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
KIAN’S POV“Water…” That one word from a strained voice is the first sign of life Leslie has shown since I walked in here fifteen hours ago and it instantly jerks me out of my worried-stricken state. I grab the bottle of water that I kept on the bedside table for this expected moment, uncap it and
KIAN’S POV “Did you just say Mike?” I ask her, still paused by the door. It might not even be who I think it is but the sound of that name sends a rush of memories forward. I had gone through high school and college without friends. Everyone just wanted to be close because of the benefits they co
TRAVIS’ POV She is a horrible sight; one that’s bound to give a weak-minded person nightmares for weeks. Even as she is no longer that ‘animal’ I almost ran into on a dark road, but now a well treated human lying unconious on a hospital bed, that image of her from that night is still one that will
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