Enzo I lay there in the darkness, watching Nina sleep peacefully beside me. She looked like an angel. There was a serene expression on her face, and her chest was rising and falling gently. The faint moonlight streaming in through the large window illuminated her face, accentuating the gentle gl
Nina I didn’t tear my eyes away from Enzo until he finally disappeared through the gates. Once he was gone, it felt as if the knot in my stomach was growing tighter. I knew that he was only going to be gone for a day, but something just felt off—I couldn’t put my finger on what, exactly. It just
Broad shoulders, jet black hair streaked with silver— “Dad?” I exclaimed. He looked much more tired than when I had seen him last, with more pronounced wrinkles across his forehead and around his striking eyes. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. Those same eyes looked at me now with profou
Enzo The flight had felt endless. Between fitful attempts at sleep and staring absently out the window, my mind raced in endless circles. What would I say to Tim? How would he react? Would he even believe me over his trusted team doctor, Mila, who he had known for years? By the time the plane la
Finally, Tim let out a long sigh. “You know I’ll have to look into this,” he said. “I can’t just take your story at face value, Enzo. And without proof…” I studied my hands, unable to meet his pained gaze. This was just as bad as I had imagined. “I know,” I finally said. “And I don’t blame you f
Nina “He’ll be okay, Nina. I promise.” Jessica’s voice came through the phone loud and clear, reassuring as ever. But despite her insistence, I just wasn’t buying it. “I just… I feel like something is going to go wrong,” I found myself saying. “Is that crazy?” “Yes. Yes, it is.” That was Lor
Enzo I was just sitting at the hotel bar, trying to smooth out my nerves before I tried calling Nina, when I suddenly felt a delicate hand on my shoulder and an all-too-familiar voice. “Well, well... fancy meeting you here, Enzo.” I turned, and that was when I saw her: Mila. “Mila?” I asked,
Nina My heart slammed against my ribs as the bone-chilling howls sounded again outside the darkened house. The wolves had us surrounded. Beside me, Daphne shook with fear. She turned to me, her eyes wide and her red hair wildly framing her face. “What should we do?” she whispered, looking around
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