WILLOW'S POVThree rules broken in one night, Tristan kisses me roughly, nibbling on my lower lip and sucking on the upper lobe of my lip. His tongue brushes my lips, trying to force its way into my mouth. I let out a whimper; his eyes are shut, while mine, on the other hand, are wide open.The kiss took me off guard, leaving me with little time to react. I attempted to push him away, but he forced his body against mine, overpowering me. A sense of weakness swept over me, and as he slowly softened the kiss, every moment felt like an exploration of my mouth in ways I could never have imagined. His lips transformed from rough to tender, and he gently loosened his grip on my upper arm. What began as a forceful kiss evolved into something passionate.As he delicately brushed my lips with his tongue, his hands traced down my waistline, pulling me closer. I reciprocated, my hands finding their way to the nape of his neck, pulling him in. Our lips pressed softly against each other, and I tast

TRISTAN'S POVThe podium crashes down, trapping me, and the fire's relentless advance shrouds everything in thick, black smoke. I struggle to see through the darkness, and with each breath, the harsh smoke tightens its grip on my lungs, leaving my throat parched and cutting off precious oxygen.Violent coughs rack my body as the fire rages, devouring everything in its path. My desperate gaze darts towards the elevator, but hesitation creeps in – a risky move, the fire might have invaded its metal confines. I contemplate the stairs; the carpet beneath me already melts, a precursor to the scorching danger ahead. Without a second thought, I sprint through the small, confining space, but disaster strikes as the rail breaks, burning and collapsing in the stairwell's heart. The heat intensifies, trapped in the confined space, amplifying my violent coughs. In a frantic moment, I shed my outer jacket, smothering the flicker of fire as I press onward, determined, up the stairs.In the midst of

TRISTAN'S POV"She isn't Breathing." The nurse said as I pushed her away and made my way to Willow, who wasn't Breathing.I held her palm, checking her pulse; it went cold. Attempting to check her heartbeat, I was abruptly pulled out of the ambulance by two police officers."Stand by, citizen. Don't you see they are trying to do their job?" one of the policemen said as the back of the ambulance shut, and it started driving away."Willow..." I yelled as I raced to Jaxon, demanding his keys."Tristan, calm down," Jaxon said."How can I calm down? My mother's dead and Willow isn't breathing," I exclaimed."That doesn't mean we don't care for Willow too. We're worried too, okay," Hailey interjected."Then give me the keys," I insisted."Tristan ..." Jaxon half-yelled."Give him the keys, Jaxon. If she dies, don't come home," Hailey said, giving me a cold stare—the kind she gives her victims before she does away with them. Hailey may look like a stripper, and she is, but she's also a killer

HAILEY'S POVAs I and Jaxon opted for a taxi, Tristan drove off in the car. My phone rang with Tristan's name flashing on the screen. "She better be alive," I muttered anxiously. Answering the call, a female voice asked, "Is this Hailey?" Fearing the worst, I snapped, "Is Tristan fooling around with someone else?" The caller, a nurse from Cambridge Hospital, clarified, "No, I'm a nurse at Cambridge Hospital downtown." Confused and angry, I demanded, "Why do you have my brother's phone?" The nurse's grave reply hit me like a ton of bricks: "Your brother is teetering on the brink of death at the hospital right now.""Wait, what? Is Willow dead?" I gasped."I assume that is the name of the patient that just woke up after almost dying. I can't explain it right now, he's about to jump." I cut the call before I could hear the rest."Step on it, bastard." I brought out my gun as I pointed it over his head."But we can't go past the speed limit, the cops could arrest me.""Hailey, what are you

TRISTAN TWO WEEKS LATERI've been in Willow's ward for the past two weeks, ordering her food, helping her take her drugs, and keeping her company almost every hour. Hailey starts to complain that I've been clingy, but she's pathetic. I'm only doing this so that she would get better soon and hopefully remember me.As for the nurse, she was suspended and given a year's leave for operating a dangerous procedure without the doctor's consent. However, she was later suspended for six months after it was known that Willow didn't suffer any of the side effects.Willow laid on her bed quietly, trying to avoid eye contact with me, as if she was now afraid of me."You don't really have any memory of me," I said, and she sighed and nodded."Do you at least remember your family?" I asked, hoping to get a conversation started since she wouldn't talk to me after physically witnessing me trying to murder that nurse."I don't really know much, but I think my mom was a doctor. She took me in after she