Melanie Albert and Max had been friends forever, since before I even met my husband. They were the kind of friends who were always together for everything—inseparable and irreproachable. And I, as Albert's wife, understood their friendship and everything, although, at a certain point, I ended up be
Melanie “What was that scene in the car, Mel? What the hell is going on?” Albert asked as soon as he got home and saw me sitting on the sofa, drinking tea, to calm me down. I had just called Laura to apologize once again to her for everything that had happened. “Why did you just freak out? Like, we
Laura When it was nighttime, our friends had to go to their houses, so we followed them to the garage while we hugged and said goodbye. “Argh, it’s already so late. Why don’t you spend the night here at once?” I suggested it as I hugged Ava affectionately. She giggled. “I think what you want mos
Jason It was early in the morning, and Laura and I were sleeping cuddled up and comfortable. The light in the room was low and recommended for a good night's sleep, so I could see my wife's silhouette and feel her in my arms. She slept so close to me that it would even be a sin to move away from he
Melanie That same night, I felt Albert shake my shoulder lightly as he called out to me. Confused, I woke up looking at him. "What's going on?" I tried to find out, without understanding, why he was waking me up at dawn. “I'm sorry to be waking you up like this at such a time, but I need to talk t
Laura “Why is there all this crying here? What is happening here?” I asked worriedly as I entered the boys' room. Daniel was screaming, making a real scene. The babysitters couldn't even hold him. “He hit me, Mommy!” Daniel said as he cried, pointing to his brother, who was on the other side of th
Laura “He can’t even come down to eat?” Mine asked as soon as I opened the door for her. I was in the boys' room, spending some time with Stephen after his father grounded him. Jason had already gone to work by then. I sighed with a small smile. “He’s going to eat in his room today. His Dad’s orde
Laura "Oh, my fucking God! I don't believe this,” Ava was exclaiming on the other end of the line. “So that Max guy has a crush on your husband? What a jerk!” Both she and I were so surprised as Melanie told us about the recent falling out she had with Albert. “So, yes, apparently,” the girl rep
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.
Annie POV I was still trying to process everything that had happened at the square. Caleb’s words—“I hope you suffer”—mixed with Nadia’s ultimatum about my revoked candidacy had left me in pieces. My dream of leading the student council, something I saw as the first step toward following in my mom’
Annie POV I was still sitting on the bench in the square, the echo of Caleb’s words reverberating in my head like thunder that wouldn’t fade. "I hope you suffer." He had shoved the bouquet of pink flowers against my chest and stormed off, leaving me with a mix of shock, anger, and something that