ログインMeritHer lower lip trembled as she looked at Weston. Tears gathered in her eyes and she shook her head. Everything was falling apart.“You ruined my life.”“That’s a little dramatic, Merit, but expected, coming from you.” He was still standing next to the kitchen counter.“I’ve lost everything because of you,” she whispered.He chuckled, the sound dark and bitter. “You made a choice, Merit. You came to me. You wanted me to keep Axl out of jail and you offered up information on all your friends. You did that. You’re not a victim in this story, little girl. I would’ve kept Axl out of jail even without the information you traded.”Merit lowered her head. “He hates me.”“You did that to yourself. I never forced you to take your clothes off. It wasn’t even part of the deal, not that I’m complaining.”More tears welled up in her eyes and she sniffed. “How could you do all this to your sons?”“You did it to them, too. This thing between us will come to an end now. North is married, and Axl
AspenNorth seemed almost reluctant to leave Charlotte alone with her, but Axl nudged his shoulder, and North nodded his head, having some unspoken conversation with Charlotte. She nodded her head, and gave him a smile.They sat on the couch in the living room, the air thick with tension. Aspen took a deep breath, and turned to look at Charlotte. She was looking around curiously, but to her surprise, there was a smile on Charlotte’s face.“This must have been something to get used to,” she said, and tucked her hair behind her ears. “But I think you’ve been happier here than at home.”Aspen smiled. “Actually, yes. Here I get coffee in bed.”Charlotte’s smile widened. “And you get Axl as eye candy.” Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked shocked at her own words. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put it quite like that.”“It’s fine, I mean, you’re not wrong,” Aspen said. The humor came easily, and it surprised her how natural it felt to laugh in this space with Charlotte—someone she had o
NorthHe looked at the group photo on his phone. Axl stood with his arm around Aspen’s shoulders, and they were all smiling, their eyes shining with excitement. The past two weeks had gone by so fast, and now they had graduated. Axl and Aspen were leaving soon, and he and Charlotte were packing their bags, as well. The picture felt unreal in his hand, like proof of a life that already belonged to another version of himself—one that had existed before contracts, cameras, rings, and carefully arranged smiles.He wanted to get out of Esperton, go somewhere they could relax before they had to settle in at Harvard. Charlotte had been accepted, as well, and she was going to study law. For the next few weeks though, they were free to do as they pleased. Free was a strange word these days—thin and fragile—but he clung to it anyway, the way people clung to the idea of daylight during a storm.Charlotte appeared in the doorway and cleared her throat. She’d been walking on eggshells the last two
AxlHe stood watching Aspen as she slept, and he wondered if North was right. Did he love her? He shook his head. If he was being honest with himself, then he probably did, more than he should have. Merit had been right about one thing, he always jumped when it came to Aspen.The quiet of the trailer pressed in around him, broken only by the soft hum of the old refrigerator and the faint creak of cooling metal, and the stillness made his thoughts feel louder, heavier, harder to ignore.She shifted in her sleep and opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw him, and he walked into her room, and sat down on her bed. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and shifted into a sitting position.Sunlight slipped through the thin curtain and painted pale stripes across her blanket, and for a brief moment, he allowed himself to believe that maybe this fragile calm could last.“What time is it?”“Almost time to get up,” he said.“So…where’s my coffee?”Axl chuckled. “I want you to come with me.”“To
AxlHe barely looked up when North’s Jaguar came to a stop next to his car. The lake was quiet, and his breath fogged with every exhale. He’d left Aspen at the trailer, her heart broken by North once again, and he hated it. He hadn’t had time to tell her about Merit, and now, he wasn’t sure if he should.“Hey,” North said, as he sat down next to him at the picnic table.“What the hell’s going on, North?”North lowered his head, and when he finally looked up, Axl could see the pain and regret. He clasped North’s shoulder in his hand and squeezed. North wiped his eyes, and shook his head. “He made me sign a contract, Axl. I could’ve said no, but I chose not to.”“Who did he threaten?”“My mother and Aspen. He threatened them,” North said.“He’s also screwing Merit,” Axl said, and pulled his phone from his pocket. He found the video and pressed play before handing it to North. His fingers felt stiff as he unlocked the screen, the familiar motion suddenly heavy with something that tasted
MeritShe’d been a nervous wreck, but Axl wasn’t in school on Monday. She’d tried calling him, but realized he’d blocked her number. Everything was a mess, and she desperately wanted to call Aspen when the news of North and Charlotte’s impromptu wedding broke.The headline had spread through the corridors like wildfire, whispered between lockers and glowing phone screens, each hushed voice pressing deeper into her chest until it felt bruised.She was all alone now. She didn’t have Axl, and she didn’t have Aspen. Aspen would choose Axl; it was a given. They’d lean on each other, and she knew Aspen hated her now. Axl would’ve told her the whole story. The week passed by slowly, and she’d made eye contact with North a few times, but she didn’t think he knew. He’d asked her about Aspen, but she did the only thing she could think of—she ignored him and hurried down the hall.Axl would never forgive her. She’d wanted to tell him so many times, but she couldn’t. More than once, she wondered
AspenHer eyes fluttered open when Axl sat down on her bed with two cups of coffee in his hands. He had a red Santa hat on his head, and she chuckled as she shifted into a sitting position. The soft morning light spilled across the room, catching in the tinsel she’d taped to the headboard the night
NorthThe weeks dragged by, and the one phone call he’d received from his mother had filled him with trepidation.“So you’re not coming home for Christmas?”“Your father and I will both be home for Christmas, along with the D’Arc family,” she said.“He got to you,” North mumbled.“He did,” she said
AxlHe drove away from Merit’s house with a heavy feeling in his chest. He smiled faintly when he realized that North hadn’t believed a word he’d said earlier. He knew exactly where he was going. Amarito Cove. The place where Peyton’s new parents lived. How could he not?The argument with Merit wei
MeritShe watched Aspen leaving her room from the corner of her eye. The door clicked softly behind her, and the sound echoed far louder in Merit’s chest than it should have. Axl had shoved his hands in his pockets, and she loosened her arms from his waist. She really hadn’t checked the movies, but







