The giggling is starting to annoy Halsey a little. She glances at the table where a few of the popular kids are hanging out. Nathan is the center of attention there, flirting with a few girls while the guys are flocking around him as well. He started to spike his hair which somehow makes him look even more attractive to the cheerleaders around him. Nathan isn’t looking at her way but knows that Halsey is staring at him.The sound of a chair creaking makes Halsey jump.“What’s wrong?” Lincoln asks as he takes a seat next to her. “Nothing,” Halsey lies. They’re at the cafeteria and it’s very crowded that day. Almost the entire school is going to attend a game that day which will decide whether the Eagles can attend the interstate tournament or not. Lincoln is very excited and it shows.“I’m gonna win today!” He declares. “You’ll see, Hales.”“I really hope you do!” Halsey exclaims with a genuine smile. “You’ve worked hard.”“One week!” Lincoln sighs. “I’ll be away for one week. And st
The final whistle blows and the audience cheers in joy. Lincoln is flushed with success, sweating profusely but is still energetic. He spots Halsey at the stands and winks at her. Halsey smiles a little but her heart isn’t into the game. Even though she’s supposed to be cheering for Lincoln, she can’t help thinking about Nathan.He’s been missing ever since that afternoon and she suspects that he’s probably up on the roof. She’s worried about him but is forced to hide her concerns as Lincoln makes his way towards her.“Did you see that?” He exclaims. “I made the final dunk! We won!”“Yeah!” Halsey smiles. “Congratulations. When are you leaving for the interstate tournament?”“Nelson said that if we win, we’ll have to leave right after the match,” Lincoln sighs. “He’s very strict about it. We’ll have to catch some sleep on the bus.”“So soon? Won’t you at least stay till dinner?”“Nah. It’s best if we leave as per schedule. I need to know more about our rival teams. The competition is
“You look happy,” Charlotte notes the next morning when Halsey is humming to herself. They are at her music lounge, setting up the instruments. It’s a weekend so Halsey is helping Charlotte.“It’s just a nice day!” Halsey smiles but she’s not sure why she is feeling so lighthearted. “Did Lincoln call you?” Charlotte asks her.“Yeah. He and the team reached the resort. They’re practicing a lot but he called me a while ago and said he’s alright.”“That’s a relief,” Charlotte sighs. “But it feels kinda lonely without him…”Charlotte is a little sad because Lincoln never stayed away from home for so long. Halsey hugs her tightly.“He’ll be fine!” She assures Charlotte. “I’m sure of it!”“I hope so too.”Charlotte pats Halsey’s head and smiles at her. Just then, Halsey’s phone beeps. Charlotte manages to peek a glance at the name on the text when Halsey takes out her phone.“Meet me at the basketball court behind the pharmacy,” Nathan writes.“Nathan?” Charlotte asks with interest. “I see
Halsey is casually walking along the aisle, carrying a few books. The school cafeteria is buzzing with students that day. Most of them are excited that their basketball team is moving to the finals in the interstate tournament. Lincoln had already texted Halsey in the morning to inform her of his success. Halsey wanted to tell him about the stalker but hearing the happiness in his voice only discouraged her.I’ll tell him later, she decides.She’s heading for a table, still lost in her thoughts. She’s so engrossed that she didn’t notice when someone stuck their foot out.“Ah!” Halsey shrieks as she falls down. Embarrassed, she hears the giggles of a few girls who are pointing and laughing at her.“Whoops!” Lydia sneers. “I am so sorry!”She follows her words with a laugh. Halsey slowly stands up, aware of everyone snickering at her. Lydia and Daisy are smirking at the nerd who’s an easy target. “She’s the one who should be sorry!” Daisy says loudly. “If it wasn’t for her, Nathan coul
