LOGINMaisie ~I pressed my forehead against the wall and tried to breathe. My legs were weak, my core ached, every inch of my skin was on fire.‘If you can't take it, come find me.’I shouldn't be thinking about this. I was getting married tomorrow. I was Alistair's fiancée.I heard footsteps and quickly smoothed my dress, arranged my hair and stepped out of the place even though I felt sticky as hell.Devyne was standing in the hallway, talking to Alistair. She noticed me first, her eyes scanning over me like she was looking for something, but she said nothing and looked away."There you are," Alistair said, walking toward me. "I was looking for you. I came to let you know I’ll be driving Devyne home."I nodded. "Yeah, sure"Devyne stepped closer. “What about walking me out?” she asked.I stared at her for a moment, then slowly nodded.We walked out of the house to where Alistair’s car was parked. He opened the passenger door for Devyne, and she got in while he moved to the driver’s seat.
Maisie ~I stared at the direction Devyne had disappeared, her words still echoing in my ears.Was that a warning? A threat? I’ve always seen her as a rival from the beginning. She had draped herself over Alistair, whispered in his ear, stolen his attention at every turn. And now she was acting strange. Almost... kind?I didn't trust it.I stood up, drained the remaining wine from my glass, and headed inside to return it to the kitchen.The maids were cleaning up. The guests were still scattered around the mansion, laughing and drinking. Tomorrow was the wedding, tonight was the last night of freedom I would ever know.I left the kitchen and walked toward the dining room.A hand came out from nowhere, grabbed my arm and pulled me into a shadowed corner near the back staircase.A door clicked shut behind me.I gasped softly, my heart slamming against my ribs as I looked up.Hunter.His mismatched eyes gleamed in the dim light. He was so close I could smell him. My body remembered that
Maisie ~She suddenly stopped smiling and inhaled softly. "Relax. I won’t tell anyone. I mean… what’s there to talk about?" I stared at her, my fingers tightening slightly around my phone behind my back. I didn’t believe her, not for a second.She tilted her head, studying my face more closely now, “It’s Hunter, isn’t it? The body is almost the same as Alistair’s.”The words settled slowly, and then all at once.Almost the same as Alistair’s?How would she know that unless she had seen Alistair's body up close? Unless… she had been intimate with him.My stomach turned. But what could I say? I had done the same with Hunter. I had slept with my fiancé's twin. And just now, I had received an inappropriate picture from him...a picture I had stared at, zoomed in on, enjoyed.I had no right to judge anyone.Devyne stepped closer and gently turned me to face the mirror, positioning herself behind me. Her hands came up to adjust the gown on my shoulders, smoothing the fabric."Happy marriage
Maisie~My heart slammed against my ribs, the weight of her stare pressing down on me so hard I could feel the suspicion already forming in the air.But I couldn't give myself away.Meanwhile, Hunter stood there, hands in his pockets, leaning against the counter, completely at ease."You're back? Thank goodness." He said with a sigh.Mrs Grimshaw raised a brow, her eyes moving from him to me, then back to him.I held my breath and forced my face to stay neutral.Hunter eyes shifted to me. "Are you just going to keep ignoring me?" he said, frowning slightly. "I said I'm hungry."I blinked rapidly, caught off guard. For a moment, I was completely speechless and confused. Then, slowly, it clicked into place, and I understood what he was doing… he was giving me an out, a way to act more normal.So I played along.I turned away from him without responding, and walked straight toward Mrs. Grimshaw instead, focusing all my attention on her."Mom." I reached for her bag, carefully taking it f
Hunter ~For the past few days, I hadn't shown my face at the mansion, not because I didn’t want to, but because it never felt like the right moment. I hadn’t been doing anything interesting either, which was exactly why, this morning, I decided to do something… entertaining. And now, this evening, I was here to finish it.I sat in the middle of the warehouse, one leg crossed over the other, staring at the man my boys had dragged in for me. I had told Maisie I’d let the police handle it, but they did nothing. Those shitheads had released him after making him pay a fine. I was going to teach him a lesson myself, the kind the law couldn't give him.One of my men stepped forward and yanked the black cloth off the man’s head.He blinked rapidly, squinting under the harsh light, and the moment his vision cleared and landed on me… his face drained of color.“What… what do you want?” he stammered.I rose to my feet and walked toward him slowly. His hands were bound, he couldn't fight back. H
Maisie ~~I stared at her— at the woman who had given birth to me, who had raised me, who was now looking at me like I was a threat to her survival."Without the Grimshaws, we have nothing," she continued, her voice cracking. "Nothing, Maisie. And you just walked out on her? You defied her in front of her son, in front of her guards. Do you think she'll forget that? Do you think she'll forgive it?”“So you wanted me to stay?” I whispered. “You wanted me to let her lock me in a room like some animal?”“I wanted you to act like an understanding fiancée!” she snapped, stepping closer and jabbing her finger against my chest. “Do you even know how much they’ve done for us? Do you know who made sure you graduated without being called names?”My brows pulled together. “What are you talking about?”She didn’t answer directly.“Your father’s business was collapsing,” she said instead, her tone lowering, but growing more dangerous. “We were drowning. And the Grimshaws threw us a helping rope. A
Maisie~A hand shaking my shoulder dragged me from a dreamless sleep."Maisie. Wake up."I groaned, burying my face deeper into the pillow. The voice was familiar and far too cheerful for whatever ungodly hour this was."Maisie Whitlock."My eyes flew open. My mom was sitting on the edge of my bed,
Hunter~Just as I felt the last of her resistance start to fade, a sharp ringtone suddenly broke the moment.It was my phone.For a single, frustrated moment, I considered ignoring it. The taste of her surrender was still on my lips, more intoxicating than anything I had ever known.But duty...my k
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. My mind screamed at me to push him away, to duck under his arm and run, but my body was frozen like a statue. My gaze dropped to his left arm, so close to my face I could see the intricate details of the black ink swirling over his skin. My mission screamed in
I opened my mouth, a soundless question hanging on my tongue, but before I could shape it into words, Hunter took a sudden step forward.Panic shot through me as I stumbled back, my heel catching the edge of the stone and nearly sending me off balance. His strong, wet hand steadied my elbow, his gr







