MasukEVAThe drive back was quiet. I stared out the window, watching the city blur past us and I wished I could go with it, my mind empty for once. When we finally pulled up to the estate, I climbed out without a word and went straight to my room.I flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. What a disaster. No Becky's sale. No discounted dresses. Just a broken car and a sunburn on my arm. Thankfully it wasn't that big or visible.I can already hear Chloe's voice in my head, telling me I should have taken the second route that Nico suggested, and that I gave up too easily. Becky's having a discount sale was a gold mine left unattended. And I was probably the reason the car broke down in the first place because the universe knew I was about to buy something cheap and it needed to stop me.But, the last time I took any route at all, I broke an arm, a leg and ribs.Yeah, like those bones that protect your organs. I couldn't possibly risk it again. These things give you trauma and trust
EVAI woke up to sunlight streaming through the curtains and the weight of another year pressing down on my chest and about to sink me into the bed.My birthday. Another forsaken reminder that I was getting old. I should be young. Forever.I don't even want to celebrate it.The idea of getting older pisses me off so bad. I can't even fake it. I’m supposed to have a house, my house, cars all lined up, my own company. It's partly my fault and about ninety percent Jason's. If he didn't fuck me up and left me to fend for a child when I was practically a child myself I wouldn't be in this mess.I'm on a train to my thirties and my life is still a mess.Ugh! Thirties.I was still living in someone else's house, recovering from some stupid injuries I shouldn't have had in the first place. I just wanted to lie there and pretend the day doesn't exist.Spend the rest of the day bathing in sunlight, going in and out of sleep until I get hungry.I shook my head and dragged myself out of bed, drag
EVAOnce I was done opening all the gifts, Mira reached into her bag and pulled out another gift, this one was slightly larger than the others, wrapped in plain brown paper. "This one isn't to open until your birthday. So don't even think about it. Chloe will report back to me."Give me one second, she'll open the box before I even do the minute Mira leaves.Chloe will report back?"You could've just given it to her and told her to give it to me on my birthday. You can't just give me something and tell me not to open it. You don't think I get curious too?""You'll survive."I sighed and set the box aside, already planning how to sneak a peek when they weren't looking.I grabbed the bag I'd brought and handed it to Mira. "For your trip. I wasn't sure what you'd need, so I got you a perfume set and a journal. I also didn't have time to wrap it."“Oh yeah, sure, and nothing for me. I love that.” Chloe rambled on, stuffing her mouth with cake. Diabetes is probably looking at her through t
EVAOne of them suddenly lunged forward, his shoulder hitting mine as he shoved his camera in my face. I stumbled back, my bad leg nearly giving out, and I would have fallen if Nico didn't grab my arm in time."That's enough!" He yelled and stopped, his body between me and the cameras. "You touch her again, and I'll use force. I don't have a lawyer to threaten you with, so don't test me."The paparazzi immediately went quiet, the flashes reducing to a few accidental clicks. A few of them took a step back, their cameras lowering slightly. The man who shoved me looked like he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue.One of them patted the man's shoulder then called out, "Did Mr. DeLuca put you up to this? Threatening people to protect his assistant?"Nico almost rolled his eyes. "You got a problem with that?"The man hesitated. "Just wondering if the girlfriend is the assistant. You seem overly protective of just an assistant.""I'm going to smash your head with my knee." The m
EVATWO WEEKS LATERI stared at my leg that was stretched out on an exam table, my leg looked like some tuber laid out that way in front of me, but with a cast around it. I watched with squinted eyes as the doctor peeled away the cast.It's been so itchy these past few days, uncomfortable, and I can't really count how many times I've attempted to get it off with a spoon or knife, but then someone catches me and warns me otherwise.So I could only settle for scratching the itch with Lily's pencil.The plaster was rough and so uncomfortable. It was undoing everything it was supposed to do.I winced as the saw buzzed close to my leg. The noise was loud, high-pitched, and I had to resist the urge to pull my leg away as it got closer.What if he missed?What if it accidentally slides to the wrong side? What if he cuts in too deep and breaks the bones my body just fixed. He's a professional unknown but they don't foresee mistakes? They're not seers or magicians, they're humans, and if you
EVAMarianne turned to us, taking a sip of her tea, her eyes cold and almost angry. "What? Can I not discipline my own son anymore?"Disc–what?What the fuck is he? Seven? You discipline a child! A child is what you discipline not a fucking adult. Discipline for what exactly?Not doing the dishes? Burning dinner? Or being rude because I know Dante, the only thing you can have a problem with is his disinterest in speaking.And I've seen the way he talks to her, dude. I stared at her. "This attempted murder, not discipline.” I muttered under my breath. Even if you want to discipline you don’t hold a weapon to their neck, it's a small scratch yes,but one wrong move and blood is gushing out. The skin there isn't as thick as we think, I hope she knows that.She'll kill the son she won't stop flaunting around in the name of discipline.“Mrs DeLuca, If you're mad at anyone, it should be me, not Dante."She scoffed and slammed her teacup down with more force than necessary, the ceramic cli
I woke to a harsh string of sunlight on my face. Streaming through a window I didn't recognize, falling across a bed that wasn't mine, and I lay there for one horrible, suspended moment with my brain struggling to catch up to my body.What happened…?I shut my eyes and pinched my nose bridge as I w
“What are you doing?”“What does it look like?”I turned and walked out slamming the door with enough force behind me that everyone walking the hallway stopped to see what was going on.I made it to the sidewalk outside the hotel before my legs began to shake again. I stumbled into the first alley
“Suite 1204. He’s been there for an hour.”The text from the unknown number glowed on my screen. Below it was a grainy photo from a hotel lobby. Jace’s back, in his favorite suit with a blonde woman’s hand in his.I looked away from the picture and took a deep breath before dialing his number.He p
A soft knock came at the door and a second later a nurse appeared with a tray of mashed potatoes, shredded chicken, and a cup of applesauce.“Figured you might be hungry,” she said, setting the tray on the bedside table. “Doctor Wright asked me to bring it over.”I didn't realize I was hungry until







