It had been so long ago that it was as if I was no longer the one who had lived through that episode, although the memories were still intact within me. So many things had happened in that middle ground, and I had grown so much. Now I realized the wrong and right things I had done in my life, and al
LauraIt was a dark street at the bottom of Bad Stuy; there was little movement of people coming and going—just ordinary people going about their ordinary lives without posing serious danger. I was still inside the car, parked right outside a diner that looked like one of the hundreds it had scatter
LauraLewis' lair really looked like a criminal place that even involved the mafia. I dare say that illegal drugs were being packaged and a lot of cash was being counted and stored in suitcases, which were clearly going to be used for some type of clandestine exchange. The grim-faced guys who were w
LauraAt that moment, when one of the walls exploded, everyone in that room was violently knocked off their feet. I was static for a moment. Had I died? I came to think about it. Or had I lost a member of my body? What had happened? Was it the police who had blown up the wall? They had no other way
Laura “Now it’s your turn, woman. Give me your hand,” Jason said, extending his hand towards me to take me out of the dangerous bunker where a shootout was taking place against the police and the gangsters who had threatened to kill my sister and her friend. He had a line of tension between his e
TerenceI watched Laura leave the hospital along with Jason and his daughter. The woman's shoulders were tense because of so much concern she had about her sister, but it was understandable; today was not a good day for her because of everything she was going through. The day was definitely not goin
SuzyWhen I woke up, it was like waking up from a troubled dream. The first thing I did was run my hand over my belly, and then I was shocked when I realized that my belly was empty. What? What does that mean? Had I lost my baby? I remembered Graham kicking me and pushing me down the stairs, not car
SuzyStrangely enough, Terence stayed with me longer than I could have expected. He kept telling me the news, the things that had happened while I was unconscious. It had only been a few hours since I had been unconscious, but it seemed that the whole world had collapsed on everyone's feet. I learne
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