“Halsey, come on!” Nathan hisses at her. “Talk to me!”“I’m working.”They’re at the cafe where Halsey had begun her shift. Nathan followed her there but she didn’t speak to him much other than giving him some instructions. Even though she’s being polite, Nathan can sense a coldness in her tone which is irking him.Halsey takes the orders of table number nine and keeps on ignoring Nathan. He’s exasperated but gets no chance to talk to her either. The cafe is unusually crowded that day because there’s some business conference going on. Many of the customers are from out of town who stopped by for quick bites. Nathan and Halsey have to work hard to cater to them.“This is hard work!” Nathan groans. He has been serving customers for three hours straight and finally managed to complete his shift. Slumping on a chair in the break room, he stretches his limbs. A few minutes later, Halsey also enters the room to rest before heading back home having already changed her clothes. She doesn’t l
Halsey’s mind isn’t on the teacher’s lecture. She’s blankly staring at the board, thinking about Nathan.When she went to the hospital that morning, Mrs. Jacobs was already shifted back to her ward. Nathan had stayed with her all night and had gone home only moments before Halsey arrived. He isn’t in school because he didn’t turn up for the literature class in the morning. Is he alright? She wonders.Her phone vibrates in her pocket, bringing her out of her reverie. When the teacher turns around, she slyly takes it out.“Meet me near the field,” Nathan writes to her. “Now.”Huh? Now?Halsey debates with herself. Should she take the risk and meet up with him? Finally, she makes up her mind and raises her hand.“Yes, Halsey?” The teacher inquires.“I need to use the toilet,” she mutters. “Alright. Go ahead.”Halsey lowers her head and slowly walks out, trying to be casual. Once she’s out of sight, she quickly heads for the field. Nathan is standing near the bleachers, waiting for her
“Does this have any pearl in it?” Nathan frowns as he picks up a seashell. Halsey laughs and shakes head.“Pearls are made by oysters not seashells!” She tells him. Nathan makes a face and drops the pink shell. It’s past noon and they’re still at the beach, randomly roaming around. For once, Halsey feels a lot free and lighthearted. Nathan brought her to the beach because he didn’t want to be alone nor did he want his friends to see him in that state. So he’s making her accompany him for a while.Halsey doesn’t mind though; she’s having fun with him. There’s a nagging feeling in her that Charlotte won’t be too pleased but Halsey is more worried about what Lincoln will say. He’s busy with the game but he’ll call any moment and question her whereabouts.“This one’s an oyster, right?” Nathan asks her when he picks up another shell.“That’s a snail!” Halsey laughs at him. “You won’t find oysters here. They’re far out in the sea! They rarely appear on the beaches.”“But they do appear at t
Charlotte is looking worried. The monthly bills are lying in front of her and she’s calculating them which is stressing her out. Halsey enters the kitchen to find her in that state.“Charlotte, what’s going on?” She asks as she pours herself some cereal. “Nothing honey,” Charlotte lies and quickly hides the bills but Halsey catches a glimpse of her record book.“The business faced a loss?” Halsey asks in shock. “How?”“The music festival wasn’t that great apparently,” Charlotte sighs. “The bills are through the roof! It’s gonna take a while to recover these costs.”Halsey bites her lip. “You don’t have to worry!” Charlotte tells her. “I’ll take care of it. Don’t let this get to you, okay?”“Okay…”Halsey feels sorry for her godmother. Charlotte is working so hard for them and Halsey feels as if she’s adding to her worries. That morning, she had decided to tell Charlotte about her stalker but seeing how stressed her godmother is, Halsey backs off. She can’t add more to the woman’s tro
*Eight months later in New York*Halsey is crying hard while Nathan looks guilty while Jo is quiet. “How could you do this to me?” Halsey wails. “This…this is…this is such a betrayal!”“Hales, I didn’t mean it!” Nathan exclaims. “It was an accident!”“Dad, this really isn’t right,” Jo adds, shaking her head. “I’m disappointed in you! How could you do this to mom?”Nathan gapes at his daughter. “It was an accident!” He claims. “I swear it was! I didn’t do it on purpose, babe! I-I was seduced!”“SEDUCED?” Halsey shouts at him. “SEDUCED?”She’s now angry and she throws a pillow at him. “SEDUCED? HERE I AM CARRYING A LITTER AND YOU…YOU…”Stopping in between her tirade, she takes several deep breaths. Nathan is ashamed and sad by what he did.“YOU…YOU ATE THE LAST PIECE OF CHOCOLATE?” Halsey shrieks and throws another pillow at him. “YOU KNOW I NEED CHOCOLATES IN THIS STATE!”Nathan is truly ashamed but the chocolate was too delicious to ignore. He thought no one would find out but Jo cau
