“I don’t know, honey. The last time I saw him at the prenatal appointment, I almost couldn't resist hugging him. I don’t think I could handle it this time,” she replied. I gently held her arm and caressed her. “And why do you have to hold back?” I suggested it with a smile. Ava shook her head. “
Laura “What the heck, huh? What a big crazy sweeper!" exclaimed Suzy, as we all looked at Jason quite shocked. Had he really dressed up as Barney to sneak into my house while my daughter's party was going on? Well, why couldn't I be surprised? I lifted my hand to him. “Give me my cell phone,” I
“Mommy, why can’t Daddy live with us?” Annie asked, sitting very close to her father. I sighed, biting my lower lip, unable to talk about it. “Annie, honey. Mommy and I are no longer together, that's why we can't live together anymore,” Jason explained to the girl. “Really? How sad,” she lamen
Laura Sometimes I felt like fighting Jason was like fighting a sea breeze. How would I deny my feelings while insisting on staying? How could I avoid those blue eyes looking at me so deeply? What did he want? I did everything to make him hate me—to make him hate me and never want to look at my face
I knocked on Suzy's bedroom door gently, but there was no response. So I decided to go in slowly. “I’m sorry, Suzy. Can we talk?” I asked as soon as I entered, but there was an open suitcase on top of the bed where she was taking her clothes from the closet and throwing them on the bag angrily. “But
Ava I was kneeling in front of the main door of Laura's apartment, seconds after Suzy left. My eyes were wide, and an expression of horror was written on my face. It could only be a nightmare! “Why did Suzy leave? When will she come back?” I heard Annie asking desperately. “Calm down, Annie. Su
“Annie is calmer now,” I said to reassure Laura, because I could see a worried line forming in the space between her eyes. She gave a wry smile and nodded. “Thank you,” she said. I gave a slight shake of my head and picked up the disposable cups again. “Terrence must be talking to her right now,
Suzy The front door of a small apartment in one of Brooklyn's low-income buildings was opened for me. Clary, my friend, looked at me from the bottom up and said, "Look, if it's not a bitch coming back. What was it? Are you tired of playing with those richie people?” I let out a breathy laugh, roll
Laura POV “I love the outfit you chose to wear today. You’re absolutely stunning, my love,” I said, praising my daughter while gently caressing her arm. This weekend had been tough for Annie. She’d had the freshman ball on Friday night, and today, Sunday, she had to accompany me to this brunch at L
Annie POV That night, we fell asleep curled up together, still reveling in each other’s bodies. It was simply impossible to describe. A mix of longing, nostalgia, and satisfaction at having him there again, feeling his body under my fingers, his kisses, his gaze, running my hand through his silky
Annie POV Peter Morton’s face was just inches from mine, staring at me. The electric blue of his eyes was so close I could see his irises dilating and contracting. “You okay, Lady Ann?” he asked. I sighed with a small smile, half in delight. “It’s been a while since anyone called me that.” Actual
Annie POV The masked boy—who I didn’t want to admit was Peter—took me to an upscale, comfortable hotel where I could spend the night safely, away from everything, and try to regain my composure and figure out what to do next. “You can stay here,” he said calmly, though his voice still carried a hi
Annie POV The masked boy led me through the dark campus, his hand firm in mine as we ran away from the ballroom. My legs trembled, the blue dress swishing with each step, and tears still streamed down my face, hot and relentless. The sound of the shouts, the judgments, still echoed in my head, bu
“No choice?” He cut me off, his tone incredulous. “Are you serious? You chose to help Madison make that video. You chose to plug it into the projector. And now Annie’s out there, broken, while you try to run from the responsibility. This doesn’t fix anything, Abby. It wasn’t supposed to end like thi
Abby POV I was there, tucked away in the shadows of the ballroom’s corner, my heart still racing as I watched the chaos I’d helped create unfold. The giant screen kept playing that horrible video, distorted and manipulated clips of Annie echoing through the room like a final verdict. People poin
Annie POV I was still on the dance floor, the warmth of the masked boy’s body against mine, my head resting on his chest as the slow music guided us. The sound of his heartbeat against my ear was almost hypnotic, and I let myself get lost in that feeling I couldn’t quite explain. He’d just said s
I swallowed hard, Caleb’s words coming back to haunt me. “Have you ever stopped to think that maybe we’ve gone too far?” He’d said that at the mall, and I’d hung up on him, but now they echoed in my head. Annie had hurt me, yes. The fight in the dorm, the way she called me fake, like I was trash she