ANDRE’S POVFLASHBACK (MONTH 2)When I woke up the sunlight on my face was streaming from my window. My head felt clearer than it had in days. The sheets smelled like medicine and something sweet. Vanilla maybe.I shut off my alarm and stared at the window curtains that were half open. For a second, I didn’t know what day it was. The bed felt unusually warm.Then I remembered.I turned my head.Lisa was still there, sleeping quietly beside me.Her back was to me. She was lying on her side, facing me, one hand under her cheek, the other was close to her chest. Her hair was sprayed on the pillow, a few strands fell on her face and neck.The blanket had slipped down to her waist, revealing just her upper body. I stared at her for a long time.I remembered waking up and seeing her hand with a wet towel. I remembered telling her not to go. And then asking her to lie beside me.Fuck no!Why had I asked her to stay?What the hell was I thinking?I hadn't been thinking straight. I had
LISA’S POVI was on my way to see Dr Camille when I ran into her.I walked downstairs, dressed up in one of my favorite dresses and heels that Andre had gotten for me.Andre had left for work hours ago. I didn't get to see him, because he had still not returned to the room we shared together.Stanley was nowhere to be seen.Just me and the empty halls. Oh wait…Not just me.I turned to the corner and saw her. She stood by the window, she looked well relaxed and better than she was the first day I met her.Her long dark hair was brushed out and it fell down her back. But what she wore caught my eye.She wore one of Andre's shirts, the sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. My stomach suddenly felt tight. She turned before I could leave. "Well look at you," she said. Her voice was sweet like poisoned honey. "Andre's little pet." I forced myself to say. "Good morning.”Diane.She smiled slowly.I tried to move past her. I wasn’t in the mood to make small talk, especially not w
LISA’S POVBy the time it was noon, I had asked Stanley the same question three times.“Has he come out yet?”The first time was in the morning, after breakfast. Andre usually left by eight. I waited in the hallway like I always did, pretending I was just walking by. I liked to see him before he left for work. It was something I looked forward to.But that morning, he never came out.Stanley gave me a small nod that meant nothing and continued with his duties.I sat by the window, watching the driveway. Andre's car never left."Stanley," I called as he passed the sitting room for the third time. "Is Andre sick?" The butler didn't stop walking. "Mr. DeLuca is fine." "But he didn't go to work." Stanley kept walking, "He's working from home today." "But he hasn't eaten all day. Shouldn't someone check…" He walked away ignoring me.Now, at almost seven in the evening, I began pacing in the hallway to his room. Stanley gave me an odd look like I was pissing him off… I didn't ca
LISA’S POVI woke up alone.The other side of the bed (Andre's side), was cold and empty. The sheets were too smooth like they hadn't been laid on.I sat up slowly. I didn’t know where he had slept last night, but it clearly wasn’t next to me.I reached for my robe and slipped it on. I hadn’t seen Diane since she arrived yesterday. He had taken her straight upstairs, into that room he once told me to never go near. That door had stayed closed for as long as I had lived here. I used to think maybe it was an office, or a storage room. Now I knew better.I made my way toward the kitchen. The closer I got, the more I picked up a warm wonderful scent.Coffee.He always made it for me in the mornings. It had become our usual early morning routine. Something I never had to ask for.When I stepped in, he was standing near the counter. His back was to me. He was watching the machine drip. His hair was still slightly wet from a shower, his shirt open at the top.“Good morning,” I said.
LISA’S POVIt was late.I walked out to the garden.I wore these fluffy house slippers that looked too cute, and a sweater was on my shoulders. My dress was too thin for the cool night air, but the sweater helpedAnd honestly?I didn’t care. I wasn’t even sure I was allowed to be out here, but no one had said otherwise.There was a limit to how many places Andre wanted me to be in and I was really tired of being holed up in my room since I couldn't sleep.I walked to the garden, my fingers touching a few petals. They were wet with dew. I leaned closer to a white flower. It looked interesting. I was crouched there, brushing the petal, when I heard a low voice.“No, Henry, we already voted. We are not changing anything now.”I froze.I heard the sound of footsteps, I turned. And there was Andre.I gasped.He stood on the path I had just strolled from into the garden, with his phone in his ear. He looked like he had just gotten back from work. His tie was loose, and his sleeves
DIANE’S POVDELULU PRINCESSThree fucking years in that white-walled hell they called a "treatment center." Daddy's little secret stashed away where no one would find his murderous daughter. Treatment. What a joke. They wanted me to talk about my feelings about what I'd done. As if I'd ever apologize when that bitch had it coming. But Daddy couldn't have his precious socialite daughter ruining his reputation, could he? They say the mind protects you from what it can’t handle.That’s what the doctor used to tell me in the facility.But he was wrong.My mind didn’t protect me. It remembered everything.Three years ago, I was standing on the terrace outside Andre’s apartment. It was late, maybe midnight. I remember the way the lights of the city looked to me like a thousand fake stars. I was angry. He was angry. The fight had gone too far.“You can’t just disappear when something doesn’t go your way, Diane.”“You think I’m dramatic, but you’re blind. Everyone in this house lies to