lori loud

The night before returning to the Cantrell residence, I had a dream where I was the despised antagonist in a book. In the story, my father had adopted a girl who bore an uncanny resemblance to my late mother. On the day he came to pick me up, he got into a devastating car accident. After that, my second brother, Shawn Cantrell, lashed out, calling me a curse, while my eldest brother, Seth Cantrell, treated me with cold indifference. In the end, I was abandoned by everyone, meeting a tragic and lonely end.

At six in the evening, Allen Bennett prepared a perfect dinner, with each dish carefully chosen to match Sarah Foster's preferences. By seven, he had run her bath, adding lavender essential oils and rose petals to the warm water, filling the bathroom with a calming fragrance. By eight, he placed her comfortable slippers by the entrance, awaiting her return. At nine, the front door finally opened. Sarah walked in, and Allen immediately went to greet her. With practiced grace, he helped her out of her coat and placed her slippers before her feet, then hung the coat in the entryway closet. Turning to her with a gentle smile, he asked, "Would you prefer to have your bath first or would you like to eat?"

+++✦+++ "I’ll find you, no matter where you go." He tilted his head, his calm delivery making the threat all the more unsettling. "Do you understand me?" His words weren’t loud, but they didn’t need to be. His gaze bore into mine, daring me to defy him. "Yes." I swallowed hard, nodding slightly, my voice betraying me with its lack of strength. "Good girl." He watched me with a pleased, almost smug expression. It seemed like a terrible idea, but something about his overconfidence pushed me to challenge him. "But, what makes you think I’ll just stay here, waiting for you to show up whenever you feel like it?" I ventured, pushing my luck as we stared at each other. "Consider it my way of repaying you after everything you’ve done." I blinked, taken aback and confused. "Repaying me?" The words slipped out before I could stop them, as my fingers caressed the spot where his hand had been. His laughter was soft, almost indulgent, as if my naivety amused him. +++✦+++ In a city plagued by crime and violence, a young woman fights to stay hidden from her sadistic stepfather and his ruthless gang. In her journey to uncover the truth about her forgotten past, she crosses paths with a dangerous and mysterious stranger in the most unexpected manner. Together, they embrace their twisted fate by striking a deal and altering their lives through a tale of romance and mystery. +++✦+++ ✦𝐷𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑑. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑜𝑜.✦ +++✦+++