LOGINOlivia"Why didn't you say anything?"Shawn's voice was quiet, but there was a hint of frustration beneath it."Back there... why did you just stand there and let Mrs. Jackson treat you like that?"I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I just sat on one of the plastic chairs in the hospital lobby, my exhausted body finally giving in.I stared blankly at the cream-colored wall opposite me. It looked so empty and lifeless... much like I felt inside.After a long silence, a faint, bitter smile tugged at my lips."What would have been the point? Arguing with a mother who's terrified of losing her son?"I slowly shook my head."There wouldn't have been any point. And besides..." My smile deepened, but it carried nothing except sadness. "Maybe she was right."I heard Shawn shift beside me."What do you mean? Why would you say something like that?"I let out a quiet, broken laugh."Because ever since Liam met me..." I swallowed the painful lump in my throat. "I've brought him nothing but tro
OliviaThe cold hospital corridor felt endless.I couldn't stop pacing back and forth.My hands couldn't stop shaking even as I clutched them together, silently begging them to stay still.Please...Please let him be okay.Oh God... please.I squeezed my eyes shut for a brief second. The horrifying sounds from the phone call replayed inside my head all over again.The deafening crashes, the screeching tires, Liam's terrified voice. "I don't want to die..."I pressed both palms against my ears."No..." I whispered hoarsely. "I can't..."I couldn't hear it again.I couldn't.Tears streamed down my face as another wave of panic crashed over me."Olivia."A calm voice gently broke through my spiraling thoughts as strong hands rested lightly on my shoulders."Olivia."I slowly looked up and saw Shawn.He had been sitting on one of the waiting chairs nearby, but now he stood in front of me, his expression filled with concern."You need to calm down," he said softly. "The doctors are doing
Olivia Every muscle in my body froze."What?!" I blurted, shooting straight to my feet. "Followed? What do you mean, followed? Liam, what's going on?""I've been noticing this huge truck behind me," he said, his voice low and tense. "It started after I left my meeting with the investors from Sterling & Hawthorne Capital.""At first, I didn't think much of it. I figured we were just heading in the same direction. But I've been driving for over thirty minutes now, and it's still behind me."I gripped the phone tighter."And then I decided to test it and took a detour—a route I normally wouldn't take... The truck took the exact same turn."Cold fear trickled down my spine."I tried another one, a lonelier route this time, and it followed again... I don't think this is a coincidence anymore."I instantly felt my pulse quicken."Liam, you need to call the police right now," I said, already pacing across the living room. "Or drive straight to the nearest police station. Don't drive on an i
Olivia"Where are you, my love?"A smile spread across my face the instant I heard Liam's voice.I tucked my phone securely between my shoulder and ear, keeping it pressed in place while my hands remained busy slicing ripe tomatoes into neat little cubes on the cutting board."Where else would I be?" I teased. "I'm home, obviously."His chuckle drifted through the phone, warm enough to make my entire kitchen feel brighter."I figured. But why aren't you at school today?""No lectures."I swept the chopped tomatoes into a small bowl before reaching for another."So today is officially my lazy day. I'm cooking, relaxing, and pretending assignments don't exist.""Oh? Must be nice.""It is," I replied with a grin. "What about you? Shouldn't you be at the company instead of calling me during working hours?"A dramatic groan echoed through the phone."I should."I laughed."But?""But I'm far too distracted thinking about the most beautiful woman in the world to concentrate on contracts."I
VincentI sat on the bed, going through some financial news reports on my phone when it began to vibrate violently in my hand.An incoming call.My gaze drifted toward the unfamiliar number flashing across the screen.No caller ID.I already knew who it was… Sarah.After I blocked her numerous numbers, she had somehow managed to get hold of another phone.I'd warned her to stop calling me. If she needed anything, she was to contact my lawyer, yet she continued crossing the boundaries I had set.My thumb hovered over the decline button for a second, but I paused and decided to answer."What part of my warning didn't you understand?""Vincent..." Sarah's soft, broken, trembling voice drifted through the phone. "I... I've been trying to reach you, but you wouldn't answer any of my calls."Wasn't that obvious already?"What is it?" I asked flatly."It's Aaron. His condition... it's getting worse." She broke down into a sob. "The doctors said the heart attack was far more severe than they
JasmineThe thermoflask felt strangely heavy in my hand.I stood outside the hospital room, staring at the door, and took a long breath. If it had been entirely up to me… I wouldn't even be here.The only reason I had dragged myself to this hospital was because Collette kept asking about him."Have you visited your father yet?""How is he doing?"“Should I come with you to see him?”Those words had followed me around for days until they eventually became impossible to ignore.So here I was. Standing outside a room I desperately wished I could avoid.The thermoflask contained homemade soup—not because I wanted to cook for him, but because it was what a dutiful daughter was expected to bring.A perfect daughter.A caring daughter.What an amusing lie.I inhaled one last time before pushing the door open.The television was blaring loudly.A football match.Carl lay comfortably against the raised hospital bed, completely absorbed in the game. One leg was propped up while a bowl of fruit
JasmineI stepped into yet another grand charity ball of the elite.A soft swell of violins drifted through the air, mingling with the clink of crystal glasses and the low murmur of laughter.Another ball.I paused just inside the entrance, allowing the attendant to take my shawl before stepping fu
OliviaProfessor Hale adjusted his glasses at the bridge of his nose and glanced around the lecture hall.“I hope you all paid attention to the case studies I assigned last week,” he began, pacing slowly in front of the projector screen. “Because your next assignment will require more than memorizi
OliviaI didn’t remember the drive or the traffic lights or even the turns.All that kept replaying in my mind was the image of blood pooling beneath the dim dock lights.When we reached my apartment building, I stepped out of the car on unsteady legs. We didn’t speak as we walked upstairs.I unloc
JasmineI turned at the next intersection, my fingers tightening around the steering wheel as I slowed my car just enough to avoid drawing attention.Axel’s taillights glowed faintly ahead of me in the dark, red dots cutting through the evening traffic.He had told me he needed to meet with some bu







