a machine for 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪.

As I write this, the sun is starting to rise over Bergamo, casting its first light across our room, gently touching your face as you sleep. I don't think I could ever tell you enough how much you mean to me, how deeply grateful I am to have you in my life. You know that, for me, words don't come out that easily, and I'm sorry. There are times I still catch myself wondering how I got here, with a woman like you, and a love like ours. A life. You have given me everything I never dared dream of, and more. You gave me happiness, my love, something I never thought I'd deserve.

Since we tied ourselves together forever, I feel I am seeing the world through new eyes, and it's all because of you. Here, in this place we call our home, with our daughters laughter ringing out like music, I finally understand what it means to be content. Pauline, my little Paulette, with her bright eyes and daring heart, reminds me so much of you. And your sweet Yelena, your Lenoshka, she has a softness, a quiet wisdom already, as though she's carried lifetimes in her small heart. I look at them and see pieces of us, pieces of you, and feel like I've been granted something sacred.

I thank you for every day that I am lucky enough to spend beside you. You took a broken man and pieced him back together, gently, with so much patience that I could scarcely believe it. With every touch, every glance, you mended a part of me that I thought was beyond saving. It's you, Vasilisa, who has made me whole, and with you, I feel like I could finally cast aside those shadows of the past, those moments of sorrow. They don't matter now because you've shown me what it is to feel complete.

When I see you with our girls, the way you hold them, speak to them, teach them - I can hardly breathe for how full my heart feels. You have given me a family, a joy I never thought was possible. You've given me mornings filled with giggles, nights spent in warmth, and countless days that begin and end with love. It's as if you took the scattered dreams I carried and breathed life into them, creating a world where they became real, where happiness is no longer something I only see in passing.

With you, my Angel, I have purpose. I have meaning. I'm not only a husband to you, but a father to our children, and I cherish every moment of it. For that, I thank you from the deepest parts of me. I will spend every day for the rest of my life trying to be worthy of you, of this life we've made. I only hope I can give you as much happiness as you've given me, that I can be the man who reflects the light you've brought into our home.

I love you, ma belle. Every piece of this life we've made is because of you. Thank you, my wife, my friend, my soulmate, for bringing me into this world of color, for making me feel alive and needed and loved. I am yours, wholly and without end, and I will love you for every sunrise we share.

Forever, B.H.

To Daesik, From Elise. It's never over…

Sometimes I like to imagine that you're not real. How would it be, if you were just the sweetest of my dreams? I'd never wake up from you if you were a mere creation of my brain, leaving no room for reality to creep in and steal you away from me. Funnily enough, you are even more perfect than anyone I could possibly imagine, way further than whatever I once imagined. You are a dream, the sweetest most beautiful dream in the world, and I don't ever want to wake up if it gives me any sense of reality. You're too good to be real, and too good to be mine.

I got a taste for love letters these days, I have to say it. I wrote tons of useless drafts and threw them away, what should I write for you? It's hard to put words out because I'm yet to fully understand what it is that I feel for you entirely - it's strong, as demanding as the one I say owns my heart. This love has me completely helpless, at your mercy, living off everything and anything you could ever give me. I don't know if love is enough to translate this thing inside of me, the one that ties your name to mine endlessly. All I know is that what I feel for you is alive, raging inside of me as my heart pumps blood aggressively - it seems that what I carry for you in my heart keeps me alive.

I remember how it felt, when I first loved you - Daesik, you were and still are a thrill. Back then, I was naïve enough to believe what role you'd play in my life was fleeting, a passing storm. I never imagined you'd be this relentless force pulling me in, though your demanding presence keeps me tethered to you. Even in moments when I sense you drifting, trying to push me away, I find myself in your orbit, drawn by this pull only you can create. It's as though you exist in every beat of my heart, a rhythm I cannot escape nor would I ever want to. Your love, Daesik, has a gravity all its own, and I am helpless against it.

Sometimes, I lie awake at night wondering how someone like you found a way into my life. You are a vision I never knew I needed, a warmth I cannot live without. It feels as though you are stitched into the fabric of who I am, woven so deeply that the thought of being without you is like contemplating a life without light. Do you feel it too, this endless current that binds us, invisible but undeniably real? Or maybe it's just me, entranced, caught in the shadow of you, always longing for more, even when I have you so close.

I wish I could show you how you look in my mind, Daesik. You are like dawn breaking over still waters - beautiful, calm, but capable of stirring the deepest parts of me. Sometimes, when I'm quiet in bed, I imagine I'm in your embrace, and the world melts away. In those moments, it's as if I belong nowhere else, as if my soul was crafted to find peace only in the presence of yours. There's a tranquility I feel with you, something I've never known before, and it scares me how much I need it, how much I need you.

It's never over with you, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You are my beginning and my end, my wildest dreams and my calmest peace. Thank you, my love. Thank you for being my constant, for showing me that the truest things in life are those we can neither see nor touch, but feel so deeply they become our very essence. With you, I am whole.

Utterly and forever yours,

Elise Song

She has one of those crappy iPhone battery cases - like, really bad. She can't leave the house without a charger, and her phone will probably die right when she needs it most.

Even though Lila will never admit it, she's insanely addicted to that one pic of Soren. It's been on her lockscreen since the moment she saw it, and she keeps it there just to stroke her own ego a little - she did manage to get him by being annoying and insufferable, so she figures she can achieve pretty much anything in life.

Of course, she's a huge Beyoncé fan! Lila's obsessed with the old jams, especially Destiny's Child - they're her go-tos for shower singing. And since the walls are way too thin, Soren never misses a chance to tell her how off-key she is on Jumpin', Jumpin'.

