LOGIN~Jeremy’s POV~I spotted Maxton outside the lodge, downstairs.He was standing near the concrete railing that separated the paddock from the inner track area, shoulders slightly hunched like he was keeping a low profile. At the sight of him- Relief crashed into my chest first, then something close to pride.I wasn’t seeing him as the one who killed Chris. Circumstances had demanded that. What mattered was that he was here. I closed the distance between us, and pulled him into a hug. It’s been long since I used to see him like a younger brother I didn’t have. I could still remember riding with him for hours, teaching him the core aspects of riding and all.Chris would have killed him.“You’re really here,” I said into his shoulder. “I couldn’t miss today.”I pulled back, gripping his shoulders, scanning his face like I was making sure he was okay. “How the hell did you pull it off?”He exhaled slowly, eyes softening. “You.”I frowned. “Me?”“The lawyer said the statements you wrote h
~Jeremy’s POV~The cigarette burned slowly between my fingers, the smoke curling up toward the wooden ceiling of the lodge like it was searching for a way out. I leaned against the counter by the wide glass window, one shoulder pressed into the cool stone wall, staring out at the stretch of mountains beyond. The morning here in Monaco was quiet in a way that felt peaceful and grounding. I loved it.I shouldn’t have been smoking.I knew that. My lungs needed to be clean. My body needed to be sharp. This race wasn’t some underground run I could muscle through with adrenaline and rage. This was official. International. Precision mattered. Discipline mattered.But the last week had wrecked me.I needed something to take the edge off. Something to quiet the images that kept replaying in my head no matter how hard I tried to focus—blood on white tiles, Teyana’s limped frame that had shaken me to my bones, my father’s hand striking my face, the sound of my own breathing when everything insid
The burial came faster than my heart could keep up with. It was only a day after her death. My stepdad said she had told him she wanted to be buried soon after her death. Learning that my mum had been preparing ahead of her own death had only made me cry deeper.I stood there under a dull sky, dressed in black, sunglasses hiding eyes that were swollen and aching. Carol stood beside me, her arm around my back, steadying me when my legs forgot how to hold my weight.The pastor spoke about heaven, rest and peace.All I could think about was how my mother used to hum when she cooked. How she used to braid my hair even when I pretended I was too old for it. How she used to say my name like it was something precious. When she told me about the lords…how she cared for me in her own faulty way.‘Mum.’The word echoed painfully inside me now, unanswered.John stood a few steps away, grief carved deep into his posture. When he came to me, he wrapped his arms around me carefully, like he was afr
~Teyana’s POV~I went to the hospital that morning believing I still had time.Before now, I had been resting in my apartment with Carol by my side. Jeremy didn’t look back. He hadn’t reached out. My healing was quite fast too.I only experienced body weakness every now and then- including the heaviness in my heart that stayed and refused to go. John had been going to see my mother frequently. He must have felt guilty after I confronted him. He called me regularly, and even sent some huge sums to my account without informing me ahead- so that I wouldn’t lack anything I needed for proper healing.This morning, I was ready to see my mother. I was eager to face her again after we talked on the phone last night. As usual, she was able to spot the hesitation in my voice and had asked if I wanted to tell her anything.She had asked about the baby too and had made me promise again that I wouldn’t remove the pregnancy. If only she knew. I had wanted to tell her on the phone last night, but I
~Teyana’s POV~My Stepdad stood near the window at first, arms folded, staring out at the parking lot below like he was trying to keep himself together for my sake. Vance must have informed him, and now he knew about my pregnancy, and that I had aborted his son’s baby. I wondered how that must have felt to him- considering it was after I confronted him and Mariah earlier today.He finally turned around and approached my bed, “You shouldn’t let Jeremy’s words get to you,” he said gently, pulling the chair beside my bed closer and sitting down. “He was only speaking from a place of anger.”I stared at the ceiling instead of looking at him.My body was still heavy, weak in that quiet way that whispered pain into every movement. My lower abdomen ached faintly, like a reminder I couldn’t switch off. My chest hurt more. That one was louder.John continued, carefully choosing his words like each sentence could either help me breathe or push me further under.“What you did,” he said slowly,
~Jeremy’s POV~I had been sitting here for so long that the plastic chair beneath me had molded to my weight, or maybe I had gone numb enough not to feel it anymore. My hands were clasped together, fingers interlocked so tightly my knuckles had turned pale, yet I hadn’t noticed when it happened.Carrying her in earlier had felt mechanical, like my body was moving ahead of my mind, like instinct had taken over because if I stopped to think, I might have shattered completely.I had been afraid she would die.That fear had been sharp, animalistic, clawing at my chest as I held her weight and felt how fragile she was, how wrong that felt. But now that fear had dulled into something heavier. Anger. A quiet, simmering anger that sat in my lungs and refused to let me breathe properly.I didn’t pray- didn’t pace. I just sat there.When Carol finally came toward me, I shifted and looked up at her. Her steps were hesitant, face pale. I was eager to hear an update from her.“She’s stable now,” s