"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
Laura "Laura… What are you doing?" Jason sputtered through his mouth, trying to cling to some consciousness. "This is dangerous, you might regret it tomorrow." His hand was cautiously on my shoulder, ready to move me away if necessary or to pull me closer, our faces inches away from each other, our
Caleb, Abby, Madison, Nadia—they all spun through my head like a broken carousel. I wanted to tell my parents everything, collapse and ask for help, but the thought of seeing disappointment in their eyes—or worse, them trying to intervene at Oxwell to “save” me—made me swallow the words. I had to fi
Annie POV It was the weekend, and I was at home, trying to take deep breaths and pretend everything was okay. The Oxwell campus was a few hours away, giving me temporary relief from the chaos my life had become. Here, with my parents and the twins, I could at least try to be the old Annie—the exc
Max POV Walking beside someone who’d once meant so much to me felt strange. I couldn’t stop thinking that our breakup had been a waste, couldn’t stop remembering how happy I’d been with this guy, only to ruin it all because of my ego, because of a toxic fixation I had on Albert. Conrad Adams walke
Max POV was stunned when Albert told me that, my mouth even went dry because I wasn’t expecting to hear it. Conrad Adams was back. He was my boyfriend in my early twenties. I met him through Albert, who was close friends with him during the dark days of his family’s company. Conrad was a good guy
Max POV I was driving through the city with the radio on low, just a background murmur to keep the silence from swallowing me whole, when my phone buzzed on the dashboard. Zoey. Of course it was her. The girl had already wormed her way into my house like a high-heeled parasite, and now, apparently,
Annie POV After the moment at the mall, I returned to the dorm with a tight chest, carrying the bags with the blue dress Summer had insisted I buy. The plan was to distract myself, but Madison’s words—“racist,” “canceled piece of trash”—spun in my head like a broken record, mingling with Nadia’s re
When I met her last week at a council meeting, I could tell she’d be a challenge—confident, charismatic, the type who knew how to play the game. “Ugh, Madison Goodwin is here too. What a rotten day,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes. Of course Abby would get close to Madison—she was her adopted cousin.
Annie POV I was still trying to process everything that had happened at the square. Caleb’s words—“I hope you suffer”—mixed with Nadia’s ultimatum about my revoked candidacy had left me in pieces. My dream of leading the student council, something I saw as the first step toward following in my mom’
Annie POV I was still sitting on the bench in the square, the echo of Caleb’s words reverberating in my head like thunder that wouldn’t fade. "I hope you suffer." He had shoved the bouquet of pink flowers against my chest and stormed off, leaving me with a mix of shock, anger, and something that