Jared
They say love and hate dance together on one line.
My feelings for Layla don’t dance on the line; they destroy it.
It’s been seven years since she disappeared.
And now she’s back, but things have changed—I’ve changed.
I’m no longer the Jared she remembers, the boy who wanted to protect her.
I’m very much my father’s son, and I take what I want, and what I want is Layla.
But this time, I’m keeping her forever.
Layla
Seven years—that’s how long it’s been since I’ve seen him.
After painstakingly putting myself back together, I’m finally ready to start a life without his memory chasing my every step.
Imagine my surprise when my new beginning leads me straight back to him.
Only he’s not the boy I remember.
He’s angry.
Damaged.
Hiding secrets that want to destroy him.
He hates me. He wants me.
I’m not sure I’ll survive the man he has become. His demons threaten to destroy us both.
Broken People Duet: Deceive Me is created by Vi Carter, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Broken People Duet (1): Deceive Me

Water gushes over my head. The last image I have burned into my brain is Jared standing on the edge of the pier with a perplexed look on his striking face. The world turns to green and brown as the lake swallows me whole. Pain burns my lungs, pain that isn’t just from being oxygen deprived. Betrayal is a new kind of pain as my brain keeps repeating on a loop that Jared pushed me into the lake with the knowledge that I can’t swim.


My arms and legs kick out. My thoughts are not with the action, but I’m aware of the flailing limbs that try to erase the growing distance between me and the surface. The world shatters as something breaks the surface and zooms toward me. I can’t see through the murky water as an arm circles my waist, and we’re tearing toward the surface. Light glitters off the rising water, and just as my lungs burn for what feels like the final time, the water snaps and bends, and I’m staring at the sky as I gasp for air.


Chapter 20: Layla