เข้าสู่ระบบI poured another cup of warm water over August's head and tried to focus on washing the sand out of his hair.Warm water trickled down his temples before dripping onto the towel spread across his shoulders.I really tried.But it was difficult.His eyebrows.The curve of his nose.His lips.Everything about him seemed unfairly perfect.Sadie and Katie had turned his hair into a complete bird's nest.Flowers.Leaves.Grass.Twigs.Even glitter somehow.They had insisted we wash it before he left.Surprisingly...August hadn't complained once.He seemed like a completely different person whenever he was around the children.He suddenly looked up at me.Our eyes met.I smiled."Close your eyes."He grinned."Why? Getting lost in them?"I rolled my eyes."If you want soap in them instead, be my guest."He chuckled before finally closing them.His lashes fluttered shut, and a tiny drop of water rolled slowly down his cheek.I worked the shampoo through his hair."Genesis.""Hmm?""Are you
I must have driven through every stop sign and broken at least ten traffic laws before I reached the orphanage.The gate stood wide open.My heart hammered as I stepped out of the car.I hurried inside-Then stopped.Genesis was lying in the middle of the field, eyes closed while two little girls braided flowers into her hair.The afternoon sun filtered through the trees, scattering patches of light across the grass.Not far away, Matt-her supposed bodyguard was sitting cross-legged on the grass, completely absorbed in a toy gun battle with two little boys.I let out a long breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.She was okay.My shoulders sagged with relief.Matt spotted me first."Sir!"He hurried over.I waved him off."It's fine."The boys looked up curiously.The twins, however, abandoned Genesis immediately and ran straight towards me.Their tiny feet thudded across the grass."What are you doing here, mister?"One of them asked.I looked between the two girls.They were iden
The recruitment team called to let me know they had concluded the interviews and were in the final stage of selecting a new director for the orphanage.I frowned.Genesis hadn't reached out.I picked up my phone and called her.No answer.I lowered the phone and stared at the screen for a second before calling again.I tried Matt, the security detail assigned to her.His phone rang.Then went unanswered too.A knot tightened in my stomach.Something wasn't right."Mr Thorne?"I looked up.The interior designer was waiting for my attention, several material samples spread across the conference table."We're moving on to the final interior selections."She pointed at the sketches."Our artists came up with these concepts to match the aesthetic direction you're going for."I stared at the drawings without really seeing them.My thumb kept tapping against the edge of my phone on the table."Oh... right."I rubbed my forehead."They already align with the exterior design."She smiled."So
After everything that had happened yesterday, I had no idea how people would react.And for once, I wasn't really prepared to find out.So, for the first time, when August suggested that maybe I shouldn't go to work, I agreed.Even he looked taken aback.He actually paused with his coffee halfway to his mouth.Esme nearly choked on her coffee."Seriously?"I shrugged."I mean, if I can work from home, that would be fine. I don't mind sitting this one out today.""Sure."August nodded."If I need you, I'll call you."I nodded.Esme suddenly brightened."So we can go to that Bullani pop-up event."Her eyes lit up like she had already planned the entire day in her head.August immediately cut her off."Of course not."She stared at him."You have to go to work, remember?""I don't really have to go. I can work from anywhere.""You can't actually."He stood up."There's no slacking. Let's go."Esme stared at him."So you're not even worried that Genesis is going to be here all alone while
As she lay in my arms in my bed that night, all I wanted to do was soak up all her pain and take it away so she didn't have to feel it anymore. There were other things I wanted to do too... Things that were possible, like finding Richard, her so-called father, and making sure he regretted everything he had ever done to her. But Genesis had made me promise to leave it alone. Of course I wasn't but she didn't need to know, not yet. I looked around the room. I had lived in this house for over a year, but this was the first time I had ever slept in this room. The citrus scent of her shampoo filled my nose. She turned and looked up at me. "Are you still awake?" Her voice was low, snapping me out of my thoughts. "What are you thinking about?" "Just thinking about..." I paused. "How to obtain a time machine, so I could go back to when you were younger." She lowered her head. I lifted her chin with two fingers. "To tell you that what happened wasn't your fault
“What the hell happened to you?”August's voice was the first thing I heard.I froze.Then I pulled my hood over my head and turned away from him.“It's nothing.”“Who did that to you?”He reached for me and turned me around.“August, it's nobody. I'm fine.”“You're not fine.”His voice was sharp.“Your face is swollen, and you're bleeding.”“It's just a little cut.”I was already nursing a headache. The last thing I wanted was to make the situation worse.“Genesis.”His voice softened.I covered my eyes with my palm, trying to stop the tears from falling.He stepped closer.“Whatever it is, you can tell me.”I said nothing.“I'm the last person who would judge you.”His hand gently touched my arm.“I care too much about you to be interested in judging you. Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault.”My throat tightened.“You have to trust me enough to tell me so I can help you.”And finally, I broke.“She was right.”August frowned.I pulled out of his embrace and turned away from him.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Thorne, but our records indicate that you are already legally married.”For a second, I thought I had misheard him.The officiant sat across from me, his fingers hovering uncertainly over his keyboard, his expression caught somewhere between discomfort and confusion, the later match
I had always been careful, so waking up naked beside my boss that morning, my boss who wasn’t even my type, felt like the beginning of a disaster I wouldn’t survive.After everything that followed, I convinced myself I could forget him. Forget Vegas. Forget that night ever happened.Now it was all
Then silence after I knocked stretched painfully long. Then, a second later, the door creaked open. I froze. There she was, Genesis Michaelson, the very woman I’d spent over twenty-four hours trying to find, while finding out things about her I never thought off. For a moment, neither of us spok
“So, Miss Michaelson, it says here you worked at Thorne Automotive Group as an executive assistant?”The interviewer glanced up at me, skepticism already written across her face.And at that moment I regretted putting it on my resume.I had wanted to leave that part of my life behind me. Completely







