LOGINZuriI found the three of them in Ethan's room, still dressed down from the party, the tension of the night still hanging heavy in the air between them. The second I walked in and shut the door behind me, all three went quiet, like they already knew this wasn't going to be a good conversation."I need to talk to you. All of you."Chris sat up straighter on the edge of the bed. "That doesn't sound good.""It's not." I forced myself to keep going before I lost my nerve entirely. "I think we need to end this. Whatever this is, between the four of us."Nobody said anything for a long moment."Because of your mum." Audric said it quietly, not a question."Because of my mum." My voice cracked despite everything I'd rehearsed on the walk over. "She's pregnant, and she's terrified for me, and tonight already nearly tore this entire family apart. I can't keep hurting her over this. I won't.""Zuri—""Let me finish." I pressed my hands together to stop them shaking. "I love all three of you. Th
AudricMy mother didn't raise her voice often. When she did, the whole house seemed to hold its breath."You Jezebel." She had Gabriela by the front hall, coat already shoved into her arms, voice cracking through the foyer loud enough that I heard it from the stairs. "Get out of my house. Trying to destroy my son's life with a lie you cooked up because you couldn't stand losing him.""Mrs. Cole, please—""I should call the police and have you charged for what you just tried to pull in there." My mother's finger jabbed toward the living room behind her. "Accusations like that ruin lives, Gabriela. I could throw you in a cell tonight for it. I'm letting you walk out of here instead, because despite everything, I am still someone's mother, and I imagine yours would be devastated to see how you've turned out."Gabriela's composure finally cracked completely, tears streaming as she clutched the coat to her chest. "Audric, I'm sorry. I love you. I love you so much. I only did it because I w
ZuriI found my mum sitting on the edge of the guest bed, hands folded in her lap, staring at nothing when I knocked and let myself in. She'd changed out of her party dress, hair still half pinned from earlier, and the quiet, controlled stillness of her was somehow worse than if she'd been crying.She didn't look up.I knelt in front of her instead of taking the chair across the room, needing to be at her level, needing her to actually look at me. The floor was hard against my knees, but it felt right somehow, smaller than her, deserving of it after everything I'd let unfold tonight without warning her once."Mum. I'm sorry."Nothing. She kept her eyes fixed somewhere past my shoulder, jaw set, the silence stretching long enough that I felt it settle heavy in my chest."Are you still not talking to me?" My voice cracked. "I can't get through this without you. I need you.""You don't need me, Zuri." Her voice finally came, quiet and precise, each word landing like something she'd been
ZuriMy dads led me into the small study off the main hallway and shut the door behind us, and the second it clicked shut, Jackson started pacing, one hand dragging through his hair over and over. Brandon stood by the window with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, quiet in a way that felt worse than shouting.I sat on the edge of the couch, staring at my own hands, shame burning hot enough that I couldn't bring myself to look at either of them."You are in a lot of trouble, Zuri Sterling." Jackson stopped pacing long enough to face me directly. "Starting right now, you're going to explain yourself.""Dad, I'm sorry.""Don't apologize." Brandon's voice stayed level, though I could hear the effort it took to keep it that way. "What was that? Sneaking around with Audric?""I love him."Neither of them said anything right away, both of them just looking at me like they genuinely didn't know what to do with that sentence."He had a girlfriend, Zuri." Brandon finally said. "You c
ZuriGabriela sat curled in the corner of the couch, a jacket wrapped around her shoulders like a shield. Her eyes were red. Her hands shook around the edges of the fabric.I watched from the doorway, and something about the whole scene felt wrong. I just couldn't name it yet.Alexander closed the distance in three strides. He grabbed Audric by the collar and slapped him. Once. Twice. The sound cracked through the room. Nobody moved.That came as a shock to everyone, including Audric, whose hand was on his cheek, which looked red from the impact."I didn't raise a son who doesn't know to stop when a woman says no," he said, his eyes burning with hot rage.Ethan spoke first, his voice hard. "How could you believe what Gabriela said?" He didn't even look at her. "We all know who Gabriela is. We went to school with her. You're going to take her word over your own son's?"Chris shook his head. "Gabriela is a liar. She doesn't have a single truth in her." He looked straight at his father.
AudricI found Gabriela in my room after the party wound down, still in the red dress, sitting on the edge of the bed scrolling through her phone like nothing about tonight had happened at all. Like she hadn't stood in front of half my family and told Zuri she was too fat for a dress that fit her perfectly."We need to talk.""About what?" She didn't even look up."I want you gone by morning."That got her attention. She set the phone down slowly, staring at me like I'd spoken a language she didn't understand. "Excuse me?""You heard me." I kept my voice level, even though everything in me had been building toward this exact moment since the garden. "This isn't working. It was never real to begin with, and we both know it.""You're breaking up with me." Her voice climbed, disbelief curdling fast into fury. "At your parents' anniversary. In their house.""I should have ended it before we even got here."She grabbed the nearest thing within reach, a ceramic lamp off the dresser
RheaI just wanted the three of us, doing whatever we felt like. I wanted to feel normal—or as normal as a girl can feel when she’s in love with two gorgeous, lethal men.“Whatever you need, Angel,” Brandon said, an arrogant smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as he took my chin gently betwee
RheaJackson held my gaze as he unbuckled his belt, flicked open his zipper, and stepped out of his pants. My eyes dropped to the heavy bulge on his boxers as he hooked his fingers on the band, slowly pushing it down and stepping out of them.I stared at his luscious cock, the tip purple, pre-cum a
JacksonThe Harrisons arrived first, their Mercedes pulling smoothly into the circular driveway. I watched from the living room window as Thomas Harrison stepped out, already wearing his hunting vest even though we wouldn’t head into the woods for hours. His wife, Linda, followed, a homemade pie ba
Rhea “Hey,” I said, the sheepish smile on my face never leaving. “Mi vida.” He reached me, his eyes immediately taking in my appearance. His hands found mine and held them gently. “You look beautiful. That dress—you’re stunning.”The compliment should have made me happy. Instead, it made me wa







