LOGINHi there! OMG, Happy New Year! 🥳 Thank you so much for choosing my book. I know it might feel a little confusing at the beginning, but I promise—you’ll fall in love with it as you read. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 💖 With love, OJ
CAMILLA“The one whose child you’re carrying,” he said calmly.For a moment, the words didn’t quite land. They hovered somewhere between us, heavy and unfamiliar, like they belonged to someone else.I tightened my grip on the edge of the car door, grounding myself before I spoke.“August?” I asked, and even to my own ears, my voice sounded softer than it should have. Less certain.He studied me for a brief moment, his expression unreadable, as if he had already expected that question long before I asked it.“I’m not surprised you’d ask that,” he said smoothly. Then, after a beat, he added, “But what assurance do I have that the child you’re carrying belongs to my grandson?”That one landed.Not lightly. Not accidentally.It struck something deep and raw, something I didn’t want to name because naming it would mean admitting how much it stung. I drew in a slow breath, trying to steady myself, trying not to let him see exactly how insulting that sounded.Because it was insulting.And i
AUGUSTThe drive to the hospital felt too short.And too long at the same time.Taylor lay slumped against the seat, unmoving. Her head tilted at an unnatural angle, her breathing shallow.Every time I looked at her, something twisted deeper in my chest.My hands tightened on the wheel.I should not have pushed her.The thought kept repeating. It was loud. Relentless. It would not let me breathe.I did not even remember the exact moment. Just anger. Frustration. Then the sound of her body hitting the floor.Silence after.Too much silence.“Taylor… please,” I muttered, glancing at her again. No response.My chest tightened.For a second, a sharp, ugly thought cut through me.What if she doesn’t wake up?I swallowed hard.I pressed harder on the accelerator.On the way, I made the call.One person I had not planned to involve.One person I knew I could not handle this without.My grandfather.He picked up on the second ring.“I need you,” I said.A pause.Then, “Where?”I gave him the
CAMILLAThe gunshots didn’t stop.They came one after another, ripping through the silence, shaking the walls, rattling my chest. Each one made me flinch and made my heart hammer like it wanted to escape.Footsteps pounded outside. Voices shouted. Chaos filled every corner of the room.I couldn’t move. My body refused. My mind felt frozen, fogged, too small to process it all.Then the door slammed open.Monty burst in.Rico followed, his face twisted in anger. Their calm had vanished. Control was gone. Panic clung to them, raw and exposed.Monty’s eyes found me immediately.“Fuck,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair.Another shot rang out. Closer. Too close.Rico barked, “What the hell is going on? You said this place was secure!”“It was,” Monty snapped, already moving toward me. “Until it wasn’t. We need to get her out now.”I froze as he dropped to my level. His hands moved fast, cutting and tugging at the ropes.For a moment, I didn’t trust it.Then the ropes loosened.R
CAMILLA“You disgust me.”The words came out low and steady, but there was nothing weak about them.Gianna didn’t even flinch.She sat comfortably on Monty’s lap, one arm draped around his shoulders like she belonged there—like this was where she had always been meant for him. Like I was the one out of place. Like everything we had ever shared had been nothing but a joke to her.She tilted her head, her lips curling into a slow, mocking smile. “You’re still this naïve?” she asked, almost amused. “God, Camilla… that’s actually embarrassing.”My chest tightened, but I refused to look away. “Gianna… why?”“You’re a fool,” she said bluntly. “You always have been. You just never realized it.”Something inside me snapped—quietly, but completely.“A fool?” I let out a soft, humorless laugh. “For trusting you? Yeah… maybe I was.”Her eyes flickered for a second—but it was gone just as quickly.“You should have been wiser,” she continued, her tone colder now. “I mean, how many times did I have
AUGUSTThe room had gone quiet days ago, and the silence felt heavy, like something pressing down on my chest every second.I hadn’t moved from the same spot in hours, maybe longer. Time had started to blur into something meaningless.I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall like it might give me something. Anything at all.I hadn’t slept properly since she disappeared. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her face looking back at me.The way she looked at me that last time stayed with me. It replayed over and over until it stopped feeling like a memory and more like punishment.My phone buzzed again on the table beside me, sharp enough to cut through everything. The sound had become too familiar.I didn’t reach for it immediately because I already knew who it was. Daniel had been calling nonstop, just like everyone else.I dragged my gaze down slowly and stared at the screen. His name flashed again like it refused to give up.For a second, I almost ignored it just to keep t
CAMILLA“Wake up, bitch.”The slap came hard and fast, snapping my head to the side. Pain exploded across my cheek as my eyes flew open, my breath catching sharply in my throat.For a second, everything spun. Then it settled just enough for me to feel how much my body hurt.A weak breath left me as I forced myself up slightly. The cold floor beneath me didn’t help the dizziness.I swallowed hard and lifted my head. Monty stood over me, his shadow stretching across my body.“Monty…” My voice cracked immediately. “Please… just let me go.”He let out a quiet scoff, like I had just embarrassed myself. There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in his reaction.“You’re not going anywhere,” he said calmly. “Not until we get what we want.”My stomach twisted painfully. The certainty in his tone made it worse.I stared at him, trying to find something familiar in his face. There was nothing left.“When did you become like this?” I asked, my voice barely steady. “You used to be kind to me.”Monty







