Reckoning

POV: Scarlett and Damian---The car ride back to Brooklyn was silent.I sat in the back seat, Ivy's arm wrapped around me, her body pressed against mine like she was trying to shield me from the world. Eleanor sat in the front passenger seat, her hands clasped in her lap, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. Gabriel drove with his jaw tight and his knuckles white on the steering wheel, his gaze constantly flicking to the rearview mirror.No one spoke.I didn't know what to say. I was still shaking, still feeling Adrian's hands on me, still hearing his voice in my ear.It was fucking mind-blowing, Scarlett.I've been so patient.Just be good for me.I closed my eyes and tried to breathe. Tried to push the memories away. But they clung to me like cobwebs, sticky and suffocating."Scar." Ivy's voice was soft, careful. "Scar, look at me."I opened my eyes."You're safe," she said. "He can't hurt you. You're safe."I nodded, but I didn't believe her. I didn't think I'd ever feel safe again.

Last Updated : 2026-09-08

Footsteps

Scarlett's POV — Third Person Limited---The safe house exploded into chaos."Everyone, move!" Damian's voice cut through the panic like a blade.Scarlett felt his hand find hers, pulling her toward the back door. His grip was iron-tight, unyielding, the only solid thing in a world that had turned to water."The cars are in the garage!" Gabriel shouted. "Three vehicles! We split up!""Scarlett stays with me!" Damian's eyes blazed with something fierce and protective. "No arguments!"No one argued. The urgency in his voice brooked no dissent.They burst through the back door into the alley, the sounds of gunfire fading behind them. The garage was attached to the house, a narrow structure barely visible in the darkness. Gabriel hit the button, and the door rolled up with a mechanical groan.Three black SUVs sat in the dim light.Damian pulled Scarlett toward the middle vehicle. "Eleanor, you're with Gabriel! Ivy, take the other car!""No!" Ivy's voice was sharp, desperate. "I'm not lea

Last Updated : 2026-09-09

The Cage

POV: Scarlett---Click. Click. The sound echoed through the darkness. Slow. Deliberate. A rhythm that made Scarlett's skin crawl even before she opened her eyes.She didn't know where she was.She didn't know how she'd gotten here.All she knew was the pain—a throbbing, relentless ache behind her eyes, in her ribs, across her entire body. The silk sheets beneath her fingers felt wrong. The soft pillow beneath her head felt like a trap.Click. Click. Click.The footsteps stopped.Scarlett's eyes flew open.The room was beautiful. Pale blue walls. Crown molding. A crystal chandelier scattering light like diamonds. White roses on the nightstand. A tray of fruit and pastries.A cage.She tried to sit up. Pain lanced through her ribs. She gasped, falling back against the pillows. Her hand went to her head. Bandages. Someone had bandaged her.Someone had undressed her, put her in a silk nightgown, tucked her into this bed.Someone had been very, very careful with her.Where am I? Who brou

Last Updated : 2026-09-10

The Cage II

___ POV: Scarlett --- The vase connected. CRASH. Glass shattered. A grunt. A body crumpling to the floor. Scarlett didn't wait. She ran. Her bare feet slapped against the hardwood. Her ribs screamed. Her head throbbed. But she kept moving, her hands outstretched, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. The hallway was long. Dark. Lit only by dim sconces on the walls. She had no idea where she was going. No idea where the exit was. But she couldn't stop. Couldn't think. Could only run. Click. Click. Click. Footsteps. Behind her. Gaining. "Get her!" She burst through a door. Another hallway. This one wider. Brighter. She could see doors. Windows. A staircase. Down. Get down. Get out. She hit the stairs, her hand gripping the railing. Down. Down. Down. "Scarlett!" She froze. That voice. She knew that voice. She turned. Eleanor stood at the bottom of the stairs, her silver hair disheveled, her face pale, her wrists bound with zip ties. Behind her, two

Last Updated : 2026-09-12

The Memory Machine

POV: Scarlett---Ivy was working on the zip ties.Her wrists were raw. Bleeding. But she didn't stop. She twisted and pulled, her teeth gritted, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps."I almost—" She grunted. "Almost—"Click. Click. Click.They both froze.The footsteps were faster than before. Multiple footsteps. Not just one.The door slammed open.Men poured into the room. Not guards. These were different. White coats. Blue gloves. Surgical masks covering their faces. Behind them, more men—large, armed, their expressions blank."No—" Scarlett scrambled off the bed. Her bare feet hit the cold floor. "No, no, no—""Get away from her!" Ivy lunged forward, her bound hands reaching for the nearest man. He shoved her back. She hit the wall. Hard. Her head cracked against the plaster."IVY!"Hands grabbed Scarlett. She fought. Kicked. Screamed. Her nails raked across a face. Someone grunted. But there were too many. They lifted her off the ground, her legs thrashing, her body twisting

Last Updated : 2026-09-18

The Memory Machine II

POV: Scarlett---The hours blurred together.My body jerked on the table. My limbs convulsed, back arched off the cold metal. My mouth opened in a scream that never seemed to end.The first hour was the worst. The seizures came one after another, violent and unrelenting. My body wasn't mine anymore. I was a puppet, controlled by whatever poison Victor had pumped into my veins.The second hour was worse. Screams faded into something raw. Broken. Animal. My throat was shredded, voice gone. But still, I screamed.By the third hour, I was still jerking. But less violently now. The tremors had faded into shudders. The screams had faded into whimpers.My eyes were open. But I wasn't seeing the room. I wasn't seeing the doctors. I definitely wasn't seeing Victor in his chair, watching me with that patient, terrible smile.I was somewhere else.Somewhere in the past.---Ivy was on the floor.They had let her go hours ago. Cut the zip ties. Shoved her into the corner. She had crawled as fa