𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬! 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆
The sound of pages flipping echoed in the quiet apartment. Scarlett Rhodes sat at her kitchen table, textbooks and notes sprawled out in front of her, the harsh glow of a desk lamp illuminating her tired face. It was 2 a.m., and the weight of the bar exam loomed over her like a storm cloud.
Her highlighter hovered over a paragraph in her constitutional law book, but her eyes weren't focused. Her mind kept drifting, pulled away from legal precedent and case law to something—someone—else entirely.
Scarlett gritted her teeth and forced herself to focus. She had worked too hard, sacrificed too much, to let her mind wander now. Becoming a lawyer was her dream. Her ticket to independence. Proof that she could rise above her past and forge a future where she was in control.
But the past had a funny way of creeping in.
She sighed and leaned back in her chair, glancing out the window at the city lights. Somewhere out there, Nick Rivers existed. The boy who had once been her entire world. The boy who had left her shattered. And despite everything, he still lingered in her thoughts, a ghost she couldn't quite exorcise.
Flashback—High School, Five Years Ago
The library was nearly empty that afternoon, save for a few students cramming for finals. Scarlett sat at her usual corner table, her notebooks open but untouched. Across from her sat Nick Rivers, his long legs stretched out lazily under the table, a cocky grin on his face.
"You know," Nick said, spinning a pen between his fingers, "you're the only person who can make the library this much fun."
Scarlett rolled her eyes, trying to suppress the smile tugging at her lips. "Maybe because you're not here to study."
Nick smirked, leaning closer. "Why study when I can just copy off the smartest girl in school?"
Scarlett felt her cheeks heat up, but she kept her gaze on her notes. "Maybe because the smartest girl in school isn't going to let you."
He chuckled, and for a moment, Scarlett let herself enjoy his presence. Being around Nick was like standing too close to the sun—intense, overwhelming, but impossible to resist. Even when he drove her crazy, even when he left her feeling like she wasn't enough, she kept coming back for more.
But then Nick's phone buzzed on the table, and Scarlett's heart sank when she saw the name light up the screen: Jessica.
Nick's face shifted, a flicker of guilt crossing his features before he quickly silenced the phone. He shoved it into his pocket and gave Scarlett a lopsided grin, but the damage was done.
"Who's Jessica?" she asked, trying to keep her voice casual.
Nick shrugged. "No one important."
Scarlett swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew better than to believe him. Jessica was just one of many girls Nick had on his radar, and Scarlett hated how much it hurt every time she saw the proof that she wasn't the only one.
But she didn't say anything. She never did.
Present Day
Scarlett snapped back to the present as her phone buzzed on the table. She picked it up, expecting a message from her study group, but her heart clenched when she saw the name:
Nick Rivers.
She hesitated for a moment before opening the text.
Scarlett. I need to see you. Please.
Her stomach twisted. She hadn't heard from Nick in months. Not since she had started dating Miles. Not since she had finally started putting herself back together.
Scarlett set her phone down, ignoring the message. She couldn't afford to let him derail her life again. Not now, when she was so close to achieving her dreams. But as she turned back to her books, her mind refused to cooperate, dragging her back to memories she had tried so hard to bury.
Flashback—Senior Year
It was prom night, and the air was thick with excitement. Scarlett stood on the edge of the dance floor, watching as Nick danced with yet another girl. His smile was dazzling, his charm in full effect, and Scarlett's heart ached with every step he took away from her.
She had spent the entire night hoping he would ask her to dance, hoping he would finally see her as more than just the girl who helped him with his homework. But Nick had other plans, and Scarlett was left to watch from the sidelines as he played the part of the perfect prom king.
Later that night, as Scarlett stood alone outside the venue, Nick found her. His tie was loose around his neck, and his usual smirk was gone.
"Scar," he said softly, stepping closer. "Why are you out here?"
Scarlett crossed her arms, trying to hold herself together. "Why do you care?"
Nick frowned, his hands shoved into his pockets. "Because I do."
She laughed bitterly. "You have a funny way of showing it."
Nick sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know I've messed up, okay? But... you're important to me. You always have been."
Scarlett's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to stay guarded. "Then why do you keep pushing me away?"
Nick didn't have an answer. He just stood there, looking at her with those piercing eyes that had always been her weakness. And for a moment, Scarlett let herself hope that maybe, just maybe, things could be different.
But that hope didn't last long.
Present Day
Scarlett closed her books and rubbed her temples, exhaustion washing over her. The bar exam was just weeks away, and she couldn't afford to let Nick—or her memories of him—distract her.
She stood and walked to the window, staring out at the city lights. No matter how far she had come, no matter how much she had grown, Nick Rivers would always be a part of her story. But she was determined to write a new chapter—one where she was in control, one where she finally found peace.
He doesn't control you anymore, she reminded herself. You've come too far to let him pull you back.
Scarlett took a deep breath and turned back to her desk, ready to face whatever came next. Because this time, she was fighting for her future—and no one, not even Nick Rivers, could stand in her way.
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𝙝𝙞 𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨! 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮. 𝙞'𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙞 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙨 𝙞 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠! 𝙞'𝙢 𝙨𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙. 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨, 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨! 𝙞 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 <3
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The Price of Regret
Romance"The Price of Regret" is a gripping tale of love, heartbreak, and second chances. Scarlett Rhodes thought she'd moved on from her first love, Nick Rivers, who once treated her like an afterthought while toying with her emotions. Years later, as Scar...
