로그인The electricity of the kiss is still buzzing like a live wire against my lips, but the sudden, cold splash of reality hits my brain a second later. My instincts—the ones that have kept me breathing through this entire nightmare—slay the romance in an instant. I pull away from him. Sharply. "Ow, da
A ragged, choking sob rips out of my throat, and I completely break down, burying my face into my hands as my entire body shakes with tears. Deckard was a fraud. A calculated, narcissistic, disgusting fraud. He was the imposter, and I spent three whole years of my life letting him emotionally manip
He doesn't reply. He looks away from me, his gaze drifting back out toward the crashing waves and the open sky. For a long, agonizing moment, the only sound between us is the rhythmic roar of the tide. He doesn't say he forgives me, and he doesn't tell me I'm wrong. Instead, he stretches his arm
The car door clicks open, and the salty, sharp scent of the ocean instantly floods my senses. I let out a low groan, my muscles locking up as Owen gently hooks his arms underneath my shoulders to guide me out of the passenger seat. Every single inch of my body is actively screaming at me. Since Ca
"Sydney... I stepped down from my position at the firm," I say quietly, the words falling like lead weights into the dark space between us. She freezes, her jaw dropping slightly as she stares at me in shock. "What? What do you mean you stepped down?" "I resigned," I clarify, looking her dead in t
Slowly, deliberately, I run my fingers through her soft hair, tangling my hand in the strands, silently vowing to myself that no one will ever lay a malicious finger on her again as long as I am drawing breath. We stay like that for a long stretch of time, existing entirely in the quiet sanctuary o
My focus, or what’s left of it, is on Riley. He's darting across the grass, his small face lit up with a grin as I toss the ball, a soft, underhand lob. He catches it, giggles, and brings it back. "Again, Deckard! Again!" I throw it again and he runs to catch it and then throws it back. I throw it
The hallway of the Newton’s mansion is long, arched, and lined with portraits of ancestors who look like they’ve never smiled a day in their lives. I’m practically jogging to keep up with Owen’s long strides, and very out of breath. "Hey, slow down would you?" He ignores me and if anything, incr
The moment we step through the door, Grandmother is on me. She pulls me into a hug that smells faintly of lavender and old paper, but the warmth is immediately punctuated by a sharp poke to my ribs. "You," she says, pulling back to fix me with a squinted gaze that could pierce armor. "You are a lit
I completely pull away this time, ignoring the way she whimpers slightly in her sleep at the loss of heat. I stand up, feeling slightly woozy as the blood rushes to my head. The room tilts for a second before coming into sharp focus. I straighten my rumpled dress shirt, feeling like a mess. I need







