ChloeA low groan slipped from me as I tried to lift my head. The dull ache inside my skull pulsed. I blinked, forcing my eyes open despite the sting, and stared up at the ceiling.Bright morning light spilled across my face. I turned my head away, hiding from it before it could make the pain worse. My body felt impossibly heavy, every limb weighed down as though it had been replaced with lead.When my eyes adjusted, I scanned the room. A hospital room? It looked expensive, probably private.A thin tube was taped to my hand, a needle buried in my skin, leading to a drip hanging beside the bed.And there, slumped at my side, was Stella, her fingers locked so tightly around mine it almost hurt, as if she never wanted to let go. She was asleep. I let out a slow sigh and turned my gaze back to the ceiling. My head throbbed when I tried to think.Why was I in a hospital room? Why was Stella here? Why was there a drip in my hand?Another groan slipped from me, quiet but enough to make her s
Chloe I didn’t hear anything else, just those three words."You’re under arrest."They echoed in my skull, over and over.Why?Why was he under arrest? What was happening?I didn’t understand anything.My head throbbed so violently it felt as if it might split in two, my vision blurring until the world dissolved into nothing but noise. My knees gave way, but before I could collapse, a firm hand pressed against my back, holding me upright.The contact startled me enough to blink.When my vision finally cleared, the first thing I saw was the glass door shattered into a thousand glittering shards across the floor. I turned my head and found Stella right beside me, eyes blazing, her grip tight around the bat.Stella? When had she even gotten here? I wanted to ask, but my voice refused to come out.I turned again and that’s when I saw Tristan and Logan staring at each other like they had a lifetime of unfinished wars between them.Everyone else seemed frozen in the moment, too, stunned in
Logan I hated him. God, I hated the man standing in front of me. Even after eight years, it was like nothing had changed. The same sharp jaw, the same calm eyes that always looked at me like he had already figured me out, like he knew I was the worst thing that ever happened to Chloe. Tristan. I hadn’t heard his name in years, hadn’t seen his face, but the moment he stepped into this house, every memory of him came flooding back. The first time we met, it was Chloe who introduced us. And from that moment, I wanted to break his face. It was hard for Chloe to be close to anyone. She kept people out, built walls so high even I barely climbed over them. But he walked into her life like he belonged there, and she let him in easily. She smiled at his jokes like she’d known him her whole life, and his eyes stayed on her too long. That was when I knew I had to separate them. I agreed to stay under the same roof with him for a few nights, but every second felt like swallowing broken g
Logan I’ve always wondered how much a person could endure before they finally broke. How far someone had to fall before they completely shattered. But more than anything, I wondered how much she could take before the light in her eyes went out for good.I watched Chloe from across the room, watched the way she stood there, her legs trembling slightly, but her back still straight. Her eyes didn’t move, they were fixed on Amelia. Or more specifically, on Amelia’s stomach.She didn’t cry, or scream. She didn’t even flinch.She just stared.And for a brief second, it scared me. It was like she wasn’t even there anymore. Her body was in the room, breathing, blinking, but everything that made her Chloe was gone.Her blue eyes, the ones that used to shine even when she was hiding her pain, were dull now. Was this what the end looked like for her?My mother’s voice broke through the silence.“Well,” she said, “looks like your husband finally did his duty and got a woman pregnant. Even if sh
ChloeMy hand grazed the wall as I descended the stairs, my fingers white from how tightly I clung to the railing. Every step felt like a difficult job. My knees wobbled beneath me, my vision swimming in and out of focus. My body screamed at me to stop, and rest. But I kept going.I don’t even know why.Habit? Pride? Hope?No. Hope died yesrs ago.By the time I reached the bottom, my legs were trembling so badly I had to pause and lean against the wall. My breathing was shallow, barely enough to keep me conscious.As I walked forward, voices drifted from the living room. I turned my head toward the sound just as the maid beside me reached out and touched my arm.“Madam,” she whispered, almost nervously, “perhaps, you should rest here for a moment before going in.”I stared at her, confused. My brows furrowed slightly. “Why?”She flinched. “Just… the atmosphere might not be good for you right now.”My gaze drifted toward the living room. Something felt off, but really, what worse could
ChloeI stared blankly at the ceiling, breathing, maybe, but barely.I couldn't even tell if I was alive anymore. What defined life anyway? Movement? Feeling? Heartbeats? I had those, technically. But I didn’t feel them.I was there, and at the same time, I wasn’t.Three days. That’s how long I’ve been in this room, sealed off from the world, from reality, and from myself.I don’t cry anymore. There’s no energy left for that. I just… exist.I wake up.I breathe.I stare.And sometimes, if I remember what hunger is supposed to feel like, I force down a few bites of food the maids bring. Not because I want to live, but because my body insists on surviving even when my mind has given up.Every few hours, I drag myself into the shower, scrub the same skin that doesn’t feel like mine, brush the same teeth I haven’t smiled with in days, then change into fresh clothes I don’t remember picking out.Then I go back to the bed. And stare at the ceiling.Repeat.I don’t know what time it is. I do