Karen's Pov (18+)PRESENT TIME “If this is all true,” I said, my voice shaking as I tried to steady myself, “if Lauren isn’t the one after me, and you might have some kind of lead… why are you helping me? Why are you doing this? Why can’t you just wait for everything to change? Why can’t you just… wait for me to figure this out? Why must you help me?” The words came out more frantic than I intended, my emotions teetering on the edge. Devon’s eyes softened as he stepped closer, his expression unreadable but achingly familiar. “I’m helping you because I love you,” he said, his voice firm, but there was a vulnerability there too. I froze. “I always have,” he continued, his words deliberate, every syllable sinking into me. “Even in those five years I stayed away, Karen. Even when I tried to let you go. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I couldn’t stop loving you.” He moved even closer, the heat of his body radiating against mine. His hand brushed against my arm, a featherligh
KAREN'S POV “Hello little betrayer, are you sure you still want to get on with this marriage, cause trust me, you’d regret it.” I still heard the words of the man I was supposed to call husband very soon ringing in my ears. Once, Devon Grey had loved me, now… now, what he felt for me was something even stronger than hate, it was a twisted kind of love, a love that enjoyed seeing me in pain – and all because he thought I betrayed him. I Stared into the mirror, my eyes scanning the face that stared back at me. It was that of a very beautiful young girl with pale milky skin, and a heart-shaped face dominated by large blue eyes, framed by long dark lashes. I blinked, and for some unknown reason, my eyes filled with tears.I was getting married to the rich and powerful Devon Grey, a man I was hopelessly, madly in love with, and yet I was frightened of him. Lately, he had been accusing me of betraying him, and I could not understand what I had done to make him think I could ever b
DEVON'S POV My heart turned cold as I listened to the sound of her pretentious cry. I felt my lips curve up in a wry smile – females! They were all the same, none of them were worthy of love, they could each be bought at the right price. I had been a fool to think Karen was any different, I had been drawn to her innocent looks and wide eyes. She seemed so kind, selfless and naïve, I had wanted to shelter her from every harmful thing in the world. I had willingly let down all my standards because of her, and in that time, it seemed the right thing to do. Looking back now, I could only see what a fool I was. Anger was a bitter taste at the back of my throat as I smiled again. It was ironic, I, Devon Grey, the most feared man in the country had been played for a fool, and all it took was the innocent looks of a nineteen year – old girl to fool me. At exactly 9:00 pm, the door opened, and Karen Desantis, my fiancé and soon to be wife stepped in. I could not deny her beauty.
KAREN'S POVThe rest of the party was a blur. All I was aware of was Devon’s accusation. And then, before I could even stop to breathe, the party was already over, and everyone was leaving. I wanted to call them back, to beg them to stay. Something told me the only reason I had not yet faced the full anger of my powerful fiancé was because his guests were present. What would Devon do when everyone left? My heart was thudding violently against my chest as he ushered the last one of the guests out, and then, he was dragging me - - into a room I had never been before. He turned on the lights, something low and smoky, like the kind of lights one would see in a night club, but it was only when my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room that real fear entered my eyes. The room was a bedroom - - of some sorts. The bed itself was covered in black sheets, with black pillows. All around the bed, and hanging from the ceiling were various torture equipment - - or bondage toys. Was this D
KAREN'S POVAfter I was sure Devon had gone, I buried my face in the all black pillow and wept. This was what my life was to become. Devon hated me, and yet he had asked me to marry him. The smart thing for me to do would be to call off our engagement – the smart thing, not the wise thing. Everyone knew that no woman ever broke up with the Grey’s and lived to tell the story. You didn’t walk away from a Grey, you waited until they got tired of you and chose to discard you. The twisted thing about it all was that I was not sure Devon would ever get tired of me. He did not love me of course, and would never love me again, but he still enjoyed keeping me around only so that he could torment me. My life was doomed. The only thing I could do now to be free was to get broken faster, to allow him break my heart to a million pieces, till he get bored with me and chose to let me go. I wondered if he might ever really chose to let me go, he might just decide to keep me there as a po
Karen PovI could never have imagined that my life would fall apart as fast as it had, but here I stood on the edge of a cliff staring into a chasm of hopelessness. Everything started to meld together-the fragments of some sort of nightmare I couldn't wake up from. Stephan's betrayal haunted my conscious mind every second, and his touch lingered on my skin like some stain I couldn't scrub off. And Devon. Poor Devon. Of all the terrifying transformations, Devon's was the most terrifying. My protector had been my protector but now was my jailer. His eyes were darker now, dark with something with which I couldn't name.They longer softened when their gazes met mine. Gone was the warmth that used to attract me toward him; instead, it had just frozen into coldness and replaced itself with steely determination against which I could not break, however hard I tried. He barely listened-I pleaded with him to-and everything I attempted to say to him, to explain how shattered I felt inside, was
