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CHARLOTTEI went on guard immediately.I couldn’t yet see where the sound came from, but as I drew closer, it became more and more intense, and with it came the unmistakable moan of pleasure underlining the grotesque noises.My footsteps lightened as I drew closer to the entrance, and then my steps
CHARLOTTESean’s dad… turned out to be a hard ass.We couldn’t go to the beach house. Not yet at least.Apparently, the enforcer had meetings… in a beach house? I had no idea why. So he told an infuriated Sean that he couldn’t have his weekend getaway till much later than we planned.That was a week
CHARLOTTEI pawned Caeson’s car two days ago.And now I was swimming in more money than I knew what to do with.The first thing I did with my sudden wealth was to move Da’ana into a new care home, the kind of place I’d stared longingly at in the magazine when I was picking a home for her in the firs
CHARLOTTE I was sixteen again. The cover of the threadbare comforter barely kept out the cold as I held the blanket up to my neck. I was shivering. But it wasn’t because of the weather. It wasn’t the chill in the air that rattled me to my bones. It was the sound of his footsteps. Tap. Tap. Tap.
CHARLOTTETap. Tap. Tap. I sat up with a gasp that bordered on a scream.My hand flew over to my mouth as short gasps burst out of me unrhythmically. My heart was racing, my vision was filled with splotches of darkness and every part of me trembled with fear.I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think an
Like he sensed my presence, he turned when I walked in and to my surprise, he shot me a small smile that made me give him one too. Our gazes held for a moment and I quickly crossed the expanse of the kitchen to hand him my plate.“Done?” He mouthed.We stood close to each other, a once uncomfortable
CHARLOTTE The ranch was a couple of hours away, so we had to leave a lot earlier than I expected. There was a buzz in the air as the triplets and their friends settled into the cars they’d be riding to the ranch. I avoided everyone as best as I could and navigated through the crowd in search of M
He tilted his head to the side with a smirk and gestured for me to get in. I smiled and muttered a word of thanks before slipping into the car. On my way in, my eyes locked with Taide over the roof of the car as he came up by the driver’s side. It was only for a brief moment before I chose to look
CHARLOTTEI had no intention of sharing visiting hours with the boys.There was no reason to put myself through that kind of torment.The moment I found out Madeline was awake, I demanded that Caeson drop me off at the care home where I had left Da’ana. I wasn’t ready to deal with my father’s case,
TAIDEThe steady beeping of Madeline’s heart monitor was the only sound in the hospital room.The rhythmic pulse filled the silence, a reminder that she was still here, still breathing, still alive.But it didn’t feel like enough. Not when she lay there motionless, her skin pale against the crisp wh
The foundation still looked solid though.I stepped onto the creaky porch, staring at the front door.This was where Charlotte grew up.I felt something tighten in my throat. She probably had good memories here, but I knew the ones she remembered most were the bad ones.I couldn’t imagine what it wa
CAESONI killed the engine of the car and leaned back in my seat, exhaling slowly.It didn’t do anything to relieve the pressure in my chest. The air in the car was thick with silence, the kind that had weight, like it could smother you if you let it.Charlotte hadn’t moved yet. She sat in the back
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