Winter's Mate: Fated on Ice

ie'

as Day

o Silverwestern, dreading what

I wasn't prepared f

ld feel my heart picking up at what was to come. I wanted to

n away, where wo

and I wondered what that was. I'd stared at Jude's peaceful face this morni

ht. I'm sorry I can't stay-I need to figure things out. You're a g

shameless in overst

eply. If anyone had told me I'd be here alone when I'd trave

om door was closed-either she wasn't back or she was keeping to herself. I unlocked my doo

t could

grabbed my charger and plugged it in to see what was happening.

notifications bombarded my screen. My

t fro

name. In one swift motion, I opened the message,

o

l to be famo

rang out. I saw Kira's name flash on the scree

s frantic voice filled the phone, an

I ma

been trying to get to you since last

. I'm just charging i

led softly. "Have you se

d. I could feel mys

every

a's worried voice came through, but it didn't help.

every

, TikTok, Twitter. Every platform

ok as I clic

sed, mouth open. The sounds-my sounds-ec

but what broke my heart apart

, fully exposed. I watched myself be violated all o

ht the comments. With every word I

Carter's girlfrie

on Josh??? He's t

oesn't deserv

dumps her di

someone like Josh w

ds another man

s are the

up I go

te enough, I'

your

ntion

erate

up my throat. My stomach churned, and through hazy vision, I rushed out of

vomit in my mouth. The humiliation and betrayal o

de in, her face scrunched in disgust when she saw

rned with

inkling as she chewed her gum non

ise. "Thought you'd have run home by now." She examined her nai

way." she said casually, "

and she took in my

ughed mockingly. "The whole t

eatened to spil

ching you make a fool of yourself." She laughed,

fell out. "You

t that doesn't make us the same. I'm the pretty twin,

d grades like that makes up for how you look." She mocked in a high voice. "So pure. So in

g. She was my twin sister. We'd s

ention but we both know that's a lie. They always loved me more. And now everyone else can see why." She flicked my forehead. "This is e

ession and spat on the floor. "Clean

face, and the click of her

ildhood, I still held her close because she was my other half, even though I was always self conscious and hid behind her shadow

stand me better than anyone had betr

gs, and I couldn't breathe. It was getting hard to breat

while I sat in the bathroom, wallowing in sel

re are you?" She appeared in the doorway,

ide me, not caring about the

rrying me past Sophia's closed door where cheerful

to clean yo

ldn't, it was like my b

rely registered it happening. She disappeared maybe to clean the bathroom

ll help the qu

her words. The ringing of my phone pulled me

o discuss." My mother's voice w

humor, tears streaming from the corners of my

d see