The Space Between Us
780 Words
Ana Sterling sat on the edge of the bed, her wedding dress pooled around her like a mistake she couldn’t undo. She looked a beautiful mess.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet for a wedding night.
She pressed her palms into the fabric and tried to breathe.
Your father destroyed my family.
Jaxon’s words echoed in her head.
She stood and walked to the mirror.
The woman staring back at her looked fragile. Smaller than she remembered. Her smile was gone, replaced by fear she didn’t know how to hide yet.
She wiped her cheeks.
Crying wouldn’t help.
She needed answers.
Ana reached for her phone.
Her finger hovered over her father’s name.
She didn’t call.
Not yet.
She opened her messages instead.
Unknown number:
You should be careful who you trust.
Her heart skipped, and she looked around the room anxiously.
She stared at the screen.
Ana:
Who is this?
No reply.
She locked the phone, unease settling deep in her chest.
Jaxon’s study room felt colder than usual.
Mira Vaughn stood near his desk, uninvited and unmoved.
“You’re distracted,” she said. “That’s dangerous.”
“You’re enjoying this,” Jaxon replied.
She didn’t deny it.
“Victor Sterling moved money tonight,” Mira said. “But he wasn’t alone.”
She slid a file across the desk.
Jaxon didn’t touch it.
“I don’t have time for games.”
“This isn’t a game,” she said. “This is family.”
That word hit harder than it should have.
“I don’t have family,” Jaxon said.
Mira tilted her head. “Are you sure?”
She opened the file herself.
“Someone used a Blackwood-linked trust,” she continued. “One your father buried years ago.”
Jaxon’s eyes darkened.
“That account was sealed.”
“So was your mother’s medical file,” Mira replied quietly.
He stiffened.
“Who?” he asked.
Mira shook her head.
“I don’t know yet,” she said. “But whoever it is—he’s close. Close enough to know what hurts you.”
Jaxon’s phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
UNKNOWN:
Blood doesn’t disappear. It waits.
Jaxon’s jaw tightened.
Mira watched his reaction.
“You see?” she said. “Someone is circling.”
“Why tell me?” he asked again.
Mira met his gaze.
“Because Ana Sterling is standing in the middle,” she said. “And she doesn’t even know it.”The door opened softly.
Ana looked up.
Jaxon stepped inside the bedroom, his presence filling the space.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
“You didn’t come back,” she said quietly.
He stopped a few steps away.
“I needed space.”
“So did I,” she replied. “But I didn’t get it.”
“ You got enough space with Mira, “ she murmured to herself. “
“What did you say? “
“Nothing, “ she replied.
He studied her face.
“You should sleep,” he said.
Her chest tightened.
“Is that all I am now?” she asked. “Something to manage, and be kept in a corner “?
Jaxon hesitated.
“No.”
He moved closer.
Close enough that she could feel him again. The familiar pull. The danger.
“Then talk to me,” she said in a low tone.
He exhaled slowly.
“ Things are moving behind the scenes,” he said. “Things are bigger than us.”
“I am your wife,” Ana said. “That makes me part of it.”
Silence.
Finally, he nodded.
“Then listen carefully,” he said. “And don’t trust anyone—not even me—until I say so.”
Her heart raced. “Why?”
His eyes softened, just slightly.
“Because,” he said, “someone is using your name… and mine.”
Ana swallowed.
“And my father?” she asked.
Jaxon’s voice dropped.
“He’s closer to this than you think.”
Her hands trembled, and her face showed fear.
Jaxon noticed.
He reached out, stopped himself, then slowly took her hand.
The touch sent heat through her chest.
“We’ll survive this,” he said quietly. “But only if you stay alert.”
She searched his face.
“And if I don’t?” she asked.
His grip tightened just enough to be honest.
“Then this marriage becomes the safest lie we ever told, and we will both be miserable .”
The room fell silent again.
Outside, the city moved.
Inside, two people stood bound together by secrets neither fully understood.
And somewhere in the dark, someone watched them both.
- Writer
