Novels by Tropeaddict

Veronica's POVTheir laughter echoed through the house while I stayed alone in the guest bedroom, the sound of it seeping through the walls like it belonged to someone else's home. When the hunger pangs became too much to ignore, I went downstairs for a snack.As soon as I passed the dining room on my way to the kitchen, the laughter stopped."Happy birthday, Avery." I tried to muster a smile.She huffed, rolling her eyes without bothering to look up."Thanks," she muttered, already reaching for her fork again.I held out the small, boxed present. She took it, set it on the edge of the table, and went back to her meal without so much as a glance at it."Won't you like to know what I got you?" My throat tightened around the words, thinning my voice into something I didn't recognize."It's probably some cheap piece of jewelry anyway.""Avery, you can't talk to your mother that way."She rolled her eyes again. The same roll she'd been giving me for months now, a fraction sharper every ti

Veronica’s POV“Do I know you?” I asked the stranger who sat across from me on the bed.“My name is Adrian… We went to high school together.”“I… don’t remember you,” I told him truthfully.“I didn’t expect you to, but I could never forget you.” I looked at him, more confused than ever. He let out a sigh, rubbing his face. “When I was in high school, I was terribly bullied, but… you were the only one who ever stood up for me.”A memory surfaced a boy being tossed around by Caleb and his friends, his clothes torn to shreds.“So you’re a doctor now. Everything worked out,” I said with a small smile. At least life had worked out for one of us.“I own the hospital and some other businesses.”“That’s not possible. The owner of Moretti Hospital is Caleb’s rival, who has been dominating the business scene.” I shook my head.“My birth parents found me after senior year. Everything changed,” he said with a small smile.I simply nodded, trying to comprehend everything he had just said.“Listen

‎The quiet was worse than the shouting. It crawled up the back of my neck and stayed there.‎"Just leave, Ava." My voice came out flat, worn down to nothing. "You already got everything you wanted."‎"Not everything." She was already reaching into her bag when she said it, smiling when she pulled out the scissors, still smiling when she drove them into the back of my hand. ‎I screamed. The sound tore out of me before I could stop it, and the room went white at the edges, my stomach lurching like the floor had dropped a foot beneath me. Blood welled up fast, spilling over my knuckles, dripping in fat red drops onto the tile.‎Ava crouched, almost gentle, and dragged two fingers through the blood pooling near my hand. She painted it across the inside of her thigh in one smooth stroke. Then she dropped to the floor, curled around her stomach, and dialed.‎"Caleb." Her voice cracked beautifully on the second syllable. "Please, help. Veronica, she's trying to kill me." ‎I pressed m

Veronica's POVThe beeping of machines filtered into my dream, slow and steady, until it pulled me out of the version of my life where Caleb's hand kept finding my face, where he walked away from me with Ava on his arm, the two of them already turning into strangers I used to know.I opened my eyes and the world arrived in pieces. A white ceiling tile with a water stain shaped like a half moon. The smell of antiseptic, thick enough to taste. Sunlight slicing through a gap in the blinds, straight into my eyes.A hospital, I thought, and let the thought sit there a long moment before it made any sense at all.I tried to speak. What came out instead was a thin scrape of sound, my throat raw as if I'd swallowed glass. I found the call button with fingers that didn't feel like mine and pressed it.A nurse came in fast, her shoes squeaking against the floor."Mrs. Stanton, you're awake." She was already reaching for my chart. "Don't try to talk too much. I'll get the doctor right away.""Wa

Veronica’s POV “You are the best mommy ever,” Avery said with a huge smile on her face as she hugged Ava.“But I’m not your mommy, A,” Ava chuckled as she ruffled Avery’s head.“I don’t care, you’re way better than my actual mom.” Avery spat, as though the very thought of me was poison. “Daddy should have married you instead,” she pouted as she cuddled closer to Ava.I watched helplessly as my daughter cuddled with my twin sister, Ava. She hadn’t smiled at me like that in years. My chest tightened.“She’s still your mom, A,” Caleb said as he ruffled her hair. He didn’t shun her for the way she spoke about me, just gave a mild reminder.“No, she’s not.” Avery thrashed around in Ava’s lap.“Okay, okay. I can be your mom, but you have to keep it a secret from Veronica. You know how she gets.” Ava pinched Avery’s cheeks.“If she could be half as sensible as you, I really wouldn’t have to worry,” Caleb sighed.“She can never be half as good as Mommy,” Avery huffed.I laughed bitterly to