My head was throbbing, and as I tried to open my eyes, I could feel the pulsating pain behind my temples, making it difficult to focus on anything else. The bright light filtering through my closed eyelids only intensified the pounding sensation.“You are awake,” a soothing voice said, causing me to slowly open my eyes and squint against the brightness. My vision slowly adjusted as I took in my surroundings, realizing I was in a hospital room.A stranger was standing next to my bed, holding a syringe filled with medication. “You must be feeling pain,” the stranger said, gently injecting the medication into my IV. “Your head hurt, but more than that, you were very malnourished. You should take care of yourself better, especially when you are carrying a new life.”I nodded, not being about to grasp the full extent of what they were saying, but wait, did he just say carrying a new life?“What do you mean by carrying a new life?” I asked, my heart racing with confusion and fear.“That mea
“Marry me.” I pulled away in shock, unsure of how to respond to his unexpected proposal. Marry him; is he out of his mind? Is this some kind of sick joke? My mind raced with questions as I tried to make sense of his sudden request.“Yes, I want you to marry me.” Hollis repeated it as if reading my mind filled with questions. My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to find the right words to respond to his surprising proposal. “You must want to know why I’m asking you to marry me,” he continued, his eyes searching mine for a reaction.I nodded my head, not finding the words to express my shock and confusion.“Don’t think otherwise; this marriage will be for my convenience,” he added with a smirk, causing my confusion to deepen even further. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions as I tried to process what was happening. “You will be my wife, but only for the world show,” he stated, his tone becoming more serious.“But why?” I finally found my voice, my head throbbing from the sudden
A week had passed since then, and Hollis kept his distance from me; the conversation of marriage never came up again. But I can’t shake the feeling that something is brewing beneath the surface, and I can only hope it’s not a storm waiting to break. Life coexisted, and I was happy with my life. My room was situated next to Max’s room, flanked by Hollis and Summer on either side. I couldn’t quite shake a lingering sense of unease, despite the days being filled with laughter and love. It felt like the calm before the storm, and I couldn’t help but wonder when it would finally break. But, as a whole, I didn’t dare step out of the house, afraid of what might be waiting for me beyond its walls. The thought of Ben finding my whereabouts made my skin claw with fear. Despite my contentment within the safety of Hollis House, the thought of being discovered by Ben sent shivers down my spine. I knew I couldn’t stay hidden forever, but for now, I was grateful for the refuge Hollis provided. It
“GO….. Get yourself ready now,” I ordered as I watched Hailey flinch, holding on to Max tight. She nodded, her eyes burning as if, at any moment now, the tears would start flowing down her cheeks. “We need to leave before it’s too late,” I added, urgency in my voice as I motioned for Hailey to hurry up. But before Hailey could move, Max started crying uncontrollably, his small body shaking with fear. “Max, shhhh… don’t cry,” Hailey soothed, trying to calm him down as she wiped away his tears. As I stared at Hailey soothing Max, I felt a pang of guilt for shouting at her, but I didn’t. Whenever she was close to me, my body started to act on its own, my heart started pounding in my chest, and her tears, her gentle touch on Max’s back—all of it made me feel something that I didn’t want to accept. Hailey’s presence always seemed to have that effect on me, even when I tried to resist it. It was as if she had a way of breaking down my walls without even trying. “Give him to me and go ge
“How do I look?” I stood in front of the mirror, staring at reflections that didn’t seem to be mine. As I stood in front of the mirror, I saw that my eyes were shining brightly, with my eyelids painted in a shimmering shadow. My lips were painted a deep shade of red, giving me a bold and confident look that I had never seen before. A natural rosy hue flushes my cheeks, adding a touch of innocence to my overall look.And the dress I’m wearing hugs my curves in all the right places, accentuating my figure in a way that makes me feel beautiful and empowered. The whole ensemble comes together to create a stunning and unforgettable image that I can’t help but admire.“You look absolutely stunning, ma’am,” the stylist said with a smile as she stepped back to admire her work. “You’re definitely going to turn heads tonight.”“Thank you so much,” I replied, feeling a surge of confidence and excitement for the evening ahead. With a final glance in the mirror, I stepped out of the bathroom and i
Hollis walked towards my side of the car and opened the door with a smile. “The moment you step inside the villa, don’t forget to act like a perfect girlfriend,” he said, snaking his arm around my waist. “Show them how happy we are together,” he whispered in my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. As we approached the entrance, “Remember your one mistake that will ruin everything,” he warned, tightening his grip on my waist. “And if you slip up, I’ll make sure you regret it,” he threatened, his eyes darkening with a hint of danger.I gulped nervously, realizing the seriousness of the situation as we entered the villa.“Smile.” Hollis smiled at me, but his eyes held a warning. I knew I had to play my part perfectly to avoid any consequences.I took a deep breath and tried to push down my rising panic. And she plastered a smile on my face, determined to make it through the evening unscathed.And as we entered the grand villa, the pressure of Hollis’s warning weighed heavi
