로그인~Lora~"Mommy..." Michelle’s fragile voice pulled me right back to reality.She was looking up at me, her big eyes swimming with worry. "...Am I scaring you?"The innocence of her question broke through my defenses, and the lingering fear melted into aching tenderness.I pushed every terrifying thought to the back of my mind and leaned over the bed again, gently squeezing her little hand."Not at all," I murmured, a genuine smile finally reaching my lips.I brushed a few loose hairs away from her forehead. "In fact... I am really, really happy to meet you."Michelle’s entire face brightened, breaking into the biggest, most beautiful smile she had shown since I walked in.Christian let out a long, quiet breath of relief, and James smiled too, walking closer to the bedside.Michelle looked up at James, her eyes curious. "Are you Mommy's husband?"Total silence filled the room.Then Christian let out a sudden laugh, and James nearly choked on his own breath."I..." James coughed into his
~Lora~The word hung in the air.I couldn't move, my feet felt glued to the floor as I stared at the little girl in the bed. The room faded away until all I could hear was the frantic thumping of my own heart.Mommy?The soft click of the door behind me broke the silence."Lora?" James called gently.Christian stepped in after him, but his face completely changed the moment he saw where I was looking. I think he heard it too, because every bit of color drained from his skin."Oh..." He let out a nervous, embarrassed laugh and hurried to the bedside. "I am so sorry, Ma'am." He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks turning bright red. "Please don't mind her. She gets confused sometimes."He stopped beside the mattress and carefully adjusted the oxygen mask resting over Michelle's mouth, lifting it away."Hey, Chel," he murmured, his voice softening completely. "How are you feeling today?"The little girl didn't even look at him, her eyes stayed locked on me.Christian tried to smile
~Lora~Christian seemed to notice that I wasn't understanding anything, so he spoke up."The sample I showed them didn't match the substance they produce," he explained. "At first, they denied having anything to do with it because the type they manufacture is supplied only to hospitals.”“That explains why there's a red line here?” I asked, trailing my fingers across the page.“Yes.” He leaned forward and pointed at one of the highlighted sections. “Honestly... I found it strange, but I didn't question my luck. I was able to get the records of the one they produce," he added.I nodded absently, though very little of what I was looking at made sense. As I turned another sheet, something small slipped free and landed softly on my lap.My breath caught.It was a tiny, transparent plastic bag containing a fine white powder. For a long moment, I simply stared at it. It looked so harmless… just a pinch of powder sealed inside a piece of plastic. Yet something so small was completely up
~Lora~A knot tightened in my stomach. "What is it?"He lowered his eyes and exhaled slowly, as if searching for the courage to say the words. "...I lost my job this morning."My brows drew together. "What? Why?""They fired me."For a moment, I could only stare at him. "You mean because of this? Because you've been looking into what happened to me?""I honestly don't know." He shook his head, his voice tight. "Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. They didn't give me any explanation. They just called me into the office, told me my services were no longer needed, and asked me to leave."He tried to shrug it off, but I could hear the raw strain beneath his calm front. It sounded like he'd spent the entire day convincing himself it didn't matter… and was only now beginning to realize how much it actually did."I wasn't even going to mention it," he admitted."I figured I'd just give you the envelope and leave. But..." He hesitated, pulling his phone from his pocket. "Then this happened."Leani
~Lora~The moment I stepped out of the restaurant, I pulled my phone from my purse and immediately dialed James.As much as Christian claimed he had found a lead, there was no way I was meeting him alone. Maybe I was being overly cautious after everything that had happened recently, but I had learned the hard way that trusting people too easily could get me killed. Besides, if this really turned out to be something important, I'd rather have someone I trusted close by.The phone barely rang twice before James answered."Well, that was fast," he said. "I thought this was supposed to be a romantic date."I snorted. "Trust me, there was nothing romantic about it.""I'm guessing things didn't go well?""You could say that. Anyway, can you come pick me up? I need to head somewhere."There was a brief pause before he asked, "You're not driving?"I smiled despite myself. "When have you ever known me to willingly drive if someone else is available to do the job?"James laughed on the other
~Lora~Michael swallowed hard, tugging at the collar of his suit as though it had suddenly become too tight.A knot formed in my stomach.I frowned. "Please don't tell me she's pregnant."He blinked.Across from him, Ivy nearly sprayed her water. She coughed violently, pressing a hand to her chest."What?" she choked out.Heat crept up my neck."Nothing," I muttered, waving a dismissive hand. "Just tell me what it is.”"So... you know how Ivy also majored in fine arts?" Michael started, his hands moving nervously at first.I raised my brow. But he continued anyway."And how.. she specialised in fashion designing, before she went on to study business administration?"I slowly shook my head. "Mhmm-mhmm. I don't."I mean, how would I? I didn't know anything about her, and frankly, It’s none of my business."Oh. Yeah. Uhm. Right," he added, adjusting himself in his seat. He was practically vibrating with excitement. "Anyways, she just signed this huge deal for our company. But she needs
~Lora~Last night was easily the best night of my life.Honestly, do I even have another good day to compare it to? My life before this was just a long, boring line of gray. But the way Alex broke me down last night changed everything. I had fallen asleep right in his arms, still tired and mumbl
~Lora~The call with Father somehow left me on edge.According to him, he only called to ask about my so-called two-day trip and complain about how I suddenly left the house without telling anyone.But even after the call ended, something still didn’t sit right with me.Deep down, I couldn’t shake
~Lora~My throat dried instantly as I stared at him.“What did you do?” My voice came out thinner than I wanted. “Who did you kidnap this time, Alex?”My eyes kept drifting back to the man struggling between the guards.His head hung low.“Listen,” I said quickly, standing straighter. “I don’t want
~Lora~The meal surprisingly went well and the realization alone felt strange.Alex sat across from me at the dining table, quietly eating as though today had been normal.As though I hadn’t spent part of it cuffed to his bed while he spoke about seeing me die every time he closed his eyes.The roo







