Jason Terrence didn't know it, but I had been following him all day. He had told me he was going to meet Ava for her routine prenatal appointment, so without letting him know, I went after him. I needed to talk to Laura and see my daughter, but since Laura had blocked all contact with me and hadn't
I had practically lost all my money and positions; my influence in that city had been taken from me, and my name was being associated with worse things. All the friends and companions that I believed loved me and would stay by my side forever left me; even Terrence was a little distant, preferring t
Laura “Who had the brilliant idea of hiring Barney? My daughter is loving it,” I said with a giggle as I watched Annie playing with the party entertainer, who was wearing a Barney dinosaur costume. There were more than twenty children there playing and having fun with my daughter; they were her
“I don’t know, honey. The last time I saw him at the prenatal appointment, I almost couldn't resist hugging him. I don’t think I could handle it this time,” she replied. I gently held her arm and caressed her. “And why do you have to hold back?” I suggested it with a smile. Ava shook her head. “
Laura “What the heck, huh? What a big crazy sweeper!" exclaimed Suzy, as we all looked at Jason quite shocked. Had he really dressed up as Barney to sneak into my house while my daughter's party was going on? Well, why couldn't I be surprised? I lifted my hand to him. “Give me my cell phone,” I
“Mommy, why can’t Daddy live with us?” Annie asked, sitting very close to her father. I sighed, biting my lower lip, unable to talk about it. “Annie, honey. Mommy and I are no longer together, that's why we can't live together anymore,” Jason explained to the girl. “Really? How sad,” she lamen
Laura Sometimes I felt like fighting Jason was like fighting a sea breeze. How would I deny my feelings while insisting on staying? How could I avoid those blue eyes looking at me so deeply? What did he want? I did everything to make him hate me—to make him hate me and never want to look at my face
I knocked on Suzy's bedroom door gently, but there was no response. So I decided to go in slowly. “I’m sorry, Suzy. Can we talk?” I asked as soon as I entered, but there was an open suitcase on top of the bed where she was taking her clothes from the closet and throwing them on the bag angrily. “But
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
“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