LOGINCHAPTER 50 Things just felt… off after Victoria left. Nancy sensed it the second she stepped back into the living room. Or maybe it wasn't the house at all. Maybe it was her. She felt… different. Quieter, more deliberate, like she was suddenly hyper-aware of every step she took, every inch of space she occupied. Maya was still lounging on the couch, scrolling through her phone. She looked up when Nancy entered, her brow furrowing almost immediately. “What happened?” she asked. Nancy hesitated for just a moment, then walked past her toward the side table. “Nothing,” she said, but it came out way too fast, too flat. Maya sat up. “Nancy.” Nancy reached for a glass, her fingers tightening around the cold surface, just needing something solid to hold onto. “I said it’s nothing.” “You don’t say ‘nothing’ like that unless it’s actually something.” Nancy let out a small puff of air through her nose and set the glass down, untouched. “I’m fine, Maya.” “You’re not.” The ro
CHAPTER 49 Victoria left right after Andrew did, wasting no time in getting the room back in order. She strode into the lounge where the kids were playing and told them it was time to say their goodbyes. Bending a little, she smoothed Lila’s dress hem and brushed a stray hair from Ethan’s shoulder as he grumbled about wanting “just one more round.” Her movements were sharp, the kind of maternal touch that came from ingrained habit, not a naturally soft heart. “Shoes,” she reminded them. Lila let out a drawn-out groan. “But we just started again…” “Shoes,” Victoria repeated. She didn't raise her voice, but the absolute finality in her tone shut down the argument immediately. Ethan rolled his eyes, though he complied. Maya stood by the wall, arms crossed, watching the scene with a hint of quiet amusement. “You certainly run a tight ship,” she commented. Victoria didn't even glance her way. “Someone has to.” Nancy stayed crouched by the game board, carefully collect
CHAPTER 48 From the lounge, the kids’ voices tumbled out in a chaotic symphony, squabbles over rules, sudden alliances, then peals of laughter. Maya’s dramatic flair would occasionally cut through it all. Nancy stayed with them, naturally. She was settled on the floor, one leg tucked under her, the other stretched out a bit, leaning in conspiratorially as Lila whispered something with the gravity of a state secret. Nancy would let out these soft, unguarded laughs now and then, and the sound carried. Andrew heard it from where he stood, just outside the lounge door. He didn’t move, not at first. He rested a hand on the frame, his gaze fixed on the scene inside, not quite stepping into it. Nancy reached out then, gently adjusting a game piece for Lila. “No, you can’t move it like that,” she said softly. “But I want to win!” Lila protested. Nancy smiled. “Winning isn’t about breaking the rules, sweetie.” Maya scoffed from the other side. “Speak for yourself.” E
CHAPTER 47 The heavy tension that had clung to the air for days hadn’t vanished, but it had softened, losing its sharp edges. Nancy felt it first. It was in the way the air danced through the living room, the curtains stirring gently as a breeze drifted in from the open balcony doors. A faint hum of life was returning to a space that had, for far too long, felt controlled, even stifled. She found herself by the console table, her fingers tracing the cool glass of a vase she didn’t really need to adjust, lingering longer than was strictly necessary. She was thinking, not in a frantic way, but with a quiet awareness. Aware of the morning, of the way Andrew had looked at her, of how neither of them had tried to define what was happening, and yet, everything felt profoundly different. A soft knock broke through her reverie. Before Nancy could even move, James appeared from the hallway. “I’ll get that, Miss Nancy,” he said, his voice gentle. She offered a small nod. “Thank
CHAPTER 46 Andrew had always taken pride in being in control. Every decision was made with precision, every risk carefully considered, every outcome anticipated, contained, and ultimately, overcome. That was his formula for survival, his route to victory. Yet, here he was, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, painfully aware that for the first time in years, he had no command over what was swirling inside him. His jaw clenched, the silence in the room pressing inward, too still, as if waiting for an answer he didn't have. He shifted against the sheets, his hand brushing the spot where Nancy had been just moments ago. It was still warm. That simple warmth irritated him more than it should have, gnawing at him. With a sharp exhale, Andrew pushed himself up, sitting on the edge of the mattress. His fingers raked through his hair, slower, less purposeful than usual. "This is a mistake," he muttered, the words feeling hollow even as he said them. Because if it really w
CHAPTER 45Nancy stirred first. Not fully awake, just enough to feel the solid, comforting weight of something warm and steady beneath her. Her breath hitched, then stilled. She didn't open her eyes, not yet. She already knew. The warmth. The quiet. The unexpected, deep comfort.Andrew.Her fingers curled almost imperceptibly around his shirt, the fabric surprisingly soft under her touch. She hadn't meant to fall asleep like this, half-draped over him, her head resting against his chest, but somewhere in the night, it had stopped feeling temporary. It felt… right.Slowly, Nancy opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek. Then she heard it, his heartbeat. Slow. Even. Alive. A small knot of emotion tightened in her throat. She’d spent so much time watching him from a distance, monitoring symptoms, counting breaths, always making sure he was okay. But this closeness? It felt completely different. It wasn't clinical. It wasn't ca
CHAPTER 39Morning arrived gentler than the night before, but a peculiar quiet hung in the air, as if the penthouse itself was still mulling over the events of the previous night.Nancy had just loosely gathered her hair into a knot when a soft knock sounded at her door. It wasn't insistent, not ur
CHAPTER 33Andrew stepped out of the building, and the car was already there, waiting. He didn't hesitate this time, didn't let himself get cold feet or talk himself out of it."Address?" the driver asked, a standard question.He pulled out his phone, fingers already flying. He dialed her number."
CHAPTER 31"The votes have been counted."Those words just… hung there. They really did. You could practically *feel* them hanging there, wouldn't budge, you know?Nobody moved. Not Andrew, not Daniel, not even Victoria. Nancy felt her fingers clench together, a nervous habit, but she managed to st
CHAPTER 28The quiet didn't stick around, did it? It never really does. By late morning, the penthouse was starting to hum, not just waking up, but moving with purpose. Phones were buzzing against marble, their vibrations a subtle thrum in the air. Message alerts chimed in sharp bursts, names dropp







