Laura The days passed, and things happened gradually. My mother began to show improvement and gradually gained her lucidity back. There were days when she would wake up remembering things from the past, but the next day she would feel lost again. So it was a constant struggle for her to try not to
Laura “The dilation is already favorable for the birth process,” said Dr. Joana, “and in a few minutes we can start. Are you prepared for this, mommy?” She smiled at me expectantly. I smiled in response. “Yes, I am, I’m looking forward to it, actually. I just hope Jason can stay lucid to watch th
Laura “The babies were born healthy as expected, it was a long journey that came to an end today,” Doctor Joana was saying, congratulating Jason and me for attending the birth of the boys. “We also thank you, Joana, for always being so helpful,” Jason said. He was hugging me from behind while he
Laura I took her hand and gently moved closer to the cribs. “It’s okay, Vivian, you don’t need to be afraid.” I encouraged. She smiled at me and looked at the babies with a sweet smile on her face, but then her smile broke, and an expression of surprise and shock came over her. “Ernest…?” She loo
Laura That afternoon, I left my children with their father and went to the prison where Suzy was being held. I had wanted to pay her a visit for a while. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon, the leaves on the trees were turning brown, preparing for the depressing time of winter. To tell the truth,
Laura Suzy was dressed in orange when she accepted my visit to the prison. She looked changed, with some bruises on her face, as if she had gotten into fights, something I didn't doubt because of the way she was aggressive and difficult to deal with. It was quite normal that she would have gotten i
Laura “That’s your problem, Laura. You think I'm not a better person, but I'm fine where I am, okay? I'm very happy with the life I lead and the decisions I make,” she said, wanting to be flippant. Was she happy with the decisions she made that led to her going to jail? “So if that’s the case, ca
Three years later Laura I was looking at myself in the mirror as I finished doing the last finishes on my makeup, some personal touches of mine that we always ended up doing even after the professional makeup artist had done her work on us. Today was a very special day, it was the day that Jason
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