October 2026,
Scars Bay, USA
Dimitri
Sipping on my morning coffee, I leaned against the window frame and watched Katerina look at her laptop screen intently as her fingers flew across the keyboard, creating a soft, rhythmic sound.
The sunlight from the window pooled into the bedroom and sliced it in half, illuminating half of it and keeping the rest in the soft glory of muted morning light. Sunshine kissed the lower half of her body, painting over the olive skin of her arms and legs with a beautiful gold cast.
Her eyes flickered to her phone lying next to the laptop and she tapped on the AirPods she was already wearing. "Cancel my meetings for the rest of the week."
A woman's soft voice replied but I didn't care enough about it to actually listen to it. "Yes, even the one with Clarissa. If she throws a fit like last time, I give you permission to hang up on her." The woman s
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaAlaric was a great artist. That was an undeniable fact.There were a few paintings of his that I could look at for hours without getting bored. There were so many intricate details in them that the longer you look at them, the more things you find. This one, in particular, was the painting of the High Street, one of the main streets in downtown Scars Bay."I'm not sure which view is more beautiful to behold- you or that painting," I heard a deep voice say from beside me. I recognized the voice but it sounded a little different than it did a few years ago. It was deeper, more confident, and had an edge that hinted at dangerous promises. It commanded attention and respect, which, if not given, would be taken by force.I turned to look at Soren. It wasn't just his voice that had changed. He looked like a completely different person. H
November 2026,Scars Bay, USADimitri"You look absolutely stunning, Katerina" a guy complimented as he looked at her from head to toe and pressed his hand against his heart. "I don't know how those art pieces are ever going to compete with you for everyone's attention."Katerina laughed lightly. "Thank you, Tomas. I-""You will burn a hole through him if you glare at him any harder." William's amused voice distracted me from the conversation I was eavesdropping on. "I wouldn't recommend that. Kate has a huge savior complex. That might work against you."I looked at Katerina's brother. The two of them were polar opposites in almost every way - all the way from physical appearance down to basic nature - and yet, the two were very close. It would be good for me to be in his good books and not take his bait. "Good evening, William." I smiled."Come, let'
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaGrowing up, Alaric had always been the cool father. There were times when I used to see him with Alya and wish for my dad to be like him. While he always treated me as his daughter, the bond he shared with Alya was incomparable.While my father also did his best, he was so busy that he didn't get very many opportunities to do it very often. Because of that, I was closer to Alaric than my own father. Well, that was until we thought Alaric left and I started disliking him.I remembered him enjoying classical music but what Ididn't know was that Alaric had an entire collection of Vinyls in his office. But I suppose it was normal to not remember details of a place you have been only a handful of times more than a decade ago.As I went through it, I realized that it was mostly classical music and I didn't recognize most of t
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAKaterinaI called him again as I rode up the elevator to his apartment.In classic Jayden fashion, he did not answer.Rolling my eyes, I walked down the hallway and entered the pin to his apartment. The edges of my lips tugged up when the door unlocked. Jayden might not have come to tonight's gala but the code to his apartment was still Alya's birthdate. It always has been. He could say whatever he wanted but I considered this proof that he didn't completely hate her. Maybe, there was still hope.I opened the door and walked in. I didn't know what I had been expecting when I walked in but it certainly wasn't this.The apartment smelled fresh, there were no empty bottles of alcohol, takeout containers, or the stale smell of heartbreak. In fact, I spotted a vase full of day-old lilies in a corner. If this was any evidence, Jayden was doing a
November 2026, Scars Bay, USA Katerina Alya was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, her back against the bed and a drink in her hand. With her other hand, she played with a ring hanging off the necklace she was wearing. She looked up and her teary, red-rimmed eyes met mine. Oh no. I walked over to her, wanting to take a seat beside her but my dress wouldn't allow that. So with a bit of difficulty, I took it off. Only in a pair of panties and a bra, I lowered myself beside her. She looked over at me, her gaze lingering on my face, neck, and then chest before she looked away entirely. What was that about? "You should wear some clothes. It's winter," she whispered. "It's warm in here. I'm fine; you don't need to worry about me." I took the glass from her hand and placed it aside. "I was d
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaCold water hit my face and cascaded down my body.'He didn't have the luxury of hope of a future together like you did.'Tears welled up in my eyes. Heartache formed a ball in my throat, choking me up.How could I have not thought of it? How could I have been so callous? How could I have been so self-centered in my misery that I failed to see how it would have affected the one person I cared about the most?I had hurt Jay more than I could have even imagined. I had hurt the one person I love with all my heart. The one person I never wanted to hurt. The one person I stayed away from by telling my broken and bruised heart that while he might be hurt, he was at least safe. Alive. But it seemed like he hadn't done much of living. Just like me. He had been hanging on to the past. Just like me. But unlike
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaKate opened the door to her bedroom and we walked in."BOO!"I jumped in shock and my hands flew to my chest.The lights turned on and I came face to face with a grinning William. "Gotcha, Squirt.""Helliam!" I admonished, but I couldn't stop my lips from lifting up in a smile.This wasn't the first time this had happened. When we were kids and Kate and I had sleepovers, Will would sometimes crash them - much to our annoyance - and we'd spend the entire night talking and hanging out or doing sometime crazy. When we grew up a little, Kate and I would catch Will sneaking into the house in the middle of the night, drunk, and looking back on it, probably high on drugs. We'd take care of him and put him to bed or if he wasn't in the mood to sleep, we'd stay with him and give him company. When we beca
November 2026,Scars Bay, USAAlyannaIt was still a couple of hours before sunrise so none of the house staff were out and about. Quickly and quietly, I navigated my way out of Kate's bedroom and to woods from around the gardens.I knew my way around the property very well, courtesy of Kate. Sometimes, she managed to drag me to parties with her that we had no business going to. To hide from Kon and her dad, she figured out a way to sneak out of her bedroom and pass through the grounds withoutbeing noticed or getting caught on camera. She also managed to create a way over the mostly impenetrable property walls. Kate was an unstoppable force when she put her mind to something.The route I was taking was the same. I, too, would pass through unnoticed if things had remained the same in the last five years. And I hoped I did. Because, I couldnot afford t