KIAN’S POV I’d always thought starting over would feel like failure, but after this month, I know it’s nothing like that. However, what I feel is also something as scary as failure. It feels like starting at the bottom of a mountain with no harness—no security to catch me if I slip.For a month, I’
KIAN'S POVThe wind carries a cold bite as I step out of the taxi, feeling a familiar tension creeping through my veins. I shouldn’t be here. Not because it doesn’t matter anymore—Andre could have said anything to reel me in—but because whatever he knows about Mike is a chapter I’ve already buried,
“So, I dug in and retraced his steps through every problem your company was faced with before it collapsed. Apparently, Mike’s been stirring the pot for a while now, carefully placing pawns where he needed them to be. He knew the people to talk to, the connections to exploit. It was almost an art f
LESLIE’S POV Kian’s words echo in my mind—“I think it’s time I return home.” For days, I’ve been unable to shake them off. Though he said them with an air of finality, there’s a vulnerability underneath, a silent plea for strength neither of us wants to admit.For as much as we’ve grown together in
TRAVIS' POVThe drive to Northgate Orphanage is one I could almost do with my eyes closed. This place has been a constant in my life—a rare one, even as everything else has shifted and bent out of shape over the years. The orphanage is a solid part of not only my past as a young man but also that o
I shake the thoughts away, forcing myself back to the present. To Beverly. She still remembers nothing but sometimes, I feel like she’s better off not remembering at all. Just as we settle onto a bench, one of the other women from the orphanage approaches us. “Oh, Beverly! We were about to clean up
TRAVIS' POVTwo days. That’s how long it’s been since Beverly collapsed in front of me, her eyes wide with shock, staring at that old picture that seemed to unlock something buried deep within her mind. Since then, she hasn’t stirred. I stand in her hospital room, my heart heavy. The sound of the m
TRAVIS' POVHer words shock me to near death. I blink a few times, mouth opening and closing with no words. The woman just watches me until I slowly recover from her shock. “And you are?” I ask.“Not that it concerns you anyway but well, I’m her daughter and I manage the house now. I don’t know why
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