Mason POV Six months is a record for me. If this was me in another life, two months tops and I would have been planning my exit. I always know that a woman has overstayed her welcome when she starts posting pictures of us with captions like, “Me and my bae having the time of our lives. #truelove #theone.” Olivia is different. She’s like a slippery eel that keeps on trying to wriggle her way out. At first, I thought it was the excitement of the chase and keeping us a secret, but now I think it’s something much deeper. When she’s not with me, I find myself counting down the hours until I see her again. And when we’re together, just breathing her in is intoxicating… I can’t get enough of it. She’s like a cock tease, except she pretty much puts out whenever I want, and that’s basically when she wants it as well. Last week, she dragged me to watch a punk band perform. I thought I’d hate it, but surprisingly, I didn’t. She makes me want to do things with her just to see her happy. I know

Emily POV I always used to believe life was a series of coincidences, but a series of them could never have led me to Liam and Jacob. I started questioning this the morning after my dream about Liam, after the quote my eye just happened to fall on in his most treasured book. A little girl whom I’ve never met before embraces me like someone she knows and cherishes, and my reaction is to do the same. Another coincidence? While Liam’s new friend Clarisse is holding onto me for dear life, a tall man wearing a baseball cap with a square set jaw walks over to us. He looks embarrassed. “Clarisse, why are you bothering this woman?” he asks and takes her hand. She must be his daughter. “No, that’s fine. Liam was just introducing us to his new friend,” I say by way of introduction. “Pleased to meet you, Clarisse.” Clarisse, who was a brazen kid a second ago, goes quiet and shy. “Sorry, I thought you were my aunt,” she explains. “You look just like her.” When I finally get a proper look a

Emily POV I can’t pinpoint the exact moment in my life when I realized things are not always what they seem. Maybe it was a few years back, maybe it’s even now while I’m sitting at a table with Jacob and a stranger I feel an odd affinity towards. I met Thaddeus less than three hours ago, and I get the distinct feeling that he and Jacob are hiding a secret so big that if anyone were to find out, it could change everything. Call it intuition. His fascination with me has now started to make me feel uncomfortable. And yet, I am determined to get to the bottom of this. I am intrigued by their mutual past and must know more. When Jacob told me earlier they had unresolved tension, I preferred not to know. Now, I’ve changed my mind. It’s not like I can interrupt their bromance and say, “Ooh, what happened between the two of you?” What’s more important to me is, what exactly happened to Jocasta? And why are they being so cagey about it? Before I lose the courage, I go in, balls to the wa

Ophelia POV Exhilarating yet dangerous. That’s how I would describe Astrid. There’s something about her that I can’t seem to get enough of. She’s like a drug, and once I get a hit of her, I want more and more. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I feel like a junkie when I’m not around her, starved of her passion and affection. Maybe the attraction is that we’re both kindred spirits. And, like me, I’m certain that she’s running away from something. I know the type—refuses to stay in one place for too long, not keen on making lasting connections, and falling in love is out of the question. She’s exactly like me. Funny, she knows so much about me, but she’s like a closed book. Whenever I ask about her past or her family, she brushes me off and changes the subject. It’s as if she’s scared to open up to me. I’m even surprised she invited me along on this business trip of hers. Now, sitting here alone at the pool with a now-warm cocktail in my hand, I’m starting to wonder why she asked m

Jacob POV Dr. Richards is still talking, but I can’t hear a thing he’s saying. It’s like my body is there but my mind’s stuck in another dimension. I should be angry and sad, and yet I feel strangely calm. “How long?” I ask him. “How long, what?” he asks in return. “How long until the disease renders her incapable of doing anything?” I ask. Holding Emily’s MRI results in his hand, he says, “It’s hard to say. This disease is very unpredictable.” “Is there no cure, Doctor?” I ask. “Unfortunately not. For Miss Adams, it’s in its progressive stage, so any type of treatment would be out of the question,” he adds. I get up to leave and then shake his hand. “Thank you, Doctor. For the time being, I’d prefer if we keep this just between the two of us.” He’s taken aback. “Mr Collin, it is my job as Miss Adams’s physician to notify her of her condition.” “With all due respect, Doctor, I understand it’s your job, but I’d rather that she hear it from me,” I say. “As you wish,” he says a