Karen's POVIt was as if darkness closed in around me from every side, heavy with fear and uncertainty. My heart battered itself against my rib cage as he stepped into the light-deliberate, measured, as if he had all the time in the world. I'd steeled myself for anything-some faceless stranger, a masked intruder-but when the light fell upon the person standing before me, the breath left my lungs in one sharp gasp.It was Laura.Of all the things that I could expect, it wasn't her. Her eyes shone with an unhealthy light, and a chill smiled twisted on her lips. I didn't know what to say. The words caught in my throat, and suddenly the room was too little, the air too thin. My whole body yelled at me to run, while I stood utterly incapable of movement."You look surprised," she said, her voice little more than a silky whisper that set my nerves on edge. "Did you really think I wasn't watching?"She'd been watching me all along, lurking in the shadows feeding my paranoia, prodding my fear
Karen’s POV Sofia left, I was once again in my own World of thinking about my escape plan but nothing good was coming in my head . How do I even escape from here? Everything just seems scary and it seems I am in my own different world entirely. Sofia’s words was stucked in my head. “They won’t let you leave. Not alive.” The weight of that warning pressed downn on me, suffocating. I thought I’d seen the worst of Devon, but this? His family was into this now and this shit is scary as hell! I was a pawn in a game that I didn’t even know existed. The Mansion suddenly felt more like a trap, and I am right there in the middle of everything. My heart became heavy because of how scary my situation had become.“No one is coming to save you Karen.” I mumbled reminding myself. If I wanted to survive, I’d have to figure this out on my own but on a second thought, my love for him is making me think otherwise. I lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, but my thoughts were racing too
Karen's Pov (18+)PRESENT TIME “If this is all true,” I said, my voice shaking as I tried to steady myself, “if Lauren isn’t the one after me, and you might have some kind of lead… why are you helping me? Why are you doing this? Why can’t you just wait for everything to change? Why can’t you just… wait for me to figure this out? Why must you help me?” The words came out more frantic than I intended, my emotions teetering on the edge. Devon’s eyes softened as he stepped closer, his expression unreadable but achingly familiar. “I’m helping you because I love you,” he said, his voice firm, but there was a vulnerability there too. I froze. “I always have,” he continued, his words deliberate, every syllable sinking into me. “Even in those five years I stayed away, Karen. Even when I tried to let you go. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I couldn’t stop loving you.” He moved even closer, the heat of his body radiating against mine. His hand brushed against my arm, a featherligh
Devon’s POVEARLIER…The harsh cold of the night air bit into my skin as I walked out of the hotel, my mind spinning with the conversation I had just had with Lauren. If she wasn’t the one after Karen, then who the hell was? I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something—something crucial. There had to be a bigger picture here, something I wasn’t seeing.The more I thought about it, the tighter the knot in my stomach became. I couldn’t just ignore it. Karen was at risk, and somehow, I was tangled in this twisted game.I had to find out. I had to get answers before it was too late. But before I did anything rash, there was one person I had to talk to.O'Hara.My mind raced, and before I even realized it, my feet carried me to my cab. I had already betrayed Karen too many times, and this—this was no different. The constant lies, the manipulation—it had to stop. But if I didn’t act now, everything I cared about would come crashing down. I couldn’t continue working for O’Hara,
Karen's POV“He was caught visiting Lauren a few days ago,” He uttered, bracing himself for my reaction.I blinked, my heart skipping a beat. We're my ears playing games with me?“Devon?” I repeated and he nodded his head. He told me he wasn't with her anymore. He loved the kids, didn't he?“Are you sure? Devon? With Lauren?”He nodded again. “We have footage, Karen. It’s solid. If you want to see it, you can come down to the office tomorrow.”I was stunned. I didn’t even know what to say. Devon and Lauren? Again? He had promised me he was done with her, that he wanted to fix things for the sake of the kids. Was that all just a lie?“Unbelievable,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. “He said he wasn’t involved with her anymore. That he was trying to move on.”His expression softened, but his tone remained serious. “Look, Karen, I know this is hard to hear, but you need to be careful. Whatever’s going on, don’t let him know you’re aware of this. Keep things normal around him
