OLIVIA’S POV
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56 vouchers
Adrian had just texted me, his words simple yet powerful enough to calm my nerves. He said he had spoken with Isadora and just as we thought, she had agreed toe meet him at his ce.
I stared at the message for a few moments, almost disbelieving how neatly everything was falling into ce. My lips curled into a small smile as relief washed over me. This was good, no, this was perfect news. Themissioner had already stationed policemen around Adrian’s building, waiting for her to step foot inside. The very moment she did, she would be arrested. Just like that.
Finally, finally, the nightmare would end.
For weeks, I had lived in fear, every corner of my home guarded, every outing apanied byyers of security. I could barely breathe without feeling as though eyes were on me, watching, plotting. But now, that heavy weight pressing on my chest was beginning to lift. After today, there would be no more Isadora, no more shadow of danger following me everywhere I went.
I would be free.
The thought filled me with a strange giddiness. Free to walk the streets without a constant swarm of bodyguards. Free to linger in cafés and boutiques without worrying if someone lurked nearby. Free to stay here in New York longer, to enjoy the city as I had always wanted but never could.
I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes for a second, imagining all the ces I could explore. The museums, the parks, thete–night diners with neon signs glowing against the dark sky. I hadn’t been able to enjoy any of it before not with danger lurking, and not during my marriage to Adrian. Back then, life was suffocating, weighed down by duty, appearances, and the endless feeling of not being enough for him.
But speaking of Adrian…
Lately, my thoughts kept circling back to him. Against my will, against my better judgment, they lingered on him longer than they should.
I had given him a lot of thought these past few days. More than I wanted to admit. My mother had even spoken to me about him, reminding me in her calm voice that no matter what mistakes he had made, he once did something no man had ever done for me he had taken a bullet for me. That wasn’t something to forget easily, no matter howplicated our past was.
And it was true: Adrian seemed… different now. Changed. In the past, I had always been the one chasing him, making the effort, trying to hold the pieces of our marriage together while he slipped further and further away. But recently, it felt like the roles had reversed. He seemed to be paying more attention to me, making actual efforts to reconnect, to prove something.
And then there was what he told me about Isadora that he had no real rtionship with her, that she had forced herself on him. I wanted to resist believing it, but when I stacked everything together, it made sense. It fit.
So maybe… maybe when Isadora was finally locked away where she belonged, I could consider giving Adrian another chance. Maybe, if he kept showing this version of himself, the one who fought for me instead of
<b>11:48 </b><b>Sat</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>27 M…
against me, I could let him back into my life.
But that was forter. For now, all I had to do was wait for the good news toe from him.
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<b>€</b>738
With that thought, I slipped my phone into my hand and moved toward the stairs. The smell of sizzling meat drifted faintly from the kitchen downstairs, reminding me of what I had left behind. I had been frying steak for Charlie earlier, making breakfast since the maids hadn’te in yet. My mother wasn’t around either, <b>so </b>it fell on me to make sure my son ate something decent this morning.
It felt strange, doing it myself again. Domestic. But in a way, it grounded me, reminded me that despite all the chaos swirling around my life, some things remained simple. A mother cooking for her child.
I padded up thest steps and grabbed my phone from the side table where I had left it, then began descending again. Each step carried me closer to the kitchen, to the faint crackling of meat in the pan.
Then the front door opened.
The sound was sharp, echoing just enough to make me pause mid–step. I frowned slightly. My parents? But they weren’t supposed to be back until evening. Confusion tugged at me, but I brushed it off. Maybe ns had changed.
I continued down, my hand grazing the rail, and called out, “Mom, why are you guys back so early?” My voice carried casually as I moved toward the kitchen door.
But no answer came.
Instead, the only sound was the steady, deliberate rhythm of footsteps approaching me from behind.
A chill raced down my spine. Slowly, carefully, I turned, my heart thudding in my chest.
And then I saw her.
Isadora.
My breath hitched, my eyes widening so sharply it almost hurt. My mind scrambled, refusing to believe what my eyes were telling me. She stood there, just a few steps away, her presence impossible yet undeniable.
“You…” The word slipped out, trembling. “But how are you here?”
She wasn’t supposed to be here. She was supposed to be on her way to Adrian. She was supposed to be walking straight into the trap we had so carefullyid for her. How had she gotten past the gate? How had shee here without anyone stopping her?
Fear gripped me instantly, mping down on my lungs, making it hard to breathe. Before I knew who she truly was, I had never been afraid of her. I had underestimated her, but now? Now that her mask had fallen away, I knew exactly what she was capable of.
And facing her like this, in my home, unprepared and unprotected, I felt the full weight of that danger.
Did shee alone? Or was someone else waiting outside, ready to finish what she had started before? Was this another attempt to end my life, to destroy mepletely?
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My pulse thundered in my ears, my instincts screaming at me not to waste another second. I turned <b>on </b><b>my </b>heel, panic giving me speed, and bolted into the kitchen. My only thought was to arm myself, to grab something, anything that could be used as a weapon.
If she truly came here alone, then maybe I could handle her myself.
But if not… then God help me.
B