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.
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 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 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 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 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 (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 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
CHAPTER 62 [ Sugar Daddy ] ~SEBASTIAN~ (2) I’ll be damned if I have to suffer because my father was trying to correct his misdeeds. “Do you have a better plan?” My mother faced me squarely, an unimpressed look in her eyes. “Can’t we just ignore him? He’s too weak to do anything by himself any
CHAPTER 61 [ Daddy Dearest ] ~SEBASTIAN~ (1) “I am going to move into the estate with Sophie.” Daddy Dearest knew how to drop a bombshell—the kind that takes a while to recover from. It was also the kind that makes me wonder if all the drugs he’s been pumped full of in the past month have made
CHAPTER 60 [ The Hell for Bad Fathers ] ~SOPHIE~ I stared at him, convinced I’d misheard. “You want me to what?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I couldn’t help it. “Move back in,” my father repeated, his tone calm, as if he hadn’t just said something insane. Did he even hear
Hello, everyone! Adeola here… Although a new chapter will follow this note, please bear in mind that you would have to read the last five chapters ( which are 367-371 on the overall book, and 54-59 on Travis’ and Sophie’s book) to understand the chapter. Those last five chapters have been worked on
CHAPTER 59 [ For Lost Time ] ~SOPHIE~ I thought I was well prepared—that I could stand face to face with Sebastian and not feel like my heart was going to explode. But no amount of preparation changed that. My heart was still pounding as I stared at his smug face. I steadied myself despite that,
CHAPTER 58 [ Home So Soon ] ~SOPHIE~ The moment Sebastian disappeared down the street, a crushing silence fell over me, broken only by the unsteady rhythm of my breathing. My fingers twitched at my sides, my entire body locked in place as if moving would make the moment real, as if accepting tha
CHAPTER 57 [ A Masterpiece ] ~TRAVIS~ Returning to the city in the company of Elaine’s family was an exercise in patience—one that I had already run out of. Three days of forced pleasantries, insufferable small talk, and veiled attempts at control had drained what little tolerance I had left. I
CHAPTER 56 [ Home ] ~SOPHIE~ He always manages to find me. Even as a child who would hide anywhere to avoid Mother Gothel’s wrath, Sebastian, as the dangerous snake he was, would drag me out. He would have that malicious look in his eyes—much like right now—and smirk like he enjoys my pain. I
CHAPTER 55 [ A Next Time ] ~SOPHIE~ Oh! What a joy it is to wake up tangled in sheets and in the limbs of the man who almost made you go insane with pleasure the night before. With the hotel’s thick curtains blocking all means of knowing if the sun had risen, I had to use my hands to blindly feel