“Let’s go….” Hollis pulled my arm and led me away from the crowd to a seductive balcony overlooking the big garden below. As we stood there, the moonlight casting shadows on his face, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that Sara’s words had planted in my mind.I stared at his face, which was shining with an eerie glow, as if he were hiding a lot of secrets. His gaze fixed on the garden below with a mixture of longing and intensity, leaving me curious about what lay hidden behind his cold facade. As he turned to me with a mysterious smile, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of mystery was hiding beneath his cold exterior. It was as if he held a world of secrets within him, waiting to be discovered. But why do I feel drawn to unraveling those secrets, despite the sense of danger that emanated from him? Why do I care about the darkness that lurks within him when I should be running in the opposite direction? Perhaps it is the thrill of the unknown, or maybe it is simply human curio
“The people inside are like hyenas; they’ll smell fear a mile away. Just keep your cool and follow my lead,” he whispered, giving me a reassuring smile before knocking on the door. “Or they’ll tear you apart,” he warned, his eyes narrowing with determination. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever was to come, as the door creaked open. Inside, a group of angry strangers glared at us. The room was a luxurious one, with velvet curtains and golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Sofas with elaborate designs lined the walls, and a grand piano sat in the corner, waiting to be played. Along with that, intricate paintings and luxurious tapestries adorn the walls, creating an atmosphere of opulence and grandeur. God, if I thought the living room where the party took place was impressive, then this room was downright extravagant. “Look who’s here...” A woman wearing a floor-length gown spoke, motioning towards us with a smile that seemed hidden beneath the layers of makeup
****Hollis****The words hit me like a freight train.“She was poisoned.”I stared at the doctor, my brain refusing to process what he was saying. Lauren wasn’t poisoned. She died in the crash. That was the truth I’d lived with for years—the weight I carried every single day.“This has to be a mistake,” I muttered, my voice barely sounding like my own.“I’m afraid it’s not,” the doctor replied, his tone flat. “The toxicology report shows traces of a rare, slow-acting poison in her system. It weakened her heart considerably. While the crash was still a factor, she wouldn’t have survived in her condition. The poisoning was deliberate.”Deliberate.The word was a knife to my chest, cutting through the carefully constructed walls I’d built to contain my guilt. All this time, I thought I’d killed her. My decisions, my choices—I believed they had led to her death. But now there was someone else to blame. Someone had done this to her.“Hollis?” Hailey’s voice broke through the haze, her hand
Hollis couldn’t breathe.The weight of his guilt pressed down on him, suffocating him with every breath he tried to take. His chest felt tight, as if the air had turned thick and heavy, and no matter how deeply he inhaled, it wasn’t enough. His hands trembled, clenching into fists at his sides, but the shaking wouldn’t stop. It was as if his body was betraying him, revealing the truth he couldn’t escape.The words he had spoken still lingered in the room, each syllable like a stone in his chest. "I killed her."He wanted to look away from the reflection of his misery in the window, but it was too much. His vision blurred, and his heart ached with a rawness that felt endless. He had spent so long trying to bury it—the guilt, the pain, the truth. He’d told himself that if he just kept moving and kept putting one foot in front of the other, it would eventually fade. But it didn’t. It never would.His voice cracked, hoarse from the strain of holding back tears. “I thought... I thought if
Hollis couldn’t breathe. He leaned against the doorframe, his chest tight, his breath shallow, like he was drowning in a sea of guilt that was rising faster than he could ever hope to escape.The weight of the words hung between them—"I killed her."His eyes burned as they blurred with tears that never seemed to fall. But the ache—the unbearable, unshakable ache deep in his chest—never went away. He had thought if he buried it enough, maybe he wouldn’t feel it. If he didn’t look too closely at the truth, maybe he could pretend that he wasn’t a monster. That he didn’t have blood on his hands.But that was all he ever felt now—the blood. The guilt that wrapped around him like a noose. And no matter how much he tried to push it away, no matter how hard he tried to keep his distance from everyone, especially his children, the truth was there. It was always there.His voice cracked as he forced himself to speak again, though every word was a struggle, like he was choking on his own guilt.
