LOGIN[BRIAN]The prison smells like rust, sweat, and something faintly rotten—like the walls themselves have absorbed decades of violence and regret.I hate it already.A guard leads me down a long corridor lined with thick steel bars. The heavy clang of each gate opening and closing echoes through the h
[AVA]I drift in and out of consciousness, a series of disjointed images and sounds flashing through my mind like a broken film reel.The cold. So much cold. The metallic taste of blood in my mouth.A man’s voice. Cold. Cruel. Laughing.“Good girl,” he whispers, his voice terrifying. “Stay still. Ju
[BRIAN]I give myself only two seconds to take in everything before I decide someone is going to pay with their life for this.I rush to Ava’s side, my body working solely on autopilot as I pick her up from the hard, cold floor and put her down on the couch.Max appears with a blanket that I’m not s
“Someone has been threatening Ava?” He stands up so fast it almost makes me dizzy. “Who the fuck would do that? And why? What did she do?”“Your guess is as good as mine,” I say, shaking my head and running a hand through my hair, already tired of this whole messed-up situation. “I don’t know why sh
[BRIAN]Brooke leads me to her apartment next door—apparently, that’s her name, as she told me before she allowed me to follow her.She opens the door and steps inside. But just as I take a step in, a big, fluffy thing barks and growls at me from inside.Alright. One thing about me: I’m not very con
[BRIAN]When I pull up at Ava’s old address, I have only one goal in mind.To find Max and get the hell out.Why? Because this place always gave me the creeps. Not only is it the most notorious part of the city, but it’s also slightly dangerous.When Dean and his family went bankrupt years ago, I di
[BRIAN] I didn’t know what to say. Hell, I didn’t know what to think. Honestly, my thoughts were a jumbled mess, completely scattered. I couldn't make sense of it all. It felt like my mind was being pulled in different directions, unable to keep up with the complexity of the situation. "Wait, ar
[AVA] A jolt of icy anticipation shoots through me as the door to Brian’s office swings open. Sharon wastes no time, forcefully shutting the door before I can even step further into the room. I don’t know what her problem is, but she’s seriously starting to get under my skin. Then again, the only
If this is heading where I think it is, I’m already mentally prepared to walk away. Just as I’m about to stand and leave, he raises a hand. “Don’t,” he says, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t be too quick to jump to conclusions. I have a few things to say. If you don’t like them, I apologize, and I’ll nev
[BRIAN] I know I made the right decision, although my emotions try to convince me otherwise. Kissing Ava was wrong, and fucking her was even worse. What the hell was I thinking? How did I let my attraction to her cloud my judgment, especially considering she’s half my age, my late daughter’s best







