Copyright © 2020 by M.A. Heard.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical reviews and various other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
The resemblance to actual persons, things, living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
Cover Designer: Sybil Wilson, PopKitty Design
Cover Model: FOREST
Photographer Credit: Wander Book Club Photography
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication
Songlist
Synopsis
Coldhearted Heir
Family Tree
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
The Epilogue
The Heirs
Trinity Academy
Enemies To Lovers
Connect with me
About the author
Acknowledgments
Dedication
To my readers.
I adore you.
Songlist
Click here - Spotify
Synopsis
Everything changed the night my boyfriend died.
What should’ve been the most special moment of my life turned into a nightmare. Because of Hunter Chargill, I lost the love of my life. I’ll never forgive him.
Hunter used to be one of my best friends, but it turns out he’s nothing more than an arrogant a-hole determined to make my life a living hell with his lies.
But he should’ve known you can’t break something that’s already broken.
I manage to avoid him until my freshman year at Trinity Academy. Our cruel words and intimidating touches quickly spark a flame, and instead of us going down in a blaze of hatred, desire sizzles to life.
I know I’m in trouble when I start enjoying our fights. Instead of wanting to punch him, I find myself wondering what his lips would feel like on mine.
A stupid game.
One kiss.
And my perfectly constructed walls come crashing down around me.
I should feel guilty and make Hunter pay for what he’s done.
But sometimes a tormentor turns out to be a protector.
Coldhearted Heir
THE HEIRS
Book 1
College/New Adult series of interconnected STANDALONES.
“We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them.”
― George Orwell, 1984
Family Tree
HUNTER CHARGILL
↓↓
Mason ChargillKingsley Hunt
FatherMother
(Nickname: Hunt)
Godmother: Layla Shepard
Godfathers: Falcon Reyes & Lake Cutler
Best Friends: Jase Reyes, Kao Reed & Noah West
JADE DANIELS
↓↓
Rhett DanielsEvie Cole
FatherMother
↓
Hayden Cole
Grandfather
Godmother: Miss Sebastian
Godfather: Carter Hayes
Best friends: Fallon Reyes, Mila West & Hana Cutler
Jade Daniels fell in love
Jade Daniels lost it all
All the king’s horses, and all the king’s men
couldn’t put Jade back together again.
Chapter 1
JADE
Two Years Ago…
I stop packing for a moment and lift my burning eyes to my friends. They spent the night at my house and have been trying to convince me to stay. “If I don’t go, I’ll end up starting a war. It’s only for the rest of the long weekend.”
Jase’s birthday party was a disaster, and I need time to process it all before school on Tuesday. My grandfather’s ranch has always been a safe haven for me.
Fallon gets up from the bed and moving closer to me, she takes hold of my hand. Her golden-brown hair is still a mess, and her soft brown eyes hold a world of understanding as she says, “You’re hurting right now. Running to your grandfather’s ranch won’t make anything better. Call Hunter and talk to him.”
Anger coats the disappointment swirling in my chest. My vision blurs, and my throat aches from all the effort it’s taking not to cry. I swallow hard and take a deep breath before the words come out, thick with hurt and anger. “If I could, I’d move to Virginia for good. Brady is ignoring my calls, and I never want to see Hunter again.”
Fallon looks to our friends for help. Mila rises from where she’s sitting on the floor amongst the scattered blankets and pillows, we used for the sleepover. “Jade, we’ve been a tight-knitted group since birth. Hunter was only looking out for you. Any of the guys would’ve done the same thing. Hunter was just the first to react. You know how protective they are of us.”
Shaking my head, I have to swallow hard to get the lump down. “Last night was supposed to be a special night for me. Hunter ruined it all.” I let out a harsh breath. “He embarrassed Brady in front of all our friends.” My shoulders slump as a wave of disappointment and sadness washes over me. “He humiliated me.” I pull my hand free from Fallon’s and reach for another shirt. Folding it, I voice my worry, “Lord only knows what happened between them when Hunter took Brady home.”
Hana stretches her body across the bed so she can reach the side table to grab her phone. “That’s it. I’m calling Hunter. We need to settle this ASAP.”
“Don’t!” Before I can continue objecting, my own phone begins to ring. Knowing the ringtone belongs to Brady, I almost break my neck when I jump over my luggage to get to the device before it can go to voicemail. “Brady!”
Breathless, I wait for his voice to come over the line.
“It’s me. Colton.” Hearing his voice makes a frown rumple my forehead.
This can’t be good. Is Brady so mad at me that he got his older brother to tell me we’re over?
Colton’s voice sounds numb as he says, “Things got bad last night.”
