Se connecterJENNA’S POVAlec kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the mattress, lying back against the pillows. I slid off my boots and laid down beside him, the mattress dipping under our weight.He reached out, hooked his arm around my waist, and pulled me flush against his side. My head rested against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.“Are you going to tell me what happened?” Alec asked softly, his voice low in the quiet room. “Was that your mother’s boyfriend out there?”“Husband,” I muttered into his shirt. “Apparently they got married.”“Why are you scared of him?”I went completely still, my throat closing up. Silence stretched between us.“You know you can talk to me,” Alec murmured, his hand gently patting my back.“I will,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. “When I’m ready.”He let out a quiet sigh, his thumb stroking my side. “It’s okay. What do you want to do now?”“I don’t know. I just want to take my mind off it.”Alec paused for a second. “Do you want
“Jenna? What's going on?”“Alec,” I choked out, pressing the phone harder against my ear with both hands. My knuckles were white, my whole body vibrating with tremors I couldn't stop. “I’m at my dad’s house... I can't stay here. I need you to come get me. Please.”On the other end of the line, the background noise instantly shifted. I heard the sudden, harsh scrape of a chair dragging across floorboards, followed by the muffled sound of Roman asking a question that Alec ignored.“Why are you crying?” Alec asked, his tone dropping flat and sharp, stripped clean of any patience. “Did your dad lay a hand on you?”“No…no,” I whispered, staring wide-eyed at the door as if it might blow open any second. “My mom's here. And she brought someone else—some guy—and I can't be in this house, Alec. I just can't. Please, you have to get me out of here.”A low curse spilled out of Alec’s mouth over the line. “Open the window facing the side driveway. Keep your shoes on, keep your door locked, and d
I stayed in my room for a little while after Anna left, taking my time to unpack.I hung up my clothes, put my toiletries in the bathroom, and tried to slow my breathing down. Being back in this house made my chest feel tight, but Anna’s quiet kindness made it somewhat bearable. I was genuinely curious about what she meant by a surprise.Once I was done, I opened my bedroom door and walked down the quiet hallway and made my way down the grand staircase. As I reached the bottom, I heard soft laughter coming from the formal sitting room near the front of the house.I walked toward the doorway and peeked inside.Sitting on the armchair near the window was my mother.My breath caught in my throat. I hadn't seen her in months, and seeing her sitting right there in her warm sweater, sipping coffee, felt almost surreal."Mom?"She turned her head, her face lighting up the second her eyes landed on me. "Jenna!"Before I could even think, I rushed into the room. She stood up, and I threw my ar
JENNA’S POVThe shrill buzz of my alarm made me groan, the sound piercing right through my skull. I blindly reached out across the nightstand, grabbed my phone without opening my eyes, and hit snooze.I dragged myself into the bathroom and splashed cold water over my face to force myself awake. After running through my morning routine, I grabbed my phone and headed out down the hallway.As I neared the living room, the low rumble of two male voices stopped me in my tracks.I knew Roman would be there, but the other one…?Did Alec not leave?I walked into the living room and stopped when I saw my dad seated on my couch.Roman was sitting on the other couch opposite him.“Dad?”He turned his head and flashed me a wide, warm smile—a look so entirely out of character for him that my stomach flipped in suspicion.“Good, you’re awake. We were just talking about you.”I shot Roman a bombastic side-eye but he just gave a helpless shrug, keeping his mouth shut.“Talking about me why?” I asked,
ALEC’S POVI led her around to the back entrance of the apartment building, pushing the door open so we could slip inside together.We didn't even make it past the utility hallway before a shadow stepped out from the dim lighting.Roman was standing right there, arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the wall like he'd been waiting for us. His eyes dragged from me to Jenna, taking in her messy hair and the flush on her skin.“Seriously? You’re bringing her in by 9pm,” Roman said, his voice tight.“Sorry,” Jenna muttered, looking down.“Jenna, go to your room,” I said, keeping my gaze locked on my best friend.“Okay. Goodnight,” Jenna said. She turned on her heel and disappeared down the hall toward her bedroom, her door clicking shut a second later.“Bro, I told you—” Roman started, pushing off the wall.“I know. I’m sorry,” I cut in, keeping my tone grounded.“And don’t ever take her somewhere without telling me again,” he warned, stepping closer, his jaw set. “What if her fath
ALEC’S POVWhen I bought this building five months ago, I had no clue what I wanted to do with it. Even now, I still don’t. But having a property to my name felt... responsible.I felt like my father would be proud of me. He was an excellent businessman who took risks, investing in things people thought were dead ends, and he always made them work.I wanted to be like that. I wanted to be like him. But how?How do I do that when I can’t even figure out my own future? I’m twenty-one and confused as hell. At my age, my old man was already a billionaire, while I’m just... here.Before he died, I had it all figured out. All I ever wanted was to be a professional racer. But now, as his only child, I felt like I had to be more. I had to keep his legacy alive and not just sit back while my uncle handled everything.This place was once a big, luxury hotel until the company owning it went bankrupt and couldn’t manage it anymore. It cost a fortune, but it wasn't something I couldn't afford. All
I dressed up and went downstairs for dinner. Anna was placing some plates on the table, so I joined her, helping arrange them.“Is Dad having dinner with us? He’s not back, is he?” I asked, adjusting the forks.“No, he’ll have his when he’s back,” she replied.“Then who is the extra plate for?” I a
A knock on my dragged me out of my dream.“Jenna?” Anna’s voice floated through the door, soft and overly excited for 7 a.m. “Sweetheart, it’s your first day. You have to get up!”Right, First day of school in these new town.I shot up from bed with a burst of energy I definitely didn’t have last n
His body froze, mid-thrust. The girl beneath him whimpered, confused by the sudden halt.For a beat, a long, agonizing beat, he simply stared. Then, a slow, chilling smirk spread across his lips. His eyes, still locked on mine, held a malicious glint. The girl cried out a gasp of pleasure as he sla
After long hours of different lectures, with Liza by my side of course, it was finally time to go home.And that was when I realized something very important.I had no transportation.And worse, I didn’t even know my home address.I pulled out my phone and dialed Dad’s number. It rang then went str







