LOGINThe humiliation burned fresh in her mind… the way Aria had spoken so calmly, the way others had stared. Selene’s jaw clenched tighter with every red light she passed. She turned into the long driveway of the villa, the grand house rose ahead, she had no minute to spare in parking the car religiously, rather she sped up, parking crooked right in front of the entrance. She killed the engine, pushed the door open so hard it bounced back, and dashed toward the heavy wooden doors. “Mom! Mom!” she yelled, her voice rang high in the early evening air. She lunged forward, each step a mark of the pain locked up inside her. Each step hard against the floor as she made toward the staircase, then the sound of a fork hitting against a porcelain bowl reached her. She stopped, turned to the direction, her mother sat there. Selene’s mother sat at the long dining table, slowly lifting the fork to her mouth. The woman chewed without hurry, her blue robe draped over her shoulders. She didn’t look
Selene Arkwright pushed through the heavy glass doors of the upscale gym, her yoga mat tucked under one arm and her water bottle swinging in her other hand, just like every other evening she felt like stretching out her body. She had done this walk hundreds of times before. Her curls had been pulled together into a ponytail, bouncing behind her with each step as she headed straight for the female changing room. As usual, she yanked open her locker, pulled off her light jacket, and stuffed it inside without folding it. The mirror on the locker door showed her reflection, tight sports bra, flushed cheeks from the short walk outside, and her designer leggings hugging her legs perfectly. She stepped out and made her way to the revolving passage door that led into the main workout hall. Selene smiled to herself, already imagining the stretch of her yoga class ahead. Yoga was one thing that kept her demons away. She would sit on the mat, stretch, and imagine herself with Ronan and a be
JUNE; “June,” he finally said, his voice low and rough, almost like it hurt to push the word out. He took another half-step closer, then paused again. “I… I didn’t know if you’d want to see me.” His fingers still tapping the key, like it was the only thing keeping him sane. I let go of the doorframe slowly, my palm sweaty. “You found me here. At Romy’s place.” My voice came out quieter than I wanted. “How?” He rubbed the back of his neck again, harder this time. “Doesn’t matter how. I just… needed to talk to you.” His eyes dropped to the ground once more, then lifted to meet mine again. “You’ve been avoiding my calls. I get it. After everything dad said to you…” “Your Dad!” I cut in, voice sharp, I was sure Ronan could detect how pissed I was. “Noted!” He replied, raising his hands in a mock surrender. “After the way I acted at the library… I figured you might not want me around.” The mention of his father made my stomach twist. Those cold words from Mr. Grayson still
JUNE;The rest of the week had been unfortunately uninteresting. But for some reason, it was one of the most peaceful weeks I had had in recent times. Well, aside from the harsh words and disdainful stares from Mrs. Brown at work, Matthew wanting to talk after each class, trying to explain he had a little bit too much to drink on the night he was pressing himself hard against me, and Ronan? He had stayed away. Completely away from me.I paused as the thought crossed my mind. My hand froze on the flat shoes I was shoving onto my right foot. The other hand gripped the sheets a little too tightly, wrinkling the fabric under my fingers. The knots started forming in my chest again, twisting and pulling until it hurt to breathe normally. The calls had stopped coming, each time my phone beeped during the week, I would rush to grab it, heart jumping into my throat, only to feel it sink when it wasn’t his name on the screen. I only saw him around Selene now, either she was tugging tightly o
JUNE;I pushed open the heavy library door, breathing hard from rushing across campus. My watch showed I was exactly three minutes late. The cool air from the air conditioners inside hit my face, carrying the familiar smell of old books, polished wood, and luxury perfumes. My eyes scanned the quiet space for where the fragrances came from and landed straight on them in the center area. Selene sat close to Ronan at one of the big tables, her head tilted toward him as she talked. My feet stopped moving completely. I could have sworn it was my very first time seeing Ronan in the library. What was he doing here?He looked up at the same moment, stood so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor. His eyes locked on mine, brows creased deep with worry lines across his forehead, like he hadn’t slept all night. I had ignored every single call and text from him since yesterday evening, letting my phone ring out each time, while my heart twisted. And I made sure to leave the classroom
RONAN; I already knew coming to confront Selene at the Arkwrights’ Villa was not a so-good decision the moment I stepped into the massive living room. I felt it, like I shouldn’t be here, like I had acted on impulse without thinking. The mode and speed at which I drove into the compound weren't the same as the ones I used when I stepped into the living room. I had stepped out of my car, leaned against it while I dialed her number. I was fuming, the confrontation I'd had with Dad still burning me up. I needed to know how he got to know about those messages between June and me. Not just that, when June had told me a strange number was texting her, threatening her about us. I hadn't given it much thought. But after what happened with Natalie earlier today, the way she lured me to her house and blackmailed me into banging her pussy hard, the heated conversation with Dad, and seeing Selene in Dad’s office, all of them boiled down to one thing…. What if June was in actual danger







