تسجيل الدخولKassidy's POVThe room became blurry as a wild, hot rage took total control of my body. I snatched my phone off the mattress, my fingers shaking so violently I almost dropped it twice before shoving the screen to my face and dialing Piper's number. The phone didn't even ring twice before she picked up, her breathing heavy on the other end."Kassidy?" She called out."How could you do this to me?" I screamed into the receiver, standing up from my bed and pacing the floorboards like a caged animal. "How could you let me carry this for years, Piper? You looked me straight in the eyes and told me you didn't see anyone do anything to me! You let me believe I was crazy for asking questions!""Whoa, hey, what are you talki
Kassidy’s POVThe walk back from the university library felt like it took days instead of an hour. My mind replayed every single word Luca had spoken about Richard Deering.After an eternity, I reached our front door and pushed it open, bypassing the quiet living room, and walked straight up the stairs to the second floor. As I approached my room, I stopped. Celeste was leaning her back against the hallway wall right outside my door, her arms tightly crossed over her chest and a deep crease between her eyebrows.“Oh hey, you’re back,” Celeste said softly, straightening up as I reached the landing. “I was wondering when you’d come. There’s something on your bed, and it looks important.”I fr
Kassidy's POVMy fingers were trembling so much I could barely keep a grip on my phone. I pressed the cell phone hard against my cheek, my eyes locked on the figure stepping into the narrow aisle between the tall bookshelves.“Piper, I have to go,” I told her. “Can we talk later?”“Yeah, sure. Call me whenever you’re ready,” Piper said, her voice sounding faint before I cut the call.I slammed the phone down onto the wooden table and I pushed my chair back to face him. The panic from seeing him free turned into a sudden, boiling rage.“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded. “How are you sta
Kassidy's POVI was absent-minded throughout class the next day. The professor’s voice sounded like a distant murmur against the large chalkboard, the words about advanced statistical models bouncing right off my brain. I kept staring at the corner of my wooden desk, tracing a tiny scratch in the varnish while my mind raced through everything Eli had said yesterday. Those harsh words...After class, Bree and Simone cornered me near the lecture hall exit, blocking the narrow walkway with their backpacks while students filed past us into the corridor.“Kassidy, you didn’t take a single line of notes today,” Simone said, adjusting the strap on her shoulder. “You were just staring out the window the entire time. Are you feeling sick ag
Kassidy's POVTwo days later, Eli finally came home. I was sitting at the kitchen table, staring blankly at a cold mug of coffee, when the front door opened and his footsteps echoed through the main hallway. He didn’t even come look for me. He just marched straight up the stairs to his bedroom, his face dark and closed off.Immediately he went upstairs, I stood up from the wooden chair, the legs scraping loudly against the tile, and followed him up the steps. My blood was boiling, the anger and hurt from his sudden silence turning bitter inside my mouth.I pushed his bedroom door open without knocking. He was standing by his closet, shoving a handful of t-shirts and a winter jacket into a black duffel bag on his mattress.
Kassidy's POVFinally, the Pizzeria emptied out. The kitchen crew had already washed down the metal prep tables, turned off the heavy baking ovens, and hurried out the back exit to catch their buses. I unknotted my apron, folding it neatly over the wooden counter as I looked around the empty dining area. I didn't want to go home. If I went back there now, everything would remind me too painfully of him.Maria was the last to leave. She was standing by the coat rack, her winter scarf already wrapped twice around her neck as she jingled her store keys in her hand. She paused, looking at me with a deep line of worry etched between her eyebrows as I began dragging a mop bucket out from the utility closet.“Kassidy, are you sure about this?” Maria asked, her voice ech
Kassidy’s POVThe mystery man walked out before I could even understand what had just happened. He walked through the heavy bathroom door without looking back, his footsteps fading rapidly down the carpeted hallway. My brain felt entirely scrambled, frozen in place as I stared in shock at Nova. Sh
Kassidy's POVThe trip back home was silent. Neither of us said a word, but I could tell that Eli was excited about our kiss. I kept my face turned toward the passenger window, staring at the passing trees, but I wasn't actually looking at them. I was reliving the kiss. My mind kept looping back to
Eli's POVKassidy was reluctant to get out of the car at first, but once her feet hit the sand, I could see her fighting her smile. She looked out at the ocean and I watched her shoulders relax, watched the tension drain out of her face. It was like she was seeing something she had forgotten existe
Kassidy's POVI woke up gasping again, from another nightmare. The nightmare was already fading, but the feeling remained, that sick sense of panic laying low in my stomach. Sweating and panting, I lay spread eagled on my bed, staring at the ceiling and waiting for my heart to stop trying to kill m







