My mother tsked. “More like the treatments and all that herbal medicine from the witch,” she explained, grinning. “Does he look great, Nina? Why, you’d never think…” Her voice trailed off. The truth was, Tyler had suffered from a curse for his entire life—a curse which, up until last year, we had
Nina The night sky was a tapestry of stars, seeping through the curtains and casting an ethereal glow in the bedroom of my father’s mansion. Enzo was sprawled on the bed, lost in a book, while I sat at the vanity, running a brush through my hair. “My dad’s really going all out with this ball, hu
I leaned in, capturing his lips with mine. He returned in kind, and gently lifted me, carrying me to the bed. … We collapsed on each other in a sweaty, satisfied heap. With my head resting on Enzo’s chest, his arms around me, I felt completely and utterly safe. But still, I couldn’t fight the he
Nina The morning sunlight had barely started creeping through the curtains when the soft knock on my door pulled me from my slumber. Enzo still laid fast asleep beside me. Groggily, I sat up and blinked at the clock on my bedside table. 6:30 a.m. “Nina, darling, are you awake?” My mother’s voice
She looked at me, her eyes softening. “Oh, Nina, you don’t have to—” “I want to, mom.” She smiled, a beautiful, genuine smile that I had only seen a handful of times in my life—and it seemed to be more so lately. “Thank you, darling.” As we left the salon, I felt a little lighter. The world ou
Nina The morning sun had finally risen high into the sky by the time my mom and I arrived back at the mansion. The morning felt jam-packed with activities, revelations, and emotions, but I was happy. As we made our way back to the mansion with our bags, the noise and hustle of my father’s servants
We stood there for a while longer, watching as Enzo and Tyler continued to play. Tyler never seemed to run out of energy, and was proving to be a good match against Enzo. I grinned so much as I watched them that my face eventually grew sore, and it wasn’t until my mom spoke that I realized that I
Nina My heart pounded as I finally stepped out of my bedroom, dressed and ready for the ball. I looked down at the gown, its midnight black fabric shimmering under the soft glow of the hallway lights. For the first time in forever, I felt like I almost belonged in this extravagant setting. But e
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied