Nathaniel pov:
"Looks like we're in for a sleepover tonight," he said, chuckling.
I gave him a pointed look and watched as she walked away.
"She doesn't know, does she?" Grayson said, grinning at me.
"No, she doesn't," I told him.
"So keep it under wraps, will you?"
"That's gonna be pretty tough once her stomach starts growing, you know."
"I just don't want her to freak out. She almost bailed because of Leila. Thanks a lot for that, by the way."
He laughed. "Sorry, I was trying to surprise you."
"That was a real dick move, Grayson. You know how Leila is, she's a total clinger. And Caroline ended up fighting her after I went to see her."
"Wait, Caroline beat her up?" he asked, laughing. "What did you do?"
"I went to see her, and Caroline found o
Caroline pov:I felt myself starting to move, but the last thing I could clearly remember was getting into bed with Addison after we had that Burger King meal that Milo brought over. I was really happy to finally be able to eat something more substantial after snacking all day.Addison then told me a lot more about the cult and the disturbing things they made the members do as kids. I really don't even want to think about all that.She also opened up and shared more about herself. That's when she revealed to me that Grayson is gay, which came as a huge surprise, but now that she mentioned it, I can kind of see it, I don't recall ever seeing him with a girl.Additionally, I found out that things between Addison and Gavin are getting pretty serious, but her parents don't approve of their relationship. I always thought she might have had a little crush on Gavin, but she told me they're actually pl
Caroline pov:We stood in silence, staring at the positive pregnancy test. When I saw those two pink lines, I felt like my whole life flashed before my eyes. I saw myself holding a baby alone, sitting in the hospital without Nathaniel by my side. I was in complete shock. I was pregnant, a living human was growing inside of me. This was not at all what I had planned for my future. I was supposed to be graduating high school, not having a baby!"We can't tell him," I said to Addison, panicked."I can't have this baby, Addie," I said, struggling to catch my breath.I didn't want this baby. I wasn't ready for this. I had been so careful, taking the pills, how could this have happened? "You're just panicking right now," Addison tried to reassure me.We had locked ourselves in the bathroom, away from Nathaniel, Grayson, and Milo. It had taken me a while to finally work up the courage to take the pregnancy test."No, no," I mumbled. "Nathan doesn't want this and I don't want this either."
Nathaniel pov:"Don't forget the food,' I say, my voice low and tense as Grayson opens the car door.Caroline must be starving by now. McDonald's isn't exactly a grand gesture, but it's something-a shitty attempt to apologize for leaving her this morning.I know she probably puked her guts out again, and I should've been there to hold her hair back, to whisper that everything would be okay. But, of course, I had other fires to put out.Grayson throws me a look, one of those "I’m about to say something you don't want to hear" looks."You know, no matter how much crap you bring her, she's still gonna hate you for what you did.""Shut the fuck up, Grayson," I snap, getting out of the car and slamming the door harder than necessary.All I can think about is getting inside and wrapping Caroline in my arms. She has
Caroline pov:*One month later*"Get up," the woman in white barked.At this point, I'm numb to her orders. I've lost all sense of time in this damn tiny room. The first few days were hell, I fought back like a caged animal, scratching and screaming at anyone who touched me.They had to strap me down to a white hospital bed just to draw my blood. The nurse wouldn't even look me in the eye while I begged her for help.I begged because I knew she'd figure out I was pregnant. I could see it in her eyes, she knew. But when she told Adam I wasn't pregnant, I was both relieved and confused. Was she trying to help me or just covering her own ass? Either way, it didn't matter. She was risking trouble by lying.Then Mr. Wilson, Nathaniel's father, made his grand entrance. I wish I Could erase those memories. I still feel his aftershave, his rough hand on my brea
Nathaniel pov:“Where the hell is she?!” I yelled, my fist connecting with Dylan’s face once more.The sickening crunch of bone echoed in the room, but I didn’t care. It had been two torturous weeks since Caroline had vanished, and every second that passed without finding her pushed me closer to the edge.I’d scoured every compound in Canada, tearing through them like a madman, but she was nowhere to be found. The thought of what she might be enduring was driving me insane.The FBI? Useless bastards. I’d been working with them for months, feeding them everything they needed to take down my father, but now, when it really mattered, they were hesitating.They needed something solid, something that would stick in court. But I couldn’t just sit around and wait for them to make a move. Not when Caroline was out there, in dang
Caroline pov:The echo of the heartbeat still haunted me, even after two days. It wasn’t just a memory; it was like a ghost that lingered in the corners of my mind, a sound too vivid to forget. That day, it all played out like a nightmare I couldn’t escape.Adam led me into that cold, sterile room, white, clinical as if emotions couldn’t exist in a place like that. The table in the middle, an ultrasound machine nearby, and glass mirrors on both sides. I couldn’t see through them, but I could feel eyes, watchful, detached, probably judging.How many were hiding behind those mirrors? How many were silently observing as they tied me down like some kind of animal?The nurse flipped a switch, and suddenly, the room was filled with the rhythmic thumping of my baby’s heartbeat.I couldn’t see the screen; the restraints wouldn’t
Caroline pov:The night was eerily silent, like a graveyard. The sky was a deep, inky black, speckled with a million stars gazing down. But inside me, a storm raged as fierce as any thunder outside.Her hand gripped mine, pulling me toward the car that idled nearby, its engine humming like an anxious predator.“Come, Caroline. The car’s waiting,” she urged, her voice tense as angry shouts echoed behind us.Her face, a mask of concern, twisted in the dim light, but I couldn’t bring myself to trust her.For all I knew, she could be one of them. How could she claim to be my aunt when my mother never mentioned her? And why now, after all these years?Nathaniel, at least I knew he wasn’t with them. He had always wanted to protect me. But her? She was a stranger, and this was my one chance to break free.
Nathaniel pov:"They'll be fine, boss," Theo said, his eyes meeting mine with a calmness I couldn't quite share."Just give me five more minutes."I glanced down at her still body, the oversized, tattered shirt hanging off her frame like she was disappearing into it.She looked so small, so fragile. I could barely recognize the girl I once knew. Her cheeks were hollow, and her eyes, though closed, seemed to carry the weight of everything she’d gone through.The image of her crumpled on the roadside was seared into my mind. If we hadn’t found her when we did, I don't think she would’ve survived. She was already halfway gone.When she first saw me, her eyes were wide, but it was like she didn’t even register who I was.I had to shake her gently, terrified that she might not recognize me at all. For a mome