Chapter 1After We Were Gone, the Twins Lost Their Minds

After We Were Gone, the Twins Lost Their Minds

Brief

The Link assigned me and my sister to win over a pair of twins.

She’s supposed to get the flirtatious younger brother; I’m here for the obsessive older one.

It was like playing with a couple of loyal puppies, all according to plan.

Until the Main Girl came back.

Then the flirt grabbed my sister by her hair and dragged her to his room.

And the obsessive one locked me down on his bed...

Sister: “Are we leaving?”

Me: “We’re leaving!”

Content

When Lydia said she wanted to leave this world, I thought she was joking.

Back in Ridgeville, we wanted nothing more than to get as far away from that shattered family as possible.

Here, we had no parents, but it meant fewer mind games, less verbal abuse, and no one around to constantly drag us down.

And especially after winning over the brothers, life here had been smooth sailing.

Leaving here and going back? That was the last thing I wanted to do.

But Lydia was set on it.

“Whether you stay or not is up to you,” she told me. “I’m calling up The Link tonight to get out of here.”

“And don’t say I didn’t warn you—Cora’s back.”

Cora. The Main Girl of this world.

I understood why Lydia wanted to leave. She was right; Damien and Cora were bound to get tangled up again.

A flicker of unease rose in my chest.

That night, as I was unwinding, Asher stumbled in, reeking of booze.

As he got closer, I caught the scent of something familiar on him—a strong trace of Silver Birch Cologne. Cora’s favorite.

Half-drunk, he reached up to touch my face, his dark eyes glinting with that familiar, possessive gleam.

“What did you do today? Did you think about me?”

Since winning Asher over, he’d gotten in the habit of asking me that, like some little reassurance.

If I dared say no, his eyes would immediately darken, and he’d ask if I’d found someone else to chase after.

Then he’d be fierce with me, muttering that I was nothing but a liar.

“You promised you loved me, that you’d never leave. But the second I look away, there you are, running off to someone else. Nixie, you’re so bad.”

But if I sweet-talked him just a little, he’d calm down, gentle as ever.

Asher’s shifts in mood made me feel like I could handle him, as if taming him were as easy as coaxing a kitten.

But I forgot who I was dealing with—Asher Pierce, ruthless, cunning, a real predator.

No one could control him easily.

Well, except for his ‘Golden Girl.’

“Hmm? Thinking about someone else, Nixie?”

“No.”

I covered his hand, forcing myself to bear the strong scent of that cologne, my cheek brushing his palm softly.

“I was thinking of you, Asher.”

The words dripped with emotion, and Asher believed it, a slight smile tugging at his lips as he narrowed his eyes.

“You’re so good, Nixie,” he murmured in that hypnotic tone. “I should’ve made my move on you a long time ago. Wasted so much time.”

I lowered my gaze, suppressing the emotions rising within.

Winning Asher’s heart hadn’t been easy. At first, he looked at me with complete disinterest—his eyes saw only Cora.

It wasn’t until six months ago, after Cora got together with her main love interest, that I found Asher drunk on the street and brought him home.

That was when he finally started noticing me.

When he found out I was here just to win him over, he went wild, begging me to stay.

After I succeeded, Asher was good to me.

And Damien liked my sister too.

So we stayed.

But now my sister was leaving.

And me? I’d be next.

“You’ve got puffy eyes—been crying?”

My voice was a little hoarse; Asher had been rough last night, and I still hadn’t quite recovered.

Lydia gave a bitter smile. “Last night, he came back drunk, reeking of perfume, with lipstick on his collar. I asked him a couple of questions, and he got all in my face, accusing me of being paranoid. The way he said it hurt. Those words were...ugly. Nora, I regret staying.”

“Doesn’t matter if it’s this world or the old one—men are the same. Once they’ve got you, they stop caring.”

Lydia sighed. “I’ve already arranged for The Link to get me out of here. In two weeks, I’ll be gone. What about you? Are you staying here with Asher? Or is he not much better than Damien?”

I didn’t know how much of Asher’s feelings were real. Unlike Damien, he wasn’t open about his emotions.

Lydia vented her anger about Damien for a while, then dragged me to Oakwood Mall with her, laughing again.

“The Pierces can afford it. I’m leaving soon; why not enjoy spending his money?”

“When we go back, I won’t get to live like this anymore.”

“Nora, just humor me these last few days.”

Lydia practically wanted to buy the whole place, grabbing anything that caught her eye.

She found a bracelet and was about to try it on when someone else swooped in.

“I’ll take that. Wrap it up.”