The storm had passed, leaving behind a low mist that curled around the trees like secrets not quite ready to be spoken. Inside Jack’s cabin, the fire crackled, casting long, golden shadows across the worn wood floors and knotty pine…

The mountain air was thick with summer; woodsmoke curled from Jack’s outdoor firepit, dancing between the trees like ghosts of past lovers. Inside the cabin, the air was even hotter. Evelyn and Elena hadn’t spoken much after the earlier confrontation…

The morning air was sharp with citrus and damp from early sprinklers. Somewhere outside, the garden was being trimmed, the hum of distant clippers blending with birdsong. But inside Maddie’s room… there was only silence. And the aftermath. The sheets were…

The soft hum of jazz drifted through the penthouse as the sun dipped toward evening. Gold and rose tones bled across the sky, casting long shadows across Tyrone’s sleek, minimal living space. The glass walls turned amber with dusk, and…

The city slept beneath them. The skyline was a sea of lights, shimmering through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Tyrone’s penthouse. Daniel sat in silence on the leather chaise near the glass, still shirtless, hands trembling slightly in his lap. He…