MasukVERA’S P.O.VHunter's eyes widened instantly, his features hardening."What did you say?" He demanded. He was forcing me to repeat it, even though he had heard me perfectly the first time.I really should have just stayed quiet. But how could I? I had known for weeks. He had let it slip completely by accident, and at the time, I hadn't known what to say or do with that information. All I knew was that Hunter always spat the truth whenever he was drunk, and his current reaction only proved it."You told me Mary was murdered," I murmured. "You were drunk.""Vera, I would never tell you something like that. When was this?" He asked, sitting up abruptly.So it’s true. Mary didn’t just die, she was killed..."Vera," Hunter called out sharply, dragging me out of my train of thought. "How do you know about this?"I blinked. Was I not supposed to know? Did he honestly plan on keeping something this severe away from me?"You were drunk," I repeated."God... no one knows about this." He ran a
VERA'S P.O.VThe phone rang, and I answered immediately, pressing it to my ear."I’m out front. Can you let me in?""Sure, I'm coming."The call ended. After putting on a night robe Ginger and I walked quietly across the room and down the hallway to the front door. I turned the key twice and pulled the handle. The door swung open, revealing Hunter standing there at two in the morning. He had changed into a hoodie, and his hair was a lot shorter too. Unfortunately, he didn't dye it light brown. I really missed his brown buzz cut."Hey," he said, noticing my silence, since I had just spent the last minute checking him out."Oh, sorry," I mumbled, stepping aside so he could come in. Ginger circled between my legs, keeping his sharp, glowing eyes fixed on Hunter. Hunter noticed the kitten straight away and smiled, though he kept a respectful distance without attempting to play with him. "He’s grown," Hunter noted as he followed us to my bedroom.I looked back over my shoulder and shrugge
HUNTER'S P.O.VVera adjusted her dress, then reached up to my face, her thumbs wiping away a stain of lip gloss from the corner of my mouth, teasing my lips. She smiled softly when she was done, and I took a small step back.Who the hell was I fooling when I wrote that damn note? Staying away from her was completely impossible for me. When she wanted distance, at least she was disciplined about it—she kept control and repeatedly begged me to leave her alone. But me? Not a chance. All she had to do was dart out her tongue, and I was completely done for.“What trip?”I blinked twice, slightly confused, and rubbed my head a little. The throbbing didn't feel as bad anymore; the triptands were finally kicking in.“What trip?” She repeated.Oh, fuck.Just like the gala, I had straight-up asked her to follow me somewhere without planning how to answer any of her follow-up questions. I couldn’t just tell her the truth—I wasn’t even allowed to. She hadn’t actually agreed to come with me yet, b
VERA’S POVI hadn’t even finished forming the invitation on my tongue, pill still glistening, lips parted, eyes locked on his—when Hunter crashed into me.The impact drove me back a half-step until my shoulders met the door. His mouth claimed mine in one hard, parting my lips with his and thrusting his hot tongue into me. His tongue swept into my mouth, searching for the pill as it reached the floor of my mouth. It found the pill at the base of mine and stole it clean. I felt the brief, slick drag of it leaving me, then he pulled back just far enough to swallow, throat working once, dry and sharp.A half whine, half plea left my mouth as my knees went liquid. I locked them harder and still swayed, gripping the front of his collar with both hands, light but desperate, the only thing keeping me upright. The fabric bunched under my fingers. I could feel the heat of his skin beneath it, the hard line of his collarbone.Hunter came right back.His mouth covered mine entirely again, deeper
HUNTER’S P.O.VThe added pressure only intensified the drilling pain throbbing constantly in my head. It had been three days since I asked Vera to return my medication, but it seemed she took pleasure in torturing me. For days, she had watched me suffer. She actively avoided me in class, left early with Charles so I wouldn’t get a chance to confront her, and once even ran off, disappearing into the crowd.Trying to get a refill so soon would definitely raise suspicion with my doctors. They would be determined to find out why the last dose had finished so quickly, and they'd likely assume I’d become addicted and stop prescribing them altogether. Were they addictive? I doubted it. All I knew was that my head was an absolute mess without them.The door swung open without a knock, flooding the office with a wave of bright, unwelcome light. Caught completely off guard, I flinched hard, struggling to shield my eyes from the glare.A familiar voice spoke in that sweet, delicate, and deceptive
HUNTER’S P.O.V“I said I’ll never hurt again, but her father...he’s the one making me do things that’ll hurt.”I rubbed the heel of my palm hard into my forehead, trying to ease out the pain I’ve grown used to knowing. Dr Raymond sat and watched, arms folded across the room. I’ve been losing my mind over Mr Haven’s demand, and I had no one to talk to for advice. When she asked if there was anything I wanted to discuss, I blurted it all out. I told her about Mr Haven, the mess I was in, and how I was caught between him and his daughter."“Everything I say here…” I slowed, suddenly cautious. “It’s confidential, right?”“Yes,” Dr Raymond said gently. “What you share with me remains confidential, except in situations where there is an immediate risk of serious harm to yourself or someone else, or where I’m legally required to report something.”I nodded then continued.“I thought putting distance between us would help.”Dr Raymond tilted her head slightly. “Help with what?”I shrugged, st
VERA'S P.O.VI waited outside the lecture hall, and a moment later, Hunter came to join me.Without saying a word, he led the way out of the faculty building and onto the open campus grounds.As we walked, I couldn't help but wonder if this was all part of some elaborate plan to get me alone with h
VERA'S P.O.VHere I was, seated beside Hunter, discussing the future of our relationship, when he brought up the question.𝐼𝑓 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑡, 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑡, 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛?I watched him, my eyes didn't blink once, after asking his hopeles
HUNTER'S P.O.V(SIX MONTHS AGO)Birthdays are supposed to smell like cake and candles, but mine smelled like blood instead. "Ma, I'm home!" It was the day after my twenty-first birthday. My girlfriend, Vera, had planned a huge surprise party for me. Well, it wasn't much of a surprise because s
HUNTER'S P.O.VThe sound of my alarm jolted me awake; my head immediately ached. It had only been an hour since I slept, and it was the best sleep I have had in days, since the break- since VeraVera.Her final class must be over by now, that was why I set the alarm. That's why I'm still here, in







