But today… my eyes catch something.
Something small.
Something that wipes the smile clean off my face.
My breath stills.
My fingers curl at my side.
And just like that… the mask I wear threatens to crack.
I stare at Evan without blinking, my breath caught somewhere in my throat.
"Arem," he calls my name, but his voice feels far away. I don't reply. I can't.
Not when the first thing my eyes land on… is that.
A fresh kiss-bite at the corner of his lower lip.
Red. Swollen. Soft.
And lower—along the column of his neck—
so many marks.
Too many to count.
Deep red, blooming like forbidden flowers someone planted on what is mine.
My fingers curl into fists so tight my nails bite into my palm. My smile—my perfect fake secretary smile—falls apart instantly.
"Arem?" Evan says again. There's confusion now. Irritation. But I still can't answer.
How am I supposed to?
After seeing love bites on my baby, who the hell could stay calm?
