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
"I want you too, Ava," I said, my voice hoarse. "But we can't act on our feelings. It's too risky." "I know," she replied, her voice barely audible. "But it's so hard." "I know," I said, reaching out to take her hand. "But we have to try. We have to be strong." But maybe I wasn’t as strong as I w
Ava looked out the window at the cabin, her expression unreadable. I wondered what she was thinking, but I didn't want to pry. Instead, I got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door for her. She stepped out, her eyes fixed on the cabin and its surroundings. “I know this plac
[AVA] I stumbled backward, my heart hammering against my chest. The sound of my mom's voice, high-pitched and panicked, filled my ears. I could barely make out her words, but the tone was enough to set my nerves on edge. I rushed toward my bedroom, fumbling with the knob as I tried to get inside.
I made a mental note to find out more about what had happened and whether any disciplinary action had been taken. This couldn’t be swept under the rug. Kian deserved to feel safe in his environment, and those bullies needed to change their ways if they wanted to remain in the school. Coming back to







