“Stupid bitch.” He grunts. He doesn’t stop. Roman hits me over and over again, until my lips burst and my mouth bleeds. “You’re not going to beg for your life? You are not going to fall to your knees and ask me to spare your life?” He asks after dealing me another blow to the face. “Just…kill…me.
LESLIE'S POVIn just a matter of hours, my entire life was turned upside down. Life as I knew it suddenly changed and a man I had never met until yesterday is at the center of it all–with a signed document that I still can’t bring my brain to comprehend its existence. It was just yesterday but it f
LESLIE’S POVI haven’t even fully processed the realization when the mansion door opens and maids troop out with more of my belongings. They freeze the moment they see me and immediately avert their gazes but not before I see the guilt on their faces. It was clear even before I saw them that they we
When I made the decision to keep my mother’s last name and also to stop my father from announcing me as his heiress, I had no idea it was going to come back to bite me in the butt this way. Helplessness, that all too familiar feeling suddenly makes its grand appearance again and it takes so much wi
LESLIE’S POVTravis told me to stay put. Technically he only mentioned the hospital and the house, he said nothing about the company so it doesn’t feel to me like a broken promise when I leave the hotel the next morning to go to work for the first time since my father got admitted to the hospital.
LESLIE’S POV“You!”I swear I don’t think, I just lunge forward, rage driving me. I don’t get close enough to claw that stupid smile off his face because a big burly man steps in my way. I bounce off his rock-hard chest and it causes me to stagger backward, narrowly escaping a hard fall to the groun
LESLIE'S POV“Travisssss,” I call drunkenly, freeing myself from his hold so I can grab his cheeks, “It’s you.” “Christ, Leslie. Just how much did you drink?” He mutters with a silent curse. I let go of his cheeks so I can count my fingers, “Five….no, six. Oh, it’s seven. Or was it eight?” I shrug
TRAVIS’ POVIt’s a dream come true–to be kissed by the woman I have loved, unrequited, for seven years. I’m no saint; I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to have those full pink lips on mine. I’ve always wondered what she would taste like and how smoothly her tongue would roll on mine. I h
CHAPTER 72 [The Golden Boy ] ~ELAINE~ (2) Trigger Warning: This chapter contains depictions of abuse that may be distressing to some readers. ONE YEAR AGO The house was silent, as it always was when Jac orchestrated his games. No stepmother barking orders, no father pacing the halls. Not even t
CHAPTER 71 [My Tormentor ] ~ELAINE~ (1) Somebody save me. The words echoed in my head as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My fingers tightened around my phone, the edges biting into my skin as if the pain could pull me out of the suffocating misery that hung over me heavily My hair, once
CHAPTER 70 [ Hearts-to-Hearts ] ~SOPHIE~ If you had asked me when I was ten years old what my greatest wish was, I would’ve said it was to live alone with my father. No stepmother finding new ways to torment me, no stepbrother hovering like a vulture—just me and my dad. I even prayed about it, e
CHAPTER 69 [ His Morals ] ~JUSTIN~ (1) I’ve never been anyone’s first choice. . No matter how hard I tried, Jac always had the spotlight. He was the golden boy, the prodigy, the one with all the medals and accolades. Meanwhile, I was the kid bringing home crayon sketches and piano recitals that
CHAPTER 68 [Welcome Home ] ~SOPHIE~ “Please tell me you two didn’t fuck in here.” Celeste’s voice cut through the quiet like a whip, sharp and full of disbelief. I glanced over my shoulder, pausing mid-fold as I stuffed another sweater into my bag. She was standing above me, her arms crossed, a
CHAPTER 67 [ Whenever, wherever ] ~TRAVIS~ Having fallen for Sophie’s schemes more than once, I guess it was normal for my brain to process every unusual thing she does as a trick to lure me in. Perhaps, that was why I imagined her smirking when in truth, she was just as stunned as I was to fi
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