Laura "Are you saying my daughter was kidnapped?" I asked fearfully. "I'm not saying anything, but that could be a possibility. There are a lot of criminals who trick children with sweets and stuff and then kidnap them," said Terence, and I put my hand on my chest in fear. I swallowed hard at t
"Anne's mother wants to know if you saw Anne today when you left daycare, son," Natasha said to her son. "Yes, I saw her, we played in the courtyard until her father came to pick her up," the boy said calmly. But I looked at the couple and shook my head, saying, "No one picked Anne up from dayca
Jason As soon as I took my daughter from daycare, I fulfilled what I promised and took her to a snack bar and ate a snack with her. She was cute and wouldn't stop talking about everything, especially her mother and the life they led. She was quite curious and also asked me so many questions. "Do
"Can we make a snowman?" She asked after a while so we made a snowman while laughing and talking about snow, Christmas, and most of the time, about things that weren't very important. When I was with her it was like I was in a different orbit, in a reality where I was really happy with my daughter
Laura "I don't want anything from you, but Anne wants you to come to dinner with us," said my ex-husband's voice. My throat suddenly felt dry, and I lost the ability to speak for a few moments. So Jason was with Annie? Was he the one who had picked up my daughter from daycare? Why would he do suc
Laura I had nothing left to argue about because, whether I liked it or not, Jason was right, so I sighed and nodded slightly. I never thought I would sleep in the same house as Jason again, especially with my daughter with me, but circumstances led me here. I noticed that my daughter was yawning
Laura Annie is not your daughter and never was. Those words were harsh and as painful as sharp daggers stuck in the heart. That statement was merciless, deadly, and unscrupulous, it was even inhumane to say that to a father, but it was necessary. After everything I had done to win his heart in th
LauraJason was still kneeling before me on the floor, looking at me with tears in his eyes and a decadent appearance. After I spoke, he got up and wiped his face, trying to compose himself. "Well, indeed, it's late anyway," he said, sighing. "You can use the bathroom if you want."I nodded, gettin
Annie POV The masked boy led me through the dark campus, his hand firm in mine as we ran away from the ballroom. My legs trembled, the blue dress swishing with each step, and tears still streamed down my face, hot and relentless. The sound of the shouts, the judgments, still echoed in my head, bu
“No choice?” He cut me off, his tone incredulous. “Are you serious? You chose to help Madison make that video. You chose to plug it into the projector. And now Annie’s out there, broken, while you try to run from the responsibility. This doesn’t fix anything, Abby. It wasn’t supposed to end like thi
Abby POV I was there, tucked away in the shadows of the ballroom’s corner, my heart still racing as I watched the chaos I’d helped create unfold. The giant screen kept playing that horrible video, distorted and manipulated clips of Annie echoing through the room like a final verdict. People poin
Annie POV I was still on the dance floor, the warmth of the masked boy’s body against mine, my head resting on his chest as the slow music guided us. The sound of his heartbeat against my ear was almost hypnotic, and I let myself get lost in that feeling I couldn’t quite explain. He’d just said s
I swallowed hard, Caleb’s words coming back to haunt me. “Have you ever stopped to think that maybe we’ve gone too far?” He’d said that at the mall, and I’d hung up on him, but now they echoed in my head. Annie had hurt me, yes. The fight in the dorm, the way she called me fake, like I was trash she
Abby POV I was leaning against the wall of the ballroom, the cup of punch in my hand already warm and forgotten, as I watched Annie dance with that masked boy. The soft lights of the ball cast shadows over them, and even from so far away, you could feel something in the air—a chemistry almost tangi
Anne POV I was there, trying to at least pretend I was enjoying the party with Summer, letting the loud music and spinning lights distract me from the weight pressing on my chest. Summer danced beside me, throwing her arms up with that endless energy of hers, and I tried to keep up, forcing a smile
“She’s an idiot,” Summer said, crossing her arms as she looked at me with concern. “You okay?” “Yeah,” I lied, grabbing a cup of punch just to have something to do with my hands. “I just… I just want this to stop, you know? For people to leave me alone.” Before Summer could reply, I felt him befor
Anne POV It was the day of the freshman ball, and I stood in front of the mirror in my dorm room, the blue dress Summer had insisted I buy staring back at me. The fabric draped lightly over my body, the delicate sleeves and simple cut highlighting my shoulders and collarbone in a way I knew was bea