SuzyDays later, on a warm afternoon, I received a visit from Laura along with her daughter. I really had to get ready to receive them because I wanted her to have an impression of how well I was doing in my home and new life. After she helped me so much, she kind of deserved to see me well and stab
SuzyIt was raining that night, and suddenly I saw Terence park his car in front of my house. He got out of his car and ran to the front door of my house. I went to open the door for him. "My God! This rain caught me on the way here,” he said, taking his jacket and leaving it on the hanger next to
Jason“Jason Davies! Long time no see, boy,” Josh Carter said solemnly as he saw me approaching the room where he was. I had come to this private club because he invited me to spend some time there since he was passing through New York. He wanted to have his bachelor party since he was about to get
JasonGideon Bathory stared at me with that superior look of his, and I remained silent, returning it in the same way. Apparently, he was also surprised to see me here. “Um, do you two already know each other?” Joshua Carter, the host of the meeting, was a little embarrassed when he saw the way Gid
TerenceAs I drove through that rainy night, I was thinking about my dilemmas and what I was doing in this life. All I wanted was to take care of my children and be present in their lives, but it seemed like that was an impossibly challenging mission for me. The downside was that it always insisted
TerenceMoments after Jason fell, paramedics appeared and carried him to an ambulance because, in addition to him being unconscious, it looked like he had badly injured his leg. And I clearly drove to the hospital along with the doctors, worried about his condition. As soon as we arrived at the hos
LauraThat morning, I felt a soft touch on my skin and woke up to see that it was Gideon stroking my arm. He pressed his index finger to his lips in a gesture of silence so that I wouldn't wake Annie, who was sleeping cuddled up to me. He motioned with his hand for me to come with him.“Okay, wait…”
Laura“Why did you leave me sleeping alone, Mommy?” my daughter wanted to know when I went back to bed with her. I looked at Gideon, who was standing there looking at us. “Because I was just talking to Daddy Gid, my sweetie,” I replied to her, stroking her hair. “He’s not my daddy,” she said with
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