Karl stood by the glass wall of his loft, hands in his pocket. Morning had come and gone, yet he had not moved from that spot for longer than he cared to admit. His reflection stared back at him faintly against the glass, expression unreadable.The memory of the night before still lingered. Anna’s face, the uncertainty in her eyes, the way she had looked at him like he was nothing more than a stranger she had made a reckless decision with. That part had been expected and yet it did not sit as easily as he had assumed it would.And then there was his offer. Karl exhaled slowly, his fingers pressing lightly against the surface of the glass. It had been an impulsive offer. On what grounds was he even making that offer? Hell, he shouldn’t be dragging her into this, fooling her and playing hero at the same time. His jaw tightened slightly, that was unlike him and he knew exactly what that meant even though he didn't want to put a name on it..A slow knock came on his door and he turned

Anna sat alone on one of the chairs outside the operating room.Her hands were clasped tightly together in her lap, her fingers interlocked tightly. She hadn’t realized she was doing it until a dull ache settled into her knuckles, but even then, she didn’t loosen her grip.The red light above the operating room door remained on.Her eyes kept drifting back to it, as though staring long enough would somehow make it turn off sooner.The past few hours had been a blur and not a single person had sent a smile or a reassuring look her way. Jules hadn’t said much before they took him in. He had tried to smile for her, the same way he always did when he knew she was worried. It hadn’t reached his eyes. He was supposed to get his heart transplant today and for some reason, despite the doctors constant reassurances, Anna felt anxious. She shifted in her seat, her shoulders tense, her gaze dropping to the floor for a moment before lifting again almost immediately.Footsteps approached from t

Melody moans echoed through the wall of the office. Caden's grip on his phone together as he watched melody, his own melody, wrapped in the arms of another man. Caden sat alone in his office with the blinds drawn halfway. The door had been locked from the inside for the past one hour, and his phone remained in his hands. The video had already replayed more times than he could count. His thumb hovered over the screen again before pressing play.It was the same thing he'd watched before; Melody was wrapped in Zach's arms like he was the only important thing in the world.Caden’s jaw tightened as his eyes remained fixed on the screen. He watched the moment she fell into the pool, the way Zach moved toward her, the way his hands wrapped around her. He watched the closeness that followed. The way she didn’t pull away, the way she smiled. His grip on the phone tightened unconsciously. Then came the part that made him mad. The kiss. Zach had kissed her and instead of pulling away, she h

Anna had just finished rinsing the last of the dishes when the knock came.The sound made her pause mid-motion, her hands still submerged in the sink as water continued to run over her fingers.She turned her head slightly, listening. She wasn't expecting any visitors. Hell, she never got any visitors. Another knock followed, rattling the door on its hinges.Anna frowned, who the hell was it at this hour?! It was freaking late at night.She dried her hands slowly on a towel and walked toward the door. Her mind ran through the handful of people in her life who could show up at her place uninvited and she found none.“Who is it?” she asked, stopping just short of the handle.There was no response. Her fingers hovered over the lock for a moment before she leaned closer, pressing her ear slightly toward the door.Silence.Anna’s chest tightened, that's odd. She took a small step back, refusing to open the door until the person at the other end said something. “I said who is it?”Then th

Karl stepped into Zach’s office without knocking.The space was exactly what one would expect from someone like Zach. Black. It was all black luke he was the devil's assistant or something. The only light was from the glass walls that overlooked the city. “There's only one person with that much audacity.” Zach said, his fingers continued moving across the keyboard. Karl closed the door behind him and walked further into the room.“We need to talk.”Zach leaned back in his chair, glancing over his shoulder before turning fully to face him.“That sounds serious,” Zach said, studying his expression. “What happened?”Karl didn’t sit. He remained standing near the edge of the desk. “I’m getting engaged,” he said.Zach blinked once. Then he let out a short laugh, shaking his head as if he had misheard.“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re what?”“Engaged,” Karl repeated.Zach turned his chair completely now, one leg crossing over the other as he gave Karl his full attention.“To who?” he asked