Taide marked me.He fucking marked me.I bit my nails, pacing, my breathing sounding raspy.This wasn't happening, I told myself, placing my hand on my neck, but the shiver that zapped through my brain woke me up.Panic flooded in at once.He has unlimited access to my very being, and the worst part
CHARLOTTEMy hand rushed to the mark, in a pitiful attempt to cover it up.Shit!I should have locked the door!"Mads, why didn't you knock?" I asked, hoping I could divert her attention, but Madeline watched my actions, with worry written all over her face."Madeline," I berated, pulling my wet hai
"I asked if it was Reigh who marked you.""Oh," I blinked, "No.""Then was it Caeson?"This time my response came slower. "No."None of those two.I watched Madeline hesitate to ask for the last triplet. She didn't want to ask if it was Taide, because she knew what the answer would be.Over the year
CHARLOTTENot a sound could be heard, and only tense silence filled the kitchen air."Madeline," I called hurriedly to explain, but she only looked at me with hurt. She turned to glance at Taide, then at me, before slowly backing away."Madeline, I can explain." My voice sounded pained, "Please just
CHARLOTTE We were back at the dorms, sitting on the bed, and facing each other. We needed the privacy. "Alright, Char," Mads said, folding her hands across her chest. "Talk." It wouldn't be easy to say. None of this would, but I needed to do this. I closed my eyes, sighing, and opening them. "W
The girl on the right was taller than the rainbow dressed girl. The taller one pushed the shorter one down, knocking over the food trays. "Ouch, that's gotta hurt." Madeline winced, touching her back, and I had to admit feeling a little hurt for her. We were still looking over at the table, when a
CHARLOTTE "Good day sir," I greeted a customer as I took his payment, while wearing the best professional smile I could muster. I worked as a clerk for one of the hotels’ restaurants in the area. Right then, I handed the receipt over, watching as the customer went back to his seat. It was a Tuesd
Thankfully it was time to head home. "Bye Micah," I waved to a colleague of mine, as I hugged the sweater tighter on my body, heading home. It was quite late, and I had to take a shortcut through the back street. I never worked this late but it was a last minute shift that freed up, so I took it.
Like we didn’t matter.My nails dug into my palms as memories slammed into me. I could still see it—the nights he reeked of alcohol, his head lolling to the side, completely oblivious to the fact that he had two daughters who needed him to pick himself up and be… more than the person he was choosing
CHARLOTTEThe car ride was too quiet.Too damn suffocating.The weight of everything that had happened in the span of a few hours pressed down on me—Madeline, the triplets, my father. My hands trembled against my lap, and I clenched them into fists for the umpteenth time, trying to force myself to f
It was only after the shock of silence that followed that I realized I’d spoken those words out loud. Dot gasped, reaching for me instantly, pulling me into an embrace. I didn’t expect it to be as comforting as it was. And so I didn’t fight her. She guided me to the steps outside the hospital, sitt
CHARLOTTE It felt like a slap to the face. The doctor’s words hit me so hard that I lost my footing. My knees wobbled, and before I could steady myself, the plastic cup in my hand slipped through my fingers and crashed onto the tiled floor. Water splashed across my shoes, soaking into the hem of m
CHARLOTTE The reality of the situation hit me with frightening clarity. Madeline was dying. I moved before I could think, panic exploding through my chest as I ran forward and fell to my knees beside her. My hands hovered uselessly, trembling as I tried to find something, anything, to hold o
Emma folded her hands across her chest, her mouth pulling up into a wicked smile, “Charlotte the Harlot.” Bitch. “Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, shouldering past her, she wasn’t worth the energy engaging with her would require. “I thought you dropped out,” She said to my retreating back, “Thought maybe
At first, she texted me every day. Then, as weeks passed, the messages became less frequent, less ecstatic. I knew she and Sean had been working through their issues, but based on some of her recent updates—the ones I still hadn’t replied to—they had hit a wall. They had broken up. Madeline thought
FOUR MONTHS LATER CHARLOTTE Running laps had never come easy to me, and today was no different. My lungs burned as I pushed through the last lap, my sneakers slapping against the pavement in a rhythm that didn’t feel natural no matter how many times I did this. My breath came in short bursts,
He hadn’t even raised his voice, yet despite the distance, his words carried like he had just whispered them in my ear. Seductive and bitter. My damnation. “But you made it too easy, Harlot. You almost ruined the fun.” Harlot. It was the first time I had heard him call me that in months. All