~Hailey~
The day stretched lazily as the morning gave way to afternoon. After breakfast with her mom, Hailey had wandered back up to her room, trying to organize her sketchbook and fight off the restless feeling gnawing at her stomach.
Victor was coming home today.
The thought alone made her pace her room twice before throwing herself onto the bed. She hadn't seen him since she arrived, and even though she tried to act like it didn't bother her, it did.
Victor had always been different from Michael. Where Michael was loud and reckless, Victor had been steady, almost too calm sometimes, but he had this way of making her feel... protected. Safe.
At least, he used to.
Hailey rolled onto her back, staring at the ornate ceiling molding. What if things were different now? What if London and all its polished, untouchable charm had changed him too?
She didn't realize she'd dozed off until the slam of a car door jolted her awake.
Heart skipping, she scrambled to the window, pushing the heavy curtains aside.
There he was.
Victor.
Taller than she remembered. Broad-shouldered, dressed in a sharp navy suit that made him look older than his twenty-one years.
His black hair was a little longer, messier in a way that somehow suited him. He had a duffel bag slung over one shoulder and a phone pressed to his ear, his mouth set in that familiar, serious line.
Hailey practically flew down the stairs, nearly slipping on the polished wood floors as she burst into the entryway just as the front door opened.
He stepped inside, and for a second, neither of them said anything.
Then a slow, unmistakable grin broke across Victor's face—the kind of grin that used to make all her worries vanish when she was little.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up," he teased, dropping his bag by the door.
Hailey's eyes stung unexpectedly. She rushed at him without thinking, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug.
Victor let out a surprised laugh but hugged her back immediately, strong arms lifting her slightly off the ground before setting her down again.
"You got taller," she mumbled into his chest.
"You got louder," he said with a chuckle, ruffling her hair like he used to when they were kids. "Missed you, kid."
She pulled back just enough to smack his arm lightly. "I'm eighteen now, you can't call me that anymore."
"You'll always be a kid to me," Victor said with a shrug, but there was a warmth in his eyes that softened the usual coolness he carried. "You doing okay here?"
Hailey hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. It's... different. But it's good to be back."
He studied her for a moment, like he could see right through her lie. Victor always had that unnerving way about him—quiet but sharp, reading between the lines even when you tried to hide.
"You don't have to pretend with me, you know," he said quietly. "Not everything's supposed to be easy."
Before Hailey could answer, their mother's voice floated in from the kitchen.
"Victor, darling! Come say hello!"
Victor rolled his eyes slightly but smiled. "Duty calls," he said under his breath, nudging her toward the hallway.
As they moved toward the kitchen, Hailey noticed something else—something that made her heart ache a little.
The way Victor walked, the way he carried himself... it had changed. There was a heaviness to him now. A sharper edge beneath that easy smile.
Just like the rest of this perfect, polished house, Victor had been... reshaped.
And Hailey wasn't sure yet if that was a good thing.
They entered the kitchen together, where Mary practically flew to embrace Victor, fussing over him like she hadn't seen him in years. Hailey hung back a little, watching.
She could already hear Michael stomping down the stairs, shouting something about Victor being late. Typical.
And yet, even with all the noise, all the chaos that suddenly filled the house again, Hailey felt strangely grounded.
Because Victor was home.
And for the first time in days, she didn't feel so alone.
Dinner passed in a comfortable haze of laughter and familiar arguments between her brothers. Michael and Victor slipped back into their usual rhythm of playful jabs and competitive one-upping, while Mary beamed at the head of the table like nothing in the world could be more perfect than having her children under one roof.
Hailey mostly listened, smiling when needed, twirling her fork between bites of roasted chicken and buttery vegetables. She should've felt completely at ease, but a small, persistent knot of anxiety sat in her stomach.
Because she knew.
She hadn't finished the manga draft she was supposed to send days ago.
Her phone, tucked in the pocket of her hoodie, buzzed just as she was taking a sip of water. She fumbled to check it under the table.
[Call Incoming: Emi - Editor]
Hailey's heart dropped into her stomach. She wiped her mouth with her napkin, standing up quickly.
"Uh—excuse me," she said, trying not to sound too desperate. "I need to take this."
Mary waved her off kindly. "Go ahead, sweetheart."
Victor raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously but said nothing as she hurried from the dining room, practically bolting up the stairs to her room.
She closed the door behind her, pressed her back against it, and answered.
"Hello?" she said, trying not to sound breathless.
"Hailey!" Emi's bright voice chirped through the line, as bubbly and energetic as ever. "How are you? I heard you moved back to London! Are you adjusting okay?"
Hailey sank onto the edge of her bed, her tote bag full of crumpled sketch pages mocking her from across the room. She rubbed her forehead. "Yeah, it's been... a lot. But good. Mostly."
"I'm glad!" Emi said, genuinely sounding happy. "I was just thinking about you. I didn't want to rush you or anything, but... how's the draft for Devil's Promise coming along? You know, our deadline's coming up next week."
Hailey's stomach twisted. Crap.
She leaned back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "Um... about that..."
"You're almost done, right?" Emi asked hopefully.
Hailey bit her lip. "Halfway?"
A beat of silence.
Then a small, dramatic gasp. "Halfway?" Emi whined. "Haileyyyy! I believed in you!"
"I know, I know, I'm sorry!" Hailey groaned, flopping fully onto the mattress. "It's just... everything's been so crazy with the move and the new school and my family... and—"
"And boys?" Emi teased slyly.
Hailey immediately thought of Alex—of the way his hand had brushed her shoulder that morning—and promptly sat upright like she'd been electrocuted.
"N-no!" she stammered, too fast.
Emi laughed. "Okaaay, okaay. No judgment. But you know you're our best artist! I just need something to show the publishing team by Monday. Even if it's rough sketches."
Hailey rubbed her temples. "I'll stay up and work on it tonight, I promise."
"That's my girl!" Emi chirped. "I'll check in tomorrow night, kay? And if you have any spicy ideas for the next volume... wink wink, I'm all ears."
Hailey laughed weakly. "Yeah. Got it."
They said their goodbyes, and Hailey tossed her phone onto the bed, groaning into a pillow.
Why was she like this?
Dragging herself up, she pulled her tote bag closer, dumping its contents onto the floor. Crumpled pages fluttered out like wounded birds. Her main characters—two dark, brooding boys with complicated, forbidden love—stared back at her from the half-finished panels.
Her heart squeezed a little.
Maybe it's easier to write about forbidden love than it is to survive it...
Shaking her head, Hailey gathered her pencils, pulled out her sketchpad, and cracked her knuckles. No more distractions.
Tonight, she had work to do.