Annie It was as if the world around us had disappeared. Peter and I were having one of those perfect days, where everything seemed possible, where there were no worries, just fun. 2000s pop music played softly through the store's speakers, and it felt like the soundtrack to our story was starting t
Lindsay When my doorbell rang, and I went to answer it, I frowned when Gideon Bathory was there at my door. "You? What do you want here?” I asked, being more surprised than intrigued. Since I divorced him, he never came directly to me, he always sent someone to pick up his son and then returned him
Lindsay “I'm talking about you, Lindsay,” he said. “I want you back.” I chuckled skeptically. "What are you doing now? Why are you saying this? Do you really want me to believe that?” I asked being skeptical of his words. I mean, our marriage had taken years and all that time I was doing everythi
Annie The park was shining, illuminated by a thousand colored lights. I looked around, marveling at the place. I had never been to an amusement park at night, and the vibrant atmosphere made me feel like I was in a movie. Peter looked just as excited as I did, with his eyes shining and a wide smile
Annie "My name doesn't matter," he replied, with a calmness that made me suspicious. “Your Dad told me to come get you. It’s time to go home.” My heart was pounding in my rib cage. How the hell had my Dad found me? Peter and I had been so cautious until now, we hadn't left behind any clues that wo
Annie Peter and I ended up having to go to an inn because it was late at night and my father's men were scattered throughout the city. We needed to stay hidden and wait for those men to leave so they could give us a drink so we could continue our journey. The room was average with rough decor and
Annie Peter and I had to leave that guesthouse because the men sent by my father were already almost at our door with the intention of coming to get us. “How the hell did they find us?” Peter asked, upset, as he and I ran out of the inn. I was also so confused, and I was sure we didn't leave an
Laura I was sitting on my bed while staring at my cell phone in my hand. I was making yet another call to Annie, another one of hundreds in fact. She refused to answer all my calls; her cell phone was out of range, but I still kept calling because if I didn't, I would feel completely useless. I h
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