⸻ ❛𝐖𝐑𝐀𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈 𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒!❜
Rory Hargrove is obsessed to uncover the truth behind Barbara Holland's disappearance, while facing her brother's enemy and buried secrets from...
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HER CLOTHES WERE SOAKED, her hair was dripping, and dark trails of smeared makeup carved ghostly streaks down her face. Rory moved through the party, a silent storm, as the crowd parted instinctively—whether out of pity or unease, she couldn't tell.
She had tried to stop the fight, and she had gotten beaten instead.
Harrington really was a bastard. If the chlorinated water had ruined her favorite jacket, he'd have to deal with the consequences.
"Rory, wait!" A velvety and concerned voice of a young man echoed in the distance, coming from the entrance of the house. "Are you okay?"
Almost without stopping, Aura turned back and shouted, "I'm gonna be okay, Theo, keep having fun, you deserve it."
Aura's tone was firm, but there was a slight tremor, almost imperceptible. She didn't want Theo to worry. Everything he did since she arrived was to make her feel good and included. At least someone she couldn't blame for anything.
Theo watched her go, understanding that she needed time alone — a huge mistake, one he would soon regret.
Arms wrapped tightly around her trembling body, she descended the steps, each footstep heavy with exhaustion. Cold seeped through her skin, biting deep into her bones. In seconds, she was outside, weaving through the golden glow of the palace courtyard lights. She needed to leave—needed to escape those wild, annoying people.
Actually, she should've dressed as a clown for the party because that's exactly how she felt. A joke. A spectacle. Pathetic. And the worst of all is that she was also to blame for what happened.
She'd only had a little alcohol, but that drink had already made her a bit tipsy. What was she thinking? Hearing that revelation behind the door made her speechless. It felt like she'd been caught off guard, like a rug had been pulled out from under her feet, making her fall onto the ground.
Due to this, she and Steve had an argument in front of everyone, so she knew deep down that she deserved those rude words. And, damn it, there were so many things left unsaid. If Billy hadn't played the protective brother role, none of that would have happened. Nobody would have a swollen face right now, and she wouldn't have fallen into the pool.
Rory was pretty bold — sometimes is even scary to herself. Maybe the alcohol had given her courage she didn't know she had.
She gave in to temptation and kept pushing him. She'd crossed the line. What if he really was telling the truth? What if he really didn't know where the girl was and it was just an irresponsible teenage mistake? It didn't clear him completely, but perhaps he wasn't really responsible. And it turned out Barb really had been kidnapped. There were so many possibilities, it was giving her a headache.
