KIAN'S POVThe idea of going on a camping trip didn’t sit well with me not only because of the awkward air between Leslie and I but also because of grandfather's health. He has always had this overly obsessed love for the beach, frankly just any huge body of water so it’s not a surprise that he chos
“Kian, that is great! I’m invited, aren’t I?” My uncle sounds ecstatic. Before I can reply, the door opens and my secretary walks in, a tray with a mug in hand. She bows slightly in a greeting before moving closer into the room. I return my attention back to Travis, shrugging. “I guess you are.”
LESLIE'S POVPRESENTI struggle with a tent, twisting and folding. Unable to tell where it starts or ends. Somewhere, Kian talks his grandfather’s ear off about how this whole sleeping outside in a tent near the beach thing is a terrible idea. Well for the first time, Kian and I agree on something.
LESLIE'S POVMy excitement somewhat dampens when she mentions that one bit of information. I hate to think about it but it is always there at the back of my mind. It never leaves. My boss is prickly to everyone but not to the one woman who manages to break a smile from him. Beverly is everything I’m
KIAN’S POVGod, I hate surprises. And everything else attached to it; the shock, the confusion, the momentary loss of control, the fight to get that control back and the aftermath of losing it. It’s all a fucking mess wrapped together in a thing called surprises. I can’t emphasise enough about how
“How long?” I croak. I try to think about it. About any slip-ups that could have made grandfather suspicious. I think about how long he’s known that I have been fooling him and that I had dragged Leslie into it. The fact that he knows about Beverly’s pregnancy means he knows about the divorce. He k
LESLIE’S POVNight has fallen and for some reason, the sky is dark tonight. Way too dark. There is not a single hint of star in the sky and the moon keeps peeking in and out of dark clouds that keep floating past it. I find it ominous that the moon chose tonight to be powerless. It chose the very m
I sit like that in silence until I feel someone’s presence beside me. Grandfather. The rock is wide enough for two and he doesn't ask for an invitation before he sits beside me. If I wanted to jerk away from him, it’s already too late. So, I just sit, trying hard not to let my anxiety show. “The
CHAPTER 18 [ Intern Sophie] ~SOPHIE~ Until a few days ago, the sound of my alarm filled me with nothing but thrill. All it does now is make me bury my head into the pillow with pure irritation while rethinking every single one of my life choices. “Turn that off and get your ass in the shower, So
CHAPTER 17 [The Path Of Heartbreak] ~TRAVIS~ “You asked to see me, sir.” Sophie Summers. I could never get used to her presence, not even when I was the one who requested it. “Sit.” I ordered, barely looking at her. Knowing how defiant she can be, I expected some sort of retort but she quiet
CHAPTER 16 [ A Tangled Mess] ~SOPHIE~ I pushed the door open with a sigh, the familiar weight of the day’s events pressing on me. My head still throbbed, a dull reminder of last night’s recklessness. As I stepped inside the apartment, the soft scent of lavender and the comforting hum of the refr
CHAPTER 15 [Not Her Type] ~SOPHIE~ "Who’s this, Sophie?" Sebastian’s voice slithered through the hallway, his smirk widening when his eyes landed on Travis. "Your new boyfriend?" I was still trying to gather myself together after running into Travis so suddenly. I had questions about how he was
CHAPTER 14 [The Man Who Was Never Mine] ~SOPHIE~ The nausea hadn’t subsided. I sat at the edge of the bed in my childhood room, staring at the peeling wallpaper and the dusty, forgotten trinkets that once made this space my sanctuary. It had been hours since I’d woken up with the hangover poundi
CHAPTER 13 [In Her Absence] ~TRAVIS~ The absence was the first thing I noticed. It wasn’t the missing coffee on my desk—although I’d gotten far too accustomed to finding it there, piping hot and prepared just the way I liked it. Nor was it the lack of a sticky note, usually plastered on the edge
CHAPTER 12 [A Return To The Shadows] ~SOPHIE~ The dull throb in my head woke me before anything else. It pulsed behind my eyes like a relentless drumbeat, making it impossible to open them fully. I groaned, rolling over and burying my face into the pillow, hoping to escape the nausea curling in m
CHAPTER 11 [Kill-Joy] TRAVIS I wasn’t sure what annoyed me more: Sophie Summers’ audacity or the fact that I had actually turned around and come back. Sitting in the backseat of my car, I stared out the tinted window at the pub just across the street from my company. I had never step foot there bu
CHAPTER 10 [The Sophie Effect] ~TRAVIS~ If chaos had a face, it would undoubtedly wear Sophie Summers’ unrelenting smile. For the past few days, she had inserted herself into every corner of my life at my textile company, leaving me to wonder how someone so seemingly innocent could wreak such calc