Albert's POV The night was falling heavily as I followed the road to the address Max had sent me, about the place where he would be waiting for me and needing my help. And surprisingly, the GPS led me to a police station in Queens, which made me frown since Max had an apartment in Manhattan. So, w
Anne's POV The morning had a different significance today. When I came down for breakfast, my mother was already running late, which isn't exactly surprising but always a little shocking. Mom and Dad had gone to a party last night and came home late, which was also to be expected. My grandmothers
Jason's POV I was sitting in this VIP café, a place that exuded sophistication and privacy, waiting for Gideon Bathory. His name evoked memories I would like to forget, but were indelibly marked in my history with Laura. In our years of trial—dark and tortuous years when we were divorced—Gideon was
Zoey POV I was having one of those days you wish you could erase from your memory, one of those you'd rather never have lived. It all started with the ugly fight I had with Chad, which ended with him taking Max to the police station. That night, Chad shouldn't have come back home, but he did, and h
Lindsay POV "Mommy, are you going to bring me chocolate when you get off work today?" my boy asked me over the phone. I gave a little laugh, loving to hear his voice on the other end of the line. "Yes, my love. Mommy will bring you a giant chocolate," I replied. "Yay! That way I can save some for
"I really feel sorry for this unsettling situation," I commented, not knowing what to think. Laura nodded and then rubbed her face as if trying to shake off that bad feeling. "But enough of that. I have something for you." She handed me a stack of documents with trembling hands. "We have a new dire
Lindsay's POV Seeing my ex-husband there in front of me, as the new director of Hextec, and not only that, but assigning me to be his assistant, was a shock. My heart almost stopped when I realized that my new boss would be Gideon. He had a look that seemed to apologize, but there was also a deter
Lindsay POV I was boiling with anger. Each step I took in Laura's office seemed to echo my frustration. How could she have done this to me? "What the hell was that? What is Gideon Bathory doing here?" It was true that I was screaming somewhat hysterically, but no one could blame me for anything si
“No choice?” He cut me off, his tone incredulous. “Are you serious? You chose to help Madison make that video. You chose to plug it into the projector. And now Annie’s out there, broken, while you try to run from the responsibility. This doesn’t fix anything, Abby. It wasn’t supposed to end like thi
Abby POV I was there, tucked away in the shadows of the ballroom’s corner, my heart still racing as I watched the chaos I’d helped create unfold. The giant screen kept playing that horrible video, distorted and manipulated clips of Annie echoing through the room like a final verdict. People poin
Annie POV I was still on the dance floor, the warmth of the masked boy’s body against mine, my head resting on his chest as the slow music guided us. The sound of his heartbeat against my ear was almost hypnotic, and I let myself get lost in that feeling I couldn’t quite explain. He’d just said s
I swallowed hard, Caleb’s words coming back to haunt me. “Have you ever stopped to think that maybe we’ve gone too far?” He’d said that at the mall, and I’d hung up on him, but now they echoed in my head. Annie had hurt me, yes. The fight in the dorm, the way she called me fake, like I was trash she
Abby POV I was leaning against the wall of the ballroom, the cup of punch in my hand already warm and forgotten, as I watched Annie dance with that masked boy. The soft lights of the ball cast shadows over them, and even from so far away, you could feel something in the air—a chemistry almost tangi
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