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
SCARLETT “Where have you guys been?” Ollie asks Lexi and me as we enter the café. Lexi replies, saying we are coming from the nurse. She asks what’s wrong and Lexi says it’s more like what’s right, giving me a knowing smile and confusing the hell out of Ollie as we settle down. “I wanted to get on the pill." I put her out of her misery and she responds with an “Aha!” before a smirk creases her facial features. “So, I take it last night or this morning rather was wild,” she says, causing me to slap her on the arm, looking away in embarrassment, and as if that’s not enough, Lexi jumps in, saying there’s a limp in my step, horrifying me. “No, there’s not!” I exclaim, finally looking at them and Lexi says there is, but I mustn’t worry; it’s not noticeable. It’s true, my coochie is tender. I was still sore after the first time. But I don’t want people looking at me that way, especially after that display Reed made this morning. I’m still getting googly eyes from people I think may have
SCARLETT I wake up to the melodic sounds of birds and waves crashing against the shore and I raise my head, taking in the therapeutic, tangy smell of the ocean breeze. I’m alone in bed and the sea breeze blowing in from the sliding door that stands open is making the room a little chilly. All the events of last night come flooding back, causing me to smile and I reach for Reed's pillow and hug it against my chest, sighing in contentment as his cologne floods my nostrils. He must have gone for a jog. Reed and I Star gazed after the dinner, and I wished the night would never end knowing he was leaving this morning. I’m still hugging the pillow, my eyes closed, when I hear the room’s door open.I raise my head to see Reed enter, carrying a tray with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. I sit up, returning his heart-melting smile as I lean against the headboard and he greets me good morning, saying he brought breakfast. His flight is in three hours, so I guess we have time f
SCARLETT “Are you okay?” I ask Mom as she enters with a frown and she quickly fixes her face, saying she is before adding that the person she went to meet with didn’t show up.“How rude. Who was it?” I ask, but she says no one really important to be wasting more of her time on. She throws her purse on the sofa, asking me what I feel like, and I place my phone down, getting to my feet as I reply, “How about my favorite lamb dish?"She knows what it is, and she smiles, asking if I’m going to help. Of course, I am. I don’t really know much about cooking since I kind of grew up in the Sterling House and no one but the chefs cook there, but whenever I spend time with my mom, I help with what I can.So, while she takes out the lamb shoulder and starts peeling the potatoes, I grab a small bowl and start mixing the minced garlic and all the other ingredients I need to form the paste.This is the only recipe I almost know off the top of my head because it’s my favorite comfort food. Mom went
NARRATOR “What’s wrong?” Karina, Scarlett’s mother asks, placing down the dessert dish. She had purchased Scarlett's dessert and was ready to plate it as she waited for her to come back from her conversation with Colette. She takes long strides toward Scarlett, who stumbles inside, tears welling up in her eyes and the only thing she manages to mutter is Mrs. Sterling as she crumbles in her mother’s arms. “What did she say? What happened?” Karina exclaims, her concern gripping her facial features as she holds a sobbing Scarlett. She’s confused. Just now Scarlett was chatting and laughing, and now she comes back looking like death. Karina’s heart speeds up, her mind racing back to the Reed incident, but she doesn’t understand; Colette didn’t sound upset when she spoke to Scarlett on the phone and even when they spoke, it sounded as though she had put the whole thing behind as long as Scarlett did what she asked. Questions flood her mind and she continues asking Scarlett what happen
SCARLETT “Good morning,” Mom says, walking over to me on the bed and I realize it’s morning. I don’t even know when I fell asleep and I’m still so exhausted emotionally. I reply, sitting up, and she says she’s making breakfast and is taking the day off to stay with me, but that won’t work. Lark’s coming to pick me up and I haven’t even figured out where I’m going to say I’m going to her yet. I tell her there’s no need to take a day off, adding that I promised Ollie to go with her to visit her grandmother and we are leaving after the one class that I have today. She frowns, asking if I’m sure I’m up to it, adding that I look exhausted and I nod, telling her the drive will probably do me some good and that I need to get out of the house. She says she was thinking we could get our hair done, but I promise we can do it when I come back. “Ollie was thinking of spending the weekend over there, so I might take a few clothes just in case,” I add because I can’t just go to London with one
SCARLETT “Hey, Reed says with the brightest smile as he holds the door open for me and I throw myself in his arms, whispering "hi" back. When we pull back from the lingering hug that has gotten me emotional, knowing what I came here to do, he connects our lips in a long kiss that has my tears threatening to fall. Larken came to get me as Reed said, and as I settled inside the plane I felt like I had it, like I could do this, and I spent those last many hours ensuring myself that I could. But now, seeing him and looking into his eyes, it’s hard, and I have to remind myself that I have to let him go, no matter how hard it is. He thanks Larken, taking my bag from him. It’s not a big bag since I brought a few things—just things to change too—and I told him I had it, but he insisted on helping me carry it. He doesn’t stay and bids us a good evening since it’s late, and I thank him, too, as Reed closes the door behind him before suddenly pooling me into a hug.“Thank you for coming. I mi
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