MasukSUMMER. Ophelia's voice vibrated through the chaotic hall, sharp with rage. "Unbelievable! To pull a trick so vile in front of the entire family... Madarie, Joanna, if a single hair on that child's head is harmed, both of your places in this family are finished!" She turned toward the doors. She pointed a stiff, furious finger at the butler. "Since Dr. Harrison hasn't left the estate gates, bring him back immediately! He needs to assess her right now before this gets any worse!" Panic hit me like a bucket of ice water. My heart thudded wildly against my ribs. Around the long table, the Kingston family sat frozen in dead silence. Julian's jaw locked tight. His dark eyes fixed on Madarie with a look of pure, cold promise for her reckless stunt. The elder relatives exchanged sharp, frantic whispers. Madarie and Joanna stood frozen like statues in the center of it all. Their faces drained of every drop of color as the whole room turned on them. My heart was beating fast as I thou
SUMMER.Madarie's eyes were cold and hollow, glaring with visible, unfiltered unhappiness. I sat there stiff, putting on the perfect display of a woman who had been deeply, cruelly wronged.Across from her, Joanna's eyes stayed locked on me with icy malice. But in that split second, I saw her subtle shift — her gaze turning into pure, wicked determination.And yes. I felt it shoot straight down my spine... but what made me happy was the sudden, electric rush of adrenaline.I wasn't going to play defense today. I was going to start the race first!I looked at the teacup sitting beside my plate, scrunched my nose in manufactured hesitation, and gulped the liquid down before anyone could stop me.The moment the warm liquid hit my stomach, I let the empty porcelain cup slip straight through my fingers.It hit the marble floor and shattered with a violent, echoing crack, drawing the stunned, horrified looks of every single person at the table.By now, my face was flushed a dangerous red, t
SUMMER.The next morning, the whole table was packed.I sat stiffly and pale, especially after last night's nightmare. It was increasingly traumatic, leaving, my skin cold, and every nerve in my body on edge. I oddly had no appetite, and my body shivered slightly under the heavy, suffocating air of the dining hall.I picked up a warm tea, hoping the heat against my fingers might steady me, but suddenly the front doors were opened. A man wearing a white lab coat, flanked by two ladies I perceived to be nurses, trailed right behind him.My eyes squinted.He was a doctor.Madarie clapped her hands together, the sharp sound cutting right through the quiet hum of the room."Sorry for this everyone, but we felt remorseful for yesterday and really need to be on our toes since the next lady of the house's health is important."Her eyes shone with bright worry and fake affection, a sickening performance for the entire seated family.Joanna cut in right on cue."Yes," she said, forcing a sti
LEVI. A thunder rattled outside, snapping me back to reality as Summer shifted slightly from the loud noise. I sighed, my furrowed brows relaxing just a fraction as my face hardened. My gaze rested on her. Her brows were arched, visibly uncomfortable. My hand moved on its own, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair away from her face. But right before my fingers touched her skin, a sudden wave of irritation hit me. Something was definitely off. No matter how real her tears seemed, it was all too convenient. It was too good to be true, and that meant I had to be twice as cautious. The same woman who hated my guts yesterday was suddenly clinging to me like this today? I squinted at her sleeping face, my jaw tightening. _Beware the hand that hated you yesterday and reaches for you today. It's only checking where to cut._ I stood up, wrapping myself in an icy resolve. There was no way in hell I was falling for this kind of game. I turned around and left the room, my chest hea
LEVI.I stood gazing at her on the bed.A few hours ago she was causing trouble incessantly, and now she was suddenly trapped in a nightmare, screaming my name, waking up muttering nonsense about me leaving her to die.But something in me broke.Her eyes... even though her eyes were filled with tears, they were glistening.The tears that fell on my skin were hot. I felt them on my palm while I was holding her.They weren't fake. They were real.Like she had lived through something I couldn't pinpoint. Like she had lived through a pain I couldn't feel and would never know about.But could I disregard the change?The sudden change in a matter of a day? Overnight, someone who hated me was now screaming my name in her nightmare, saying I left her over and over again.I stared down at her sleeping face. Her breathing was now back to normal.Things didn't feel real as I gazed deeply, and my mind drifted back.My mind drifted back years ago, to a time when I was just a bruised, quiet boy loc
SUMMER.Strong hands held me down. I kept screaming until my eyes snapped open to a bright light. The glare shattered against my vision, almost blinding me.By now, my whole body was trembling violently, shaking uncontrollably as a voice yelled,"Stop it! Stop it! Snap out of it!"His voice came out sharp, ringing through the air until it finally snapped me out of the terror.I froze on the bed, sweating profusely, shaking violently as I stared around the room, my eyes wide and unblinking. Everywhere was fully lit. Even the rain outside had stopped, leaving only the distant sound of rumbling thunder.And holding me down with his strong, large hands was Levi.I looked up at him, then traced his hands gripping my shoulders. I wanted to say something, to speak, but I couldn't. Only my body kept shaking as hot tears spilled over my cheeks. I immediately leaned back instinctively, flinching from his gaze.His gaze on me was filled with deep confusion."It's a nightmare," he said, his vo







