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
“Kian—”“Did you forget how you dangled my position as the company’s CEO in front of me? You weren’t even subtle about how I had no choice but to marry her or I lose everything I worked hard for.” My chest tightens painfully, memories pushing into my head before I can stop them. PASTTHREE YEARS A
KIAN'S POVPASTTHREE YEARS AGO–THREE DAYS AFTER THE PARTYI stand beside my car that’s parked in front of Beverly’s apartment, fingers playing with my car keys as I wait with bated breath for her to come out. This will be the first time I’ll be seeing her since that night and if I could escape it,
“That night…the night at the party when you said you suddenly couldn’t find me anywhere and went home…I cheated on you.” Her fork drops to the table, hitting her plate and making a loud ear piercing sound. Beverly grows quiet for several seconds and I feel myself shrinking with each second of silen
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