****Hailey****The air in the house was suffocating, pressing in from all sides like a heavy weight on my chest. I hadn’t expected to feel like this. I hadn’t expected anything, really. Hollis had walked out, leaving behind nothing but the echo of his words that hung in the air like a storm cloud. And I knew, in the pit of my stomach, that something had broken. But it wasn’t just my heart.It was everything.I sank into the couch, clutching a pillow to my chest, as if it could somehow shield me from the storm swirling inside me. Every breath felt shallow, every thought like it was coated in the sharp sting of the past few hours. What had just happened? What had I learned? Hollis’s grandfather—his presence had been like a blade, cutting through the walls I’d built around myself, leaving me exposed and raw. His words still echoed in my mind, cutting deeper with each passing second. And then that smile. That knowing, cold smile.It wasn’t just what he said. It was how he made me feel—lik
****Hailey****The air was thick with tension as I stood frozen in the doorway. The man on the porch didn’t belong in this world of warm lights and soft edges. His presence felt sharp, jagged, and entirely unwelcome.Hollis’s grandfather.He stood there, tall and unyielding, his sharp features chiseled with an air of authority that made my chest tighten. His piercing eyes swept over me with something too calculating to be mere curiosity.“Hailey,” he said, my name rolling off his tongue like a dark promise. “We need to talk."The words lodged in my throat as Hollis stepped in front of me, his broad shoulders blocking the older man from my view. The tension in his body was palpable, coiling like a spring about to snap.“You’re not welcome here,” Hollis growled, his voice a low rumble that sent a shiver down my spine.The older man chuckled, a sound that seemed to carry years of malice. “Is that any way to greet your family, boy?"“You’re not my family,” Hollis spat, his words cutting l
*****Hailey****The car hummed softly beneath us, the road slipping by in a blur of lights and shadows. My mind was still foggy from the meds, exhaustion dragging me under, but as we left the hospital behind, everything felt too sharp, too real. I was going home. But nothing about this home felt like it did before.Hollis sat beside me, his hand barely touching mine but enough to ground me. He hadn’t said much since we left the hospital. His silence was a weight that sat heavy between us, but I didn’t need him to speak. I knew he was thinking the same thing I was—about the life that had been torn apart, about the cracks we couldn’t fix. The questions that had no answers yet.The drive felt endless, the world outside blending together in a haze, like I was stuck in two worlds at once—one that nearly destroyed me and the one I was supposed to return to. I wasn’t the same person who’d left, and neither was he. Neither were his kids.When we finally pulled into the driveway, I could feel
****Hollis****The room was quiet—almost too quiet—except for the steady beep of the heart monitor beside the bed. It felt like the world outside had stopped, leaving just the two of us in this small, sterile space. Hailey was asleep, her chest rising and falling with each breath, but there was still a hint of tension in her face. I could see it, even in her sleep—the weight of everything that had happened, the unspoken pain that clung to her like a shadow. I couldn’t stop looking at her, though. Every time I thought about what she’d been through, it made something inside me tighten. This room had become both a sanctuary and a prison. In a way, I didn’t want it to end. But I knew it had to. She was about to be discharged. And that meant everything would be real again. Real in a way I wasn’t ready for. Lying with her in this small hospital bed, I wished I could freeze time and protect her from the world outside these walls. But I knew she was strong enough to face whatever came next
*****Hollis*****The hospital room was heavy, suffocating with silence that cut sharper than any scream. Hailey hadn’t spoken much since the day we lost everything. She stayed curled on her side, her back to me, staring at the wall like it held answers to questions she couldn’t voice.I sat beside her bed, my elbows resting on my knees, watching her. I didn’t say anything. She wouldn’t respond even if I did. But the weight in her eyes, the sharp edges of grief and rage, were deafening.Finally, she stirred, her voice breaking the quiet.“He did this."I straightened in my chair, her words slicing through the thick air between us.“Ben,” she said, her voice trembling with anger that barely held back the tears. “He took everything from me. My baby. My peace. Everything I fought to rebuild."Her hands clenched the blanket so tightly that her knuckles went white. When she turned her head to face me, the look in her eyes hit me like a freight train.“I hate him,” she hissed. “I hate that I
***Hailey****The room was suffocating, every breath tinged with the sterile sting of antiseptic, every corner thick with the oppressive weight of loss. I couldn’t seem to escape the constant hum of the machines, the feeling that time was moving, but I was stuck, suspended in a moment that stretched on forever. But then, a small voice cut through the quiet, a voice that always made my heart race with love.“Mommy?”It wasn’t just the sound of her voice that broke the stillness, but the urgency, the concern, the love. I snapped my head toward the door, and there she was—Summer. My little girl, her face framed by the doorway, her big brown eyes wide with worry. She was so small, yet she carried the weight of the world in those eyes. And right behind her, waddling with all the grace of a two-year-old, was Max, holding onto her hand like he didn’t quite know what was going on but was determined to follow her anyway.Summer’s eyes found mine instantly, and without a moment’s hesitation, sh