Nina The morning light filtered through the hotel room curtains and cast soft blue shadows on the furniture. I began to stir, but my eyes were slow to open. After last night, I felt as though I had been hit by a train. Enzo was already awake. I could hear him moving about in the bathroom, and wh
Enzo The chill of the ice rink was a welcome reprieve from the stuffy hotel. Although Nina and I had made up, I still couldn’t get past the fact that something was clearly on her mind this morning—whether it was our argument or something else, I wasn’t sure. I just remembered that she got up the n
Nina I stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the straps of my red dress. The fabric hugged my body, accentuating the tiny bump on my belly. I was both nervous and excited about the evening ahead. Enzo and I had needed this, a night to reconnect, especially after the strain of the pas
Nina After dinner, Enzo said that he had somewhere else he wanted to go. We wound up walking along a path by the ocean, where the city’s lights twinkled on the water’s surface. “How did you know about this place?” I found myself asking as we walked hand-in-hand. Enzo shrugged. “Tim mentioned i
As we walked, we stumbled upon a summer festival in a small park. Colorful streamers fluttered in the wind, and lanterns adorned the stalls and trees, creating a magical atmosphere. The air was filled with the sound of laughter and music, a lively contrast to the serenity of the ocean nearby. “Wow
Nina The festival was a colorful mosaic of laughter, music, and twinkling lights. Enzo and I meandered through the crowd, our hands entwined, taking in the sights and sounds of the lively summer event. The air was filled with the aroma of street food and the distant sound of waves crashing against
Nina Madame Zara’s eyes flickered with a mix of fear and sorrow as she finally spoke, her voice barely more than a whisper. I could hardly hear her over the din of the crowd outside, and I had to lean closer just to make out what she was trying to say. “Your family, Nina, it’s... it’s cursed
Nina Enzo and I unlocked our hotel room door and walked inside. The darkness made me shudder, but even as I flicked on the light and a warm amber glow filled the room, I still felt uneasy. What was supposed to be a fun night had been ruined, and now I just felt empty and terrified. “What do
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