LOGINHAZEL Luca must have convinced Amanda to get me out of here somehow, or maybe he just threatened her. Maybe he was the one hurting her all along... Of course, how did I not notice? Since Luca is Axel's consigliere, he is one of the few trusted people who knows about the secret path out of the estate. Of course, he's the one who got me here so he can have me to himself, when no one knows where I am and he can exact his revenge."Oh, Go!" I whispered.I was panicking.... I felt tears about to flow when I heard movement. Something moving through the darkness, snapping branches and rustling leaves. I felt he was coming for me. Without any hint of a direction, without even knowing what the hell I was doing, I just started running.That's when the phone lit up. I looked at it and I saw an incoming call. I stopped without thinking and picked up the call, nervously wondering whose voice it was going to be on the other side..... I half expected it to be Luca's smug voice as he laughed at me
HAZELI touched every surface behind me. Every inch and every corner I could find..... Nothing.My breathing became faster, Louder. The darkness felt suffocating, like it was pressing against my skin. I swallowed hard and forced myself to stop moving. Think. Just think. Panicking wasn't going to help. I closed my eyes before realising how stupid that was because everything was already black.I laughed once. A nervous, hysterical little sound. Then I took a deep breath and another. Slowly, my heartbeat began to settle.Amanda had risked approaching me.Amanda had risked asking about Harris.Amanda had looked terrified.She hadn't looked like someone leading me into a trap. She had looked like someone trying to help. Right?The doubt remained, but it was enough. Enough to stop me from completely losing my mind. I carefully reached into my sleeve and unfolded the map again. Of course, I couldn't see it. Not in this darkness. I cursed under my breath.Then I noticed it..... A faint glow.
HAZEL Then I sat back down.... No. Too soon. If I got caught wandering around now, people would ask questions.I groaned and dropped back against the headboard. What about my human shadow? Would Nico still be standing outside my room after everything that had happened today? No way.I slid off the bed and crept toward the door. Slowly, carefully, I pressed my ear against it. Nothing. No footsteps, movement or voices. Just silence. Patience. I needed to wait until everyone was asleep and the house was quiet to move. Then I could find out whether this map was the answer I had been waiting for Or whether it was just another trap.I climbed back onto the bed, the folded paper clutched tightly in my hands. And for the first time since arriving at the Moretti estate, I found myself counting down the hours until midnight.Midnight took forever. Every time I looked at the clock, thinking an hour had passed, I would find out that barely ten minutes had passed. I tossed, turned, sat up, and l
HAZEL I stood there for a few seconds longer, staring after them as they disappeared down the staircase. The sound of Vasilisa's laughter echoed through the hallway, and it grated on my nerves. It made me so damn angry that the two of them had been making fun of me, that Cara had been listening in, and that Vasilisa had threatened me for their amusement. At first, when I met Cara, I thought she was cool, how could I have been so stupid?I was angry at myself. Angry that I kept misinterpreting people, kept misunderstanding every Moretti. Because all of them were the same, weren't they? Cut from the same cloth.I was done, I was finally done. Done with all of them. Done with Vasilisa, Done with Cara and Done with the Morettis. I was done with whatever weird game everybody seemed to be playing against me while I was the only one who didn't know the rules.I slowly went back into my room and closed the bedroom door behind me, leaning against it. The room suddenly felt too small and too s
HAZEL It was A drawing..... I stared at it, confused immediately. What is this supposed to mean?I sat up on the bed properly now, wiping my face as I looked at it more carefully. It wasn’t just a drawing. It looked like a map. Rough, Handmade and Deliberate. My heart slowed without permission. I frowned. But the question stayed stuck in my chest. Who put this here And what is this map? Where does it lead to?I turned it over again in my hands, searching it as it might suddenly explain itself. But it didn’t, it just stayed there, silent and waiting. Without thinking twice, but knowing very well I wasn’t going to get answers tonight, I folded it carefully and neatly, like it mattered, because it probably did.Then I looked around the room. Where to hide it? I had to put it somewhere safe. Somewhere no maid would find and Somewhere Angela wouldn’t think to touch. Somewhere even this house wouldn’t be able to reach it. With the paper still in my hand, I stood there wondering where I co
ARIELLA I wasn't looking at the same Cara anymore. I was looking at the woman from that night.... The woman covered in blood, the one laughing hysterically and the one killing people like it was sports.Cara was crazy. The whole family was crazy. Absolutely insane And somehow that scared the hell out of me. Because she was beautiful, creepy, and terrifying. So I quietly walked back to the chair and sat down. No arguments and no attitude. Nothing. Silence fell immediately after that. Heavy silence. Then suddenly Cara stood up and smiled toward Vasilisa."Why don't I give you a tour of your future home?"Vasilisa immediately lit up."Thank you, Cara. I can't believe that soon the two of us are going to be sisters."They did one of those ridiculous air hugs, giggling together as they walked out. Axel stood after them without sparing either of us a glance. He straightened his suit jacket and walked away without saying a single word. Cassio and Remo exchanged one final hateful stare befo
HAZELAngela freezes as she stares at me.“Remo? Why?”“You told me he’s the only one who might know where Axel is,” I say flatly. “And I want to know where he is.”“That’s not a good idea,” she says. “And Remo isn’t here.”“I can wait,” I answer undeterred by her words.She studies me. “You’re loo
HAZELWhen I open my door, I expect Nico to be standing there like always..... He isn’t.I frown but don’t dwell on it. I walk downstairs and into the dining room. Axel isn’t there. I tell myself it’s fine. He’s probably late. He’s always busy. I sit anyway.Time passes. Angela comes in, quiet as
HAZELI am an idiot.A stupid, stupid idiot.Whàt was I thinking?What the hell was I expecting? That Axel was magically gonna change just because we slept together? That he was gonna..... I don’t know, spoil me? Take care of me after? Say sweet nothings into my ear? Whisper that he loved me?Gosh
HAZELI don’t even have the strength to do my usual bedtime routine. I pull on the teddy pyjamas and crawl under the covers. The last thing I want is another conversation.Of course, when Angela comes back, she lightly touches me. I stir up and give her a look that clearly says, 'Don't push me.'Sh