Karen's POVTroy turned to me with a smile. "How about one last treat before the day ends?" he asked.I raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on my lips despite myself. "Another treat? You’ve already done enough, Troy. I think I’ve taken up enough of your time today."He shook his head, dismissing my protest with a wave of his hand. "Nonsense. You deserve this, Karen. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it."There was something about the way he said it that made it hard to argue. Reluctantly, I nodded. "Fine, but just this once. Don’t make a habit of spoiling me."He chuckled softly, leading me to the car. Once again, he opened the door for me. I slid into the seat, trying not to let the gesture affect me too much, but it was hard to ignore the small flutter in my chest.As we drove, I glanced at him curiously. "So, where exactly are we going this time?""You’ll see," he replied, eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.We drove through the city streets until we reached a quaint corner that l
Karen's POVThe throbbing in my head was relentless. I pressed my fingertips to my temples, trying to ease the ache, but nothing worked. It had been one of those mornings—exhausting, emotional, and everything in between. The kids were at the park with Jordie, and for the first time in days, I was alone, which should’ve been a relief, but all I felt was the weight of everything crashing down on me.I sank deeper into the couch, hoping for some peace, but the silence of the house felt deafening. The walls seemed to close in, and I found it hard to breathe with the pressure that had built up inside me. The events of the past few days were replaying in my mind—my argument with Devon, the overwhelming stress of trying to keep everything together for my kids, and the loneliness that had become so familiar.The quiet was interrupted by a knock at the door, and I froze. Who could that be? I wasn’t expecting anyone.I forced myself to stand, my head spinning as I made my way to the door. When
My grip on the seat tightened as the car pulled into Karen’s driveway. The house loomed in the dim light of the streetlamp, but it wasn’t the familiar structure that caught my attention—it was Karen.She was leaning over the hood of her car, a bottle of something amber-colored clutched in her trembling hand. Her hair was disheveled, and even from this distance, I could see her shoulders shaking.My heart dropped. Karen wasn’t the type to let herself unravel like this.The car came to a stop, and I stepped out, my boots crunching on the gravel. She didn’t even look up as I approached, too consumed by her own tears and whatever thoughts had driven her to this state.“Karen,” I said softly.Her head snapped up, and her glassy eyes met mine. “You came,” she slurred, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “Of course, you came. Always the hero, huh?”“What the hell is going on?” I asked, my tone gentle but firm as I took the bottle from her hand.She didn’t resist, just waved vaguely at the air.
Devon's pov He hesitated, his instincts screaming at him to leave, but her words cut through his resolve. “Come on, Devon,” Lauren said, her voice low and inviting. “Don’t you want to know? Aren’t you curious about what I have to say?”Her eyes locked onto his, a smirk tugging at her lips as she patted the space beside her on the bed. Against his better judgment, he moved forward, his jaw clenched as he lowered himself onto the edge of the mattress, keeping a careful distance between them.Lauren shifted, her posture relaxed yet calculated, her knee brushing against his. “You look tense,” she purred, her voice dripping with false concern. “You’ve always carried the weight of the world on your shoulders, haven’t you?”“Lauren, if you’ve called me here to waste my time—”“I called you here because I care, Devon,” she interrupted smoothly, her hand sliding onto his thigh. “I’ve missed you.”Her fingers trailed upward, and he stiffened, his gaze snapping to hers. Lauren leaned in, her pe
Devon's POVThe phone buzzed on the corner of my desk. O’Hara’s name lit up the screen for what felt like the hundredth time in the past two days. I’d ignored it, silenced it, even turned the damn thing face down in the hopes it would stop. But now, as I sat in the dim light of my office, the soft hum of activity from the floor below echoing faintly, I knew I couldn’t avoid it any longer.My hand hovered over the phone, the weight of the decision pressing down on me. Finally, with a resigned sigh, I picked it up and swiped to answer.“O’Hara,” I said flatly, my voice betraying none of the turmoil swirling within me.“Devon,” came the familiar oily tone on the other end. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten all about me.”“Been busy,” I replied curtly, leaning back in my chair.“Well, I hope you’ve been busy getting me something useful. Any updates?”I hesitated, staring at the papers strewn across my desk. My fingers drummed a restless rhythm on the wood as I considered my respon
Karen's POVI picked up the phone, my fingers trembling slightly as I dialed Troy's number. The seconds felt like hours as I waited for him to pick up. When he did, his voice was a welcome comfort, steady and reassuring."Karen?" he asked, his tone instantly alert. "What's going on?"I hesitated for a moment, weighing my words carefully. "I just got a call from the police. They want me to come down to the station. Something urgent about my case," I said, my voice tight with a mix of concern and frustration.There was a pause on the other end before Troy responded, his voice low and serious. "Do they say what it's about?""No, they wouldn’t tell me over the phone," I replied, glancing at the clock again. "I’m heading over as soon as I can. I just... I don't know what’s going on, but it doesn't feel good."Troy let out a quiet sigh. "Alright. Keep me posted. Be smart about your movements. Don't do anything rash. We don't know if this is just about your case or if it’s something more."I