Jason “It's okay, Kendall. I'll send you this money, just send me the account number, and I'll send it to you today,” I told her, receiving an approving nod from Jake. But Kendall, on the other end of the line, was laughing at me like I was an idiot. “And do you really think I’m going to accept e
Laura My hands were tied behind my body in a chair as I faced Suzy in front of me. I had no idea how she had managed to escape from prison and enter the mansion to kidnap me and have me in this place. I was trying to understand it all. It was my wedding day, but still, these evil people couldn't le
Laura I was waiting for an opportunity to escape from that place, it wasn't as easy as I imagined it would be, and they didn't give me any respite. And just when I thought I'd have a moment to plan an escape, Kendall and Suzy untied me and took me to a small yacht. They were nervous, as if they had
Laura “I told you to let go of her!” Suzy shouted at me, her eyes were lit with anger. Kendall got away from me and ended up next to Suzy, laughing at me loudly. Suzy kept the gun in my sights, looking at me steadily as if she finally had me where she wanted me. “Do you know how many times I dre
Laura The water in the lake was cold, even though it was spring. Kendall's body and furniture were still entwined with me, grabbing me and pulling me to the bottom of the lake. I tried to free myself from her dead body, pushing her away from me, and tried to swim to the surface, but with my hands t
Laura I was wearing a fluffy robe after a hot shower I took, so I was safely home with my family and the people I loved. Ava was there with me, taking care of me and cheering me up through the stressful events I had just a short time ago. “And how did the guests react when you had to announce tha
Laura “Oh my God, you look so beautiful!” Ava exclaimed, delighted, looking at me with her eyes shining with emotion. “Do you think I really look pretty?” I asked with a small smile as I looked in the mirror and straightened my dress. I was already dressed and ready for the wedding; unlike the
Weeks later Laura It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon; the kids were playing in the pool; Jason and his guys were talking and drinking a beer while preparing the barbecue; my mom and Roseanne sunbathed by the pool while having fun watching the children play; Ava and I were exchanging experiences i
“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.