Savannah I stood by the narrow hallway, out of sight, pressing myself against the wall as I listened to Xavier. He was outside with Gregory, and though the night air muffled some of their words, I caught enough to feel my stomach churn. “…monitor her closely… her messages… her calls…” Gregory was saying. I clenched my jaw. So that was his plan now? To play savior while secretly trying to dig through my life? His voice made my skin crawl. He thought he could trap me and back me into a corner. But he didn’t know who I was. He thought he could be the villain in my story. How fucking cute. I could only hope my father had found a way to talk to my mother. That something had started to shift, and that this entire web of secrets was finally starting to unravel on the other end. The sooner the truth came out, the sooner I could flip the script on Gregory. Let’s see how smug he’d be then, when Xavier starts asking why he never told him any of this after finding out I wasn’t the
Xavier I stepped back into the house and shut the door behind me. The silence was heavy and loud in my ears. Sasha was home and safe. I rubbed my palms down my face and exhaled.Before she returned, the pack police and my guards had returned, empty-handed and exhausted. I had sent everyone and every resource I could trust to find her. Because for eighteen hours, I didn’t know if my wife was alive, hurt, or out there forgetting who the hell she was again.It started yesterday, when I noticed she wasn’t in the bed. At first, I thought maybe she’d gone for a walk. Sometimes she wandered the garden or took a drive. But when two hours passed and she still hadn’t returned, I knew that something was wrong.I tore the house apart, questioned the maids, and asked Adelaide if she’d seen her. My daughter had just shrugged, saying, “Mommy said she was going somewhere nice.”I called her phone. No answer. I called again and again. By the fifth time, the panic crawled under my skin and settled in
Savannah Fear clouded my thoughts while I pretended to be bold. I didn’t make it far before Ethan's voice came again.“Do you even like yourself?”My fingers clenched around the blanket pressed to my chest.“You should accept help before it’s too late,” he added.“I would never—” I started, but my voice caught, and then the words slipped out before I could stop them. “Even if I needed help, I wouldn’t take it from you.”Ethan burst into a loud laughter that echoed through the corridor. Shit.Why was I so dumb to admit that I wasn't Sasha?He clapped, then pointed at me like he’d just won a damn lottery.“I knew it,” he said, grinning like a fool. “I knew it was you. Savannah. I freaking knew it.”My breath hitched. I stepped forward, refusing to let him rattle me. “You know what's funny, I would go to Gregory for help before I ever came to you.”His smile faltered and he kept his steely gaze on me. “Surely you don’t mean that.”“I do.”I didn’t care how harsh I sounded, Ethan stan
Savannah I sat in the waiting area, stiff as a board, as I tried to distract myself from the constant tick of the clock on the wall. It was a reminder that I had no control over the outcome of this surgery, but it was also hard because every passing minute seemed to stretch longer, making my anxiety spike. It had been over three hours. I could feel the weight of the minutes pressing down on me. The doctor had said six to eight hours, but I couldn't quiet my thoughts.What if it didn't work? What if the transplant failed?I hadn't allowed myself to entertain these thoughts before, but now they were gnawing at the edges of my mind and turning my stomach.What if I lose my baby?The words repeated in my head, suffocating me. My nails dug into my palm as I tried to anchor myself to the reality that my boy would be fine. There was hope. But the longer the wait dragged on, the more afraid I became. I squeezed my eyes shut as if that could block out the fear that threatened to take hold
Ethan I groaned as I rolled to my side. The sunlight caught through the blinds like it had a personal vendetta. My mouth was dry. My head was pounding so hard it felt like someone had parked a troll truck on my skull and was revving the engine. The hotel room smelled like whiskey. My jacket was half on, half off, and my shirt was turned inside out. I sat up and instantly wished I hadn't.“Shit,” I said under my breath. My stomach churned, and I was so pissed off I drank to the extent of having a hangover. The pieces of last night returned in jagged flashes. Gregory had invited me to drink at the bar. We drank some kind of dark liquor that tasted like burnt caramel. Gregory had called it “clean fire.” I dragged myself to the edge of the bed. My vision swam, but I managed to stumble to the bathroom and turn the faucet on. I let the cold water run before cupping it into my hands and splashing my face repeatedly. Then I leaned over the sink, gripping both sides like I was holding on
Savannah I stepped through the front door, closing it with care. My eyes darted to the driveway, confirming the empty spot. Xavier wasn't wasn't back. Upstairs, my coat landed in a heap as I tossed it carelessly over the bed. My skin itched with anxiety, like something was crawling underneath it. I couldn't stay still. I tried to shake off the feeling, but it clung tighter as though my body were rejecting calm.My mind replayed the face I saw at the hospital. It flashed like warning signs in my brain. He was working for Gregory. I had seen him before at the estate. Each memory came sharper now.He had no business being in that hospital near my boys. My instincts screwasd. This wasn't a coincidence.Panic throbbed under my skin. Gregory knew. We were no longer safe.I swallowed hard as the acidic taste of bile burned my mouth. Water splashed down my front, soaking into my shirt before I could steady my grip.The idea that someone like Gregory could know where my children were, where
Savannah I sat on the edge of the bed, fully dressed, hunched over, and bouncing my leg restlessly. A bead of sweat slid down my spine, causing my grey turtleneck to cling to my skin. I kept glancing at the ticking clock. Xavier should be gone by now. I needed him out the door so I could slip to the hospital. I heard Adelaide's high-pitched excitement and Xavier's replies from her room as she listed everything she wanted for her birthday. The moment I sensed he was coming back, I yanked the blanket over myself and shut my eyes. He came in anyway, kissed my forehead, then walked out.His cologne lingered even after the door clicked shut. I stayed in that position until I heard his engine roar to life and the car roll down the driveway. My limbs finally relaxed beneath the blanket.Then I got up, grabbed my bag from the console table, threw on a coat, and headed out. I avoided the front hallway, slipping through the side door like a thief.This visit wasn’t something I could afford
EthanThe music from the ballroom thronged distantly, muffled by the walls. I stood rooted to the spot with my hands loose by my sides and my gaze pinned to the retreating figure of Sasha, or so she claimed. Her friend’s laughter still echoed from the hallway. This was impossible. Xavier's wife was everything I remembered Savannah to be. The same curve of her neck. Her voice. That damn light tone.How could two people look alike and sound the same? Why was she pretending not to be Savannah? Because I knew. That had to be her.I drew a hand through my hair. It's been five years since I saw her last, and yet she looked as if time had only deepened her beauty. She was more polished now, more guarded, but unmistakably Savannah. The storekeeper's daughter. The girl with the bright smile and quiet eyes who used to press her face into my neck and talk about wanting to spend the rest of her life with me. Wanting to help me build something. That, together, we would
Savannah I tried to calm myself down, sipping the Chapman in slow gulps. My hand barely trembled, but inside, I was a mess. I forced my face into something pleasant and carefully composed, because if Ethan, who was probably still watching me like a hawk, caught one slip, he’d know I was lying.In my line of vision, I spotted Xavier. He was talking to Gregory. I tuned my ears to them, straining to catch each word.“You’ll have to stay away from the house for now,” Xavier said. His tone was cool, but not without weight. Gregory’s smirk dropped fast, replaced with a cold, bitter frown.“What? Why?” Gregory asked.“Because my wife says she’s uncomfortable around you.”Gregory’s mouth opened. “Come on, Xavier. It’s probably just a memory thing. You, of all people, know how strange she’s been since she got back. She’s not herself.”“That’s exactly why I’m telling you not to make it worse,” Xavier answered flatly. “Just give her space. No visits. No surprise ap