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
LauraI had just spoken to Suzy, the cell phone still in my hand and a goofy smile on my face. I was so happy that everything had worked out and that she had woken up that I couldn't help but smile. The day had been a whirlwind for me, with so much tension and action happening in such a short space
LauraJason took me to his house, and I didn't have much to complain about, since I wanted to hug my daughter and spend the rest of the night with her. Jason took me to the room where Annie was sleeping, and I almost died when I saw her lying there on the bed, hugging the pillow. I approached her an
Laura“Don’t believe Graham so much, Lau; you know he just told you all that lie to confuse you and get his hands on your daughter…” Suzy said on the other end of the line, demonstrating that she hadn’t believed that she and I were sisters. I couldn't deny that I felt a twinge of disappointment wit
Laura“Jason? Was he there with you?” Still, on the call, Gideon asked after I summarized a little about the complicated day I had yesterday. I had just mentioned Jason in my report and hadn't even realized that it could make the Brit jealous. I bit my lip, feeling apprehensive, remembering how Jas
Laura “What are you talking about, Jason? Why would Annie and you get in the way of anything?” I questioned him, wanting to know where he was going with that. “Do you think I'm feeling some kind of remorse for talking to my boyfriend while Annie and you are here? Why would I feel bad about that? Wh
TerenceThe day before, everything had been a real mess when Suzy had to be urgently admitted to the emergency room and had to give birth, and on top of that, fight for her life, so she hadn't even prepared herself properly for the whole birth process. Our daughter was leaving the nursery in a few h
TerenceI was still taken aback by Jason's words. I couldn't understand why he kept continuing to insist on a supposed romance between me and Suzy, even though he knew I was married and, therefore, despite everything, I still loved my wife. Furthermore, I went to Laura's apartment, and when I got t
“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.