The rustle of leaves and the distant hum of city life from the park had always been a solace for me. But today, it felt totally different. The weight of everything that had happened—the betrayal, the confusion, and the overwhelming sadness—had finally caught up with me. I sat on the cold bench, my arms wrapped around myself, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. But it was no use. I could feel my emotions swirling inside me, a tempest that I couldn’t control. Each memory of Leon—his smile, his touch, his laugh—felt like a knife twisting in my heart. How could someone who meant so much to me cause me so much pain? The thought was unbearable, and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that when I opened them, this nightmare would be over. But when I heard the faint sound of a car approaching, reality came crashing back. I knew it was Aunt Lou and Uncle George. They must have been worried sick after I disappeared without a word. I didn’t want them to see me like this
The day passed in a blur, with every minute feeling like an eternity. After Leon left, the emptiness in the house seemed to magnify, each quiet moment amplifying the ache in my chest. I hadn’t heard from him since he walked out, and a part of me dreaded the possibility of never hearing from him again. But I had to push those thoughts aside. I had other responsibilities, other things that required my attention.That evening, I found myself at the hospital, helping Aunt Lou keep an eye on Lena in the recovery room. Lena had been through a rough time, and it was the least I could do to be there for her, as well as Aunt Lou. But despite my best efforts to focus on Lena’s well-being, my thoughts kept drifting back to Leon, to the look on his face when I told him to leave. The anger, the hurt, the regret—they all swirled together in a tangled mess that I couldn’t seem to unravel.Aunt Lou must have sensed my unease. As we sat together by Lena’s bedside, she kept glancing at me with a conc
A few days passed, and the emptiness within me grew like a shadow, dark and consuming. Every corner of Aunt Lou’s house seemed to echo with memories of Leon, even though I was the one who ended things. I had expected him to show up, to knock on the door and beg me to take him back, to tell me it was all a mistake. But instead, there was nothing—no calls, no messages, no sign of him at all. It was as if he had vanished from my life as easily as a dream fades in the morning light.Frustration bubbled up inside me, an anger I couldn’t quite place. Why wasn’t he trying to win me back? Did he care so little? The questions spun in my head, growing louder with each passing hour.Finally, the pressure became too much, and I let out a scream, sharp and sudden, piercing the quiet of my room. I hadn’t meant to, but the sound was out before I could stop it. I slumped back on the bed, feeling ridiculous and even more alone than before.There was a knock on my door, and I sat up, startled. I had c
The afternoon sun dipped low in the sky, casting a warm, golden hue over the university campus. The day had been a whirlwind of emotions, a mixture of tension and anticipation that hung thick in the air. As the final debate drew to a close, the auditorium was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the sound of the announcer’s voice.When Letty’s name was declared the winner, the room erupted into applause. I watched as Letty stood there, momentarily stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief. Then, slowly, a radiant smile spread across her face, genuine and filled with a sense of accomplishment. As the crowd began to disperse, Letty made her way over to me, still clutching the small, gleaming medal in her hand. Her eyes shimmered with a mixture of happiness and something deeper—relief, perhaps, or maybe even a sense of validation after everything she’d been through.“Margarette,” Letty said, her voice barely above a whisper as she held out the medal toward me. “I... I won. I still ca
The evening had started with the best of intentions—a celebration to lift Letty’s spirits after her victory at the debate. But when I stood in the dimly lit restaurant, staring across the room at Leon with another woman, all the joy I’d felt moments before drained away, replaced by a gnawing anger that threatened to consume me.And now that I even tried to escape away from it, Leon even tried to stop me.Leon’s eyes locked onto mine, and for a split second, the world seemed to stop. His gaze held a mix of longing and seriousness, and for a moment, my heart wavered. But I quickly shoved those feelings aside, determined not to let him get under my skin.“Margarette, please,” Leon’s voice was low and urgent as he stood up before me, his voice almost frantic. “Can we talk? Just give me a chance to explain.”The woman he was sitting with—the same blonde who had haunted my thoughts since that day in the shower—was walking from behind him and getting her way to approach us with wide, confus
The night was still, with only the faint rustling of leaves outside Aunt Lou’s house to break the silence. I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, my thoughts a tangled mess of regret and uncertainty. No matter how hard I tried to push it away, the image of Leon’s face—the hurt in his eyes, the desperation in his voice—kept replaying in my mind.I had been so certain, so sure of my decision to break up with him. After everything I had gone through with Justin, I thought I was doing the right thing, protecting myself from more pain. But now, the more I thought about it, the more I began to question everything. Had I been too impulsive? Had I let my past dictate my present, punishing Leon for sins he hadn’t committed?I sighed, rolling over to bury my face in the pillow. But the thoughts wouldn’t go away. They kept gnawing at me, whispering doubts into my ear until I could no longer ignore them. The truth was, I missed Leon. Even in the short time since our breakup, I felt like a piece
