Scott’s POVI couldn’t believe Eva had the nerve to show up like that. No one likes running into an ex, let alone having your ex-wife show up suddenly when on vacation, even if it was mostly a business trip. It wasn’t like Eva and I were good friends or even on great terms. I divorced her for a reason.On top of it, she thought she could treat Rory like shit. I felt terrible about how Rory was treated. The things Eva had said to her and accused her of were horrible. I hated seeing her spoken to in that way. It wasn’t fair and she didn’t deserve it.My mind continued to drift to Rory. I only half-listened as one of the executives of my company discussed projected outcomes and audience demographics. Instead, my focus was diverted to thoughts of my daughter’s best friend, our time together plagued my memories. I was constantly thinking of the way she felt beneath my hands and lips. There was more to her than that. She was smart and kind. I had seen her be a great friend and a posit
Rory’s POVZoe and I sat down at a nearby restaurant and ordered a couple of drinks for ourselves. We chatted about mostly casual stuff at first, looking at the menu to decide what to eat. I wasn’t super hungry if I was being honest. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to eat–I loved eating–but this whole thing with Scott and Eva and the picture had really done a number on my stomach.“So,” Zoe finally said, and I knew she was going to bring up something more serious than school and music like we’d just been talking about. “How did it go with your grandparents?”“Fine, I guess.” I took a deep sip of my drink. “My grandma called because she saw the picture online. I don’t know if she believed it was me, but it was enough to get her concerned.”“That makes sense. She was probably worried about all the hate you’re getting online. It’s so weird that people think it’s you. I mean, I see the resemblance, but….” She trailed off, shrugging. “Wait,” I frowned, squinting at her. I hadn’t
Rory’s POVI was already tired and exhausted. I wanted to stay asleep and skip everything, but I couldn’t because I had to face the last man I wanted to see.“Oh look who it is,” came a snarky, high-pitched voice. I looked over to see that Justin was with his latest girlfriend, Nicola. “It’s your sad ex-girlfriend. Maybe we should get away from her. We don’t want to flaunt our new love in front of her.” Nicola couldn’t even get through the entire phrase without laughing.Justin gave me a smug smile and kept his hand locked with Nicola. “This is what happens, Rory, when you let a good man like me go. I hope you weren’t expecting that I would stay single and wait for you to wise up,” Justin shot over his shoulder. I rolled my eyes. “Nicola, I have to commend you on your strong ability to pick up trash. That’s definitely something I lack,” I said sarcastically. Nicola looked at me for a long moment, clearly not understanding. I rolled my eyes again and walked directly to my c
Rory’s POVI wasn’t sure if it was his grip on my hair or just the shock of it all that left me speechless. I wanted to scream but no sound came out. The man continued to talk about how he wanted to fuck me and more nasty things in detail. I started to feel sick. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Abruptly, there was a loud banging noise and the grip on my hair disappeared. I stood up fully and moved away from the man who had been holding me. I started to catch my breath. I turned to look at the man who had threatened me just in time to see Scott grip him tightly by the neck and slam his face into the wall. My would-be abuser’s face was instantly bleeding, and he looked dazed and shocked from the blow. “I’m sorry, who was it you were wanting to fuck?” Scott demanded. He punched the guy in the face again but held tightly to his throat so the man wouldn’t collapse on the ground.“Come on, you were so chatty before. I just wanted to clarify. What was it you said you were
Rory’s POV"I trust you. Can we leave the past behind?" I asked as Scott took my hand and we left the club. We returned to the suburban villa, where I had the most comforting sleep ever.I woke up feeling better rested than I had in a while. I turned to the other side of the bed to find it was empty. A small pang rose in me. “Good morning, beautiful,” Scott called. I turned in the direction of his voice and saw him standing by the doorway holding two hot mugs.“I wasn’t sure how you like it, so I left it black but I can get you cream and sugar.” Scott handed me one of the mugs and I took it gratefully. “Usually I take cream,” I said, holding the mug in both hands and enjoying the warmth. “Cream it is,” he said. “If you’re hungry, I’m making some omelets.” The mention of food made me realize how hungry I truly was. I threw off the covers and followed him out into the kitchen. I sat at the table and watched him cook. He was better at it than I would have thought. I r
Rory’s POV“Wait!” came a voice behind me that I didn’t recognize. I turned and saw a man dressed in a sharp suit doing his best to keep up with me. I slowed down and looked at him. “Who are you? What do you want?” I asked, holding up my small can of mace. The man held his hands up in surrender. “Hold up, my name is Ben. I work for Mr. McFarlan as a bodyguard. He sent me to protect you, something about a school stalker. You are Ms. Rory Hill, aren’t you?” he asked. I lowered my mace and put it back in my pocket. “Yeah, I am. Scott sent you?” I asked. “Yes ma’am,” Ben answered, still catching his breath. “Okay, I was just headed to the library,” I said, gesturing to the tall, well-lit building ahead of us. “I have to say, I feel that is unwise. Please allow me to escort you home and I’d be happy to take you back to the library tomorrow during the day,” he replied. I shrugged, figuring it might be best if I just went home and got some sleep. I let him walk me back to t
Rory’s POV“What?” I felt stunned. I could hardly process what she had said. I felt like a little girl again and despite all her problems and issues, I didn’t want to lose my mom. “I’m sorry, Rory, I thought about calling but I wasn’t sure you would listen to me. I just got diagnosed last week. I didn’t know where else to go.” I moved aside from the door and gestured for her to come in. “Are you sure?” she asked hesitantly. I nodded. “Please, come on. I can’t leave you out there like that. But listen to me, you can not do drugs in my apartment. Okay?” I kept my eyes locked on her until she nodded. “I only have one bedroom here, but I have an air mattress I can blow up for the living room.” “Thank you, sweetie. Anything is fine.” “Are you hungry? I can make us something,” I said with a sigh. I headed into the kitchen and started looking around at the food I had. It wasn’t much. I settled on making grilled cheese sandwiches with tea. “So how bad is it?” I asked, prepping t
Scott’s POV“Rory?” I called out. I put my hands in my pockets and couldn’t believe I had run into her there. I looked behind her and saw Justin looking pitiful behind bars. She looked distressed, and I was happy that she looked relieved and excited to see me.“Scott! What are you doing here?” she asked. I pulled her in and kissed her forehead. I was tired of this guy always meddling with Rory. This time, I didn't want to hide my relationship with Rory anymore, even if it meant risking Justin spilling our secret to others. I wanted to get rid of Justin once and for all.I hoped he would see how foolish he was to ever let her go. It took a lot of my self-control to keep from pushing her against the wall and taking her right in front of Justin. “Well, I was here on business and I heard a dog barking. I thought I’d come to check it out,” I said, looking back at Justin. Justin turned up and looked at me now and seemed very distressed. His face turned red and I thought I could