𝙏𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙨

17

𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚎 ,
𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚞𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚗,
𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚜 ,
𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝙻𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚝,
𝚆𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚜,
𝚃𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎.

----

Briana stumbled through the door of her apartment, her head pounding with the remnants of last night's indulgence. She made her way to the kitchen, the familiar routine of pouring herself a glass of wine offering a brief respite from the chaos swirling in her mind.

But as the alcohol dulled her senses and sleep beckoned, Briana found herself succumbing to exhaustion, collapsing onto her couch in a haze of confusion and fatigue.

The next morning dawned with a cruel reminder of her overindulgence—a pounding headache and a wave of nausea that threatened to overwhelm her. As she reached for her phone, the shrill ring pierced through her foggy thoughts, jolting her back to reality.

It was Mike.

"Hey, Briana," his voice crackled through the line, a hint of excitement tinged with concern. "I need you to come in for the monthly officers checkup. And I've got a surprise for you too."

Briana groaned inwardly, the prospect of facing a barrage of questions and scrutiny in her current state filling her with dread. "Okay," she mumbled, her exhaustion evident in her voice. "I'll be there."

At the office, Briana was greeted by the sight of her fellow officers lined up in formation, a sense of unease settling over her as she scanned the room. But it was the sight of Joseph among them that sent a shockwave of disbelief coursing through her veins.

Her mind raced with questions, but before she could voice them, Mike appeared, a smirk playing on his lips. "How was the surprise, darling?" he teased, his tone laced with amusement.

Briana remained silent, her thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and suspicion. As she made her way to the checkup, her mind churned with unanswered questions, the truth of Joseph's presence lingering like a dark cloud overhead.

Thanks for reading❤️