Mason


    I woke up before my rm, as usual. It was a habit now; no matter howte I slept, my body always pulled me up early. I stared at the ceiling for a moment, listening to the quiet hum of the city just outside my window.


    Today was going to be just like any other day-morning routine, Thepany, and… Lydia’s verdict.


    I exhaled and pushed the thought away. There was no reason to dwell on it. Whatever the court decided, it wouldn’t change anything for me.


    I sat up and ran a hand through my hair before swinging my legs over the bed. The floor was cold beneath my feet as I stood, stretching my arms. I made my way to the bathroom, following the same routine as always-brush, shower, dress. My mind stayed busy, already thinking about the meetings lined up for the day.


    By the time I walked out of the bedroom, Daniel was already in the penthouse, waiting with his tablet. “Morning, sir,” he greeted without looking up, scrolling through the schedule.


    “Morning,” I muttered, buttoning my cufflinks. “What’s first?”


    “A meeting with the investors at nine. Then we visited the new building site. After that, lunch with Mr. Carter regarding the tech expansion and an internal review of the new security protocols.” I nodded, grabbing my watch from the counter. “And the verdict?”


    “Four o’clock,” he answered. Still hours away.


    “Good. Let’s go.”


    The morning was as busy as ever. The investors’ meeting went smoothly, though I had to shut down a few unnecessary suggestions. After that, we headed to the building site.


    The expansion project wasing along faster than expected. I walked through the unfinished structure, listening as the project manager exined the progress. The smell of fresh cement and steel filled the air, and so did the sound of drills and hammers. The workers were tirelessly doing their jobs right. Good.


    I nced around. “And the timeline?”


    “We’re ahead of schedule,” the manager said. “Should be operational in five months.”


    “Good. Keep it that way.” We moved to another section of the building, and I discussed some adjustments before checking my watch-an hour until the verdict.


    I turned to Daniel. “Let’s head back to the penthouse. I need to change.” He nodded, already stepping aside to call the driver.


    The drive to the penthouse was quiet as I had an online video chat meeting with some investors abroad. By the time we got to the penthouse, I had already wrapped up the meeting, feeling quite grateful and relieved that the ns for the day were falling into ce.


    As we entered my penthouse, I noticed the news ying on the television. I stopped to wonder why Daniel would leave it on before going to work. He never forgets to turn off the TV. I barely paid attention as I concluded it must’ve been the cleaningdy who made the mistake. I turned, heading straight to my room.


    As I was undoing my tie, I heard the words:


    “Breaking news-A fire broke out in the city’s central prison today, engulfing a section of the facility in mes. Reports


    175


    I frowned.


    A fire?


    I pulled on a fresh suit, tightening the tie before stepping out. Daniel was standing near the TV, arms crossed as he listened. “Any details?” I asked.


    “Not much yet,” he said. “They haven’t confirmed casualties.” I barely reacted. Prisons had incidents all the time. I had no reason to think about it. I adjusted my cufflinks again, and I was about to check my phone when I heard footsteps.


    Then came my mother’s voice. “You’re still here? I thought you’d be leaving by now.”


    I turned, finding her standing in the doorway.


    I sighed. “What are you doing here, mother?” She smiled, stepping inside with a smile. It’d been a while since I saw that bright smile on her face. “Rx, son; I’m not here to push another date on you.”


    “Then why are you here?” She shrugged. “I just wanted to see if you’d changed your mind about meing along.”


    “No.”


    “Hmmm… You are quite fast to refuse your mother,”


    I sighed, grabbing my wallet from the counter. “Not that, I just… I don’t needpany.”


    “I figured. But it was worth a try.” She smiled again, her mood unusually light. I couldn’t bear it and just had to ask. “You seem happy.”


    “Can’t a mother be in a good mood?”


    I didn’t answer; I just grabbed my jacket.


    She smirked. “I’ll take that as a yes.”


    I shook my head. “I have to go.”


    She raised a hand in surrender. “I won’t keep you.” Then, as I walked past her, she added, “But if you change your mind, you can always call on your mother.”


    I didn’t reply.


    I had more important things to deal with, and right now, something in me just wished to prioritize it.


