SCARLETT "Ooh! Finally, the birthday girl arrives. Good morning, and welcome back. I was so lonely here without you,” Mrs. Sterling says as I enter the dining area and we share a hug while she asks me how it went with this biggest smile that takes my anxiety from one to a thousand in a second, knowing what I have to tell her.I settle down as Lena dishes up for me, muttering, Thank you. For some reason, the first thing that comes out of my mouth as I look back at Mrs. Sterling is that it went well. Instead of I made a stupid mistake that almost got us abducted. Just then, my mother walks in with a huge smile.I get up, and we hug. Mom is the house manager, so she has privileges that some of the other workers don’t have like being allowed to have breakfast with us if she wants, but she mostly prefers to eat with the girls or at her quarters.She sits with us this time, though, and asks how everything went. It does nothing for my anxiety. I tell her the same thing I told Mrs. Sterling
SCARLETT The midday sun casts a warm glow across campus as I step out of my class, craving the fresh air after an intense lecture. My friends and I have a routine—a quick stop at our favorite cafe down the street—and that is where I am heading.Lexi and Ollie don’t go to the same university I go to, but our universities are on the same street. So we can still hang out during breaks and between classes, etc.The reason they don’t come here is because it’s super expensive and their parents can’t afford it. It also does not offer scholarships. Ollie's mother is a teacher, and her father owns a construction company, but it is still in its early stages, and he is still paying off bank loans, so they can not afford this place yet.Lexi’s mom is a single mom like mine and she’s also a teacher like Ollie’s mom. They are friends, and I guess that’s how Lexi and Ollie became friends, too. Lexi's mother also provides extra classes on weekends for some of the wealthy children. They are all doing
SCARLETT Mrs. Sterling's eyes are filled with disbelief as she reads the email on her iPad, and my attempts to explain Emre's involvement and the events of the night only serve to heighten her shock. “Why didn’t you tell me this? Who is the person they are referring to, and what the hell happened?" Her tone rises, and I can tell it is not anger, but rather worry, shock, and fear of what nearly happened, but a lump forms in my throat as I anticipate the impending storm that will accompany my explanation. "Emre is the guy who went to pick us up at the airport." Tears threaten to fall from my eyes as I explain who Emre is before going on to explain how we ended up at the club with him and his cousins, and Mrs. Sterling's reaction is explosive. She questions how we could act so recklessly, explaining that the agents were there for a reason before asking why I did not call her and inform her of our decision. As she asks if I have ever seen her ditch the agent when we go together, I sha
SCARLETT “You know that’s not what I’m saying. Please listen to me. Get your head out of the clouds before you get hurt."“You are the one who's hurting me. Your words and this fear you are installing in me is hurting me. Reed's father knows about us, and he is fine with me dating Reed. Mrs. Sterling is also aware, and if she had any concerns, she would have expressed them. I don’t know why you see them the way you do, but they are not like that. Please, I don’t want to fight with you about this. Reed and I love each other, and I want you to be happy for us,” I add while she sits there shocked that the Sterlings know. “Please just trust me,” I add, and I see her blink rapidly before she nods. “Okay, but Scarlett, for your sake, I hope you are right,” she says, and I pull her into a hug. “Thank you.”When we pull back from the hug, she says she has to go do some work, but she’s going to see if she can get off a little earlier and then maybe we can spend some time together, but I let
SCARLETT My eyes open, and a low groan escapes my lips as I search for my phone. It’s a struggle to lift my heavy eyelids, and when I finally manage, I’m greeted by the sight of swollen, red eyes in the dim light. Sitting up, I realize my nose is congested, a clear aftermath of the relentless crying that seemed to have no end. The painkillers I took must have knocked me out, providing a temporary escape from the overwhelming emotions.Mrs. Sterling left me in emotional disarray. My mother's words echoed in my mind with painful clarity, warnings I chose to ignore. She predicted this outcome, knowing Reed's parents would never accept someone like me into their family. Now, the harsh reality forces me to confront the heartbreak I am obligated to inflict. Breaking up with Reed feels like shattering my soul.Tears threaten to resurface, but I steel myself against the overwhelming emotions. I cannot afford to let them consume me again, especially now. The internal struggle intensifies as
NARRATOR POV“What are you doing here?” Lane, Reed's father, asks, as he and Colette, Reed's mother, sit up on the bed as Reed bursts into their bedroom, asking his mother what she has done. Reed, however, ignores his father and comes to a halt in front of his mother, who rises from the bed. “What the hell did you say to her?! Did you say all those cruel things to her?” Reed bellows, shaking, and Colette claims she did what Reed failed to do, as Lane floods the room with light. "You have no right to control my life!" He says he’s an adult and can do whatever he wants, but Colette cuts him off, telling him he needs to act like an adult."This is only a phase, Reed! You both don’t know what you are doing,” Colette says, but Reed screams back, telling her to stop saying that. He says he’s well capable of deciding on his own life, and she damn well knows that, but she’s always trying to control everyone. The tension in the room is suffocating as Lane attempts to intervene, raising his
