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
TRAVIS' POVI take the phone from her and zoom in on Mike’s picture this time before handing it over to her.“Was it this boy?” She stares down at it for a while and nods eagerly. “Yes, yes. That’s Joe, short for Joseph. His sister was Josephine.” “Wait? Joe? Not Mike?”Mrs Hargroves shakes her he
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