LOGINARIELLA I exhaled. “Okay.” “I’ll see you later,” he said. “Don’t be late for dinner,” I responded. “I want a promise.” A small smile slipped into his voice. “Okay. I promise.” “I love you.” I couldn't help myself. “I love you too.” The call ended and I stayed there for a moment longer, star
ARIELLA The truth was… maybe I did. Maybe I had seen them before. Maybe I had grown up around them. But I didn’t actually know who had died. “I don’t know,” I said honestly. “Maybe.” Leon frowned again. “Then why didn’t you go to the funeral?” I hesitated. “I guess I should have,” I admitted
ARIELLA After breakfast, I tried to keep the morning as normal as possible. For Leon, and most importantly…For myself. “Mom,” Leon said, looking up at me, “should we go and prepare my study room? You told me that I could help.” “Of course,” I said. But before we walked out, I turned toward Marg
ARIELLA I held his gaze. “I can’t survive without you,” I said again. “You won’t have to,” he replied quietly. “I’m going to be okay. I’ll come back. I have to. You and Leon are waiting for me. I won’t break that promise.” He lifted my chin gently so I had no choice but to look at him. “I just
ARIELLA I woke up to feel light kisses on my face. I opened my eyes to find Asher hovering over me, pressing soft kisses against my skin. I let out a small laugh as he brushed his lips against mine before straightening. He was already dressed. Tie in place. Hair perfectly styled. Everything about
ARIELLA When Asher is finally, fully seated inside me, the bed groans beneath our combined weight. He pulls back out just as slowly, and the friction is enough to make my head swim. He’s doing this on purpose; I can see the intent in his eyes. He’s paying me back for every stolen glance and silen
Five Years Ago His hand was on my throat—not squeezing, not choking. Just there. But it was trembling. He was trembling. His whole body had gone rigid, his eyes burning with something raw and dark. I had never seen him like this. "Don’t ever say that again," he growled. A cold chill ran dow
"Oh, we're back to that topic again?" Asher growls. "Is that what you want to discuss here? Right now? With Luca sitting here?" I can't help myself. I start crying. Not even a cute cry — an ugly cry. A humiliating, messy, gut-wrenching sob. Asher cusses under his breath. "Fuck. I hate this." I t
I am underneath Asher's weight. He's on top of me, and he's heavy, and the sound of gunshots makes me want to scream, but Asher places his hand in front of my mouth. Just a second later, the girl we were with started running while screaming aloud, and the sound of gunshots followed her as she ran a
I woke up with a jolt, the phone still in my hand. The first thing I did was check the screen—still no calls. No texts. Nothing from Asher. A cold wave of panic washed over me. He should’ve called. Now I’m getting scared. We both know what he does. He doesn’t tell me specifically what he does, bu







