Page 29 of Stuck with my Boss Daddies

A sharp, crystallinecracksplit the air, a shattering explosion that seemed to echo, stretching out impossibly long.

Ice scattered across the hardwood like tiny frozen marbles.

Liquid—cola, lemonade, something bright red—splashed outward, slow and syrupy, spreading in a widening stain across the floor.

Somewhere, someone gasped.

I stood frozen, pulse thrumming at my throat. My breath caught, my fingers still curled uselessly around the empty air where the tray had been.

But the worst part was that as the noise ricocheted through my skull, suddenly, I wasn’t in The Foundry anymore.

I was fourteen years old again.

The world flipped upside down.

The impact hit like a freight train, metal screeching, the sickening crunch of bones and breaking glass swallowing my parents’ screams.

My stomach lurched, the seatbelt digging into me like a serrated blade.

The world blurred… streetlights spinning, headlights flashing, everything a whirlwind of sound and motion until it all stopped.

Silence.

Then the scent of gasoline.

Pain ripped through my abdomen, white hot and unbearable.

I looked down, barely registering the gash torn across my stomach, my hoodie soaked in blood.

My hands shook as I reached for my parents, my voice breaking as I called out their names—“Mom? Dad? Lisa? James?”—but they didn’t answer.

They never would again.

I’d never be going back to Phoenix with them. Instead, it was off to Willow Creek for me, followed by Hayley’s home…

“Sadie.”

A voice broke through the memory, pulling me back.

I blinked hard, my breath coming too fast, too shallow.

I wasn’t in the wreckage… I was here, in The Foundry, standing in the middle of a mess of broken glass and spilled drinks.

The room had gone quiet, eyes turning toward me, the pressure of their stares squeezing my chest like a vice.

The silence didn’t last long.

“What the hell just happened?” Samuel’s voice cut across the dining room, sharp and tense.

I turned slightly, catching a glimpse of him as he rounded the corner from the kitchen, eyes scanning the wreckage before landing on me. His expression shifted instantly, frustration flickering into something closer to worry.

“You alright?” he asked, the gruff edge still there, but softened.

Kai was close behind, already moving with a damp towel in hand, his brow furrowed. He looked from the mess to the dog to me. “Sadie, are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” I said, too fast.

Samuel took another step forward like he didn’t quite believe me, but Adam’s voice stopped him.

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