(Scott's POV) As I stepped into my mansion, a surge of happiness spread through me. No, it wasn’t just happiness—it was pure elation. Allison wasn’t engaged to Stefan. The relief that washed over me felt like a weight lifted from my chest, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, I felt like I could truly breathe again. Earlier, I’d lost control and kissed her, and even though it earned me a slap, I’d do it all over again without hesitation. Her lips… they felt just the same as they always had—warm, soft, and intoxicatingly sweet. I’d spent countless nights remembering those lips, wishing I could feel them against mine again. I missed her. I missed everything about her—the way she’d let me kiss her endlessly, the way she used to surrender to me completely, body and soul. I missed those quiet moments under the duvet when the world outside didn’t matter, when it was just the two of us, wrapped up in each other. Some nights, we’d cuddle and talk about our dreams; other n
(Scott's POV) "Mummy isn't breathing." Those words echoed endlessly in my ears as I drove at breakneck speed toward Allison's house. My heart pounded so loudly it felt as if it might burst out of my chest. Even with the car's air conditioning on full blast, my fear was so intense that I could feel the heat on my face. Allison had been perfectly fine when we spoke last night—no signs of illness, no complaints of feeling unwell. So what in the world could have happened? I pressed harder on the gas pedal, silently wishing I could grow wings and fly to her this instant. The memory of the last time Allison got sick flooded my mind; that was seven years ago, before our break up. She had been bedridden for two long, agonizing months, unable to speak or move much. It was the first time in my life I cried so miserably, thinking I might lose her. And now, with Liam's panicked call ringing in my ears, telling me she "isn't breathing," my eyes stung with unshed tears. I love her. I fucking
(Allison's POV) "Mummy," Liam hugged me tightly when I woke up, his small hands clutching me in a way that made it clear he was scared. Earlier, I had gone to the kitchen to make cereal but felt dizzy and fainted. Ever since I allowed Scott to be part of Liam's life, I’ve been constantly scared—scared that my family might find out the truth. Even though I don’t say it out loud, it consumes me. I badly want to tell them, but I don’t know where to begin. They resent Scott so much and don’t want him involved in Liam’s life. But it’s just too unfair to keep dragging an innocent child into a conflict he doesn’t even know about.. "Mummy, are you okay?" Liam asked, touching my face with his little hands. I nodded with a smile. "Mummy is fine. I’m sorry if I scared you." "I was so scared, Mummy. But now that you’re smiling at me, I’m not scared anymore." I smiled, caressing his hair, but then stopped midway when I realized I was in my room. I vividly remembered fainting in the kitche
(Allison's POV) I quickly crouched beside Liam, caressing his face with a made-up smile. "Your Daddy is busy, Liam, and he can't spend the night here. He has lots of documents to handle, and that's why he needs to go home," I said to him, but Liam shook his head in disapproval. "Are you saying his work is more important than us?" he asked, wearing that sad face that always tempts me to give in to whatever he said. I won’t blame him anyway; he got that attitude from me. But allowing Scott to spend the night here was not something I could allow. "Daddy, is your work more important than Mummy and me?" Liam asked, still maintaining the sad look on his face. Scott looked at me before turning back to Liam, trying to figure out how to respond. "You love your work more than us?" Liam asked again, his voice heavy with sadness. Scott crouched beside him, and I could feel his skin brush against mine since we were both crouching. I subtly shifted away from him. "Of course not, Liam. D
(Allison's POV) "Allison, when you called last night, we were unable to answer because Alex and I were busy attending to the customers at the restaurant. Before we could get back to you, it was late, so Alex and I decided to come over this morning to see if you're alright," Aunt Hilda said. She was trying to explain why she and Alex were unable to pick up when Liam called last night, but that wasn’t my problem right now. Scott was still sleeping in Liam’s room. What if he came out, unaware of my family’s visit? They’d be shocked, and the secret I’ve kept hidden would be revealed before I muster the courage to tell them. They might also think I’m back together with Scott, which isn’t true. "Sis, are you alright?" my brother asked, noticing my nervousness. "Yes… I am… fine," I stammered, forcing out a smile. "You don’t look like yourself this morning, Allison. Normally, you’d have welcomed us with open arms, but you’re not doing that. It’s as if you don’t want us to enter your ho
(Allison's POV) "Alex!" I rushed toward him, quickly standing by the door to prevent him from entering Liam's room. "You should go back to your food, Alex. You said you have a class to go to," I said, forcing a smile. "That can wait, Sis. I need to check what fell down from Liam's room," Alex said. It was obvious he suspected I was hiding something, which is why he was so determined to enter Liam's room. "There's nothing there, Alex," I said, clinging to the door. But Alex pulled me aside and entered Liam's room, his eyes moving around as if searching for something or someone. My gaze darted to the wardrobe, but Scott wasn’t there. Where could he have hidden? Nevertheless, I used the opportunity to distract Alex. "I told you it was nothing. Why are you doubting me?" I asked. "Because you're not acting like yourself today, and it makes me suspicious," Alex responded, then quickly walked to the bathroom. He opened the door with full force, as if he was trying to find someone inside
