Alex… see her?

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    The thought alone made Mia’s stomach twist so violently she almost threw up.

    She wanted to scream, to cry, to tear the whole world apart if that would stop this from happening. Her chest rose and fell too fast, her throat burning from the effort to keep breathing.

    Did he know she was here?

    Her wide eyes flicked between Esther and Julian, searching their faces for answers, for cracks, for anything that could tell her the truth.

    Did they already tell him?

    They probably did.

    Of course they did. Why else would this even be happening?

    God. Mia needed to leave. She needed to run far, far away before Alex showed up, before his eyesnded on her, before the truth she had buried so deep was dragged out into the light.

    This couldn’t happen. Not now. Not like this.

    She had just wanted to help. That was all. To warn Esther, to help…

    But now… now she was being painted as a spy?

    Her throat tightened as anger and disbelief shook through her body.

    “Me? A spy?” Mia let out finally, her voice cracked and full of disbelief. Her lips trembled, her words sharp even as tears clogged her throat.

    “He thinks you know about the setup Charles ckwell did,” Julian said tly, watching her closely, as if every flinch, every flicker in her eyes mattered.

    Mia blinked hard, the words hitting her like a p across the face.

    Her chest tightened until it hurt.

    15:22 Sat, Sep 6 bN /b

    He thinks that of her?

    Alex. He… he actually thought that?

    :.

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    The disappointment cut through her sharper than any de could. It stung, raw and heavy. How could he think that of her?

    Her lips twisted into a dry, painfulugh that sounded more like a broken sob. Tears slid down her cheeks.

    “Me?” She pressed a trembling hand to her chest, pointing at herself with a shaking finger, her voice cracking. “Me, working with Charles ckwell?” She let out another dryugh, harsher this time, full of pain.

    Herugh echoed weakly in the room, and then silence dropped heavy around

    them.

    She looked from Esther to Julian, her vision blurred by tears. “This… this has to be some kind of joke.”

    “Mia-” Esther started, her voice steady, though she sounded almost careful,

    cautious.

    “So I did bad?!” Mia’s voice snapped suddenly “Warning you? Telling you?” Her hands trembled violently at her sides as her body shook with every word. “Now I’m being used-” her voice cracked, “of working with that monster?”

    The word fell out of her mouth before she could consider saying it

    Monster.

    She didn’t even care anymore that she was standing in front of his wife and his son. Let them be offended. Let them be shocked. She didn’t care.

    Charles ckwell was a monster.

    To her, he had always been a monster.

    Neither Esther nor Julian reacted. Not even a flinch, no denial, no outrage, nothing.

    Silence fell after her words.

    15:22 Sat, Sep b6 /bbN /b

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    Mia’s stomach turned.

    Her whole body ached with a sick feeling, her insides twisting until she wanted to double over.

    And then Esther’s calm voice cut in through her thoughts

    “Did he do something to you?” Esther asked softly. “Is that the reason you left Willowcrest?”

    Mia froze.

    Her chest tightened, her lungs refused to pull in enough air.

    The room seemed to close in on her,

    How could she answer that? How could she even begin to?

    How did everything escte to this.

    The truth wed at her throat, but fear locked it down.

    She couldn’t. She couldn’t tell them. Not now, not when they were looking at her like she was already guilty of something she never even did.

    She didn’t trust them.

    Her lips parted, but all she could manage was a shaky whisper.

    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

    Esther ckwell sighs…

    “Mia, I just wanted to warn you that he wanted to see you,” Esther said gently.

    “He doesn’t know you’re you,” Jullian added quickly, leaning forward as if to make her believe it. “We should be warning him instead.”

    But Mia’s head was spinning so badly.

    Her body swayed, her knees weak, her chest so tight she was sure she was about to pass out. Her palms were sweaty, and her heart was hammering against her ribs

    15:22 Sat, Sep b6 /bN

    She shook her head, gasping for air.

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    “I don’t want to see him,” she whispered, but then her voice rose, cracking. “I don’t want to see him! I’m quitting thispany right now. Forget I said anything, okay?”

    Her eyes, red and wet, locked on Esther, who sat still in her chair.

    Mia’s face was filled with tears, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. She didn’t care anymore how broken she looked, how exposed. All she cared about was leaving before everything crashed down on her.

    “Leave the way,” Mia said again, this time ring straight at Jullian, who still stood at the door. Her voice was shaky, but her eyes burned with raw desperation.

    “I’m sorry Mia but you can’t leave.” Esther said, rising from her chair now, her hands trembling at her sides. “We have a lot to talk about. A lot.”

    Mia’s body shook as if her skin couldn’t contain all the fear inside of her.

    She can’t do this.

    She can’t breathe anymore. The room was suffocating her. Her chest hurt, her throat hurt, her whole being screamed to run, to escape.

    “I don’t care!” Mia screamed. Her whole body trembled with the force of it.

    She couldn’t be here. Not another second. Every nerve in her body screamed danger, screamed leave.

    Her legs moved instinctively, but Jullian was still at the door, his tall frame blocking her only exit.

    And then his voice came, steady, firm, and sharp.

    “Well, you should,” Jullian said, his eyes locking on hers, cold and unflinching. “Considering you’re hiding Alex’s son from him.”

    Mia froze.

    Her whole body turned to ice in that instant.

    :

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    Her breath caught in her throat

    She stared at him with wide, horrified eyes, her lips parted but no words came out. The world around her blurred.

    The room spun.

    Her deepest secret, the one she had sacrificed everything to protect, was suddenly out in the open.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!