LOGINGreer’s POVI was too tired to fight him. With a heavy sigh, I got into the car. The leather seat felt cool against my skin as I buckled in. Desmond closed the door gently and jogged around to the driver’s side. As we pulled away from the mansion, I kept stealing glances in the side mirror, half-expecting to see Calder storming out.“Where are we going?” I asked after a few minutes of silence.Desmond smiled softly, keeping his eyes on the road. “It’s a surprise. But I know you’re going to love it. You deserve something beautiful after everything you’ve been through lately. Just relax, okay? I’ve got you.”I nodded weakly and leaned my head against the window, watching the city blur past. My mind was racing. I felt terrible. Desmond was so genuinely kind, so thoughtful… and here I was, preparing to break his heart while still tangled up with my stepfather. The guilt sat like a rock in my stomach.After about twenty minutes, the car slowed down and turned into a beautiful, secluded ga
Greer’s POVI sat there on Cassey’s couch, my hands twisting nervously in my lap as I finished telling her everything, my plans, my regrets, how desperately I wanted to change. The silence that followed felt endless. I braced myself for more disappointment, for her to tell me she needed space or that she couldn’t be friends with someone like me anymore.Instead, Cassey let out a long, shaky breath and looked me straight in the eyes.“I need to be honest with you too,” she said quietly. “Last night… after I left the bar, I went home and I was so angry. So disgusted. I actually called Veda.”My heart stopped. The color drained from my face. “You… you called her?”Cassey nodded, looking guilty. “I had her number dialed and she picked it up. I was this close, Greer. To tell her everything I saw in those messages. I wanted to expose you. I wanted her to know what you’ve been doing behind her back because I was so hurt and confused.”Tears welled up in my eyes again. The fear that hit me w
Greer’s POVLater that night, I sat outside Cassey’s apartment building on the curb for almost an hour after she left me at the bar. Diego had come to pick me up when I finally called him, but I couldn’t bring myself to go home yet. I kept staring at my phone, hoping Cassey would reply.She never did.The alcohol had worn off, leaving me with a pounding headache and a deep, aching emptiness. My best friend knew the truth now. And the way she had looked at me… I had never felt so dirty in my life.I finally asked Diego to take me back to the house. When I got home, the place was quiet. I slipped upstairs to my room without seeing anyone and locked the door.I curled up on my bed still wearing the little black dress Cassey had lent me, hugging my knees to my chest as fresh tears fell.Everything was collapsing. My job. My reputation. My mother’s love. And now… my best friendship.All because of Calder.And the worst part was, even now, a small, sick part of me still craved his touch. Hi
Cassey’s POVI pushed open the door to my apartment and slammed it shut behind me, twisting the lock with shaking fingers. My heart was still pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. I leaned back against the door, breathing heavily, trying to process what I had just seen and heard.It couldn’t be real.I kept replaying the messages in my head, the filthy things Calder had written to Greer. The way he called her “baby,” the graphic descriptions of what he wanted to do to her body, how he claimed she belonged to him. And worse, Greer’s replies. She hadn’t denied it. She had responded to him.My best friend was sleeping with her stepfather. I started pacing around my living room like a caged animal, hands running through my hair. “No… no, no, no,” I muttered under my breath. “This can’t be happening. Greer? Of all people?”The disgust sat heavy in my stomach, making me feel physically sick. He was married to her mother. The thought of the two of them together — of him touching her
Greer’s POVThirty minutes later, I found myself in Cassey’s bedroom, letting her do my makeup. She chose a little black dress from her closet for me and refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. We took a cab to one of our favorite bars downtown, a dimly lit place with loud music, comfortable booths, and strong cocktails.The moment we sat down at the bar, Cassey ordered us two strong margaritas and a plate of nachos.“To new beginnings,” she said, raising her glass with a determined smile. “And to telling toxic families to go screw themselves.”I let out a watery laugh and clinked my glass against hers. The first sip burned going down, but it felt good. The second and third went down easier. As the alcohol started to warm my veins, the tight knot in my chest began to loosen just a little.Cassey kept the conversation light at first, making me laugh with ridiculous stories from her workplace. But when I started tearing up again thinking about Veda’s words, she grabbed my hand.“Hey,” she s
Greer’s POV This was the third time. The third time I had been dragged into this cold, sterile executive conference room to be interrogated like a criminal. My hands were clammy as I sat at the end of the long table, the same seat that now felt like the accused’s box. The board members stared at me with varying degrees of suspicion and disappointment. Veda sat like a queen at the head, her posture rigid and her eyes filled with contempt. Calder was to her right, his jaw tight, looking like he was barely holding himself back.They started firing questions at me almost immediately. “Miss Greer, can you explain why the transfers were made during hours when you were logged into the system?” one board member asked sharply.“I wasn’t the one who made them,” I answered, my voice already strained. “I’ve said this before.”Another director leaned forward. “But the login was yours. Are you saying someone else had access to your password and was using your computer while you were conveniently a