I fist my free hand next to my side as I stare at the wall in front of me. “Let me talk to Brady.” I need a chance to save our relationship. We’ve been dating for a year, and he’s been one of my best friends since the first day we started school.
We can’t end like this.
“Colton, we need to leave right now!” Hearing the panic in their mother’s voice makes my frown deepen.
“I’m coming,” Colton yells harshly before turning his attention back to our call. “Brady killed himself.”
Shock and confusion numb me, and it prevents the words from sinking in.
“Wh-what?” My mouth dries up, and my heart starts to beat faster.
“I have to go.”
The line goes dead. My hand drops from my ear, and my eyes creep to the phone in time to watch the screen go black. Silence stretches around me, making the air thin as my breathing speeds up.
“What did he say?” Fallon asks.
“I - I – I.” Unable to form the word
s, a wild panic bleeds through my body when what Colton just said begins to sink in.
No.
I shake my head and drop my phone as if it might burn me.
“Jade?” Mila comes to stand next to me, and I see the concern on my cousin’s face.
I hear a knock at my bedroom door, and it takes a lot of effort to turn my face toward it.
Daddy peeks inside. “We’re ready when you are.” His eyes meet mine, and that’s all it takes for the finality of Colton’s words to hit.
“Daddy,” I croak, and my breaths start to hitch in my throat, making it tighten with pain.
“Bean?” Dad rushes forward and takes hold of my shoulder, worry darkening his features.
“Brady…” I choke on a sob, and my eyes flood with tears. Denial wars with the harsh reality I’m struggling to face. My voice is strained, making my throat cramp as I force the words out. “Brady killed himself.” I grab hold of my father’s arm, needing to hold on to the strongest thing I have as the full force of what’s happening hits me. “He… he's dead.”
Dad’s arms fold around me, holding me tightly to his chest, and it keeps the pieces of me from shattering to the furthest corners of the world.
“I’m so sorry, Little Bean,” Dad whispers as he presses a kiss to my temple.
I begin to gasp from the pain searing through me. It’s tragic and relentless, not giving me a second to catch my breath. “Daddy.” My voice is torn between a wail and something hopeless.
Keeping his promise he made on my fourteenth birthday, Dad moves his arms under me and lifting me up, he walks us to the bed where he sits down and cradles me. ‘I promise to always be right behind you, Jade. So I can catch you when you fall and hold you up when life gets hard.’
Right now, Dad’s the only thing holding me up as my world distorts into something unrecognizable.
“Girls, give us a moment alone,” he orders my friends to leave. When the bedroom door shuts behind them, Dad frames my face and lifts it until our eyes lock. “I’m here, Jade. I know you’re hurting so fucking much, but I’m here, and I won’t let go.”
My body begins to jerk as the sobs rip through me, and I crumble in my father’s arms.
Brady’s gone.
Every dream I wove around us fragments into tiny pieces.
My Brady.
My best friend.
The love of my life.
He’s gone.
I won’t get to hug him again.
I won’t get to kiss him.
I won’t get to see his gentle smile that had a way of warming the coldest days.
Brady’s dead.
My sensitive, beautiful boyfriend left without warning, without a word… and he took my whole heart with him.
My world has been a warped and hollow mess the past couple of days. For the first time since I was a toddler, I slept in my parents’ bed. They haven’t left my side since I got the news that Brady committed suicide.
Mom called Mrs. Lawson to find out where the funeral will be held so I could be there.
Sitting between my parents, my eyes keep drifting between the closed casket and the front row where Mrs. Lawson and Colton are seated. Even though it’s almost summer, the church is cold.
For a fleeting moment, I wonder where Mr. Lawson is. But it’s a constant fight to keep it together and to focus on anything. When Dad lifts his arm and places it around my shoulders, I scoot closer to him. He puts his free hand over both of mine, and warmth seeps through the ice barrier coating my skin.
My stomach burns, and my back aches from all the tension. I try to concentrate on the physical pain because facing the merciless devastation inside me is too much to handle right now.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to face it.
When the service starts, my mind becomes a torture chamber filled with questions, denial, and sorrow.
Our time together wasn’t long enough. We were never meant to say goodbye.
A tear rolls down my cheek, and I don’t have the strength to wipe it away. Mom frees a tissue from the stash she brought and gently dabs the trail away.
The turmoil in my head is so loud, it drowns out all the sounds around me. The preacher's lips move. Mrs. Lawson’s shoulders shake. People get up and sing, and I lean heavily against Dad to keep myself standing.
When the service comes to a close, we make our way to the exit. Stopping in front of Mrs. Lawson and Colton, I somehow manage to force a smile around my dry lips. Their faces blur as I unconsciously pay my respects. “I’m so sorry.” I blink the tears away, and immediately I’m struck by the anger and pain in Colton’s eyes.
