“I don't deny that, but he always respected me and was on my side even though I said no. He always knew how to wait for my time and respected my decisions,” I explained. Jason grunted as if he didn't like that. “The guy does this and already becomes a hero?” He ridiculed him. I lifted my head and
Laura We had a long discussion that night because we had a lot to put on the table, so sometimes the discussion became heated and other times it became calm. Having me now be an argument woman might have scared Jason, but I wanted to make it clear to him what my point of view was on several issues
“Annie, come to mommy, please,” I asked my daughter, calling her with my open arms. My heart was beating wildly with a tremendous fear of what that woman could do to my daughter. “She’s so pretty, mommy. She looks like Barbie,” said my daughter, enchanted by Kendall's stunning beauty, making her l
Ava “Was Kendall at your house?” I asked Laura, who was on the other end of the phone, in astonishment. I couldn't believe that that woman dared to bother Laura. “I was really scared when I saw you here, friend. And the worst of all is that she was with my daughter! Good heavens, what if she want
Laura I had to go back home to take Annie with me to Manhattan, and when I arrived at the clinic, I was informed that Ava was already in the operating room, so Annie and I had to wait for her in the waiting room. I also noticed that Terrence hadn't arrived yet, and from what Ava had told me before,
Laura My daughter wanted a snack, so I took her to the clinic canteen, where I could buy her anything to eat. I ordered some snacks and natural strawberry juice that she loved so much, and then we both sat at one of the tables in the room, like other patients and staff were doing. “Are you enjoyi
Laura "What?" I was completely in shock at what I had just heard. "What did you do?" "Actually, it wasn't like that; I mean, I did sleep with another woman, but technically it wasn't with my consent... I mean, I was drunk and Suzy wanted to use that to blackmail me,” he explained, and I blinked my
Laura The surgical procedure that Ava underwent had worked, but she needed to sleep there in the clinic in case she had any complications. She was beaming when Annie and I saw her. Terrence was by her side, never letting go of her hand. I decided to keep a smile on my face so as not to ruin her hap
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