MasukBONUS CHAPTER 4.CHARLOTTEDinner was chaotic, fun, and full of joy.The exact way I loved it.The table stretched full with food, plates being passed back and forth, voices overlapping. Ethaniel was in the middle of telling one of his ridiculous stories about trying to fix a fence on his property.
BONUS CHAPTER 3.CHARLOTTECaeson and I were sprawled out in bed, both of us catching our breath.His skin was hot against mine, his chest damp with sweat. I trailed my fingers down the lines of his stomach, letting them settle against the dip of his abs. Just touching him made me feel warm again.I
That’s when I felt it—a small, stiff shape tucked into his breast pocket. I frowned, sliding my hand in and pulling it free.Out came a tiny blue bib.My lips parted in a gasp. “You went to see Nato before me?”Caeson’s grin widened. He snatched the bib from my fingers and shoved it back into his po
BONUS CHAPTER 2.CHARLOTTE“Who else is coming?” I asked Taide over the phone.“Ethan, Tris,” he said. “I’m not sure when they’ll arrive, but I'll come in with Dot and Sean.”“Vance isn’t coming?”“Oh yeah, he is,” Taide replied.“Is he bringing his mom? And Eric?”Taide was silent.I rolled my eyes
Across the hall, I nudged open our bedroom door.The room was dim, curtains drawn. In the middle of the bed, Reigh lay bare-chested on his stomach, muscles stretched across the sheets. His niece, perched beside him, was scribbling carefully with colored markers across the ink on his lower back. One
I nodded, my mind already spinning through lists. Chairs to set. Food to check. Dishes to lay out.But then Madeline’s eyes narrowed on me.I gave her a look.“Charlotte,” she said slowly, dragging out my name. “You didn’t tell me how your doctor’s appointment went.”Dang.A flush crept across my ch
CHARLOTTEDear Charlotte,I’ve decided not to think this through, because if I do, I might lie to you. And I never want to lie to you ever again. So, I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Caeson Soloh, and I would like to believe that on a daily basis I try my best. But that’s not true, at le
CHARLOTTEMy father’s funeral came after.It was quick––Unremarkable.Between the endless calls I had been getting from funeral directors, priests, and cemetery staff—people arranging a service I never planned—I expected a larger crowd.But there was no crowd.Just me.Just Da’ana.And a priest, his
The restaurant seemed to freeze in time at the realization that the Kings in waiting had just casually strolled into the space.So many slacked jaws, a good number of forks frozen midair.By the time they made their way over to me, my back was probably coated in sweat. But I ignored it.All of their
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “Love.”The backs of my eyes burned.Hearing him say it just filled me with so much sadness.What did we really know about love?We hurt each other, they kept secrets till they left… scars.And what was I supposed to do now? Accept that this was the







