Category: Fantasy

Nine RHEA “Hello?” I say again, my heart pounding as I listen to the strained sound on the phone. For a moment, I think the call has dropped, that I’ve imagined it all. Then I hear him breathe all deep and shaky. “Rhea.” My name comes out like a prayer, like he can’t quite believe I’m real. “You answered.”

Eight GRAY Day sixty begins the same way as the others. My feet hit the floor at 5:30 in the morning. I recall the last time I set an early alarm for an award show. I woke up with a headache, a parched mouth, and a reminder of an old habit. But now, gratitude fills my chest. I unroll my

Seven RHEA “Oh, my goodness, you’re reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! Isn’t it divine? I stayed up until three in the morning to finish it.” Mrs. Chen exclaims when she spots the book sitting on top of my purse as I lean down to sign the lease agreement. Her enthusiasm is infectious. The lease paper is crisp under my

Six GRAY “Hey, baby. It’s me again. Day seven.” I lean back in the phone booth, my daily ritual established as morning group, therapy, and evening meditation. I’ve had a week of one-sided conversations with Rhea’s voicemail—seven days of talking to her voice without actually speaking with her. “Had a breakthrough in individual therapy today. My therapist helped me

Five RHEA The notification sits on my phone. It waits to explode whatever peace I’ve managed to build in the north Georgia mountains. Two voicemails from an unknown number came through today, though I know exactly who they’re from. My heart recognized it was Gray before my brain caught up. I’ve been staring at my phone for three

Four GRAY Rehabilitation. The word tastes like metal in my mouth, cold and unfamiliar. It’s where addicts go to die. I just hope I can make it through the next ninety days. Sobriety is my only hope. My hands tremble as I hang up, receiver slipping in my sweaty grasp. My message echoes in my mind. “Please answer when

Three RHEA I wake to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar curtains, and for a moment, I forget where I am. The silence is what reminds me. There’s no traffic, no neighbors, and no Gray’s restless movements beside me in bed. It’s just the gentle whisper of wind through Georgia pines and the distant call of morning birds. Twenty-nine today. The

Two GRAY The heavy door slams shut with a finality that cuts through my fog, dragging me from dreams where Rhea’s fingers still trace the scars on my chest. “Hey, man. You can’t be here.” The voice belongs to a stranger, but it might as well be God himself pronouncing judgment. My eyelids feel like they’re made

Prologue RHEA My foot bounces against the marble floor, betraying my nervous energy. Waiting has never been my strong suit, but sitting here in the sterile luxury of the fifteenth floor, summoned by the CEO of Requiem Records without explanation, makes my skin crawl with unease. Never mind that it’s almost the end of my shift, and