KIAN’S POVIt feels like forever since I sat in the hospital’s waiting area when in reality, it’s only been a few minutes. I can’t help the mixture of agitation and excitement I feel as I wait rather impatiently for the doctor. I was in my office until a while ago when I got the call that the DNA r
I take a step forward and Beverly takes a stumbling one backward, the papers falling away from her hands. I can still see the words like the papers are still in my hands: probability of paternity is 0%. Maybe I should feel relief because I somehow expected this or maybe even hoped for it but what I
LESLIE’S POVMy phone practically burns under the intensity of my gaze on it. I haven’t taken my eyes off its screen in the past hour, simply because I cannot get over that one word right below the last message I sent to Kian. It says it’s been read but there has been no reply for the past hour sin
I do not argue, I merely nod. My phone alerts me of a text message and I instantly look at it expecting to be disappointed but I feel the exact opposite of that when I read the text from Kian asking if I could meet him at our usual spot. “Are you okay?” Travis asks and I put my phone away quickly,
KIAN’S POVThere are places men like me shouldn’t be seen. Places that sully the reputation that took years to build from the very foundation; a psychiatric hospital for example. I never thought I would say this but my reputation is now the least of my worries when I have a literal maniac on my hand
He seems to mull over my words for a few seconds before returning to his computer and typing furiously on it. It feels like I got ignored for a moment until he finally returns his attention to me. “As a guardian, you have the right to admit her long-term treatment without her consent. From what you
LESLIE’S POVHe’s waiting by his car outside, bouquet of flowers in hand. Violets, my favorite. His suit is well-tailored as always but it’s as though he put more effort into fitting perfectly into one today. As though he wanted so badly to impress me. His hair is slicked back in a totally differen
Fuming, I reach into my purse and fling the pictures along with the invitation card at him. The rest fall to the ground but he manages to catch one of the pictures and the invite before they slip down his chest. I close my eyes but my memory still burns from the images of them coming out of the hosp
LESLIE’S POV I join Kian’s mother outside the room, closing the door behind me. She is still stewing in anger, face red with rage that’s waiting to be unleashed. Usually, I would do anything to pacify her so I wouldn't be at the receiving end of that unbridled rage. Now? Irritation is all I feel at
LESLIE’S POV (One Week Later) “If the police show up again, spray them in the face with the fire extinguisher or something.” Cole’s irritated voice filters through my phone’s speaker and it makes me crack a smile for the first time in a week. “Pretty sure I would get arrested for that.” “Not
LESLIE’S POV My reflexes work faster than they ever have. Fast enough to help me roll away, and bump into Beverly in the process. Mike relentlessly stalks towards me and that’s when I get a good look at his affected leg. I time his movement and before he can take another angry swing of his weapon
LESLIE’S POV Seconds after Beverly crumples to the ground, my breath is still caught in my throat. I’m still trembling as I watch her sprawled on the floor, body jerking uncontrollably. I’m amazed at my strength to still remain standing despite the traumatising scene in front of me. To still grip t
LESLIE’S POV Our hearts are already in our mouths before we see what jumped at us—a ginormous rat, every bit as scared as us. It runs at full speed and scurries into the nearby bush. “All clear.” She mutters and we both step into the shed using her phone’s flashlight. It’s a full shed; a bunch of
LESLIE’S POV We’re barely two minutes away from the abandoned school gate when the engine starts to sputter, the entire truck shaking with the intensity. “No…no…no…no, not now!” Beverly lets out a panicked groan. I am preoccupied with looking behind us to make sure we’re not being followed but at
LESLIE’S POV Kian doesn’t know it—the name of Mike’s sister. I can tell from the way his entire face has gone even paler than it was before. Earlier, it had been pale from the pain of the injuries from the accident that I still don’t know the extent of. Now, he has turned ashen from something m
LESLIE’S POV The sound of my name reaches me from somewhere distant. The sound is repeated just like the throbbing ache in my head. When I finally manage to pry open my eyes, the feeling of deja vu washes over me. My hands and legs are bound tightly just like three years ago in that warehouse.
BEVERLY’S POV The familiar beeping sound that comes from my phone causes me to jerk upright. My eyes train on the screen, following the movement of a blinking red dot on the map. He’s on the move. I slam a couple of bills on the coffee table before hurrying out of the cafe where I had been havi