(Scott's POV) As I crawled out of bed, I couldn't stop myself from laughing. At first, hiding from Allison's family wasn't something I wanted to do, but for Allison's sake, I decided to. Now, it felt kind of funny. Allison and I were like two teenage kids hiding our relationship from their parents. "What's so funny?" Allison asked, folding her arms across her chest. "Isn't it amusing how we're playing hide and seek with your family? We’re like two teenagers keeping our relationship a secret, and when we were almost caught, you made me hide to avoid being seen," I said, grinning. But Allison kept a straight face, which made me wonder if it wasn’t amusing to her. "You don't find it funny?" I asked, my grin slowly fading. "Give me one reason why I should find what you just said funny, Scott. My family completely trusts me, but I'm hiding a huge secret from them. They think we haven't seen or spoken to each other, but they don't know that we're on speaking terms and that I have given
(Scott's POV) "Is this some kind of joke?!" I demanded, glaring at my dad, who was seated comfortably on my couch, as if he owns not just my life but my house as well. "Jenna is right, Scott. We've already fixed a date for your wedding. You both just have to get yourselves prepared for it," my dad said, and Jenna smiled. "What gives you the right to arrange my marriage for me?!" I yelled at him. I was trying my best to control my anger because, even though I resent him so much, he is still my dad. "I'm your father, Scott. So I have every right to arrange your wedding with anyone that would be beneficial to us," he said. "Beneficial to us?" I scoffed before continuing. "Don't include me in that because I'm not part of your family." "Your last name is Stiles, so how are you not part of our family?" he asked, standing up, his face showing just how angry he was. Back then, I’d have apologized immediately, but not anymore—not when I am no longer the man he could push around and
(Writer's POV) "Good night, ma'am," Allison's new secretary said to her as she was about to enter her car. Allison had spent most of the day making new designs for sale, but if she were honest, she had spent the entire day working on those designs to avoid thinking too much about Hugo's threats. "You too, Lillian," she beamed at her secretary before getting into her car. She had brought her car to her clothing line, as her plan was to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things for Stefan. She hadn’t visited him as she promised because she was too preoccupied with Scott's dad’s threat. "Don’t dwell on it, Allison. He wouldn’t be able to hurt you. It’s just a threat," she exhaled deeply. Allison continued driving until she noticed a car behind her. She cleared the way for the car to pass, thinking she might be blocking its path, but the car drove past her and stopped in front of her at full speed. Allison screamed loudly as she slammed on the car brakes. If she hadn't been wea
(Writer's POV) Bonnie sighed for the umpteenth time as she called Peter, but he kept ghosting her calls. "What's going on?" she muttered to herself. She sent him a text message, but he neither viewed nor replied to it. "What's going on, Bonnie?" her mom asked as she entered her room. "You didn't touch your food. Why?" "I'm going to eat it later," Bonnie replied with a sigh. "You're going to eat later?" Her mom furrowed her eyebrows. "It's not like you to ditch my cooking, Bonnie. And come to think of it, you've been on your phone all day. Don't tell me you're trying to make up with Allison? I don't like you being friends with that woman!" "Mom, can you please just stop! I'm not trying to make up with Allison. I still hate her for what she said, if that's what you want to hear," Bonnie hissed and stood up from the bed. "Where are you going?" "I'm stepping out for a bit." "You can't do that, Bonnie. You haven't eaten all day," her mom complained. "Where I'm going is
(Allison's POV) "Good morning, sir," I quickly greeted after he introduced himself as Scott's father. This was the first time I was meeting a member of his family face-to-face. "And what's so good about the morning?" he asked. "Huh?" I raised my eyebrows, wondering why he was speaking to me in such a tone. "You and Scott broke up six years ago, right? What's your relationship with him like now?" he asked. "Well, I—" "I don't want to hear it," he cut me off with a hateful glare. Why does he hate me when he's just meeting me again for the first time? But then I remembered his relationship with Scott. If such a man could hate his own son, why would he like anyone outside his family? He was no different from what Scott had said about him. "I'm not here to have a conversation with you, Allison McCall. I'm going to get straight to the point. Stay away from Scott," he declared. Is this some kind of movie where the female lead is hated by the male lead's family? "You're not fit to b
