LOGINAnd oh, God.He was definitely going to bring his family. His wife, Kiara, and their three kids,innocent people who had no earthly idea what their husband and father had done behind closed doors with his best friend's daughter.I sat bolt upright in bed, clutching my pounding head with both hands, feeling like I was about throw up my entire soul.*Bzzzt.*My phone buzzed loudly in my hand.I flinched, looking down at the screen. A new text message notification flashed across the display.Sender: **Aaron Adams.**My heart hammered against my ribs. *Aaron?*Part of me, the pathetic, exhausted part of me thought, *Maybe he’s actually texting to apologize. Maybe he realized how cruel it was to drop me on the highway yesterday.*I unlocked the screen with a trembling thumb and tapped open the message.Casually scrolling down, the illusion of an apology shattered instantly. Men like Aaron Adams didn't do apologies. I was an absolute fool for even getting my hopes up.The text read:Get up,
"Casper," I sniffled, wiping the last stray tear from my cheek as the heavy armored door of the black Suburban swung open and I slid into the heated leather seat. "Don't... don't drive me home yet."Casper, sitting behind the steering wheel in his sharp security suit, paused with his hands resting on the leather. He turned his head slowly, his sharp eyes scanning my pale face and messy hair in the rearview mirror."Miss Jessica, you are freezing, your phone is dead, and you just survived a textbook psychological breakdown on the side of a highway," Casper stated, his tone firm and unyielding. "Your father is expecting you at the estate…""No," I interrupted, my voice cracking as I shook my head frantically. "Please, Casper. If I go home looking like this, Dad will know something is wrong. He's meticulously preparing for his promotion season right now. It's all he talks about, all he works for. The absolute last thing he needs is to worry about his daughter getting nearly run over and
Nate scrambled to his feet, casting one terrified, desperate glance in my direction before turning and sprinting toward his car, diving inside, and peeling out of the parking lot with tires screeching against the asphalt, abandoning us in the quiet, isolated woods.The dust settled. The engine roar faded away into the distance.It was just me and Aaron.Slowly, I turned my head, looking up into Aaron's dark, piercing eyes,eyes that had watched me, taunted me, tormented me, and ultimately, saved me from the very trap I had walked right into."You knew," I whispered, my voice cracking, tears finally spilling over my lashes. "You knew the whole time... and you didn't tell me."Aaron reached up, his thumb gently wiping a stray tear from my cheek, his touch surprisingly tender for a man who had just broken a man's jaw without blinking."Would you have believed me if I did?" Aaron asked softly, his gaze searching my face. "You hated me so much, Jessica. If I told you your precious boyfriend
"Nate...?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "What is he talking about?"Nate kept his head bowed low toward the gravel, refusing to meet my eyes, his silence screaming a thousand deafening confessions.I let out a harsh, hysterical huff of air, looking back at Aaron like he had completely lost his mind. "So what?! Are people now legally required to avoid dating the children of secretaries?! What kind of elitist, narcissistic garbage are you spewing now, Adams?!"Aaron stared at me, his eyes flashing with utter disbelief. “Are you actually this dense, Jessica? Do you seriously not see the point I'm trying to make here?""You aren't making any sense!" I yelled, my voice cracking with frustration. "You're just throwing a psychopathic tantrum because….because what? Because I'm happy? Because I found someone who actually treats me with respect?!""Respect?" Aaron snarled, the word tasting like poison on his tongue. He let go of my wrists, stepping back and reaching into his jacket pocket
"So, how's the amnesia patient holding up?"Nate’s voice hummed through the cozy speakers of his sedan as we cruised down the scenic highway just outside the city limits. It was a crisp Saturday afternoon, and Nate had insisted on taking me out to an upscale hillside restaurant to celebrate surviving another week of midterms.I took a delicate sip of my iced latte, offering him a soft, appreciative smile. "Oh, you know. Still trying to remember where I left my car keys, doctor."Nate chuckled, reaching across the center console to give my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Well, you've got me to drive you everywhere, so who needs keys?""True," I murmured, though even as I said it, a strange, hollow knot twisted quietly in my chest.For weeks now, Nate had been the picture-perfect boyfriend. He bought me flowers, held my hand in public, opened my doors, and treated me like delicate porcelain. He kissed me on the cheek, kissed me on the lips and said all the right things. But every single tim
"No," I swallowed hard, my hands trembling slightly as I crushed the paper into a tight ball. "It wasn't. Someone wanted to send a message. They didn't want to kill me….not yet, anyway. Just a warning shot to remind me who owns the playground.""Emilian," Isabella spat, venom dripping from her voice. "Has to be her or her unhinged cronies.""Whoever it was," I murmured, squaring my shoulders and shoving the crumpled note deep into my pocket, "they have until graduation to stop their nonsense.”On the taxi ride back to campus, the conversation naturally drifted to safer, juicier territory gossip."So," I said, nudging Isabella's shoulder as we bounced along the backseat. "Are we going to talk about how you’ve been making heart eyes at Roonie for the last three months, or should I hire a private investigator to document your pathetic crush?"Isabella flushed a bright, violent crimson, turning her face fiercely toward the window. "Shut up. I do not make heart eyes.""You literally melt l







