LOGIN"Owen... you need to cut yourself some slack," she says gently, reaching up to lightly brush her thumb against my cheekbone. "You don't have to be the invincible counselor right now. You just lost your mom, honey. I know how much she meant to you. I know how much you loved her, and I know how hard y
I watch Sydney walk away from me, her spine perfectly straight, her head held high like a queen marching out of a ruined kingdom. Her words—sharp, icy, and dripping with disgust that makes my skin crawl—still echo in the quiet space of the dining room. "While you're busy playing love and playing h
My heart drops into my shoes, a sickening wave of nausea swirling in my stomach. He sharply pulls away after a beat, his hands coming up to grip her shoulders, his face a mix of shock and discomfort. "Camille, what are you doing here? How did you even get past the gates?" "Oh, Owen, I came the sec
I lean in across the dark wood, my jaw tight, waiting for the genius to drop some mind-blowing corporate strategy. Owen slides his glass entirely out of the way, his eyes tracking mine with a sudden, sharp intensity. "The first thing we need to do," he says, leaning his forearms on the table, "is p
I don't wait to hear another word. A blinding, white-hot rush of pure adrenaline and rage explodes in my chest. Before I even realize what I’m doing, my arm whips forward. I throw my phone across the bedroom with every ounce of strength I have left. It hits the far drywall with a sickening smack,
I sit on the edge of the mattress, the silence of my locked bedroom pressing in from all sides. My scalp still burns from where I was aggressively pulling at the tangles earlier, but I barely care. I slowly run a hand through my hair, letting out a long breath that shudders against my teeth. The r
I sink into the plastic chair in my designated break area and finally let out the breath I’ve been holding all morning. Working with the Assistant Director has been every bit the nightmare I anticipated. The man has the personality of a sandpaper loofah and a penchant for making me repeat simple w
Nicholas looks like he’s been through a blender. His usually perfectly coiffed hair is a nest of dark tangles, and he’s wearing his sunglasses indoors, which is never a good sign. He sheepishly reaches out to take the keys, his hand trembling just enough for the metal to jingle. "God, Sydney," he g
Nicholas is leaning heavily against the wall, looking entirely bewildered, while Owen is standing a few feet away, swaying slightly with his hands shoved in his pockets. "It... it attacked me," Nicholas mutters, pointing a shaky finger at the debris. "The vase. It moved. I’m certain of it." "You’r
"He froze every single one of my personal accounts, leaving me with zero access to the money I earned long before I met him," I say, looking at the judge. "And when I didn't crawl back, the threats started. He told me he’d ruin my reputation with every studio in the city. He said I’d never work in t







