Chapter One
19 June 2026
She closed the car door tiredly, slinging her purple and gold bag over her shoulder.
She fumbled for her keys at the door. That turned out to be unnecessary, as the door was unlocked.
Upon pushing the wooden frame inward, she was greeted with the sight of her mother laughing with a guest in the living room.
“Sweetie, look who came by!” chirped her mother gleefully.
The living room was minimally decorated. Her mother preferred the modern farmhouse look but hated clutter. The coffee table and TV stand were made of dark oak. They and the overstuffed navy blue couch were the extent of the decor.
Marina warily regarded the man whose gaze was boring a hole through her, nodding a hello.
His strong, slender limbs were reclined on their couch like it was his. His lips were curved upward, an unmistakable glint in those golden eyes.
His hair was cut high and tight. That was new.
“Good to see you, Ri,” he said smoothly, stretching his toned arms across the back of the couch.
Her mother looked between the two of them and slowly got up.
“I’ll leave you two to it,” she said, leaving the room.
Marina watched her mother’s exit, purposely avoiding looking at the man in the living room.
He got up, walking across the floral rug until all 6’2 inches of him stood right in front of her.
She turned to face him, her shoulder almost brushing his chest. She kept her gaze anchored there, refusing to meet his eyes.
“What the fuck are you doing in my house, Marcus?” she hissed.
He grabbed her chin, forcing it upward.
“Who the fuck are you calling ‘Marcus’?”
She shoved his hand away, her eyes darting anxiously in the direction her mother just went.
“What do you want?”
He took a step back, swinging his arms. He looked her up and down brazenly.
“You look good, Ri. What have you been up to?” he said, as if this was just another Tuesday.
“Marcus, if you don-”
Before she could finish the admonishment, an invisible force slammed into her chest. Marina’s body flew across the room, crashing onto the same couch the man had vacated not so long ago.
She pawed at her throat in an attempt to dislodge the pressure there.
The man strolled over and looked down at her, sighing like she was a disobedient pet.
“You know my name, Ri. Don’t be like this.”
She writhed on the couch, held in place by a force she knew she couldn’t overpower.
With the little air she could inhale, she croaked, “Maliq…please…”
The unseen weight vanished from her throat. Her body relaxed when she realised she could move it again.
He ran his pointer finger down her cheek, voice thrumming low in his throat.
“That’s right, baby…”
