Who was he trying to fool? The only person capable of doing shit like this was him, and no one else."I didn't do it, but you wouldn't believe me even if I said it." He said, moving a microscope, and placing some bacteria culture under the film."Of course, I wouldn't believe it, I’m not stupid.""O
CHARLOTTE"So?" Taide asked, twirling a strand of my hair between his fingers. "What’s it gonna be?"I stood rooted in place, wondering if he was being serious. I studied his features, searching for a possible twitch so I could tell this was all a joke.Why on earth would he want to mark me? The con
"What ?"Taide sent me a pointed look at the door, "The coast is clear, so get going already.""R–right," I stammered, feeling my face light up. Just a couple moment in his presence and it felt like the atoms in my brain had been fried.Immediately, I dashed out of the lab, blushing even harder as h
CHARLOTTEAfter his speaks, I stared straight at him, wondering if he had said the wrong thing, or if I wasn't seeing right, and he wasn't Vance.So I Squinted my eyes, taking in his features, and I knew I wasn't mistaken.Did he hit his head or something then? Why was he offering me a ride?"Would
"Here," Vance handed me a clean towel to which I whispered a ‘thanks’ while wiping some parts of my hair which were damp.After a few seconds of repeated brushing, my hair was somewhat dry, but the towel wasn't. I was embarrassed to hand it over to him, so I clutched the towel, sitting with my back
"Jealous? Of you?" Emmalaine scoffed, "Why would anyone be jealous of you? It's not like—""Like what exactly?" Madeline's voice cut in, snapping our attention to her."Madeline!" Emmalaine called sweetly, "We were just joking with Charlotte here."Madeline gave her a nasty look, coming to stand bes
CHARLOTTEWhen I got the school the next day, the first thing I noticed was that all the pictures of me had been taken down.My eyes skimmed the halls, but I couldn't see anything.It was spotless like the incident didn't occur at all. It was curious. And I stood there, puzzled, wondering if the sch
CHARLOTTEHis fangs sank into my neck before I could blink, and a burning sensation swept through my veins.My mouth parted, but not a single sound came though, as I felt my head go blank in shock. A forceful wave of uncontrollable pleasure coursed through me, making me gasp out.My nipples tightene
CHARLOTTEI had no intention of sharing visiting hours with the boys.There was no reason to put myself through that kind of torment.The moment I found out Madeline was awake, I demanded that Caeson drop me off at the care home where I had left Da’ana. I wasn’t ready to deal with my father’s case,
TAIDEThe steady beeping of Madeline’s heart monitor was the only sound in the hospital room.The rhythmic pulse filled the silence, a reminder that she was still here, still breathing, still alive.But it didn’t feel like enough. Not when she lay there motionless, her skin pale against the crisp wh
The foundation still looked solid though.I stepped onto the creaky porch, staring at the front door.This was where Charlotte grew up.I felt something tighten in my throat. She probably had good memories here, but I knew the ones she remembered most were the bad ones.I couldn’t imagine what it wa
CAESONI killed the engine of the car and leaned back in my seat, exhaling slowly.It didn’t do anything to relieve the pressure in my chest. The air in the car was thick with silence, the kind that had weight, like it could smother you if you let it.Charlotte hadn’t moved yet. She sat in the back
Like we didn’t matter.My nails dug into my palms as memories slammed into me. I could still see it—the nights he reeked of alcohol, his head lolling to the side, completely oblivious to the fact that he had two daughters who needed him to pick himself up and be… more than the person he was choosing
CHARLOTTEThe car ride was too quiet.Too damn suffocating.The weight of everything that had happened in the span of a few hours pressed down on me—Madeline, the triplets, my father. My hands trembled against my lap, and I clenched them into fists for the umpteenth time, trying to force myself to f
It was only after the shock of silence that followed that I realized I’d spoken those words out loud. Dot gasped, reaching for me instantly, pulling me into an embrace. I didn’t expect it to be as comforting as it was. And so I didn’t fight her. She guided me to the steps outside the hospital, sitt
CHARLOTTE It felt like a slap to the face. The doctor’s words hit me so hard that I lost my footing. My knees wobbled, and before I could steady myself, the plastic cup in my hand slipped through my fingers and crashed onto the tiled floor. Water splashed across my shoes, soaking into the hem of m
CHARLOTTE The reality of the situation hit me with frightening clarity. Madeline was dying. I moved before I could think, panic exploding through my chest as I ran forward and fell to my knees beside her. My hands hovered uselessly, trembling as I tried to find something, anything, to hold o