Lincoln was being carried away by Damien’s men. He’s completely catatonic, his mind in severe shock. They took him to the psychiatric hospital where the doctors checked up on him. For many days, they’ve tried to figure out what’s wrong with him but to no avail.His encephalitis has reached the advanced stage in a short period of time. The doctors have no hope now.“He’s in a sort of a self-induced coma,” the psychiatrist tells Halsey one day. “He can’t comprehend anything. His eyes are open but his mind is shut. It’s as if he had a severe shock which he couldn’t overcome.”“Can he stand trial?” Halsey asks. “There must be something you can do to make him sane again. We can’t just let him off the hook like this!”“We’re trying but in a way, his punishment is this,” the doctor concludes. “He won’t be able to stand trial but he’ll not recover from this.”Halsey glances inside the ward where Lincoln had been kept. He’s staring at the wall, unmoving for hours. His once luscious hair has fa
*Present*“They must’ve found us!” Hastings exclaims. “How? You just said it’s a safe place?“I don’t know!” Lincoln yells. “They’ll kill us. Let’s just kill the kid and-”“ARE YOU INSANE?” Hastings screams. “She’s our only bet! If we take her, we can negotiate with them and leave this place alive!”As soon as he says that, several of Damien’s guards barge out of the elevator. Without any word, Hastings enters the room and grabs Jo before escaping through the fire escape. Lincoln runs off to hide.Downstairs, Nathan, Halsey, Damien and Daniel, are scavenging the floors. Hastings’ guards are being captured by their men, leaving their way clear. “Jo!” Halsey cries. “Jo, where are you?” “Jo?” Nathan shouts. The rooms are empty and they start to ascend the stairs. Daniel breaks off from the group, heading east to find Jo. In the chaos, no one notices him leaving.Halsey is beside herself with fear. Nathan keeps a firm grip on her while Damien instructs his men to spread out. “We’ll loo
Jo is glaring at Lincoln. She’s not crying nor looking scared but rather apprehensive of the man. The guards who were supposed to watch over her that day, had knocked out Jason and kidnapped her while she was on the way to school. They lied to Nathan that she was safe so that he wouldn’t come after them.Now, hours later, she’s tied up in an empty building. They’re on the fifth floor where Lincoln and Hastings are hiding. Lincoln is glaring at the little girl and he wants to push her off the window but she’s his only leverage to get Halsey.“In a few hours, your mother will come to me and we’ll leave this place,” he grins. “And you’ll be dead.”He steps forward, a manic glee in his eyes. “Once Halsey is here, I’ll kill you and take her with me.”“My dad will beat you!” Jo sneers. “Remember what he did to the other guy when he kidnapped me? I’m not scared of you!”WHACK!Lincoln slaps the insolent child. Jo feels immense pain on her cheek and even though her eyes are stinging with tear
Halsey is feeling a little squirmish. Things have been hectic for the past few days and it has taken a toll on her health. Just that morning, she threw up everything she ate. Nathan was alarmed by her condition and insisted that she went to the hospital for a checkup. He’s sitting with her, holding her palm. They’re outside the doctor’s office. Halsey was asked to undergo some tests and now, the doctor is reading the results.“Nate, I’m fine,” she assures him. “There’s nothing to worry about. Go to work.”“No, I won’t stop worrying until I see the reports!” Nathan insists. “I want to stay here.”Halsey smiles and shakes her head. He’s so persistent in every little thing related to her health. Nathan can’t help it. He lost her once and he can’t lose her again. The moment she started to show signs of being ill, he was overcome with paranoia. He’s thinking about the worst case scenarios and his heart is filled with fear. “Is Jo at school?” Halsey asks.“The guard texted me that she’s s
