felt… normal. Too normal. The smell of coffee, the hum of machines. the quiet chatter of early customers. And then... Her. Claire stood behind the counter like nothing had happened. Like she hadn’t stood glowing in another realm, commanding shadows and beings I cou

FINALLY SAYING IT OUT.

Familiar. Too familiar. For a second, I didn’t know whether to feel relieved… or regretful. Then I saw him sitting there. Comfortable like he belonged, like this was his space, like I didn’t exist in it. “Who is he?” I asked, my voice surprisingly calm. Too calm. The kind of calm that only shows up when something inside you is already breaking. She didn’t even hesitate. “Not that I owe you any explanation,” she said, her tone already defensive, “but he’s a friend.” A friend. I let the word sit in my mouth for a second. Bitter. Unfitting. I looked at him again. Really looked this time. Relaxed posture. Careless confidence. The kind of man who had no idea he had just stepped into a battlefield. Then I looked back at her. “A friend?” I repeated slowly. “Sitting comfortably in your house… half-dressed?” She sighed. Like I was the inconvenience. Like I had walked into her peace and disturbed it. Of course. “Where are Jose and Kara?” I asked, my voice sharpening no

ME OVER HER

As if the name unleashed something in me, I was immediately overpowered by a flood of emotions I couldn’t even separate properly. First, fear. Cold. Sharp. Immediate. Then Something else. Courage. It was Strange, unfamiliar. But there. I turned to him slowly, my brows pulling together. “What did you just say?” “Claire,” he repeated, his gaze already fixed somewhere beyond me. “She’s here.” My heart skipped. Then dropped. “Why would she come here?” I asked, my voice lower now, cautious. “I hope she’s not about to make a scene.” “I wouldn’t put that past her at this point,” he replied, his tone calm but his eyes were alert, focused, calculating. Watching. Waiting. “Come closer,” he added suddenly, pulling me gently but firmly against him. My body responded before my mind could catch up. “Why?” I asked softly, my hand instinctively gripping his shirt. “She can’t touch you if there’s contact between us,” he said. Simple. But not light. Not casual.

A FAVOUR FOR GOD.

After asking me to get dressed, he walked toward one of the displays with the kind of confidence that made it seem like the entire boutique belonged to him. Honestly, at this point, I wouldn’t even be shocked if it actually did. He scanned through the dresses briefly, then picked one out with a certainty that made me wonder if he had already imagined me in it long before now. He turned and handed it to me. “Go get dressed,” he said, his tone calm but carrying that familiar authority that made even the simplest instructions sound impossible to argue with. I took the dress from him and stared at it for a moment. Pink. Soft, elegant, feminine pink. Definitely not something I would have picked for myself. “Are you sure about this?” I asked, raising a brow. He looked me over once, slowly, then said with complete confidence, “Very.” That one word alone made my stomach flutter stupidly. I walked into the dressing room and carefully changed into the dress. The moment it

JUST WHEN I SAID YES

“What could I possibly do for you?” I asked honestly, my fingers still resting lightly in his. “I mean... you’re already perfect.”He smiled faintly, that annoyingly calm smile that somehow always managed to make my chest feel funny.“But I don’t have you.”That caught me completely off guard.Like completely.For a second, I genuinely forgot how breathing worked.Then he looked directly into my eyes.No teasing.No smirk.No sarcasm.No playful arrogance.Just sincerity.Pure, terrifying sincerity.“Nanya,” he said quietly, his voice lower now, softer somehow, “I officially want to ask you to be my girlfriend.”For a second...Everything stopped.The music.The soft clinking of glasses.The faint murmur of conversations around us.My thoughts.Everything.I just stared at him like my brain had completely shut down.“I…”I laughed softly in disbelief, shaking my head.“I don’t even know what to say.”And I truly didn’t.Because this man had entered my life like a storm.Uninvited.Ove

DINNER WITH MY DEMONS

Following my gaze, Damian turned slightly toward the entrance.I truly tried.Honestly tried.Tried not to think anything at all because I knew fully well he would hear every single thought that crossed my mind, and right now my thoughts were not exactly holy.But guess what?I couldn’t help it.Because standing there was Michael.The Michael.Not some random Michael.Not another Michael.The Michael.The same man who had once convinced me that love was a beautiful thing only to personally turn around and beat that belief to death with emotional bricks.Of all the expensive restaurants in all the city, this man chose this one?Tonight?With me here?And with her?Because apparently life enjoyed creative suffering.There seemed to be an issue with their reservation because the receptionist kept apologizing while Lara kept talking with exaggerated hand gestures like the world was ending simply because she couldn’t get immediate access to overpriced food.Good.Let her suffer.Let her su