The Cherished Wife

Annie could not believe what she was seeing in the papers Cody had handed her. She was shaking all over. "No, this can't be true. Winter is my best frie..." She could not even finish her sentence when she saw the photo of Winter talking to those men in the background.

Annie looked up. "Brother, where did you get all this? Winter, she..."

Annie and Winter had been best friends for years. Annie always thought she and Winter were on the same team. She did not like how Noelle treated Winter and often played tricks on Noelle behind her back. Annie believed Winter was the type to avoid making a fuss, so she assumed Winter often kept quiet about things.

Annie was quick to act and had always idolized the brave heroes in adventure stories. She saw herself as a champion of justice, so she was totally shocked by what the papers said about Winter.

Cody looked at his sister, feeling really sad. "I thought you were just a bit too quick-tempered because Mom and Dad spoiled you, making you act out sometimes. You're not a bad person, but you've been siding with Winter against Noelle for years. Have you ever stopped to think about what Noelle has actually done to you? Or what you've done to her?"

"I..." Annie was struggling to take it all in. "I..."

on. You've seen enough to know what they're really like! And don't mess with Noelle, either. Why

widened in shock. "You mean Noelle is

fierce look. "You've always spoken your mind without thinking, but you'd better remember this: don't cross Noelle. She's not as straightforward as

and their

lately, thanks to Cody's capable hands. It was not as big

it was like they were back to square one. Getting back on their feet would not

knew Annie had

that time. He told her to stay home for the next few days. The scars on Annie's body would be her lesson. When she was ready to admit to her mistakes, they would send

Winter had been using her all