SCARLETT I wrap my arms around myself, realizing it’s cold as I step out of the house, heading to the servants’ quarters where my mother lives.The first thing I will do when I get a job is retire my mother and buy her a nice big house. I stop in front of her door and knock, and she invites me inside, telling me the door is open.She is eating dinner as I walk in, and her face lights up when she sees me. I walk over to her, and we share a hug that we linger in because I don’t let go. “Are you okay?” she asks when we finally break apart and I settle next to her, nodding even though I’m not.I believe Reed; I believe that his mother is acting the way she is about Camille because she doesn’t know about us, but I can’t help but be scared. At the same time, I can’t talk to my mother about it because she already made it clear how she felt.Read went to speak with his mother and I think knowing that she doesn’t have a problem with us will make it easier to talk to my mother about it after t
SCARLETT I return to my room after a long dinner with my mother, half expecting Reed to be there, even though a part of me fears the outcome of his conversation with his mother. However, as I enter, the room is filled with silence. He’s not here.The unease claws at me, and a small voice in my head begins to whisper new doubts. He couldn’t still be talking to his mom. I kept checking my phone the entire time while sitting with Mom, expecting a text to say he was back or something, but there was nothing.I sigh, telling myself that perhaps he came looking for me, but I was not there and decided to return later. We never sleep without saying goodnight to each other, so he will come.Putting aside the lingering tension, I decide to get ready for bed. I change into my comfortable sleepwear and climb into bed. Grabbing the TV remote, I browse the channels to pass the time, but my thoughts keep returning to Mrs. Sterling's words.Since leaving the dining hall and speaking with Reed, I have
SCARLETT The soft morning light spills into the room as I slowly open my eyes and, to my surprise, I find Reed beside me, his arms wrapped snugly around me.A surge of warmth floods through me as I realize he did come to my room, after all. A tender smile curves my lips as I take in his features—his face so relaxed in sleep, revealing a softer side of my man—one reserved for moments like these.Gosh, I can’t believe I just said that—my man. The thought floods me with an indescribable sense of warmth and I resist the urge to wake him, content for a few more stolen seconds to admire the contours of his face. But just then, my jealous alarm punctuates the morning with a sharp beep, and he stirs.His drowsy eyes meet mine, and a husky “Good morning” escapes his lips. I return the greeting, our voices still rough with sleep, and I ask how he slept, just wanting to hear his voice again.He assures me it was restful, sealing the reply with a gentle kiss that lingers on my lips before redire
REED After seeing my girl off, I head to my bedroom, missing her already, and I grab my laptop, contemplating booking a return flight to London.But just as I open it, a knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. My mother stands halfway in, seeking permission to enter, and I grant it. She steps inside, asking if I’m busy.“What are you doing?” she continues, her gaze assessing my laptop, and I put it aside, saying, “Nothing, just checking some stuff.”She takes a seat next to me on the bed, asking if I’ve had breakfast and I tell her I have. We sit in silence for a moment, the air heavy with unspoken tension, and I feel like this is the lull before the inevitable discussion.But my mother broaches a safer subject, asking if my father mentioned Uncle Pierre’s passing. I confirm, acknowledging the sadness of his passing, and we exchange a few more words about Uncle Pierre as I tell her I’m sorry. She and Uncle Pierre were close.She thanks me for my condolences and says that she and my
SCARLETT The night air is charged with excitement as we step onto Istiklal Avenue. It’s just before 11 p.m., and we are having a blast. Before coming here, Emre took us to the 360 Bar, whose views of the city are still vivid in our minds. We are now ready to explore Istanbul's nightlife, still guided by Emre. Lexi was right to convince us to ditch the list; this is what we are meant to be doing out here. As we walk down Istiklal Avenue, Emre points out important landmarks and tells stories that add a personal touch to our journey. He has been an excellent tour guide; he even declined payment for this night. He said this one is on him, and sparks are flying between him and Lexi.The aroma of street food wafts through the air, enticing us to try the local flavors, and our senses are awakened as we pass by various storefronts, their displays tempting us with Turkish delights and vibrant souvenirs.Emre recommends trying a traditional Turkish dessert from one of the renowned patisseries
SCARLETT I wake up to the sound of hushed giggles and find Ollie and Lexi in my bedroom, staring at the painting I bought for Reed. Groggily, I greet them. “Good morning. What are you two doing?”“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. We thought you’d never wake up,” Ollie teases, a mischievous glint in her eyes and I chuckle, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “Well, when did you two wake up?”“We’ve been up for a while. We decided to let you catch up on your beauty sleep.” Lexi responds, and I am amazed that they were able to get up so early after our late night.Just then, my stomach growls loudly, and she chimes in, “I’m hungry, too. I was thinking about ordering breakfast. But Ollie interjects, “Nah, let’s go down to the restaurant. I want to check out the place in daylight.”I join in, teasing Lexi. “Unlike someone who has already seen all she needs to see.” She can’t even deny it and she blushes, attempting to hide her embarrassment by hitting Ollie’s arm. "Oh, stop it," she mumbles as
REED My phone vibrates, and I pull it from my pocket to find a missed call from Scarlett. Panic rushes through me as I dial her number, my leg trembling with anxiety, and the car's speed feels painfully inadequate. The phone rings, then goes dead. What the hell? I try again, but it goes to voicemail, and I lose it. "Go faster!" My frustration boils over as I look at the driver, practically ordering him to ignore red lights and drive through traffic like a man possessed."What is wrong, man?" one of my friends in the car asks, his face filled with concern, and I tell him I can not reach Scarlett after seeing a missed call. "We are almost there. Maybe her battery died, or she is in an area with no signal. Don’t jump to conclusions.” Larken says, but I can not get over the sinking feeling in my gut. My dread grew stronger after I spoke with her an hour ago. I could hear she was very drunk, and I started imagining the worst scenarios playing out all over again.After finding out that S
REED “Abandoned? What-” I begin to speak in one breath, but the officer interrupts, and his next words catch my breath in my throat. He claims that three young women who fit the description I provided were discovered unconscious inside the car and rushed to the hospital.He tells me the name of the hospital and says he will meet me there, so I turn and rush to the exit. I thank him for everything and tell my friends what he just told me, then we all sprint out of the hotel and slide into the car. There is no need to communicate my urgency to the driver. I simply tell him where to take us, and he knows what to do. The ride is not long and soon we stop in front of the hospital building.We jump out of the car and are met with a rush of sterile air as we enter the hospital. Getting to the receptionist, I quickly state who I’m here for and just as the receptionist nods, a voice speaks behind me. I turn around to see a man, and I immediately recognize his voice as the one I just spoke w
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