Meet Scarlett Striker, a bold and quirky journalist for the Seattle Times. She's fun, confident, sassy, and just the right amount of weird. Scarlett is determined to rise to the top, no matter what it takes.
When her boss offers a golden opportunity...
#sorrynotsorry about the long chapter. Hope you enjoy! xoxo
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I don't know when I drifted off, but at some point, I must've just shut down. My body, my mind—they both checked out after the chaos of yesterday. And thank God it's Saturday. There's no way I could've dragged myself into the office today. Not without taking a full 24 hours to mentally recover from the absolute shitstorm that was yesterday.
As I blink my eyes open, groggy and disoriented, my phone dings. The light from the screen catches my attention, and I lazily pick it up, noticing missed calls from both Scarlett and Chris. I swipe through Chris's texts, the ache in my chest growing heavier with each one I read.
Chris 8:00 PM: My guy hasn't arrived yet.
That sharp pang hits me right in the heart, twisting deeper with every memory that rushes back. Nicolás. My father. His words—they're like a dark cloud hanging over me, suffocating. I shake my head, trying to push it aside, but then I read the next message.
Chris 8:10 PM: Elizabeth, are you okay?
The knot tightens in my stomach as I scroll down.
Chris 8:15 PM: Elizabeth, I'm freaking out. Please respond.
I scroll again, my chest tightening further.
Chris 8:20 PM: Why is none of this delivering?
Chris 8:25 PM: When I call you the call drops.
Chris 9:00 PM: Elizabeth?
His last message was hours ago. I feel guilty. But I also feel... scared. Conflicted. Yesterday feels like an unraveling of things I thought I understood, but maybe I didn't. I don't know if I'm ready to face Chris, especially after everything Nicolás said.
I see a text from Scarlett this morning.
Scarlett 9:00 AM: Hellooo, signs of life please?
I quickly type back, my fingers shaking just slightly as I hit send.
Me: I'm just fine. Can I come over later?
The moment I press 'send,' I drop the phone onto the bed and run my hands through my tangled hair. Part of me wants to crawl under the covers and hide from the world. From Scarlett. From Chris. From... everything.
But I can't. I know that. If I don't face this now, it's only going to fester. I can't run forever. Even if I really, really want to.
I drag myself out of bed, feeling the weight of last night clinging to me like a bad hangover, though I haven't touched a drop of alcohol. As I shuffle toward the kitchen, my mind spins. Chris engaged to Rebecca? That has to be a mistake, right? I can't stop replaying Nicolas's cruel words in my head, making me question everything I thought I knew.
