Fragments of the TruthClara didn’t mean to linger at the top of the stairs. She told herself she should go into the bedroom, close the door, and pretend to sleep. Pretend not to care. Pretend not to hear the storm building downstairs.But her feet betrayed her.Barely breathing, she pressed herself against the wall, listening to Ethan’s voice carry upward—low, sharp, deadly.“You come near her again, and I’ll burn everything you touch to the ground.”Clara’s pulse spiked. Her?There was a pause. She strained to hear the faint voice on the other end of the call. It was muffled, distorted, but enough slipped through to make her blood run cold.“…never yours to protect.”Her stomach dropped. The words wrapped around her like a vice.Who were they talking about? Was she Clara? Or was it someone else—another woman Ethan had failed to protect before?The silence that followed was worse than the words themselves.Clara clutched the railing, her thoughts spinning, her chest tight. The Ethan

Fractured TrustThe photograph lay between them, face-down on the polished mahogany floor, the words on its back burning like a secret too heavy to contain.Clara’s throat felt tight, every nerve screaming that she had crossed a line she could never step back from.Ethan’s eyes were on her—sharp, unreadable, carrying the kind of quiet intensity that made her feel both small and exposed.“What are you doing in here?” His voice was low, too controlled, like the rumble of thunder before a storm.Clara swallowed hard. Her fingers clenched at the hem of her dress. “I—I couldn’t sleep. I came looking for—”“For what?” He stepped further inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click that made the air heavier. “Looking through my private things helps you sleep?”The accusation was quiet, but it cut deep.Clara forced herself to hold his gaze. “I found the drawer unlocked. I wasn’t trying to—”Ethan bent down before she could finish, retrieving the fallen photo with a steady hand. He b

Whispers in the DarkClara sat on the edge of the velvet chaise in the dimly lit lounge of Ethan’s penthouse, her legs curled beneath her, her arms wrapped around herself. Outside, the Abuja skyline pulsed with scattered lights, tall buildings gleaming in the humid night air, but inside her chest there was only one rhythm—the pounding of unease.For days, Kane’s presence had seeped into their lives like smoke. First, with the unsettling intrusions at their home. Then, the planted clues meant to disturb their sanity. Kane wasn’t just threatening their security anymore—he was playing with their minds.Ethan had taken to late-night calls and hushed meetings with his inner circle, pacing with tight shoulders, muttering under his breath about counter-moves and business fronts. He never involved her directly, at least not beyond updates he thought were “safe.” But Clara was no fool. She had begun to notice gaps—moments when Ethan would return hours later than he’d said, his tie loosened, hi

Secrets Clara could not erase the image of Ethan’s phone screen from her mind.The words—sharp, taunting—burned into her memory.How long do you think you can keep it from her?The secret was real. Kane wasn’t bluffing. And if Ethan wouldn’t tell her what it was, she would have to find out herself.But the thought of deceiving him twisted in her chest. He had begun to lower his guard around her—little things, like brushing her hair back, or holding her gaze a moment longer than necessary. The walls that had defined their contract were starting to crack. Yet, here she was, ready to pry into the very thing he was trying to protect.That night, Clara lay awake until Ethan’s steady breathing filled the room. She turned her head slightly, watching him in the faint moonlight. His face looked younger in sleep, less burdened. For a fleeting second, she wished their marriage wasn’t bound by paper and pretense.But reality pressed hard against that fragile wish. Kane’s threats were tightening a

Cracks in the ArmorClara couldn’t get the serpent tattoo out of her mind. The image burned into her thoughts, mingling with Kane’s words and Ethan’s evasions. It wasn’t coincidence. She knew it. Kane was weaving himself into their lives, closer and closer, until soon there would be no boundary left.At breakfast, she sat across from Ethan, her spoon stirring her tea though she hadn’t taken a sip. Ethan read through a document, brow furrowed, distracted. The silence between them stretched until Clara broke it.“Ethan,” she began carefully, “that new man on your security team… the tall one with the scar near his jaw. Do you trust him?”Ethan didn’t look up. “Why?”She hesitated, then pressed. “I saw something—a tattoo. It’s the same symbol I saw on one of Kane’s files. I think he’s connected to him.”Finally, Ethan’s eyes lifted. Calm. Too calm. “Clara, you’re seeing shadows where there are none. Tattoos don’t make a man guilty.”Her pulse quickened. “So you’re just going to ignore thi