The air was cool as Leon and I walked side by side, the tension from the past few days slowly easing away. My phone buzzed in my hand, and I saw Aunt Lou’s name flash on the screen. I hesitated for a moment before answering, knowing I had to tell her about my decision to stay with Leon for the night.“Aunt Lou?” I greeted, trying to keep my voice steady.“Margarette, where are you? Are you alright?” Aunt Lou’s voice was filled with concern.“I’m with Leon,” I replied, glancing at Leon, who was watching me with a soft, encouraging smile. “I... I’m going to stay with him tonight. We need to talk and sort things out.”There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Aunt Lou spoke again. “You and Leon worked things out, then?”I sighed, knowing she deserved more of an explanation, but I wasn’t ready to dive into the details just yet. “We’re getting there. I’ll explain everything when I see you, Aunt Lou. I promise.”Aunt Lou seemed to sense that now wasn’t the time to press f
Leon stood before me, his shirt already discarded, revealing the chiseled muscles of his chest. His eyes, dark with desire, pinned me in place, making my heart race and my breath hitch.“Get on your knees, Margarette,” Leon commanded, his voice a husky growl that sent shivers down my spine.His hand gripped my hair, gently but firmly, guiding me down. I sank to my knees, my gaze locked onto his as my pulse quickened. The feeling of his strong hand in my hair, the weight of his dominance, made my core tighten with anticipation.“You’ve made me miss every single part of you,” he murmured, his tone rough with longing. “You’re going to pay for that now, my sweetness.”His words were like a match to dry kindling, igniting something deep within me. “Leon…” I gasped, pressing my face against his pants, feeling the heat of his arousal through the fabric. My hands moved instinctively, tracing the hardness beneath.He paused for a moment, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that made m
The rain was falling again.It always did on days like this—days that felt like endings.I stood on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the stormy waters of Anacortes, my coat pulled tightly around me, the hood shielding my face from the wind that carried the scent of salt and something older—something like goodbye.Leon stood behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to feel him there. His presence was familiar now, carved into my skin like muscle memory. He’d been my gravity, my storm, my salvation, and my ruin—sometimes all at once.“It’s really over, isn’t it?” I whispered, more to the wind than to him.He didn’t answer right away. His silence was as heavy as the stormclouds above us.“I wanted to fix everything for you,” he said finally, his voice hoarse, like it had been dragged across a battlefield. “I wanted to give you a life that didn’t hurt.”I closed my eyes. The ache in my chest pulsed with every beat of my heart. “You did,” I said. “For a while, you did.”I heard the crunch
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “I’m not the same person I was before,” I said, my voice firm, unwavering. “And I’m not walking away this time.”The man’s eyes flickered with a moment of doubt, just enough for me to catch. And then, before I could even register what had happened, Leon moved.Faster than I could blink, Leon was in front of me, his hand grabbing the gun and twisting it out of the man’s grasp. The force of it sent the man stumbling back, but he didn’t go down easily. His bodyguards rushed in, but Leon was already a step ahead, disarming one of them with a swift, calculated move.I stood frozen for a moment, trying to process what I was witnessing. Leon—always so calm, always so careful—was ruthless. He was like a force of nature, determined to protect me at all costs.But the fight wasn’t over yet. The man recovered, his eyes burning with rage. “You really think you’ve won?” he spat, his voice dripping with venom. “You’re nothing but a pawn in a game you can’t ev
The sound of boots drew closer, pounding the floor with an urgency that echoed through the cavernous halls of the estate. My heart raced as the reality of what I had just heard crashed into me like a tidal wave. The man who had once been a part of my life—my family’s betrayer, the one who had orchestrated their deaths—stood there, calmly, as if this was just another night for him.Leon’s grip on my hand tightened, but I didn’t let him pull me away. I could feel the air thickening with tension, the walls pressing in as everything I thought I knew began to crumble.The intruders were only moments away.The man—he—smirked, watching us. “You think this will end well? You’ve no idea what you’re up against. My people are everywhere.”I took a step forward, ignoring Leon’s silent plea to retreat. “You killed them. And you thought I would be the next one to fall in line?” My voice was a whisper, but it held a power I hadn’t realized I had. “You were wrong.”The man’s face faltered, just for a
