로그인Emily’s POVI was standing near the large window in the gallery, staring out at the street below, when Mrs. Anderson walked over to me. She stopped beside me, her expression gentle but curious, and spoke in a quiet, careful voice.“I heard you left with Will yesterday, Emily,” she said.I turned to look at her, my heart giving a small, uneasy lurch. I nodded slowly, searching for the right words, not knowing how much I should say, not knowing who I could truly trust anymore.“Ah… yes,” I said. “He… he suddenly asked me to go with him. I didn’t have much choice.”Mrs. Anderson studied my face for a moment, her gaze soft but searching. “If I may ask… where did he take you? Was it for work? Was it something related to the project?”I hesitated, my lips pressing together tightly. Should I tell her? Should I tell her about the mansion, about the strange men by the pool, about the threats, the lies, the terrible things I had heard Will and George say? Or would it only put her in danger too?
Emily’s POVI was standing near the large window in the gallery, staring out at the street below, when Mrs. Anderson walked over to me. She stopped beside me, her expression gentle but curious, and spoke in a quiet, careful voice.“I heard you left with Will yesterday, Emily,” she said.I turned to look at her, my heart giving a small, uneasy lurch. I nodded slowly, searching for the right words, not knowing how much I should say, not knowing who I could truly trust anymore.“Ah… yes,” I said. “He… he suddenly asked me to go with him. I didn’t have much choice.”Mrs. Anderson studied my face for a moment, her gaze soft but searching. “If I may ask… where did he take you? Was it for work? Was it something related to the project?”I hesitated, my lips pressing together tightly. Should I tell her? Should I tell her about the mansion, about the strange men by the pool, about the threats, the lies, the terrible things I had heard Will and George say? Or would it only put her in danger too?
Alex’s POV “Get out of here.” I woke with a start, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs, my eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light of the room. A man stood beside my makeshift bed—broad, tall, his face hard and unreadable—standing over me as he pulled the blanket roughly away from my body. “What?” I muttered, my voice thick with sleep and exhaustion. “I said get out of here,” the man repeated, his voice flat and commanding. “Someone wants to see you.” He turned on his heel and walked out, leaving me alone in the cold, silent room. I sat up slowly, my head throbbing, my whole body aching from days spent locked away with nothing but fear and uncertainty for company. I dragged myself to my feet and stumbled toward the small, cracked mirror hanging on the wall. My breath caught at the sight of my own face. Dark bruises bloomed along my jawline and beneath my eyes. My skin was pale, my hair wild and unkempt, my eyes hollow and burning with a desperate, sleepless rage. I
Emily’s POVI was still sitting on the edge of my bed, tears streaming endlessly down my face, when the doorbell rang. I pulled my knees tighter to my chest and buried my face in my hands. I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t want to see anyone. I didn’t want to speak to a single soul. Every word Will had spoken echoed over and over again inside my head, sharp and cruel, cutting deeper than any knife.If you had not gone to bed with Alex… Julian would not hate him. Everything fell apart because of you. You destroyed everything.I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart aching so badly it felt like it might break. Was he right? Was it all my fault? Had I been the one to ruin everything? Alex lost his best friend. Alex lost his place. Alex lost his freedom, his home, his very life—and now he was gone, held captive somewhere, suffering alone. Was every terrible thing that had happened to him… because of me?The doorbell rang again. Longer this time. More insistent.I wiped my face roughly with th
Emily’s POVI spun around sharply, my heart slamming against my ribs like a trapped bird—and froze. Will was standing right there. He had been standing there all along, it seemed, watching me. And from the look on his face… he knew. He had seen the terror on my face. He knew I had heard every single word George had said.“What is it?” Will asked, his voice calm and deceptively gentle. “You look so panicked, Em. Did something frighten you?”My mind raced, searching for an answer, for a way to hide the fear that was threatening to spill over. I took a shaky breath and forced myself to meet his gaze.“Oh… it’s nothing,” I said, my voice sounding thin and unconvincing even to my own ears. “I just… I came out here to get some fresh air. You startled me, that is all.”I tried to step past him, to walk away, to put distance between us, but he moved quickly and blocked my path. He stood tall and still, his expression unreadable, his eyes never leaving mine.“Move aside,” I said, lifting my c
Emily’s POVWill led me down a long, quiet hallway to a spacious room at the far end of the house. The afternoon light streamed in through tall windows, falling across a large, clean easel and a stack of fresh canvases waiting to be used. Beside them sat rows of paints, brushes, and everything else I might need—all arranged perfectly, as if they had been set up long before I ever arrived. And on the sofas arranged across the room, the three couples sat together, laughing and talking casually as if they had been waiting for me for hours. They looked relaxed, comfortable, completely at home in this grand place, while I stood near the door feeling small, watched, and utterly out of place.“Alright then, let us begin straight away,” George said, stepping forward and gesturing toward the empty seats arranged before my easel. “Think of them simply as your clients. They are important people, and they expect nothing less than perfection from you. So paint them carefully, capture every det
Emily’s POVMy legs felt loose and heavy at the same time as I stumbled back toward the bar. The music pulsed louder in my ears, each beat slamming against my skull. Kara’s warning from moments ago still rang in my head, but I pushed it away. “Another one,” I told the bartender, slapping my hand
Emily’s POVMy body moved on its own, hips swaying harder than I ever had before, arms raised like I could push the pain out through my fingertips. The bass thumped inside my chest, matching the angry beat of my pulse. Sweat clung to my skin. The black dress rode up my thighs with every sharp turn
Emily’s POVI stared at myself in the mirror and barely recognized the girl looking back.The tight black dress Kara lent me hugged every curve, short enough to make me tug at the hem nervously. My eyes were still puffy from crying, but I’d managed to cover most of the redness with makeup. Lip glo
Emily’s POVMy laughter died the second I pushed open the café door.There he was, Lucas, my boyfriend of thirteen months with another girl on his lap, kissing her like he was starving.His hands gripped her waist exactly the way they used to grip mine. Her long chestnut hair spilled over his shoul