Over the next few days, Daniel is kept under close observation. Hastings and Lincoln are still missing, something which is looming over everyone’s heads. Nathan is trying to find them but to no avail. He and Halsey are trying to maintain normalcy at home so that Jo doesn’t suspect anything.One night, Nathan arrives home late to find Halsey is still awake. She’s curled up on the couch, reading. When she hears the door open, she looks up and smiles.“Any luck finding them?” she asks when he plops on the seat next to her. “None,” Nathan admits. “I can’t find them. It’s like they’ve vanished.”Halsey is now troubled. Where could they be? Nathan puts his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll find them,” he assures her. “They can’t hide for long.”“I hope so,” she murmurs and hugs him.Meanwhile, miles away from Bayers’ Coast, Lincoln is feeling frustrated. He’s angry and annoyed at being locked up in the house all day. Hastings told him that they’ll be implementing their plan soon but he’s lo
CRASH!The vase breaks into thousands of tiny pieces. Standing above the broken ceramic is Lincoln, with wild red eyes. He’s in a murderous rage and he breaks everything in his vicinity. Hastings is on a couch, bored of the man-child’s drama but Lincoln is on a warpath.“I’LL KILL THEM ALL!” Lincoln shouts. “THEY’VE BETRAYED ME-”“You were stupid enough to trust a stranger,” Hastings yawns. “You should’ve come to me instead. Just like your dad did. Your stupidity cost us the hospital. If you had your shares, we’d have been unbeatable today.”Lincoln shoots him a glare but Hastings doesn’t care. They’re at Lincoln’s farmhouse, a property he had purchased a few months back in secret. Lincoln can’t fathom his loss. Jamie and Damien double crossed him but he’s more shocked by Salvez.“My father is a fool! He only wants his business to be safe but I don’t care about all that!” Lincoln yells. “I just want Halsey!”“And I want revenge against Nathan Michell,” Hastings says. “The best way to
Daniel and Lincoln stand up, shocked. They gape at Nathan who’s grinning. “What’s the meaning of this?” Daniel snarls at Salvez. “Why are you withdrawing your support? And isn’t he the head of the Michell family? He’s your enemy!”“My father is merely supporting me,” Damien calmly says. Daniel rounds on him.“Did you forget that I saved you all those years ago? I gave you a new heart!”“By killing the woman I love,” Damien quietly says. This makes Daniel even more furious. Lincoln is glaring at Jamie but she’s smug. Nathan takes charge.“Fifty five percent of the shares have been transferred to me,” he tells his father. “You’re not the chairperson of this hospital anymore. I am. It’s over for you, dad.”Daniel glares at Nathan while Lincoln is silent. He’s too shocked, too numb to say anything. Once again, he has lost. This can’t be happening, he tells himself. It’s all a bad dream!But it’s not. It’s real and it’s happening. Nathan has taken over the hospital and effectively, Linco
Nathan is sitting on the couch, thinking hard. It’s past three o’clock in the morning and he’s not sleepy. On the contrary, he’s feeling agitated about what’s going to happen in a few hours. Even if everything seems to go according to his plan, he’s still nervous. What if something goes wrong? Even one misstep can ruin years of hard work.Halsey stirs in her sleep and rolls over to the side to hug Nathan only to find the spot to be empty. She slowly opens her eyes to find him on the couch, drinking alone. He looks worried and this in turn, worries her.“What’s wrong?” she asks as she approaches him. “Why are you awake at this hour?”“Can’t sleep,” Nathan mutters as he takes a sip from his drink. Halsey sighs and sits next to him. She pours a glass of whiskey for herself. Nathan is slightly surprised.“When did you start drinking whiskey?” He asks.“I don’t drink it,” she admits. “I just wanna give you company right now, that’s all. Why? You don’t like it when I drink?”“It’s up to yo