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
CHARLOTTE The day finally came to an end, and I was getting ready for bed. After brushing my teeth, I walked into my room just in time to hear a knock on the door. I lifted a brow, curious to know who’d come knocking at this time of night. I opened the door, catching a glimpse of Reigh and Made
CHARLOTTE “Cara,” my father whispered, as he caressed my face. “Damn, Anton, you bagged us a perfect one today.” “And there was blood everywhere, and you were n-naked,” Madeline sobbed. Tap. Tap. Tap. The click of a gun going off. BANG. A scream ripped out of my throat as I sat up
CHARLOTTE The next time my eyes opened, it was morning. And I was alone. I lay still for a moment, trying my best to center myself after suddenly waking up. My eyes were on the ceiling, but after a long minute, I glanced over to the side of the bed Taide was on, only to stiffen a little when I f
My face went beet red. He was still staring at me, so I looked away to avoid his probing gaze. It was obvious he was referring to me not being there when he woke up. And after a minute of searching for an explanation or justification for my actions, I just gave up. “Where’s Madeline?” I asked inste
CHARLOTTE The sound of water running roused me from sleep. I went still at first, taking in the unfamiliar ceiling and sheets, but it didn’t take long for me to remember where I was and why I was there. I instantly relaxed and let out a small yawn. I lifted my hand to rub the sleep from my eyes,
A small part of me dared to believe that it hadn’t been a dream—that the soft look I’d blearily seen and the hand that had tucked my hair aside had been real. But looking into his unempathetic eyes right then, those thoughts were stolen from my mind at once. His eyes trailed over my face as we stoo
CHARLOTTE I had a million things to say, but the words stayed stuck in my throat when someone else entered the kitchen. Both Taide and I looked away from each other as Madeline walked in. Her eyes were red and unfocused, and a heavy cloud of sadness hung over her. I could see the distress on he
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