LOGINI walked back to the big house, my chest tight and heavy. This is what I wanted, right? Revenge. Justice for my mother. I should be happy…
But I wasn’t. Instead, I felt sick, angry at myself, and hollow inside. I went straight to my mother’s room, needing to tell her what I had done. “Why are you back so early? Why aren’t you at the festival?” She asked, looking up from her chair. “Mom… I… I did something,” II walked back to the big house, my chest tight and heavy. This is what I wanted, right? Revenge. Justice for my mother. I should be happy… But I wasn’t. Instead, I felt sick, angry at myself, and hollow inside. I went straight to my mother’s room, needing to tell her what I had done. “Why are you back so early? Why aren’t you at the festival?” She asked, looking up from her chair. “Mom… I… I did something,” I stammered, my voice shaking. “What? What happened, Cade?” She stood up, walking toward me, concerned. “I… I did it to get back at Stacey for what I thought she was doing to you… I… I raped Racheal,” I whispered, the words tasting like poison. Her eyes went wide, her face draining of color. “You did WHAT?!” “I forced myself on her. I… I took her innocence… I raped her,” I repeated, tears stinging my eyes.
— The Festival Night FLASHBACK BEGINS This was the night everything changed—the night my misery and pain began, the night I turned into something dark and cruel. It was the annual island festival. As the heir to the resort and the Callaghan fortune, I was expected to attend, to smile, to play the part of the perfect son. And I did. But inside, I was burning with hatred. For a week, I had been planning this. I was happy—happy because I knew that tonight, I would finally get my revenge on Racheal and her mother for what they had done to my family. Every single night for the past seven days, I watched my mother cry herself to sleep. Every night, I saw my father slip out of the main house and walk down the path to that tiny, miserable cottage at the back of the estate—their house. We both knew exactly why he went there. We both knew he was seeing her. My mother screamed at him, begged him, cried… and I just stood
I walked aimlessly out of the main house, my feet carrying me automatically toward the back of the estate, stopping right in front of the tiny, run-down cottage hidden away in the trees. Why did I come here? I stared at the weather-beaten walls, my chest tightening with pain and guilt. “Still feeling guilty about them, are you?” my mother’s voice came from behind me. She walked up and stood beside me, looking at the old house. “How can I not feel guilty, Mom? Do you honestly think I could feel good knowing that if I hadn’t been a coward and a fool, if I hadn’t listened to you… Racheal and her mother would still be alive, happy, and safe right here?” I asked bitterly. “It’s all in the past, Cade. Just move on already,” she said dismissively. “I can’t move on! No matter how hard I try, no matter what I do, I just can’t stop thinking about her,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “You know… I saw som
It struck me then: Emily had been living here with me for months, yet I’d never once heard her laugh this loud, this freely, this happily before. Have I done nothing but cause her pain and misery all this time? Is that why she barely ever smiles? I thought, watching her. She was talking animatedly with Michael and Gracie, her face lit up with the brightest, most genuine smile I’d ever seen. It seems that’s exactly what I’ve done, I realized, feeling lower than dirt. I really am the worst kind of scum. “Are you absolutely sure you won’t regret your decision bringing them here?” Stephanie asked, sitting down beside me, following my gaze toward them. “What do you mean?” I frowned. “Just look at them! Do you honestly think Michael is only interested in working on the resort?” She nodded toward them. “He is doing everything he possibly can to get Emily’s attention. He’s flirting with her, making her laugh, leaning
TEN YEARS AGO — DENISE’S POV It had been weeks since Racheal and her mother moved into our home, but I hadn’t forgotten a single detail of the day they arrived. Christopher never went near them; he barely spoke to them, and when he did, it was cold and sharp. He made their lives absolutely miserable, treating them like dirt beneath his shoes. I spent days trying to figure out what dark history lay between them, why he hated her mother so much… and today, I finally found out. And I was furious—absolutely seething—that Christopher had kept this massive secret from me all these years. I walked straight into his study without knocking, clutching an old photograph I’d found hidden away. “Can you not knock like a civilized person?!” he snapped, looking up from his desk. “Why didn’t you ever tell me that you were the one dating Racheal’s mother first? Before she even looked at your brother?!” I demanded, slamming th
“Good morning,” Cade greeted softly, placing the breakfast tray down on the table. I didn’t answer him, just stared coldly ahead. “I brought you breakfast,” he added gently when I remained silent. “You shouldn’t have bothered. Tracy or any of the maids could have done it,” I said, shooting him a sharp, icy look. “But I wanted to do it. Remember? You were always the one bringing me breakfast every morning…” he began. “And you never bothered to even touch it, let alone eat it,” I cut him off, my voice trembling slightly. “So tell me… why should I eat anything you give me now?” “Because it’s my way of apologizing to you,” he said, stepping closer. “Your way of apologizing is pathetic and weak. Eat it yourself, because I won’t be touching a single bite,” I said, trying to walk past him and leave the room. He caught my arm, pulled me back against his chest, and wrapped







