تسجيل الدخولChristian Saturday morning. I flip up the collar on my heavy jacket, trying to block out the bite of the early morning breeze. Out here in the heavily shaded woods, beneath the dense canopy of pine and oak, it feels like nighttime, not one hour past dawn. It can’t be more than forty degrees, and my breath blossoms in faint, pale plumes before disappearing into the damp chill.Gavin comes walking down the leaf-strewn trail a few minutes later, his heavy boots crunching against the frosty ground. He’s wearing a thick green hunting jacket and a faded cap pulled low over his head.“You sleep much?” he asks me, stopping a few feet away and eyeing me up and down.“Hardly at all,” I admit, my teeth threatening to chatter as I shove my hands deep into my pockets.“You’re nervous.”“Hell yes, I’m nervous,” I shoot back, my voice hushed against the vast silence of the forest. “This would be much easier if you did this, not me. You’re the hunter. You’re the one who actually knows guns.”Gavin s
GenevieveFriday, noon sharp.I arrive in the alley by Christian’s garage door and type in the passcode. The door grinds open with a slow, mechanical groan that echoes off the narrow brick walls. I close my umbrella, step inside out of the chill, and Christian—waiting right by the heavy interior door—hits the button to close it behind me. The garage door slides back down, sealing us into the dim, shadowy quiet.Christian looks the same superficially as always: the male-model, pretty-boy thing with the sharp jawline and thick hair. But he’s all nerves today, wearing a deep frown on his face and dark circles under his eyes that even his expensive skin creams haven't managed to hide.I follow him up the stairs, my heels clicking softly against the steps. It smells different in here today. Usually, there isn’t much of a scent one way or the other—maybe a faint hint of his overpriced cologne, or a trace of body odor if he’s been working out recently. Now, the air is thick and pungent with
SarahMy heart does a violent, dramatic flip inside my chest.Why does he always know the exact right words to say to make me melt into a puddle at his feet? It’s like he has an innate key to my soul, knowing precisely how to shatter my defenses and remind me how deeply I love him.I just don’t know if it’s all part of a brilliant, practiced act, or if it’s raw, unfiltered truth. My head is so thoroughly twisted after last night that I don't know who—or what—to trust anymore, leaving me completely reeling.“Sarah,” he pleads softly, the pad of his thumb rising to gently stroke over my cheekbone. “Please, just listen to me for one moment, okay?”I give a small, hesitant nod, having to swallow down a thick wave of emotion. All at once, hot tears prick at the backs of my eyes, and a heavy lump forms in my throat. It’s the sheer tone of his voice that breaks me—it matches the hollow sadness inside my own chest, completely stripped of his usual corporate armor. It leaves me seconds away fr
SarahIt’s not the same sleeping alone.I toss and turn all night, unable to turn off my mind with the questions soaring relentlessly through it. The night wasn’t supposed to end the way it did. We were supposed to come home happy, celebrating our future surrounded by friends. I wanted to finish what we’d started in the limo, to make good on the promise of me wearing nothing but heels for him.Instead, I spent the night staring at the ceiling of my old guest room, my heart aching in a hollow, silent apartment.When the grey dawn finally breaks over the city, I roll over in bed to grab my phone off the nightstand. The screen lights up with a barrage of missed notifications. It seems like a lot more people than I’d expected noticed how completely off I was after my encounter with Julian on the terrace. A dozen acquaintances reached out to check in, but the only people I bother responding to are Winnie and Emma in our group chat.WINNIE: How are you feeling this morning, Margie?EMMA: I’
MarcusOur hands shake violently in the space between us. I don't know if it’s her trembling or mine. It's both of us.“It was never about competing with him, Sarah,” I choke out, staring directly into her eyes. “It was *never* about Julian! I knew in my soul that I would do whatever it took to have you in my life. I had never once cared about a single thing Julian possessed, but in that moment, I wanted the only thing that mattered. I wanted *you*. I realized I had spent my entire adult life swearing to my family that I’d never fall in love, only to fall completely, hopelessly in love in a single second with a woman who wasn't mine to take.”Sarah’s breath hitches sharply, her lips parting. “You... you didn't...”“I did,” I say, a tear slipping down my own face. “I have been completely in love with you ever since that night. Fuck, Sarah... I fell in love with you the second you walked through those bar doors in that ridiculous sweatshirt. I just didn't have a name for what I was feel
MarcusI move like her shadow, taking the steps two at a time right behind her, refusing to let her out of my sight. “You have the entire context wrong, Sarah! If you would just fucking sit down and let me explain, I can show you how wrong you are!”“I don’t care anymore, Marcus!”She stomps down the upper hall toward her old guest room, making a desperate attempt to slam the door straight in my face. It doesn't work. I catch the heavy oak edge with my palm, shoving it wide open and striding right in after her.She goes straight for the walk-in closet, dragging a black hard-shell suitcase out from a dark corner and slamming it onto the bed.“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I ask, my pulse hammering in my throat.She glare at me over her shoulder, her expression cold. “I’m packing my things. I’m leaving. And you’re not going to stop me. I refuse to stay in this apartment for another second knowing I was just some sick instrument of revenge against Julian.”I run both hands ag
JulianThe crystal chandelier in the foyer rattled as Genevieve’s voice hit a pitch that could have shattered glass.“Julian, don’t you dare walk away from me! We are not finished!”Julian Sterling didn’t even break his stride. He adjusted the heavy gold link of his cufflinks, his face a carved mas
SarahThe ground was swept from underneath Sarah's feet, completely catching her off guard.“Marcus!” she screamed, smacking his back with all her might. “Put me down right now.”His footsteps didn’t falter for a single beat. He continued down the hallway, undeterred by her slaps or her attempts to
SarahSarah looked at the towering skyscraper in confusion as Ezra pulled the car up to the curb. The top of the building seemed to kiss the clouds, stretching so high she had to strain her neck just to see the glass glinting in the afternoon sun.“Where are we?” she asked, looking through the tint
MarcusSarah’s beauty is as equally captivating as it is frustrating.As Margo fusses over one of the many outfits she’s tried on, I continue to pretend to focus on my phone. Sitting in this dressing room while Sarah plays dress-up is the last thing I should be doing right now. I’ve got a never-end







