EMILY’S POV
“What kind of bait?” I asked, eyes narrowing as I leaned forward slightly, trying to read more into Dave’s cryptic expression.
A faint, cold smirk tugged at the edge of his lips, the kind that made my stomach turn with both unease and curiosity. It was the kind of look that meant he was holding onto something dangerous but possibly effective.
Olivia, who had remained silent for a while now, suddenly stood up and scoffed in frustration. “Emily, don’t you understand?” she snapped, pointing at the tablet still resting on the glass table. “Look at the invitation card. Look at the date, the guests, the security detail. He’s planning to draw them in there, at the wedding anniversary.”
My gaze returned to the screen, and sure enough, a high-profile digital invitation blinked in soft golden colors. Sinclair & Sinclair 30th Wedding An
EMILY’S POV"Answer me!!! Is that why you pushed her off the stairs?" Olivia’s voice tore through the air, sharp and furious. Her eyes, full of disbelief, rage, and something deeper, disgust, bore into me. I stood at the foot of the stairs, my arms crossed over my chest, watching her with a cool expression.I scoffed, refusing to let her words and expression shake me. "I didn’t push her. She fell off the stairs herself," I replied firmly, lifting a shoulder in a half-shrug.“Don’t believe her, she pushed me off the stairs!” Celeste shrieked from where she lay, still at the bottom of the staircase, gripping her arm dramatically. “Emily hurt me!”The crowd gasped loudly. Eyes widened. Hands flew to mouths. Some people even stumbled backward from the weight of the accusation. Phones were now up. Lights blinked. Flashlights sparked. The entire moment was be
EMILY'S POVThings had been moving along smoothly for a week well, as smooth as they could be when everything was secretly boiling beneath the surface. Dave’s idea, as dangerous as it was, seemed to be working. He had been meticulous with his planning, and Olivia and I followed his lead, each of us playing our part carefully and silently. But as the days crept closer to the event, so did the tension. I could feel it in my bones.And now, the day of Dave’s parents' wedding anniversary had finally arrived.The calm before the storm had never felt so real.Over the past week, the ringing in my ears had come and gone like a ghost sometimes distant, sometimes sharp and close. But I didn’t tell anyone. Not even Ethan. I didn’t want to give anyone a reason to stop me from attending the event. I didn’t want anyone trying to protect me when this was something I needed to do.
EMILY'S POVI woke up to the sharp scent of antiseptic and the soft, steady beep of a heart monitor beside me. The light above wasn’t too harsh, but everything still felt like it was pulsing, too bright, too silent, too heavy.I turned my head slowly and let out a low sigh when I saw the familiar faces gathered around my bed: a doctor in a white coat, Olivia standing near the window with her arms crossed, Dave sitting in a corner tapping his fingers on his thigh, and Ethan… Ethan was by my side, looking down at me with his usual unreadable expression, cold, but quietly concerned.The doctor noticed I was awake and immediately walked over.He shined a small light in my eyes. “Can you hear me?” he asked gently, his tone calm but professional.I blinked a few times. The ringing in my ears had dulled, but it was still lingering like the aftermath of a fire al
EMILY’S POV“What kind of bait?” I asked, eyes narrowing as I leaned forward slightly, trying to read more into Dave’s cryptic expression.A faint, cold smirk tugged at the edge of his lips, the kind that made my stomach turn with both unease and curiosity. It was the kind of look that meant he was holding onto something dangerous but possibly effective.Olivia, who had remained silent for a while now, suddenly stood up and scoffed in frustration. “Emily, don’t you understand?” she snapped, pointing at the tablet still resting on the glass table. “Look at the invitation card. Look at the date, the guests, the security detail. He’s planning to draw them in there, at the wedding anniversary.”My gaze returned to the screen, and sure enough, a high-profile digital invitation blinked in soft golden colors. Sinclair & Sinclair 30th Wedding An
EMILY'S POVThe day I left the hospital, the sun was bright, too bright as if it was trying to mock the storm still brewing inside me. A week had passed since the accident, and yet my mind still carried the echo of glass shattering. That moment replayed in my head like a haunting lullaby every night. Sometimes I jolted awake, other times I couldn’t sleep at all.Olivia stood at the foot of the hospital bed, carefully folding the last of my clothes into a navy duffel bag. Her movements were quiet, focused, almost ritualistic, like this was a moment she didn’t want to rush. I sat nearby, slowly pacing the room as I tried to shake the nerves crawling under my skin.I let out a sigh, pressing a hand lightly to my still-tender ribs. They’d healed more quickly than expected, thanks to the miracle of modern medicine, but the emotional bruises remained untouched. “You don’t have to do everything for
EMILY'S POVThe room felt like it was spinning. Dave’s words echoed in my ears again and again, each repetition more painful than the last.You were pregnant.But not anymore.Spontaneous abortion.I sat frozen, unable to speak, unable to breathe. It was as if someone had slammed an iron door on my chest and locked it shut. My vision blurred, not from the hospital lighting but from the flood of tears building up in my eyes.And then, the door flung open.“Why are you so callous? What a perfect way to break a bad news to her,” Olivia’s voice pierced through the tension in the room. She scoffed in disbelief, her face pulled in disgust as she glared at Dave.But I couldn’t focus on either of them properly. My mind was spinning, trying to process what had been said. I turned sharply to Olivia, my voice trembling yet ris