by Livy North
This was my fault.
I tried calling her with tears in my eyes and my heart thundering, but it went to voicemail. Once. Twice. And then for the third time. I gave up and focused on driving faster.
Arriving down by the parking garage, I jumped out of the car before it even stopped. I dashed up the path to the house, muttering curses under my breath.
This wasn’t happening.
This had to be some sick joke.
There was no way this was real.
For what seemed like the first time in my entire life, I was scared. Terrified. Fear filtered through every atom in my body, to the point where tears stung my eyes.
Please let her be here. Please let her be safe.
The smell of smoke reached me first. I ran faster—as fast as I could— but came to a halt when the house came into view. Fire consumed it. Smoke oozed out of the shattered windows and surrounded us like fog. It was red and orange flames everywhere.
My father and his associates were already there, standing outside it like they were admiring the sight. My brothers were there too, and they refused to meet my gaze.
My world shattered.
There was no need for me to speak, because I already knew what had happened and by the sly smirk on my father’s lips, I knew the game was over.
“She’s gone,” Father said flatly. “And you, my son, just inherited yourself a company.”
THE END. FOR NOW.
Thank You
I honestly still can’t believe this is really happening. I’ve never been so thrilled and terrified at once in my life. This book is everything to me, and I hope you enjoyed it just as much! I hope it brought out all the feels in you that it did me while I was writing it.
Thank you so much for reading River and Emory’s story. I hope you loved them.
Reviews are much appreciated, but also feel free to send me a message about the book! It always makes my day.
If you want to read the rest of Emory and River’s story, make sure to add it to your TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56658347-rk
Acknowledgments
To be honest, I don’t know who to thank first!
First off, I want to thank you for picking up my debut book. You didn’t know what to expect, so thank you for trusting in me to take you through River and Emory’s journey. I hope it was worth every minute and that I’ll see you in the next book. There is so much more to come.
Then I need to thank my big brother and board member of my company for supporting me. And for choosing the last details of the book cover. Thanks for being my person and best friend.
And thanks to my gorgeous best friend, Emi—From the bottom of my heart, thank you. This book wouldn’t be here without your endless support and cheering. Everyone who read and enjoyed this book should thank you, really. It wouldn’t exist without you.
And then, my family for cheering me on and helping me every step of the way. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that kind of support system around them, and I am so grateful for mine.
Of course the whole crew who made this book shine: My editors Katie and Silvia, my cover designer Arijiana, and Books and Moods for formatting. And thanks to Yours truly and all the bloggers/bookstagrammers who shared the release and picked up the book.
Last but not least, I feel my dog Zelda needs to be mentioned. Thanks for stepping on my laptop when you want attention, I guess.
Playlist
Smoke Filled Room - Acoustic Session by Mako
If Walls could Talk by 5 Seconds of Summer
Looking at Me by Sabrina Carpenter
TALK ME DOWN by Troye Sivan
Set Fire to the Rain by Adele
Control by Zoe Week
Safe by Daya
The Man by Taylor Swift
Teeth by 5 Seconds of Summer
High For This by The Weeknd
Hurricane by Halsey
River by Charlie Puth
Ocean Eyes (blackbear remix) by Billie Eilish
Listen to the playlist on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/390tB7h
About the Author
Livy North is a contemporary romance author who resides in winter wonderland with her dog. She loves to dive into worlds and spend hours writing her characters, but if she’s not doing that, she can either be found reading a good book with a blanket and a scented candle, or in the car on the way to an unknown destination.
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She loves hearing from her readers, and you can find her here:
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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/livy-north
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20020558.Livy_North
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