LOGINGAVINGetting to the headquarters, I was there physically, but mentally my mind was in shambles. What was happening around me? Evelyn was dead. That was the official narrative I had forced myself to swallow. But her body had never been recovered. After her sedan broke through the guardrail and plummeted off the bridge, the water rescue teams and recovery divers had spent weeks dragging the riverbed. They pulled up the crushed steel of her car, but it was empty. It took months of agonizing silence before the state finally forced me to sign the death certificate.So if the necklace that was on her neck when she had the accident was found in front of my house, what did that mean?“Agent Thorne? Hello? Gavin?” The sound of my name brought me back as I snapped my head up to meet Sarah Kline, one of my team members, looking at me with concern.“Are you alright?” she asked.I cleared my throat and nodded quickly, sitting straighter in my chair and looking around the room until my gaze set
GAVINI drove down to the office, my mind going back to Dalton’s house. He truly thinks he has me fooled. I honestly had to hold myself back from saying it to his face that I knew all about him and Cassandra.How long have they been sleeping together? Why did he really want her with me? What did Cassandra have to gain by being with me? These questions raced through my mind, making me tighten my grip on the steering wheel. There were too many unanswered questions, and it gave me chills because I didn’t know who to trust anymore.Then Melanie’s announcement of Eva's pregnancy came to mind. Shit. I just truly hoped that pregnancy was for someone else, but deep down I knew I was wrong. Coupled with the fact that Melanie refused to look me in the eyes, I kind of already knew the answer.Everything was just spilling out of control. I wasn't bothered about Vivian finding out about us. I knew we should have been more careful, but I know Vivian. If anyone had Melanie’s back, it was her.The
MELANIEWe couldn't speak. It felt like the air in the room had been taken away, making it impossible to say a word.What sort of psychopath was Silvio? He had been following Eva, which meant he had probably been following me as well, which in turn could mean he knew about Gavin.I stepped in front of Eva, literally shielding her from him. I didn’t like how she was breathing, short, shallow gasps, and how her hands were trembling, even as she tried to hide them by making a fist.I mustered up my bravest face and lifted my chin to him. “Why are you so sure the pregnancy is yours?”There was no need to lie about the pregnancy anymore; he knew everything. So I needed to change my tactics. I was more scared of what he wanted to do with the fact that the baby was his.He let out a loud chuckle, shaking his head at what I said. “Melanie, you are a bad influence. You know that?”That made me scowl at him. What did he mean by that?“You do know I took her virginity, right? I literally taught
MELANIE“Oh my God, oh my God! Melanie, he is outside.” Eva whispered frantically as she cut the phone call the second Silvio mentioned where he was.She threw the phone on the coffee table. It was about to land face down on the floor, but I dove forward and caught it just in time. I placed it properly on the table and turned to her, holding her firmly by the shoulder. “Eva, look at me.”She was still fidgeting, turning her head from one side to the other, unable to focus, until I slapped her cheeks lightly. That got her attention as she opened her eyes wide, glaring at me while rubbing the spot. “What did you do that for?” She grumbled.“To make you come back to your senses,” I replied. “Listen, we don’t have much time before he gets impatient and starts banging on that door. You need to pull yourself together.”“But how—” she started to protest when I raised my hands again, and she covered her cheeks. “Okay, okay, I'm listening. Don't slap me again,” she snapped at me.I lowered my
MELANIEWhat the hell?I stood in the kitchen with my back to Vivian, still staring at the two-word message Eva had sent me. How on earth did he find out? Did she tell him? Did… Gosh. I needed to see her right away.I turned around quickly to look at Vivian. “I’m going out. I need to take care of something important.”My legs were already out of the kitchen before I even heard her response, but I couldn’t wait to listen to what she had to say. I ran up to my room, grabbed my car keys, and ran back downstairs, saying a quick prayer of thanks that I didn’t run into my father on the way. I bolted out of the house.On the drive, I tried calling Eva, but her phone kept going straight to voicemail. I pressed down harder on the accelerator, driving like I had fire on my tail.About twenty minutes later, I pulled up to her house. The journey that should have taken thirty minutes was cut short by my reckless driving that could have ended with a ticket. I got out of the car, grabbed my phone,
MELANIEThe moment Gavin left, I released the breath I had been holding. I felt bad about how I had acted. After accidentally revealing Eva’s pregnancy, I knew Gavin was dying to ask the obvious question... whether Silvio was the father. He couldn’t say it out loud because of Vivian, so I avoided his gaze the entire time. I could feel his eyes on me, but I refused to meet them until he finally left.How did today turn out to be so crappy? Then I turned to face Vivian. I opened my mouth, ready to apologize, but she walked out of the living room, leaving me standing there with all my mistakes.I bit my bottom lip hard and slumped my shoulders, flopping onto the couch. I felt completely overwhelmed.Why did I talk to Vivian that way? I knew I had hurt her, and I was being a total bitch, but… I hated it so much when people acted like they knew what was best for me. No one really did. They only thought they did.I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment, just as I heard the fr
GAVINThe talk with Cassandra had gone to hell.I can't tell when we lost the ability to sit down and have adult conversations. There used to be a time when we could be cordial, even loving. Now every conversation felt like walking through a battlefield. And I knew exactly when it all changed.The
MELANIE“You…” My voice cracked, but I forced it to remain steady as I lifted the journal. “You had this the whole time? You’ve been reading my most private, pathetic thoughts about you for years?”Gavin swallowed hard. His jaw clenched tight. Those hazel eyes I used to get lost in were now dark wi
MELANIEMy legs went weak, and I almost fell to the ground. I quickly grabbed the edge of the couch to steady myself. Gavin had a fiancée? Like an actual woman, he planned to marry?And last night... last night I had begged him to fuck me. I came so hard on his cock while he filled me up, stupidly
MELANIE“Fuck!” Gavin swore under his breath. I sat up fast, the sheet slipping down to my waist, exposing my bare breasts. My heart pounded against my ribs as he put a finger to his lips, mouthing “Shh,” and answered the call on speaker.“Dalton,” Gavin said, voice still rough from fucking me.“H