This must be so hard for him.
Another fleeting thought as Dad guides me out of the building toward the car. The only constant in my world is the tormenting reality that Brady is gone.
We follow the procession to the cemetery, and even though the sun is shining bright, the grounds feel dark and morbid.
Brady doesn’t belong here.
Brady was sweet and caring. He was sensitive and gentle and doesn’t belong in such a grim place.
Beside me lays a single poppy, and I notice it’s already wilting. It was Brady’s favorite. When we come to a stop near the gravesite, I carefully take hold of the stem, so I don’t accidentally break the flower.
As I walk toward the already forming crowd, my eyes dart over the gravestones, and each one is a blow to my broken heart.
I’m not ready to say goodbye!
Dad must feel my distress because his arm is around my shoulders before another tear can escape, and he whispers, “I wish I could take your pain, Little Bean.”
I cower against my father’s side as the preacher says some final words, and the coffin is lowered into the hole.
Brady can’t be in there.
But he is. He’s dead and never coming back to me.
The tidal wave robs me of my breath and makes my heart squeeze so painfully, I wonder how it’s still able to beat.
People begin to leave, having said their final goodbye. I force myself forward, and Dad sticks to my side as I kiss the frail petals of the poppy before dropping it on the coffin.
An agonizing sob tears a hole right through my soul as I croak, “I’ll love you forever, Brady.”
I somehow manage to turn to Mrs. Lawson and Colton and weakly wave at them before Dad helps me back to the car.
It’s only been three days, and I’ve barely survived the heartache. How am I going to survive the rest of my life without Brady?
It all sinks in again.
The pain. Feeling lost. The desperation that’s threatening to cripple me.
Every second between each heartbeat is unbearable because it’s another second without him.
Dad called the school and managed to get me out two weeks early before summer break, so instead of heading home after the funeral, we all came to Virginia.
I’m sitting on a bench, my eyes staring blankly over the little pond on the ranch. It’s beautiful and peaceful out here, but right now, I can’t bring myself to appreciate any of it.
I hear footsteps, and then a shadow falls over me before Grandpa sits next to me.
“Hey, kiddo.”
I link my arm through his and holding onto it, I snuggle into his side, resting my head on his shoulder. “Hey, Gramps.”
We sit in silence for a while before I ask the question that’s been weighing heaviest on me, “Why did he do it?”
“He must’ve been in a place so dark he couldn’t find the light.”
I need to talk to someone about the mess in my heart, and Grandpa is the wisest person I know. He’s a retired Navy Seal, and I’m sure he’s seen the dark side of life a couple of times.
“We were happy together. There was an incident at Jase’s party, and Hunter embarrassed Brady. I don’t know what happened when Hunter took Brady home. Colton, Brady’s older brother, said things got bad, and that’s why Brady committed suicide.”
Grandpa lets out
a heavy breath before he asks, “Did Hunter and Brady fight?”
“I don’t have the heart to ask Colton what happened, and I don’t want to talk to Hunter.”
“So, you don’t actually know what happened?”
I sit up and scowl at the water. “I can only guess, Gramps. It was serious enough to make Brady feel like he had no other choice.”
Grandpa rubs a hand over his strong jaw, his brows drawn together. “I think you should call Hunter and hear what happened. From my experience, a lot has to happen before someone reaches the point where they feel like death is the only option.”
Deep in thought over what Grandpa said, I nod slightly.
“Dinner is almost ready. Want me to put your plate in the microwave until you’re ready to eat?”
Sometimes I think my grandpa and dad know me better than I know myself. Smiling gratefully at him, I nod. “Please. I want to stay out here a little while longer.”
Grandpa pats my knee before he gets up to walk back to the house. For a while, I watch the last of the sunset before I pull my phone from my pocket. The screen lights up, and right away, my eyes focus on Brady’s smiling face. The blow is so hard it reduces me to a crying mess in seconds.
Clenching the phone to my chest, I startle when it begins to ring. Seeing Fallon’s name, I croak, “Hi.”
“How are you?” There’s only a second’s pause, then she rambles, “Don’t answer that stupid question. I just want you to know I’m here for you. I wish I could hug you.”
Hearing my friend’s voice makes the tears start again. “It’s just hard. I can’t wrap my mind around it all. One second we’re happy, and the next, it feels like I’ve been thrown into a horror movie.”
“We love you, Jade!” Mila’s yell comes over the line, followed by Hana’s, “and we miss you.”
My friends manage to bring a faint smile to my lips. “I miss you too. I just need to process everything.”
Coldhearted Heir (The Heirs Book 1) Page 1
