Aria’s POV At some point in the evening, I must have drifted off, because when I blinked my eyes open, the sun crept through the curtains and the sound of Joe’s laughter echoed up from downstairs. Glancing left to right, I realized that I was alone in the massive king bed, but the spots on eithe
Liam’s POV “Of course it is,” Logan said. “She still cares for me. Is that what has you so aggravated? You still have competition?” He was goading me, and if I had been in a better state of mind, I would have been able to properly handle that. As it was, I was already pissed as hell, so his goad
Liam’s POV It had been a good long while since I stepped into a boxing ring. Even longer since I’d actually wanted to throw a punch this badly. As Logan and I circled each other in the ring, our boxing gloves on and mouth guards in, all I heard in my head again and again were Aria’s words. Whe
Aria’s POV Logan’s words bothered me more than they should have. I would never be angry about Liam’s devotion to William, his son, but thought of his continued running off to serve all of Sophia’s desires left me with the same unresolved frustration I had felt six years ago. Liam had changed in
But Sophia? For years, I’d been at her beck and call, overwhelmed with guilt and loss at the death of my best friend, her brother. I tried to step in to support Sophia, as he would have done. All she did was take and take and try to take even more. Despite the clear boundaries I’d tried to estab
Joe’s POV At school, Joe sat next to William during lunch period. William had seemed really down lately, but he was even worse today, his shoulders slumped and his eyes downcast. Joe didn’t like seeing his friend sad, so even though Joe was feeling his own unhappy feelings regarding the fight be
Aria’s POV Walking into Liam’s office, I felt like a kid called in front of the principal. I knew if nothing else, I was definitely in for a lecture. I had been careless, sending that email instead of coming to Liam with my order form directly like I usually did. Then I had made everything wor
“It won’t happen again,” I said, meaning it. My feelings for Liam were tangled and complicated. I wanted him in my life romantically, but at the same time, I was terrified of what he might do with that much power over me. I didn’t want to ever feel as much betrayal again as I did when he chose Sop
Joe remembered all the lessons about stranger danger. He knew they shouldn’t accept things from people that they didn’t know or trust.Even accepting this pie was probably a bad idea, though Joe thought that so long as they stayed in the diner, it would be okay.He kept glancing at the door.William
Aria’s POVIn our search for the children, we traveled along the roads to the park. There, I searched the kids’ favorite play areas: behind the slide, around the swings, near the seesaws and the jungle gym.William and Joe were nowhere to be found. Likewise, I saw no evidence that they had been here
Joe’s POVWhen William told Joe he was leaving, Joe knew he couldn’t let William go alone. The world was a dangerous place, and William was far too confident about things. Plus, with how William was talking, he sounded like he wasn’t planning on coming back.Joe hoped to convince him differently.So
Aria’s POVFor most of the day, I did my best to avoid Liam, but it was difficult. He seemed to be doing the same, giving me the space I requested, yet every once in a while, we’d find ourselves entering the same room or hallway, or going the same way toward the stairs.There was an awkward moment o
Aria’s POVBitter thoughts of Markus made me feel sick, but I pushed those dark feelings away and turned off the television again. With Markus gone, he could never hurt anyone ever again. He couldn’t haunt or stalk us.Liam might have already made his choice, but at least the children and I would be
Liam’s POV“Isabelle, I just need to talk to Aria,” I said, pleadingly. “If you just tell me where she is –”“Then you’ll continue to bother her.” Isabelle, arms crossed, glared at me in open disgust and distain. “She told me what she saw. And it makes me feel a thousand times worse, for having told
Liam’s POVI took my own car to Mr. Peters’ office. Several times on the route, I nearly turned and drove home instead, desperate to talk to Aria. Once, I stopped so long at a red light that Joanna called me on the phone.“Your father is dead, Liam. You have an obligation to him now. Aria will still
“I’m so sorry,” Isabelle said, her face downtrodden, her own make staining streaks down her face. We must have looked like quite the pair. It’d be laughable if my heart wasn’t so very heavy. “I totally misread the entire situation. When I saw that ring…”“How could you think anything but what you di
Liam’s POV“I don’t care what you think, Joanna,” I said coldly. With everything going on, now she wanted to threaten me? Didn’t she realize that without Aria, I had nothing left to lose? “With Markus gone, I have no reason to stay in this relationship.”“We had an agreement,” Joanna said. Her anger