Liana’s POV

The sunlight spilling through the curtains was golden, but it made my eyes sting the moment I opened them. My body was sore, the kind of sore that reminded me of every single thing that happenedst night. Every touch of his, every sinful kiss, every hard thrust. God. I turned slowly on the bed, expecting to see him there.

But the space beside me was empty.

I sat up, dragging the nket higher on my chest. My fingers brushed over something on the pillow beside me, a folded piece of paper. I picked it up slowly, already knowing who it was from.

Had to run for an early meeting. Didn’t want to wake you. You looked too peaceful to disturb. My day might be chaos, butst night….st night was everything. I still feel you on me. Still want you. Again. And again. And again.

My cheeks flushed deep red as I pressed the note to my chest.

But then guilt crawled in.

Dad. His voice. His disappointment. His absence.

I sighed, dragging myself out of bed while my legs ached, my inner thighs sore. It took me longer than usual to get to the bathroom. The water was warm, soothing against my skin, but even it couldn’t wash away the thoughts running through my

head.

When I was dressed, I reached for my phone. Nothing. No new messages. bNo /bmissed calls. Just silence.

A soft knocknded on my door, then it creaked open.

“Good morning, Mommyb!/b” Ryan’s voice was bright and full of life.

I turned around to see him standing there in his little pajamas, hair messy and eyes wide with excitement.

“Good morning, babyb,/bb” /bbI /bsaid with a smile while my heart was warming instantly.

“Ma’am Agnes made breakfast,” he announced proudly. “She said it’s really delicious. Come and eat!”

I chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his hair. b“/bAlright, alright. Lead the way.”

We walked down to the dining room together. The table was already set. Freshly scrambled eggs, golden–brown pancakes stacked high with syrup, crispy bacon, and a bowl of fresh fruit in the center. A ss of orange juice waited at every seat.

Agnes greeted me warmly. “Good morning, Miss Liana. I hope you slept well.”

I nodded gentlyb. /b“I did. Thank byou/b, Agnes. This looks amazing.”

She beamed “Thank you, dear. Please, eat.”

Ryan dug in immediately, making a mess with the syrup and bacon, and bI /btook a few bites myself, the warmth andfort

of the meal settling something restless inside bme/b.

But not enough

After breakfast, I excused myself. Ryan stayed behind with Agnes,ughing about something I couldn’t quite hear as bI /bclimbed the stairs back to my room.

I sat on the bed and stared at my phone.

Just one more try.

34

I opened the call log and hovered over Dad’s name. But just as I was about to tap it,

Dad: Call me when you’re free.

My heart jumped. For a second, I just stared at the screen, my breath caught.

He texted me.

I didn’t wait. My fingers were already dialing.

He picked up on the first ring.

“Hello?b” /b

“Dadb,/b” I breathedb, /bsuddenly feeling ten years old again.

phone buzzed.

There was a pause. A long one. Then his voice came, quiet but serious. “I’ming to the city. With your stepmother. We

need to talk.b” /b

My stomach dropped.

“Is… is everything okayb?/b” I asked carefully.

“We’ll talk when I get there,” he said. “It’s very important, Liana. About your future.”

My heart pounded in my chest.

And then the line went dead.

I sat there, phone still pressed to my ear, staring at the wall.

b212 /b