(Allison's POV) "Allison!" Clara quickly hugged me when I arrived home. I hugged her back, my eyes scanning around for Scott. "How are you doing, Clara?" I asked, forcing out a smile. "I'm fine, Allison, though my uncle keeps insisting I’m not. It's just a bruise—I'm totally fine," she said. "He's just worried about you, that's all." "Yeah, I know. Is it fine if I stay here and go to school?" "Of course, it’s fine with me. It’s your uncle’s house—you can do whatever you want." "Thanks, Allison! You're just as sweet as your cooking," she grinned, and I nodded. "Where's Scott?" I asked, wondering why I hadn’t seen him since I arrived. "He took Liam to school," she replied, and I sighed. I had almost forgotten Liam needed to go to school. "Why didn’t you come home last night, Allison? My uncle was worried about you," she pouted. "Something came up, that’s all. How did Scott take it?" I asked curiously. "I don’t know. He didn’t say much about it, but I could tell h
(Allison's POV) I waited patiently at the doorstep for Stefan to open the door. The receptionist had called him, and he had told her he knew me, which was why she gave me his room number. "Stefan," I knocked on the door when he was taking too long to open it. I stood there for three minutes before he finally answered. He was sitting in a wheelchair. "Stefan," I muttered his name. "Why are you here? Why can't you leave me alone? Haven't you hurt me enough?" he asked. "I'm sorry for what I did," I apologized sincerely. "Your apologies won't mend my broken heart," he sniffled. "I know that, and that's why I'm here—to at least try to fix it. I want to make up for hurting you by being here for you. I want to take care of you until you get better," I said. "Does Scott know you're here?" he asked. I knitted my eyebrows, wondering why he cared, but I still answered his question. "No, he doesn't." "Why didn't you tell him?" he asked again. "I chose not to because I want
(Allison's POV) "Why would you want me to date you, Stefan?" I asked, surprise written all over my face. "Why are you so surprised, Allison? I thought you said you would do anything?" he asked in return. "Yes. Anything, but not date you, Stefan," I replied, my voice strained. "Why can't you date me, Allison? Am I that hard for you to love?" "It's not like that, Stefan. I..." "That's enough, Allison," he cut me short. "I don't want to hear another word from you. Leave," he said, pointing at the door. "I can't leave you in this state. I can't date you, but you're still my friend. Let me help you until you're able to walk again." "I don't need your pity, Allison. Just leave me alone. Leave, Allison! I don't want to see you!" he screamed, throwing tantrums like a child. His voice attracted the doctor and nurses, and they all rushed in. "What's wrong, Mr. Stefan?" the doctor asked while I wiped away the tears threatening to fall. I didn’t like the situation between Stefan and me
(Allison's POV) I sat down in the hospital hallway, crying silently, my blouse stained with Stefan's blood. The only thought running through my head was to blame myself for what had happened to Stefan. It's all my fault. I should have told him beforehand. If I had, he wouldn't have been so shocked and hurt to see Scott and me kissing each other. I always tend to regret things after they happen. I had so many chances to tell the truth about my feelings for Scott, but I didn't. I held it in, and he got into an accident because of me. It's all my fault, I lamented to myself as I allowed my tears to flow freely. "Allie!" Scott called my name, rushing in with my Aunt Hilda and Alex. I rushed into his arms, and for a moment, I felt that the blame I had placed on myself was lifted after Scott welcomed me into his embrace. I just love him so much; that's why I found comfort in his hug. "What happened, Allison?" my aunt demanded, and I broke the hug to look at her. Both she and Alex
(Writer's POV) "What's going on here, Allison?" Stefan asked, as surprise washed over him. He had come to California to give Allison a surprise visit, only to be surprised himself. He just couldn't believe what he had seen. "Stefan... I can explain," Allison stammered, feeling guilty. She had been thinking of how to tell Stefan that she had finally decided to give Scott a second chance. However, she didn't know how to go about it because she knew Stefan had been patiently waiting for her to love him back. "What do you want to explain, Allison? I already saw everything," Stefan said, his voice sounding so heartbroken. "Stefan, listen to me, I—" Before Allison could complete her sentence, Stefan stormed out of the house. "Stefan!" Allison screamed, trying to go after him, but Scott held her hand. "Allie," he whispered her name, and she turned to look at him with misty eyes. "Let's talk later, Scott. I need to explain things to Stefan," she sniffled. "I'll come with you," Scot
(Allison's POV) "What the heck are you doing here?" Bonnie asked harshly when she opened the door and saw me standing at her doorstep. "I came to see you so we can talk, Bonnie," I replied calmly. She had submitted her resignation letter, just like she said she would. I hadn't had the chance to talk to her about it because of what happened to Aunt Hilda. If not for Scott, who dropped the case against Jason so Michael would drop the case against my aunt, I don't think I would have been able to live properly—because she wasn't just my aunt, but a mother to me as well. "We have nothing to talk about, Allison. Didn't you see my resignation letter? What more do you want me to say?" Bonnie shot back harshly. I still couldn't believe she was acting this way because of a man. I understood that she was in love, but I thought she had always said, "Sisters before misters." "Bonnie, you can't be doing this. We've been friends for five years. You can't just cut off our friendship like