LOGIN[Natasha's POV] "Bring the book."The line went dead. I stared at the phone, the silence in the room suddenly deafening. I felt a surge of something new, cutting through the fog of my fear and confusion. It felt like purpose.I stood up and began to move with a clarity I hadn't possessed since waking up in this room. I pocketed the burner phone. I took the note, the fragile paper with its spidery handwriting, and folded it carefully, tucking it into my shoe. I picked up the German book, its weight solid and reassuring in my hands. I looked around the small, sparse room that had been my entire world. The made bed. The chipped mug. The stack of worthless cash. It was a cocoon, and I was about to break out.I opened the door and stepped into the hallway. The floorboards groaned under my feet. I listened. Nothing. I walked to the stairs, my steps silent, practiced. I could hear the low murmur of a television from Mrs. Petrova's office on the ground floor. I took the back stairs down, eme
[Natasha's POV] Mrs. Petrova stared at me for a long moment, the garble of the television filling the silence between us. Her gaze wasn't suspicious, not exactly. It was more like that of a jeweler examining a strange, uncut stone, trying to determine if it was glass or diamond. The lines around her eyes tightened, her head tilting just a fraction."Lullabies," she said finally, the word rolling slowly off her tongue. "There are many. For sleeping. For waking. For keeping bad dreams away. For... remembering things you should not forget." The last phrase hung in the air, heavy with implication. She reached for a remote on her cluttered desk and muted the television. The abrupt quiet was profound."Why do you ask about a lullaby?" she said, her voice softer now, the gruffness replaced by something that sounded almost like caution.My grip tightened on the German book. I could show her the note. I could tell her about the sparrow. But Anya's face flashed in my mind, her warning about be
[Natasha's POV]I had no answer for that. I just stared at her, the coffee suddenly tasting like ash in my mouth.She smiled, a thin, knowing curve of her lips. "Don't worry. I'm not a threat. I'm just... an observer myself. Name's Anya. I'm an archivist." She extended a hand. It was cool, her grip firm and brief.I took her hand. "Alex," I said, the name feeling strange and foreign on my tongue, a borrowed coat that didn't quite fit. It was the name from the ID in my wallet. A lie.Anya nodded, as if "Alex" was exactly the name she expected. "Well, Alex," she said, releasing my hand. "This city has a lot of seams. A lot of stories hidden in the cracks. Most people walk right over them. But you... you see them, don't you?"I didn't know if it was a question or a warning. I just took another sip of my coffee, the bitter liquid a desperate anchor in a sea that was suddenly churning with questions. This woman, Anya, saw too much. And in a city where I was trying to be invisible, being s
[Natasha's POV]The stairs were steep and narrow, each step groaning under my weight. The third door was painted a chipped white, with a simple brass knob. I inserted the key, felt it turn with a gritty resistance, and then, remembering her words, gave the door a firm shove with my shoulder. It swung open with a sigh.The attic room was smaller than I'd imagined, but it was clean. A single bed with a white quilted coverlet was pushed against one wall under a slanted ceiling. A small wooden chair sat in the corner. And there was the window. It was a large, circular window, like a ship's porthole, looking out over the city rooftops. The glass was streaked with the faint traces of rain, but through it, I could see the sprawling expanse of Brooklyn and, in the distance, the glittering jewel box of Manhattan. The room smelled of cedar and clean linen.I dropped my bag on the floor. The sound it made was a soft, final thud. I walked to the window and pressed my forehead against the cool g
[Natasha's POV] My bag was by the door, right where I'd left it yesterday. I walked over, my steps slow and deliberate. I didn't bother to check if I'd left anything behind. I didn't want anything that was his. I just wanted out.I opened the door, then paused, my hand on the knob. My gaze fell to the armchair. The key was still under there, a small, metallic piece of a life that wasn't mine to touch. I should leave it. Let him find it, let him wonder. But the thought of it sitting there, a secret I kept for him, felt wrong. It was one last tie to him, one last piece of his life I was holding onto.I crossed the room, my bare feet silent on the hardwood floor. I knelt by the armchair, my knees protesting, and reached under it. My fingers brushed against the cool metal. I pulled it out, the key feeling heavy in my palm. It wasn't my burden to carry.I stood up and walked to the small entryway table by the door. A single, stark lamp cast a pool of light on its surface. I placed the key
[Natasha's PO]She sighed, a small, sad sound. "The man who lives here. The one you've been seeing." She paused, letting the words hang in the air between us. "My husband."The world tilted on its axis. The word echoed in the sudden, roaring silence in my head. Husband. My brain refused to process it, trying to reject the information like a foreign body. This had to be a mistake. A cruel joke. My hand flew to my mouth to stifle a gasp. I saw the phantom images of our past encounters: the way he’d kissed me, the promises he’d whispered, the possessive way he’d held me. All of it rewrote itself in an instant, transforming from love into a masterpiece of deceit."He… he never said…" I stammered, the words catching in my throat.A bitter, humorless smile touched her lips. "He wouldn't, would he? That's not part of the game for him." She looked past me, into the apartment, her gaze sweeping over the remnants of our passion—his discarded sweatshirt, the tangled sheets on the bed I could jus
[Natasha's POV]I startled awake, half-closed eyes, and staggered into the restroom as soon as the alarm went off. It was 6 am already so I hurriedly shut the door behind me, undid my shirt, and ran the faucet in the hopes that the steam would startle me into complete consciousness. After taking o
[Natasha’s POV]I have to search his house before leaving it. I pulled myself up from the bed to take some fresh clothes. When I walked out of the bathroom Ethan was already dressed. I looked at him and he winked.‘He’s going to kill me.’ My heart thumped a little harder in my chest, but I knew tha
[Natasha’s POV]"Sit there," Lucas commanded and I quickly went to sit on the sofa. I first sit on this sofa to give an interview and now I desperately wanted to get fucked by him. He walked towards me and I could see his bulging cock, I licked my lips.He was wearing a pair of tight pants that sho
[Natasha's POV]Suddenly he pulled my hand to take me out of that party. He seems very mad and frustrated at that guy."What are you doing here, dressed so sexy?" He asked when we reached the parking lot. I looked into his mad eyes and then glanced at myself. I'm sure I'm looking pretty right now,