Next Morning at the Estate Archives. The basement was cold and damp, and the air smelled of mildew and secrets. Old boxes lined the walls, labeled in my father’s tidy script. Financial records. Land deeds. Correspondence.Leon sifted through a crate of documents while I dug through another.Then something caught my eye.A faded folder labeled: Project Thornfield.I opened it slowly.Inside were blueprints—plans for development across coastal land that was supposed to be protected forest. There were signatures from multiple board members, including names I recognized.And then, one I didn’t.N. Vallis.Leon leaned over. “You know that name?”I shook my head. “No. But look here—he signed off on the project two weeks before my parents died.”Leon pulled out his phone. “I’ll run a background check.”I kept flipping through the documents—and found something that made my blood run cold.An aerial photo.Of the cliffside. Our property.With a giant red X drawn over the coordinates where my p
THREE WEEKS LATER...The investigation moved faster than I’d expected. With the board fully on our side now, the paper trail unraveled like a thread pulled from an old sweater—each piece of evidence exposing the next. Shell companies. Forged contracts. Witnesses who had remained silent out of fear but were finally coming forward.Still, no one had seen him since the day of the summit. He had vanished without a trace. No flights. No offshore activity. No messages. It was like he’d disappeared into smoke.But Dorian didn’t believe in ghosts. “He’s hiding,” he said as he handed me a thick folder. “And this—this will force him out.”I flipped through the documents. Bank records. A property registered under an alias. Hidden deep in the woods outside of Anacortes. I felt my stomach twist.Leon stepped up behind me, his hand grazing my shoulder. “Let’s pay him a visit.”The cabin was barely more than a shadow tucked between trees. No lights. No car. Just silence and the thrum of insects in t
Sunlight crept cautiously through the cracks in the blinds, casting golden slivers across the hardwood floor of the safe house bedroom. I sat curled up on the edge of the bed, a blanket draped around my shoulders and the journal heavy in my lap. The cover was cracked, worn with age and secrets. My fingers hovered over the first page for what felt like an eternity.Leon was nearby—he hadn’t slept much, either. He stood at the window with a mug of black coffee, watching the world outside with quiet alertness. When I finally opened the journal, he turned slightly but didn’t speak. He knew I needed silence for this.The first entry was dated nearly two decades ago.July 14th. We signed the contract today. Two families, one future. The woman from Delmar Holdings is more cunning than I expected. She knows we’re desperate—and she used it. I told Mariana to trust me. That this was the only way. God help me, I hope I’m right.My breath hitched. Mariana—that was my mother’s name.I flipped thro
MARGARETTE'S POVBefore we could react, the door behind us burst open.Three armed men rushed in, dressed in black, their movements precise and rehearsed. Leon shoved me behind him, drawing his gun up in an instant. Dorian, who had been lingering near the entrance, took cover behind a cabinet, gun already out.“Elise’s father wasn’t bluffing,” I breathed, my heart hammering. “He had backup ready.”Leon fired the first shot, catching one of the intruders in the shoulder and sending him crashing to the floor. Chaos erupted. Dorian ducked low and returned fire, narrowly missing another attacker who retaliated with a spray of bullets that shattered the windows.I crouched behind an overturned table, the sound of gunfire drowning out my thoughts. The locket in my palm dug into my skin, its edges sharp—a painful reminder that I couldn’t afford to lose control now.“Elise’s father!” I shouted to Leon. “He’s escaping!”Through the haze of smoke and broken glass, I saw the man slinking toward
The sound of footsteps pounding in the hallway was the last thing I heard before the door slammed open.I barely had time to react before a rush of armed men poured into the room, their eyes scanning every corner, landing finally on me. There was no mistaking the intent behind their cold stares.“Get down!” Leon’s voice crackled through the earpiece again, but there was no time to obey. I couldn’t allow myself to hesitate—not now, not when the truth was within reach.I raised my gun, my hands steady despite the chaos unfolding around me. I wasn’t going down without a fight, not after everything I had lost. Not after everything Elise’s father had taken from me.Before the first man could react, I fired. The sound of the shot echoed in the confined space, the bullet finding its mark in the man’s chest. His body crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud, but the others didn’t hesitate. They moved in faster, their guns drawn, but I was ready.I ducked behind the desk, using it as cover
Dawn came in silver slivers through the cracks in the window. I hadn’t slept—not really. My mind was too loud, looping the footage over and over like a broken reel.Leon sat across from me at the table, sipping his coffee like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. Neither of us had said much since the footage. We didn’t need to. The truth had cut so deep, it didn’t leave room for small talk.But I had questions.And I needed answers.“How long do you think he’s known I survived?” I finally asked, voice hoarse.Leon didn’t look away from his mug. “Long enough to start covering his tracks. But he didn’t expect the locket to resurface.”My hand instinctively reached for it. The locket was warm now, like it had absorbed my grief and fury. Inside was a picture of my mother and me—her arm around my tiny shoulders, her smile soft but tired. A photo I hadn’t even remembered until last night.“He killed her,” I whispered. “He killed my father. For what? A project?”“Not just a project,”