CHARLOTTEEven though my eyes were shut, the glare of the sunlight somehow managed to gleam through my closed lids. I let out a loud groan and opened my eyes to squint at the open window. My head hurt, and my mouth was dry. If I didn’t feel like my headache was going to split my head in half, I’d p
CHARLOTTEWhen I finally had enough energy to open my eyes, I was met with darkness and a violent headache.Bile climbed up my throat quickly, hurried on by the odours that irritated my senses the moment I sucked in a breath.I’d gag, but I felt like I was underwater, my reflexes weren’t mine and I
I was rolled onto my side just in time for the vomit to shoot out of my mouth. I was rolled at a poor angle so most of the vomit stuck to my face, my eyes drifted shut again and my body shook a little from the way my body retched.Anton’s hand was still on my breast.“So we gotta move to the couch n
CHARLOTTE I was crashing, and I was crashing and I was crashing. I felt myself going under again. “We need a blanket! Someone get me a fucking blanket. A sheet, something, fuck.” And then I was swallowed whole. I didn’t feel myself being lifted up. I couldn’t tell what was happening around
CHARLOTTE The car ride back to the mansion is purposefully silent, other than the hum of the air conditioner and my shaky, unsteady breaths. I don’t think, I don’t move, I don’t speak, and I don’t let go of Taide the entire car ride. Not when we get out of the car, and not when he carries me up t
CHARLOTTE I felt warm. And soft. My breathing was light, so light that it was sometimes worrying whether or not I was still alive. I was deep asleep, and that’s good. I needed to rest. After what happened to me… The thought trailed off, tunneling into a pool of darkness. A sudden wave of an
“Morning, sleepyheads,” Reigh greeted. I offered him a weak smile, both as an acknowledgement of his greeting and as thanks for the food. I looked over the spread, pancakes, bacon, toast, eggs and as much as I appreciated it and looked forward to digging in, I couldn’t help but think that it would
CHARLOTTE I pulled down the lever and gave the toilet a minute to flush. Slowly, I moved towards the mirror and lifted my plain white T-shirt to lace up my sweatpants, and in the process, I caught sight of the dainty white line at the side of my stomach. My heart clenched, and a rush of anxiet
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