“What’s so funny?” Ethan asked as we sat down beside them. “Oh, Blake was just telling me about the time you guys got lost in Bali,” she said. “I can’t believe you guys got arrested with a truckload of drugs.”“We didn’t know there were drugs in the car when we rented it,” Ethan said, taking my han
When I was a little girl, my dad used to take me out for walks every Sunday evening around the block. He would place me on his shoulders and we would walk around as many times as he could manage, talking about my weekly tea parties and the latest episode of The Looney Tunes. It was our daily father-
“Breast cancer,” he said. “We found out last year, and she started getting treatment right away.”I don’t even remember how the tears started to flow. Suddenly I was sobbing like a little girl, and dad came over and wrapped an arm over my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, pumpkin,” he said. “We regretted ev
“I can see that,” he said with a slight chuckle as Blake stepped forward and shook his hand. “How’s your dad?”“He’s good,” she replied. “I’ll tell him you swung by.”“I’d appreciate that,” he said, smiling at her. I was just getting relieved that the awkwardness had passed when Ethan suddenly appea
ETHANI know I can be a cynic sometimes. I don’t try to do it on purpose, but it just happens. Even when I’m not trying to think about the worst things that could possibly happen, I find myself going through them like a list sometimes, wondering how everything could get destroyed. With Liv, I tried
Maybe it was just the gala that had everyone in a good mood. I was certainly looking forward to it. The last time I’d attended was right after high-school graduation, when father decided that we need to start dipping our toes in the business world. He wanted to introduce us to the Bezos family, the
“These last few years have been hell,” she said quietly. “Your father passed away so abruptly, you left without telling any of us why, Marcus had to take over the company and we were all stuck in limbo. It seems like we were completely shattered in the space of a few months. And now, finally, it see
“Holy shit! You look like a princess!”I couldn’t stop giggling like a lunatic as I twirled around the living room, showing off the dress. I felt so pretty, and it was such a nice feeling to unwind after such a hectic day. Rachel and I didn’t leave the office until it started to get dark. Normally I
MARCUSI swear I could smell the pig even from outside the door. My blood was boiling even before I walked into the room, but it took a monumental effort to keep myself in check. I had to be quick. It shouldn't take longer than five minutes. Thankfully, the cop standing by the door didn't say anyth
“I know enough,” she said. “I knew her even before you did, Ethan. And I’m telling you, she’s nothing but trouble. What happens when she gets what she wants? What happens when she takes everything you have? Do you really think she isn’t a golddigger who is just trying to get close to you for your m
The first thing on my mind when I woke up was Ethan. I bolted out of bed instantly, and I had to grip the bed frame as I swayed and nearly toppled to the ground. I felt like my brain was trying to explode from my skull, and the ringing in my ear was constant. I had to sit down on the bed once again
Everything else that happened was a blur. All I saw was red, and I just wanted to hurt him. It wasn't until he passed out that I finally let up on him, taking a step back and turning to face Liv, who looked absolutely petrified. That was the last thing I remembered before passing out. "Where is tha
ETHANThe first thing I heard was the beeping. As I tried to open my eyes, a blinding pain shot up my entire body, and I almost couldn't breathe for a second. I felt like someone had smacked me in the face with a sledgehammer, and then gotten several bags of cement and laid them all over my body. I
“Forget them,” he said. “We’ll get you some new ones once we’re out of the country.”“Chris, listen to me,” I said. “Please, just let me do this. I won’t take long. You can watch me the entire time.”He stared at me with his eyes narrowed, clearly trying to figure out what I was up to. To be honest,
I saw the moment the gun went off, with the brief flash at the end of the barrel, while I threw myself entirely onto Chris' arm in an attempt to shove him out of the way. But the bullet had been shot, and I turned in horror to find Ethan falling to the ground. And in the moment, I felt like the worl
Oh, God!"Chris," I whispered, my voice barely above a whisper, “what happened to you?"He flinched like I'd slapped him, and his eyes darted down to the marks. "D-don't l-l-look at that,” he said, stammering as he stepped away from me, keeping the gun leveled at my head. "What happened to you, Chr
I'd never felt more fear in my entire life than I did staring down the barrel of a gun, with Chris standing on the other end. To say that I was terrified would have been the understatement of the century. I froze completely, like a deer caught in headlights. And it was as if my brain had switched of