Jason I was looking for Laura and my daughter, like I was completely crazy. Wasn't that right? A person didn't disappear like that without leaving a trace. When I called Annie's school, they said that her mom had sent someone to pick her up early, but even if Laura had left, she would have told Ava
Jason Three hours had passed since the moment I discovered the truth behind Laura and Annie's disappearance: they had been kidnapped by the cowardly Richard, and now only God knew what they would be going through. I had assembled every police force I could muster in such a short amount of time, and
“Very well, we got him! We have to go there now,” said the detective in charge. “I'm going with you; I'm going to follow you with my helicopter,” I said. “Mr. Davies, there could be gunfire at the scene, it’s very dangerous for you,” the detective said. "Screw this. We’re talking about my wife
Suzy I was standing in front of a luxury condominium, amazed at the amount of trash involved in one place. “Is this where you live?” I asked, still static. “Yes, but our house is over there,” said Annie. We were both still in the car, and I was worried that my old car wouldn't be let through secur
“You were the one who kidnapped my daughter, weren’t you, you bitch?” She asked the man with his eyebrows pointed down in a V; his blue eyes were like two dangerous blue flames, and he didn't look like he was joking. He was squeezing my neck so hard that if he continued like that for a while longe
Laura “Hey, honey, wake up before we lose our leaves,” said a voice as I felt my shoulder being shaken. I slowly opened my eyes, only to have Richard's face very close to mine. I moved away from him, using all the strength I had, but he grabbed me tightly and pulled me into his arms. “Cheer yoursel
I staggered helplessly, almost falling to the ground, but he caught me and held me steady. "Are you well? Maybe this can help you”, he said, taking another pill from his pocket and putting it in my mouth. “No…” I denied it, turning my face away even though I was powerless, but clearly, he forced m
Laura “She's alive; although Laura believes her daughter is dead, she is alive,” said Richard's voice while he was talking to someone on his cell phone. I could see from the clock on the bedside table that it was 3 am and everything was still pitch black outside. There in the apartment room, Richar
“Why do you keep hanging out with them, Abby?” he asked, and now there was a note of concern that annoyed me even more. “You know Madison’s not good for you. She uses you, and you let her.” “It’s none of your business,” I shot back, my voice sharp. “I do what I want, Caleb. Bye.” I hung up before h
Abby POV It was a lazy Sunday, and I was at the mall’s food court, waiting at the counter to pick up snacks for myself and the “new friends” I’d managed to latch onto. The smell of grease and cheap coffee filled the air, and the hum of conversations mixed with the muffled pop music from the speaker
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.