SCARLETT My eyes open to the sound of knocking. The room is still a little dark, but I can tell it’s morning, especially since I was up well past 2 a.m. The knocking gets louder, and I frown, checking the time to see that it’s 4:50 a.m. Could it be my mother? Maybe Lexi’s mother told her I came here? I ended up leaving Lexi’s place around 10 p.m. last night. I realized I wanted to be alone, so I came here to my mother’s house. Even though my mother stays at the Sterling residence, she has her own house in the same neighborhood as Lexi’s place. It’s nothing fancy like the Sterling House. It’s just a small-town house, not my mother’s dream house. Because nobody lives in it, Mom leases it out every three years and makes nice money from it. The house came with a back cottage and mom decided not to rent it out along with the house in case something was to happen and she would find herself needing to come back to her place. She could stay there until the lease ends. It’s small and an o
SCARLETT“Is that everything?” Reed’s question pulls me back from the task at hand, and I grin at him, nodding as I retrieve the clothes from the bag. But the grin soon gives way to giggles as he swiftly hoists me over his shoulder and carries me toward the shower, reminding me we will be late and won’t have time for breakfast. He places me gently on the bathroom floor and, with well-honed ease, assists me in taking off my clothes while removing his own. As we step into the shower, the water greets us, immediately soaking our bodies, and I feel a shiver run down my spine, to which he responds by adjusting the temperature, asking, “How’s that?”“It’s better,” I reply, the grin returning to my face, the warmth of the water dispelling the chill. His showers are always so cold, and I can’t stand cold showers. After grabbing the shampoo, he stands behind me, and I can’t help but close my eyes in anticipation of his touch. As he massages the shampoo into my hair, I lose myself in the sens
SEVEN MONTHS LATER SCARLETT “Are you ready?” Reed asks as he enters the room, and I tell him I am. We are about to go to his parents' house for lunch with his family. However, I would be lying if I said I was not tired. Reed's parents ended up giving their marriage a second chance, and they renewed their wedding vows two days ago. My body is still recovering from the after-party. Colette wanted to wait until baby Emme was born, which was three months ago. The ceremony was beautiful, and I’m thrilled for them; they deserve all the happiness in the world, especially with everything they have both overcome. Reed and I are celebrating another special occasion today. Elena and her goons were sentenced this morning, thanks to Reed's assistance in pursuing her. Elena was sentenced to ten years in prison for manslaughter, while her accomplices received fifteen years. I think they deserve more, especially Elena, but I am glad they did not get away. Jolene is also overjoyed with the c
SCARLETT"We have arrived, Mom," I say, unable to hide my excitement, and I can tell Mom is relieved. We blindfolded her, and I know she was eager to get to the destination. The car comes to a halt, and Reed steps out to assist Mom. He and I hold her hands as we guide her to the spot where she will have a clear view of the house. We stop, and Reed asks her if she’s ready."I am," she replies, her voice steady but curious. Reed removes the blindfold, and I let out a small scream of excitement next to her."Welcome to your new home," he says, and Mom looks at him in confusion before turning to me."What is this?" she asks, and I cannot contain my excitement as I tell her it is her new home. "Reed bought it for you," I add, and she stands rigid at my words, her eyes widening. She looks back at Reed, her voice a whisper. "What is Scarlett talking about?"Reed repeats, "The house is a gift, from both of us." Mom takes another look at the house before shaking her head."I cannot accept this
SCARLETTWe all look at Milo as he ends the phone call with his father. Reed asks what he said, and Milo’s next words surprise us. His father left. He says he had to go somewhere, and we should continue with dinner. We had already done so, but we were simply sitting around the table, waiting for him to return. Now it’s clear he won’t be returning, so we get up. It is late, and Reed and I need to get home, so we say goodnight to Milo and Lj. Reed then takes out his phone to check on his mother; she should have arrived by now. She answers quickly, and Reed looks at me and says she is upstairs. He helps me up, and we leave, thanking the staff member who enters to clear everything as we go.Reed knocks, and his mother opens the door, already in her robe but my eyes widen, taking in her expression. She looks like she has been crying, even though she tries to put on a smile for us.We hug, and Reed asks when she got home. It’s around the time Luke came to get Mr. Sterling. We see clothes o
