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
LESLIE’S POVI heard him wrong–that’s the first thought that crosses my mind. The waves are loud. They must have muffled his words, distorted them somehow and made me hear something entirely different. Something ridiculous. So I wait, I wait for the waves to crash and for the momentary silence that
LESLIE’S POV“Why?” I croak out, “Why did you make us believe you were ill?” Why did you deceive me? I want to ask but I tuck the question away, afraid of how vulnerable and hurt I’ll sound to him. He didn’t deceive just me, he deceived Kian as well. Grandfather avoids looking at me as he begins,
LESLIE’S POV“We need to talk.”She says ‘talk’ but she stands like she is battle ready. Her eyes have that same look of utter disdain and disregard for me that I have already gotten used to. It’s alarming that she left the campsite to find me here and for a second, a flicker of worry coils deep ins
I still remember the sharp pain I felt in my chest when she suddenly made that announcement in the hospital ward. Those words had widened the gaping hole from seeing my grandmother lifeless in a morgue. It was the moment my entire world came crashing down and yet—“And yet you ask me what you have d
LESLIE’S POVPASTTHREE YEARS AGO–A WEEK AFTER THE PARTY.My boss is having a meeting outside the office today and I am with him. Usually, the job of going out with him to meetings lies with Peter but he has casually said it several times that I am more efficient than Peter during meetings like tha
There, I returned to work but I could barely focus. I’ve been holding up so well but it all just seems too much for me to handle today. The landline on my table rings and I immediately answer. “Come to my office.” he says through the phone. I immediately leap off my seat, smoothening my clothes bef
KIAN’S POV“We’re going home.” I announce as soon as I step out of my tent the next morning. Grandfather is awake already, sitting outside his own tent and by the looks of it, he has been awake for quite a while. Leslie’s and Beverly’s tent are still zipped shut and the outlines of their sleeping f
CHAPTER 66 [ In The Flesh ] ~TRAVIS~ They were still under the harsh glare of my headlights. While Justin didn’t exactly look his best, Sophie was…worse. An ugly sweater hung loosely over her upper frame, her hair was in a messy bun and was close to tumbling all over her face as she took Justin by
CHAPTER 65 [ The Real Deal ] ~TRAVIS~ The past week has been nothing short of exhausting. I had barely stepped foot into my office before I was bombarded with calls and meetings, my inbox flooded with contracts and reports that had piled up during the engagement trip. If it wasn’t work, it was
CHAPTER 64 [ Caged, Not Sheltered ] ~SOPHIE~ There were many questions; like how on earth she was in a place that was at least an hour's drive from her family’s mansion, and why she was chugging down cheap beer when I have only ever seen her enjoy the finest wine. The longer we stood there, wo
CHAPTER 63 [ Edge of Insanity ] ~SOPHIE~ In between the endless nightmares that were triggered by the events of the past week and waiting for Travis to reach out to me again, I had been pushed to the edge of insanity. I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but it did. It got worse. And now I
CHAPTER 62 [ Sugar Daddy ] ~SEBASTIAN~ (2) I’ll be damned if I have to suffer because my father was trying to correct his misdeeds. “Do you have a better plan?” My mother faced me squarely, an unimpressed look in her eyes. “Can’t we just ignore him? He’s too weak to do anything by himself any
CHAPTER 61 [ Daddy Dearest ] ~SEBASTIAN~ (1) “I am going to move into the estate with Sophie.” Daddy Dearest knew how to drop a bombshell—the kind that takes a while to recover from. It was also the kind that makes me wonder if all the drugs he’s been pumped full of in the past month have made
CHAPTER 60 [ The Hell for Bad Fathers ] ~SOPHIE~ I stared at him, convinced I’d misheard. “You want me to what?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I couldn’t help it. “Move back in,” my father repeated, his tone calm, as if he hadn’t just said something insane. Did he even hear
Hello, everyone! Adeola here… Although a new chapter will follow this note, please bear in mind that you would have to read the last five chapters ( which are 367-371 on the overall book, and 54-59 on Travis’ and Sophie’s book) to understand the chapter. Those last five chapters have been worked on
CHAPTER 59 [ For Lost Time ] ~SOPHIE~ I thought I was well prepared—that I could stand face to face with Sebastian and not feel like my heart was going to explode. But no amount of preparation changed that. My heart was still pounding as I stared at his smug face. I steadied myself despite that,