To tell the truth, it was somewhat relaxing to be able to wake up without worries like before, now that he had switched lives with Conrad, he could pretend to be a simple carefree guy whose only concern he could have was putting food on the table. That didn't seem that difficult. Conrad had a routi
"It's hot today, right?" he commented, undoing the top few buttons on her shirt. "I don't think so," she denied it, brushing her long, wavy hair behind her ear. "Do you want a drink? I have coffee." "I'd love to," she smiled and went to the kitchen, which was open in bold style. The apartment was
Being in that old car meant freedom for him. He could do whatever he wanted at any time, there was no one there to watch him, no cameras or paparazzi, and he could not fake things to please everyone. He put on some rock music, turned on the truck's speaker loudly, and went all the way to the communi
He went to the building manager, he wanted permission to use the terrace for a few hours. After a brief conversation, the building manager gave permission, and Albert went up to the terrace. When he got there, he prepared the place by putting on lights that weren't so bright but would be visible a
Nowadays Albert When I was twenty-five things seemed more complicated and inconsequential, but today, when I look back, I realize that the best thing that happened to me was meeting this incredible woman who was sitting here right next to me. We were all in Denver to attend the wedding. Everythi
Albert “I'm sorry for my brother's behavior, but relax, I'll talk to him later,” Amber, Nancy's daughter, said to us politely. “And I am very grateful for the partnership invitations that you are giving me, believing that I will seize this opportunity with both hands.” She smiled at us, and we all
Albert “Max? Is that really you?” I asked, dumbfounded, as I approached him. It was hard to believe something like that, it had only been a few weeks since I had last seen him and now here he was, all changed. That was unbelievable. “Actually, I thought you were going to call me Deborah,” he said
***** Melanie “This party really is delicious, God has such good meat that it makes your mouth water,” I commented while I and the others were praising the party. My husband had just left when he went to answer his cell phone, but he was taking a while. It wasn't that I was a woman who always w
“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.