Truth is, Lila hates texting. She'd much rather spend hours on the phone, FaceTiming or whatever, but texting's just not her thing. Still, every now and then, she gives in to society's expectations and replies to people after ghosting most of her acquaintances. Soren's the only one she replies to promptly - unless, of course, she's avoiding telling him she's horny at 11am and in need of some D treatment.

Her Instagram is a total chaos. She posts whatever she wants to keep around for a while, mostly because she deletes every single pic on her phone - storage is that bitch when you can't pay for cloud space. Her posts include some cute selfies and sexy polaroids, her wild fridge magnet collection, toddler-level arts and crafts, and, naturally, shots of Soren Kang.

And yeah, she keeps posting him because, well, they're kind of a thing, right? Just the thought of it makes her head spin, even if he hasn't and probably won't officially ask her to be his girlfriend. They don't really need a label or some big moment, but people talk. For her, posting him is just a little bit of marking her territory, calming her insecurities - or just her jealousy. Deep down, Lila knows Soren is totally whipped, but hey, showing him off on Insta now and then won't kill him.

Of course, Kenzie misses Vanya deeply. He works too much, and what he does is still somewhat unclear to her - she's positive he's up to no good by being a mob leader, but she doesn't know exactly what he's up to all the time. Ivan, on the other hand, seems to know every single detail about Mackenzie's life, and it makes her feel cherished and cared for despite them being far apart for most of the time.

It's somewhat funny how they managed to click so well, her being as broke as one could get, failed by the promise of the American Dream and him being just an Interpol wanted Red Notice. She's still working on her Russian skills, but her Vanya got way better at English since she got him to watch Love Island with her.

Since reconnecting after nearly a year apart, Amelia and Zoeller have barely left each other's side, not even for a single day. Now, they work together, Amelia proving herself resilient enough to be Zoeller's pupil - not just a lovesick girl trailing behind him. They understand each other completely, each aware of the motives behind the other's every action. They're lovers who share hopes for a better world, even if it means shouldering the weight of change themselves.

Despite the endless hours they pour into plotting their next moves, they still manage to steal moments to be regular people in love. They go on dates - much to Amelia's surprise, these are something Zoeller treasures deeply. They sip wine together, even though Amelia despises the taste of alcohol, indulging him anyway with a playful grimace. Sometimes, they snap pictures, filling burner phone after burner phone with precious memories. Zoeller likely knows that Amelia saves these photos in albums on her cloud, hidden but cherished. But he's never said a word about it, so Amelia quietly keeps them close, her face lighting up whenever she sees an old snapshot appear on a new device, a reminder of the life they're building together in their own sick way.

To her, it's somewhat funny to see his little face on those pieces of stupid paper, and it takes her down memory lane real bad. She's been styling him since the early days, recalling every single one of the days those selfies were taken. That, of course, makes her wonder - did he love me then and was I stupid enough not to notice at all? No shit...

Her most recent acquisition is a debut showcase exclusive, which she paid more than she should've because, well, Luca probably finds it extremely corny that he used to do that kind of fanservice for fucks sake. She loves it, though, and has been keeping her collection on a little collect book which she carries around in her bag. Maybe, just maybe, if she asks him fondly, he'll make photocards a thing again.

Hana is definitely not ready to graduate, even though she just did last week. Her mom and dad flew in from their beach house in Sicily to support her, along with her boyfriend and his mum, Dominique Jang, who’s somehow still got that same old model beauty. Of course, her twinsie Joohy was there too, bawling her eyes out because they wouldn’t be cruising around hammered at frat parties every week anymore. Old habits die hard, but well, Hana is finally done with school.

At the massive house party thrown in their huge Seoul home, her dad, once he was suitably tipsy, started firing questions at a very shy, very polite Thomas. So, when are you marrying my daughter, Thomas? Hana, as out of it as her dad, grabbed her boyfriend's arm, laughing with a genuinely happy smile. This is exactly the life she wants with Thomas - calm and very, very happy. But, absolutely smashed, she couldn't help herself from adding a little twist, and a little white lie wouldn't hurt, would it? She threw a look at Joohy, who sat across from her, a signal that Hana was about to do something entertaining. Actually, Dad, we're engaged, she said, pausing dramatically, and I'm pregnant! You're going to be a grandpa!

He relishes how his name is tangled with hers like a fucking disease, an infection too late to cure; he's taken over her, and she's tangled up in him. Search results connect them endlessly, Are Asami and Eli dating?, feeding on every scrap of gossip like vultures. It's too late for her to back out now, and he knows his sweet girl is too careful, too well-behaved to ever say no to him.

The thought is almost intoxicating: he could ruin her with a single move, shatter her entire career if he wanted. And it fucking thrills him. The power he holds over her life and image, how her fate dangles by his fingertips - it's a thrill he savors like a last meal on death row. Part of him wants to blow things up, go public and revel in the fallout. However, at least for now, he's content just playing along, scrolling through another rumor article with a smirk, letting the world buzz cluelessly around them.

Nina's latest obsession with digital scrapbooking was perfect for the trip. While Eric took work calls and replied to emails by the vineyard, she'd pretend to be coloring endless Bobbie Goods designs on her iPad. In reality, though, she was pouring herself into their little digital time capsule, carefully picking stickers and pictures to eternalize their first Napa trip together. Eric had no idea she was creating these little pages or that she'd been memorializing their dates and cozy nights together for the past four months, but well, she'd tell him eventually... Or keep it a secret until they get married next Spring.