It was just after seven when I found myself alone in the dining room, the clock ticking softly in the background. My husband and his sister had left for what they called a ‘business dinner,’ leaving me with the new maid, Rosa, who was supposedly non-English speaking. I was organizing receipts from last month’s expenses … Read more
It had taken Isabella Trent six months to plan her escape. Six months of pretending, of smiling through bruises that no one would see, of counting every coin, every heartbeat, every moment as if it were a final warning. Time had become her enemy and her ally at once — ticking loudly on the walls … Read more
The wooden chair in the cramped office was surprisingly uncomfortable, despite its padded seat. I shifted slightly, glancing at the clock on the wall that marked 3:17 PM. Across the desk, Mr. Hargrove, the estate attorney, sifted through a pile of documents. His tie was slightly askew, a detail that seemed out of place in … Read more
The fluorescent lights flickered overhead as I lay on the hospital gurney. The nurse, unfazed by the chaos around her, methodically attached the blood pressure cuff to my arm. My husband stood beside me, fidgeting with his phone, casting nervous glances toward the door. The doctor entered, carrying a manila folder—the hospital’s logo stamped on … Read more
The bank’s fluorescent lights flickered slightly as I sat down in the quiet corner of the office, a thick envelope sitting unassumingly on the table before me. It was a Wednesday, the 15th of March, and a sense of unease settled in my stomach as I glanced at the bold letters of the account number: … Read more
The bank office was quiet, save for the soft tapping of keyboards and the occasional ring of a phone. I sat across from the loan officer, a man in his late thirties with a crisp shirt and a nameplate that read “James Crawford”. He placed a sealed envelope on the desk, its contents unknown to … Read more
The envelope crinkled in my hand as I stood in the narrow hallway of Maria’s house. I had come here to personally deliver an invitation to my maid, something I never thought I’d be doing on a Wednesday afternoon. Her house was neat, modest, with a faint smell of lavender lingering in the air. As … Read more
The lunch break came as a relief, a brief escape from the monotony of my office at 78 Park Avenue. I had no reason to suspect anything as I climbed the familiar stairs to my third-floor apartment. The door was ajar, which was unusual, but not alarming enough to stop me. As I pushed it … Read more
The conference room was cold, impersonal, as most corporate spaces are. I sat across from Ben, my fiancé, at a long, polished table. An envelope, stark white against the dark wood, held the center of attention between us. It contained the contract we were supposed to sign today. A contract that would merge our lives … Read more
It was a typical Wednesday morning when I found myself in Mr. Larkin’s office, the city skyline sprawling beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. His office was a testament to success—expensively framed accolades and photographs lined the walls, a testament to his decades-long career. The desk between us was large and imposing, polished to a shine, with … Read more
