Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

Megan's POVWhen Joe's call came in, all I could think of was not picking it up.I mean, I was done talking to him, and just as Victoria Hales advised, he'd now have to go through her for anything that had to do with me.So yeah, I didn't see any reason why I had to pick up his calls.“Who is it?” Kai asked once he noticed the irritation in my expression.“No one important,” I said, switching the phone off.He was still inches close to me when I realized that I panicked a bit. Joe just had to call at the wrong time and ruin a perfect moment.“I should probably get going now. The kids must be very tired by now.”Kai chuckled.“Really? They seem like they're having a lot of fun.” He pointed at the room where their voices were emanating from.They were bickering as usual and playing quite heartily, but yeah, I wanted to escape this awkward situation Kai and I were in.I sprang up at once, not really thinking.“I… have work to do, lots of work.”Kai chuckled, nodding his head quite franti

Megan’s POVThe phone sat on the coffee table like a snake. I stared at the screen. The words were still there.“I know your big secret.”My heart dropped so fast it hurt. My fingers turned cold. For a few seconds I forgot how to breathe. I read the message again. And again. The letters didn’t change. They stayed the same, sharp and cruel.Joe.My first thought was simple: He’s lying. He’s bluffing. Joe always uses fear like a knife. He pushes until you break, then he smiles when you do.But doubt came anyway. Small at first. Then bigger.What could he know?How could he know?Who told him?My mind jumped straight to Ethan and Cole. Their faces. Their brown hair. Their blue eyes that looked too much like Joe’s when they laughed. I pressed my hand to my chest. My heart was beating too loud.I thought about yesterday at the school gate. There was that strange old man standing with Ethan and Cole, talking and laughing. The so-called sponsor, I didn’t see his face clearly—he got into his

Megan's POV“Yippee!” Ethan and Cole chorused, their high-pitched voices yanking me straight out of my spiraling train of thoughts.These past few days had been nothing short of exhausting. Between hunting down the perfect birthday gifts, double-checking vacation essentials, coordinating reservations, and packing enough snacks to feed a small army, I’d barely had a moment to breathe. And then there was Joe’s cryptic text still sitting unread in my phone like a dark cloud refusing to drift away.Thankfully, Kai had stepped in like he always did. He’d taken over most of the shopping runs, though we’d ended up doing a second trip because he’d somehow confused the boys’ favorite superhero action figures with wrestling ones. I still chuckled every time I pictured his sheepish expression when we unpacked the wrong boxes.But today was finally D-Day—the day we left for Wills Bay. No more lists, no more last-minute errands. Just us, the open road, and a promise of peace.“All set?” Kai asked,

Megan's POV “Hip hip hip hurray!” we all shouted in perfect, chaotic unison.Kai popped the cork on the sparkling grape juice (the “wine” version safe for little hands and my still-nursing-a-headache-from-travel brain), and fizzy purple liquid sprayed in triumphant arcs. Droplets caught the late-afternoon sun and glittered like tiny fireworks. Ethan and Cole shrieked with pure, uncontainable delight, jumping up and down on the soft white sand as if gravity had temporarily taken the day off.Balloons—gold, silver, navy, and emerald—bobbed above us on long ribbons tied to weighted anchors. A massive banner stretched between two palm trees fluttered in the sea breeze: “HAPPY SIXTH BIRTHDAY, ETHAN AND COLE!” The letters were cut from shimmering holographic foil that shifted colors every time the wind moved it. I’d spent way too many late nights designing it, but seeing their faces light up made every second worth it.“Happy birthday, my babies,” I whispered, dropping to my knees and pul

Megan's POVThe morning sun spilled across Wills Bay like liquid gold, turning the water into a mirror of light and making the sand glow warm under our feet. Ethan and Cole were already halfway down the beach, pedal karts abandoned for the morning in favor of chasing waves that rolled in lazy and slow. Their laughter bounced off the water, high and bright, the kind of sound that made everything else feel small and far away.I stood ankle-deep in the surf, arms wrapped loosely around myself, watching them. Kai came up behind me, his chest brushing my back as he slipped his arms around my waist. His chin rested on my shoulder, breath warm against my ear.“They’re going to be waterlogged by noon,” he murmured, voice still rough from sleep.I smiled, leaning back into him. “Let them. They’ve earned it.”Last night still hummed under my skin—the confessions, the way we’d finally let go of every last wall between us, the quiet promises whispered in the dark. I felt lighter than I had in yea