“Daddy, I need to go to sleep now,” said the girl to her father in a low voice as if even that was a secret between them. I shook my head, crossing my arms over my chest. The girl handed the cell phone to me. “Daddy said he wants to talk to you, Mommy,” she said. I sighed, taking out my cell phone
LauraThat night I slept poorly, with Jason's suspicious words ringing in my head, and even though I had my daughter sleeping peacefully in my arms, I couldn't feel at ease. What if Jason's suspicions were right? I mean, Graham might not be in cahoots with Kendall, but he could very well want to use
Laura“Are you seriously going to do this, Laura? Are you going to kick me out of your house like I’m a piece of shit?” Graham asked, looking insulted. It was morning already; my daughter was having her private lesson in the next room and Gideon, Graham, and I were in my home office, and I had just
SuzyWhen I arrived at the flat where my friend lived, I found the door wide open and the hinges hanging out of the place where they were supposed to be fixed. It was as if someone had broken down the door. Worried, I entered her house and saw the entire space torn apart, her sofa torn up, the spong
SuzyI wasn't at peace; I needed to do anything to help my friend get out of that mess. So I left her sleeping in her flat, got into my car, and started it. It was late at night, but I couldn't postpone the matter. I knew the loan sharks that Clary owed, because, at some point in my life, I ended u
He snorted now, lighting his cigar. "Good times, you say. The only thing I remember is you leaving me, bitch,” he retorted, apparently still holding a grudge over what happened between us in the past. “You can't blame me for deciding not to go along with this dirty scheme you're up to your neck in,
SuzyMy legs were wobbly when I left that diner and staggered to the car. Once inside, I quickly grabbed a paper bag and threw in all the dinner that I had eaten that night. I rested the back of my head on the seat and breathed through my mouth, trying to regain my stability and control my emotions.
“Gammy…” I stammered, hugged him, and ended up crying. I didn't know if it was from missing him or from all the pressure I had felt in the last few hours. Likewise, I just felt like I needed to collapse into the arms of someone who cared for me and cry like a hurt child. Gammy took me to a snack ba
Annie POV Peter Morton’s face was just inches from mine, staring at me. The electric blue of his eyes was so close I could see his irises dilating and contracting. “You okay, Lady Ann?” he asked. I sighed with a small smile, half in delight. “It’s been a while since anyone called me that.” Actual
Annie POV The masked boy—who I didn’t want to admit was Peter—took me to an upscale, comfortable hotel where I could spend the night safely, away from everything, and try to regain my composure and figure out what to do next. “You can stay here,” he said calmly, though his voice still carried a hi
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