OLIVIA“I don’t think it’s wise to tell her.” Nick’s voice floated through the crack in the door as I walked back from the kitchen, a glass of water in hand. The tone of his voice was serious, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Who was he talking about? What was going on?
I took a few moments to steady my breathing and gather my thoughts. My pulse was racing, but I refused to let fear take control. I needed to act. I stood up with renewed determination, brushing the remnants of doubt away. I didn’t want to think about Lupita and Grandma any longer. I had to find Xand
XANDERI had thought it would take longer for my plan to unfold, that I would have to exert more effort to see any real results. But I quickly realized that Olivia wasn’t the patient, calculated type. She was impulsive, more than I had anticipated. Being the good girl she was, she didn’t make me wai
Time was slipping away, and I couldn’t afford any more distractions. But for now, I let him continue, savouring the moment. When he eventually realized that Olivia wasn’t there, it would be too late for him. By then, my plan would already be in motion, and nothing would be able to stop me.Ethan’s s
NICKI paced the room, the steady rhythm of my footsteps doing little to quell the growing anxiety in my chest. Each minute that passed felt like an eternity. I kept glancing at the door, hoping to see Ethan walking in, Olivia by his side. But the minutes dragged on, and no one came.It all started
My knees buckled under me, the shock of what I was seeing hitting me like a physical blow. "No," I whispered, the word barely escaping my lips. "What happened, Ethan? Where is she?"He didn’t speak immediately. His gaze dropped to the floor, as though he couldn’t bear to meet my eyes. When he did sp
MARCUSTwo days. It had been two days since I last heard from the guys, and it felt like an eternity. The last time we spoke, Nick had called me with a strange message: go pick up Lupita and Grandma at the airport. He mentioned something about them being asleep, but the way he said it, the way he av
OLIVIAI woke up to a freezing chill creeping through my body, my back pressed against something cold, almost like I was lying in a freezer. My eyes fluttered open, but the dim light around me made it hard to make out anything clearly. As my senses returned, I realized something else, the absence of
MARCUSI regret ever listening. I wish I had kept my distance, stayed out of it, and resisted the temptation to eavesdrop on Olivia’s therapy session. I only wanted to understand what that man, Xander, had done to her. I needed to know the depth of the damage he had inflicted upon my wife. Never in
LUKEI stood outside, listening to Nick as he worked on breaking Xander down. The boy was good, too good for my liking. I never intended for those boys to be involved in my line of work. Keeping Nick behind was never meant to have him do this, it was meant to keep him away from Olivia. Being around
NICK“Do your worst, Nick,” Xander sneered, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth as he spat it onto the floor at my feet. “See now? You people shot me, and I haven’t been able to contact my guys. The alert is out. It’s no longer just about Olivia. Now, your whole circle is fair game.”I coul
MARCUS“Olivia, you’re still not well,” I said, my voice firm but laced with concern. “And yet, you want to know about that? I’m not telling you anything right now. Recover first if you want to be included. Until then, I’m not saying a word.”I could feel my frustration rising. We had just gotten ho
OLIVIABy the time we landed back at New Village, Luke’s men were already waiting for us at the airport. The moment we arrived, Marcus spoke with them outside the car, while I settled inside with the kids. My baby girl was still fast asleep in my arms, and her brother had just started to stir as the
Nick“Nick, calm down. There was nothing you were going to do there. You promised not to interfere with her anymore. She left with her husband and kids to fix herself, to fix her marriage. You don’t belong there.”I stopped, the words hitting me like a slap. I turned to glare at him, fury bubbling i
MARCUS“Home. I want to go home.”Those were the first words Olivia spoke when she finally woke up. The urgency and exhaustion in her voice were clear, and it broke something in me to hear it. Home. The place where she could feel safe again, where she could begin to heal. I didn’t hesitate for a sec
OLIVIAI couldn’t tell how long I had been unconscious or why I had lost consciousness in the first place. The confusion lingered in my mind, but when I finally opened my eyes, everything shifted. There, sitting quietly beside me, was Marcus, his head resting on the edge of my bed.His presence felt
MARCUSI trembled with fury as I watched my wife in such a state. The sight of her, broken and trembling, filled me with a rage that burned so intensely, I could barely contain it. The urge to scream, to shout, to lash out at everything and everyone was overwhelming. I wanted to destroy everything,