    The moment I stepped into the courthouse, I felt something was off. The air was too still. I had expected the usual chatter among reporters, but that was absent. Instead, people whispered in hushed voices, ncing at me as I walked past.


    Daniel was a step behind me, his phone pressed to his ear. He frowned, listening intently before stopping abruptly.


    “Sir,” he called, his voice lower than usual. I turned. “What?” He hesitated. For the first time, Daniel looked unsure of how to speak.


    “Just say it,” I snapped. He exhaled. “Miss Lydia… is dead.”


    1 stared at him, and in that moment, I experienced what it felt like to truly be in a state of shock. “What?”


    “The prison fire,” he said slowly. “She was in the affected area. She didn’t make it.” I blinked, my mind refusing to process what he was saying.


    Dead?


    No.


    That wasn’t possible.


    “You’re wrong,” I said tly.


    Daniel swallowed. “The official report just came in. She was trapped inside. She-”


    “Stop,” I cut him off.


    The walls of the courthouse felt like they were closing in on me suddenly as my legs seemed to be giving out.


    Lydia is dead.


    I turned, stepping back outside, my breath feeling too tight in my chest.


    This didn’t feel real. I hoped it wasn’t real.


    She couldn’t be dead.


    I barely noticed Daniel following me until he spoke again.


    “There’s something else,” he said cautiously.


    I didn’t respond.


    “Sir,” he said again, forcing me to look at him. “She was pregnant.”


    I felt the words hit me harder than a punch.


    Pregnant.


    I let out a hollowugh. “You’re lying.”


    Daniel didn’t react. “The medical reports confirmed it.”


    Lydia died with a baby in her. I felt so much guilt crushing me at once as I realized that I let her- and that’s when it hit me. Could the baby be… His.


    My fingers curled into fists. Why else wouldn’t she tell me about her pregnancy or reach out? She knew fully well I wouldn’t let her stay in jail, but she didn’t. The child is my stepfather’s.


    I swallowed, feeling my throat burn.


    I needed to get out of here. Now.


    I didn’t remember the drive to the bar. All I knew was that I needed something to silence the thoughts in my head. The first


    ss of whiskey burned as it went down, but it wasn’t enough.


    I poured another.


    Then another.


    And Another.


    She was pregnant. We tried to have a baby for two years, and I understand that part of the reason it took so long was how invested I was in growing mypany. Still, she had no justifiable reason to sleep with him! She bore his child.


    And now she was dead. How do I hate her while in death? A chair scraped against the floor, and I barely nced up as David sat beside me.


    “You look like hell,” he muttered.


    “Not in the mood,” I said.


    “Yeah, well, drinking yourself into aa won’t fix anything.” I ignored him, taking another sip.


    David sighed. “Look, man. I get it. It’s a lot.” I mmed the ss down. “You don’t get anything,” I said, gritting my teeth. together. He didn’t argue. I exhaled, leaning back.


    For months, I forced myself to move on, to believe that she had never loved me and that I was better off. I am. But how do I truly get past this hurt? She hurt me so badly even when I loved her so much and remained devoted.


    And now?


    Now, she is gone. I can’t even hate her, right? David tapped his fingers on the table. “You know what you need?”


    I didn’t answer.


    “You need to move on.”


    I let out a shortugh.


    “You think I can just forget everything?”


    “No,” he said simply. “But you can stop punishing yourself. You can start over.” I rubbed a hand down my face.


    “How?” David smirked. It’s easy. Get a new woman.” I shot him a warning look. He raised his hands. I’m serious. Do you want to stop thinking about her? Find someone else. Let yourself breathe.” I stared at my ss, ignoring his absurd advice.


    It sounded ridiculous.


    But at the same time…


    I reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone. David raised an eyebrow. “Calling who?” I didn’t answer. The phone rang twice before she answered. “Mason?” My mother sounded surprised. Of course she was, I rarely called her and had always avoided her as much as possible. I exhaled. “You said you’d set me up with someone?”


    There was silence at the other end of the call before she responded in a low and unsure tone. “Yes.”


    1 gripped the ss tighter.


    “Do it.”