“Why?”“Because there’s no point.”I opened my mouth to insist once more, but then I paused and studied his side profile. Then I decided to take a different route.After a moment of silence, I spoke softly. “I’m not going to jump to conclusions, but if you’re going through all of this for them, then
CHARLOTTE Exiting the car. Entering the house, the staircase, all the way to his bedroom. It was a blur, all of it. I couldn’t focus on anything else but his mouth on mine. His hands on my body. Caeson pressed my back against his closed bedroom door, his lips molded to mine with force. Urgency
How many times? How many times had he smacked my ass? “Twice?” I said/asked. “So then you’re ready to take me?” he asked again. “It won’t be like it was with them.” Oh. Oh. He was talking about how many times I’d… done it. Had sex. His fingers parted my folds, making my legs stiffen as his in
CHARLOTTEI wasn’t myself anymore.I was fading in and out.What was real, and what wasn’t?I didn’t even know who to ask.My body felt numb, and my senses were muted, but I could tell I was being carried, moved from one spot to another, but I didn’t know where until my body sank into the ice-cold w
Quite the opposite, really.Caeson was perched at the side of my bed, right beside me. He was staring at the ground, with his hand clasped between his spread thighs.I paused at the sight, before I turned my head slightly, seeing Taide sitting on the armchair by the wall. His eyes were closed as he
CHARLOTTE I stared at the knob in my hand, the metal cool against my fingers. Reigh’s words were still sinking in. My gaze shifted to the door, where the splintered wood and broken latch revealed the damage I had done. Slowly, I loosened my grip, and the knob clattered to the floor with an echo th
CHARLOTTE I sat at the kitchen island, my hands wrapped around the mug of hot tea I was drinking. The steam curled up in lazy spirals, but the smell was sharp and earthy. I took another sip and grimaced, thinking it might be the worst thing I’d ever tasted. I stared down at the green liquid, wonde
CHARLOTTEFor a moment, Reigh was still and silent.Then, like something had sunk into him, he blinked—once, twice, three times—rapidly and looked away, his jaw clenched.I already knew what that meant, and I’d expected his resistance, but that didn’t mean I was going to give up.“Just think about i
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