SCARLETT“I’m sorry,” Reed says, holding me, and I sob in his arms after reading the letter Lexi wrote to me. In the letter, she expressed her regrets. She said she never meant to hurt me or Reed. Even though she said she never meant to hurt Reed or me, she admitted that she had unintentionally hurt us and that in the end, it did not matter what her intentions were. I struggled to finish it and broke down in tears. It still feels surreal, the wound is still raw, and I am not sure how I will face her mother without crumbling. Reed wipes my tears as we pull away from the hug, and I tell him I am ready to go now, and that I called Ollie to let her know we were on our way. She is going with us. We head out and Reed opens the car door for me, and I slide inside and take a deep breath, knowing I have to be strong for Lexi’s family. I cannot be the one falling apart. I spoke to Mom before we left Reed's house, and she told me that Lexi's mom couldn't speak to them the last time they went
SCARLETT“It’s not your fault, Scarlett. Mom holds me in her arms as I cry, saying, "You did not know this was going to happen," but we both know it would not have happened if I had not been upset with Lexi. I can’t believe she’s gone, and my heart is bleeding. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself. Reed tried to stop me, but I didn’t listen and looked up the story online and read about how Lexi was bullied to the point of having an accident.She did not have an Ace like I did to tell everyone to leave her alone, and she might have had if I had not turned my back on her. I was frustrated and hurt by her actions, but I did not want her to die, and no one deserves to go through what she did. Furthermore, it no longer matters how angry I was with her or what she did. All of this pales in comparison to her life, and despite Reed and Mom's constant reminders about the baby and the negative effects of stress on my health, I find myself powerless to stop it.I do not want any
NARRATOR Reed finishes the call with Larken, and just then, Milo appears and tells him that their grandfather is ready to leave, but Reed has one more thing to do, so he tells Milo he will catch them in the car and sprints back inside. He takes the stairs two at a time, racing to let Scarlett know he will be back soon, but just as he reaches the top, he hears a frantic and urgent voice—Scarlett's mother's."Scarlett! Scarlett!"Hearing the same voice, his parents burst out of their room. They all rush towards the sound, their hearts racing and dread curling in their stomachs as they realize it is coming from Scarlett's old bedroom.Reed's chest tightens as he approaches the doorway, his parents trailing him as he enters. The scene is chaotic. Scarlett lies on the floor, convulsing violently, her mother kneeling beside her, tears streaming down her cheeks.The room tilts as Reed stares in horror, his mother gasping, her hand flying to her mouth. He sprints toward Scarlett, but his mo
SCARLETTI walk out of the room, stretching, and bump into Mrs. Sterling in the hallway, coming from the guest room. She smiles and asks how I slept, and I tell her that I slept well even though I did not get much sleep. We went to bed in the early hours of the morning, and Reed and his brothers were quite drunk by then. I smile when I think about them. I am happy for them, and it is still surreal that Mr. Sterling is back. Mrs. Sterling says she’s heading to the kitchen to make breakfast, and it’s the first time I hear her mention cooking. I smile at her, and she blushes, trying not to show that she's blushing, as she invites me to join her, which I do, wondering if Reed is still sleeping. He and his brothers went to sleep with their father, which is why Mrs. Sterling is coming out of the guest room. As if she can read my mind, she confirms that she just checked on them, and they are all still sleeping, so I happily join her downstairs. When we enter the kitchen, we find my mom i
SCARLETT“Hey, how did it go?” I softly ask Reed as he enters the room after checking on his father, and he collapses onto the bed, looking completely defeated. I wrap my arms around him, asking again how it went, and he pulls back and looks me in the face with a sad expression that makes my heart lurch. "He lost his memories," he says, prompting me to inquire about his meaning. Mr. Sterling didn't appear to be a person who had no memories, and Reed clarifies that his father doesn't recall the past twenty years of his life. “He doesn’t remember me or my mother,” Reed adds, and my heart clenches. “I’m sorry, Reed,” I say, and we share a hug. He takes a deep breath in the embrace before saying, “He doesn’t deserve this. His life has been hard enough, putting up with a wife who hated him, and now this. It’s like he can’t catch a break, Scarlett,” he continues, and I pull back from the hug, cupping his face. “I’m so sorry,” I say again before adding that maybe it’s because of the traum
SCARLETT Mr. Sterling narrates a chilling story, his voice laced with emotion as he describes waking up in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by people who intended to harvest his organs. His voice falters at times, and he turns to William for assistance with the details he cannot recall. William steps in, filling the gaps, his own voice heavy with the weight of the ordeal. But as Mr. Sterling speaks, it becomes clear he’s not well. He is pale, his hands tremble slightly, and his words occasionally sound strained. He admits he doesn’t know how he survived the shooting or where the organ harvesters found him. All he knows is that he woke up with William, who risked everything to help him escape. The specifics blur together, but it’s clear how traumatic the experience was. However, those details don’t matter much right now. What matters is that he's here. He's alive. His gaze lingers on Reed, and he smiles emotionally every time their eyes meet. Reed, overwhelmed, can only smile back t