Sapphire's POVAnother exhausting day at work over...I sighed heavily and grabbed my stuff before heading home. It was almost evening and my shift was over. I just wanted to get home, take a nice cold shower and plop on the bed. My entire body was aching and screaming rest. I managed to reach Jamila's house and as it turned out, she wasn't home yet. And neither was Gwen.The both of them had assured me that they were okay with me living with them and that I shouldn't be in a hurry to leave just yet. It was really sweet and thoughtful of them but I preferred to have my own place. I didn't want to depend on people too much or burden them with my shit.I dipped my hand into my purse, searching for my keys and I let out a grunt of frustration as I couldn't find them. I hoped I hadn't dropped them carelessly at work or on my way here. I was still ransacking my purse for the annoying, little devils when I felt someone standing behind me."Austin!" I shrieked in horror as I quickly turned t
Sapphire's POVEric has been a real thorn in the flesh!Ever since that day he showed up at my house and beat Austin to a pulp, he seemed to have gotten off the shadows and had no problem showing his face to me every single day. He became a regular customer at our restaurant, always ordering the most expensive items on the menu like it was no big deal. Like he was just some wealthy and bored aristocrat with nothing else to do with his money but shower it on fine dining.But I wasn't fooled, I knew he didn't give a rat's tail about the food; he just wanted to be close to me, wanted to keep an eye on me, make sure no other man got too comfortable around me. It was like some twisted rendition of puppy love, him always showing up here, always ordering the most lavish meals and wines and insisting that I be the one to serve him.I was the warmest, most reliable and most efficient waitress, he'd told my manager. And he left me a huge tip everyday, which I never pocketed. I didn't want his m
Sapphire's POVThe news of Jade regaining consciousness after 5 long years of being in a vegetative state was like the first brush of cool wind in the peak of summer, like the first ray of sun peeking through on a particularly dark day. It was like a sweet tune unexpectedly dancing in the air when you're feeling your lowest, a ray of hope when you're lost at sea, so to speak.In my ears, the news was the sweetest melody ever played, better than the first rays of sunshine after a long terrible winter or hearing the most beautiful songbird's chirp after a five–year silence. I was elated as I rushed out of my house and flagged down the very first cab I could find. I found myself feeling lighter than I'd felt in ages, as if a huge load had been taken off my shoulders, a burden I'd been carrying for half a decade now suddenly lifted.Like a dream, the colours around me seemed brighter and more vivid. They were celebrating along with me. My heart pounded in my chest louder than a drum in an
Sapphire's POVI hurried out of Jade's room in search of Eric. He was no longer in the hospital. My legs were moving so fast, they were nearly a blur beneath me as I pushed through the sterile hospital doors and out into the blinding afternoon sunlight. Without thinking, I began to sprint towards the curb, my feet barely touching the ground, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I hailed a cab.It was as if the world moved in slow motion when I flung myself into the backseat, barely giving the driver time to register my frantic instructions before we sped away. My heart raced faster than a cheetah chasing its prey as I sat there, on that worn leather seat, thinking about My Eric.How could I have been so wrong? So quick to blame him for something he had no part in? And worse, how could I have let this blind rage cloud my judgement, severing ties with him without ever giving him a chance to explain himself? Why didn't I believe him? Why did I fail to see the pain in Eric's eyes when he t
Eric's POVThe first thing I saw the moment I opened my eyes was my tigress' beautiful face. Fuck! This woman was perfect, beautiful, flawless and 100% mine. It had been almost three months since we'd been apart and now, seeing her right there next to me, I felt high. Yeah, she was my drug and I was addicted to her, addicted to the way her lips tasted like honey, addicted to the way her body wrapped around mine perfectly, addicted to the way she made me feel complete.I could hardly believe it, after all that time we were away from each other, after all that hell we both went through, she was in my bed again, our bed. And she was mine again. I ran my fingers through her thick hair as she smiled at me with that smile that took my breath away each time. How did I get so fucking lucky? Even with her hair messy from the wild night we had, she still looked like an angel.Sapphire suddenly straddled me and I felt her naked body against mine, the heat between our bodies was enough to start a
Eric's POVI glanced at my wristwatch, it was almost 8:00pm. Perfect. My tigress should be here any minute, I thought to myself and smiled, straightening my jacket and staring at the beautiful dinner I'd put together on the table. It was more like a feast even. No doubt she was going to love it. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she arrived.Tonight was special, very special. I'd set up a nice candlelight dinner for us both, fancy, beautiful, sweet and every other nice synonym you could think of. It was my way of showing her just how much I loved her and appreciated her for coming into my life. The dinner was at the rooftop of one of my family's hotels and the view was breathtaking but not nearly as breathtaking as Sapphire.From up here, I could see the whole city spread out below, the lights twinkling like a million stars and the moon shining more beautifully than it had ever done. The skyline stretched out with pretty cool, tall skyscrapers and a few mid–rise buildin
Eric's POVThe speed with which I raced to the hospital was unmatched by anything I'd ever done before. It was indescribable and sure as hell would've put a gymnast to shame. It was barely 9:00 am and here I was speeding past every damn car on the road. Every traffic light was a torment, every car in my way a personal offense. My heart pounded like a war drum in my chest, echoing the same two words over and over–not Sapphire.The news I received shattered me to my core—she had been found unconscious in the woods, her dress torn and worst of all, she had been raped. My wife had been fucking raped! Fuck! I was in pain, furious and mad at the whole damn world as I drove. I cursed everything and tears stung my eyes. I nearly ran my car into the hospital entrance, screeching to a halt just in time. I didn't bother to park properly. I left it right there, half on the pavement, half on the road."Mr Donovan!" A nurse recognized me as I sprinted through the corridors, barely hearing her over
Sapphire’s POVOne week…Two weeks…Three weeks…It had been three weeks since that unfortunate, traumatic incident and nothing had been the same ever since. In fact, everything had gotten worse since then, if that was even possible. Every night when I closed my eyes, it felt like I was being transported back to that night and although, I couldn’t really see anything then, I felt it. I felt everything that bastard did to me.The feeling of his breath on my neck, his hands all over my body, his lips on me and his… I felt it all. And it was like a never-ending nightmare that I couldn’t escape from, no matter how hard I tried. There was this unshakable feeling of disgust and fear that seemed to cling to me like a stubborn stain refusing to come off no matter how hard I scrubbed. It was like it had become a part of me now. An indispensable part.Sleep became my enemy, running as far away from me as possible. The night was the worst time of my life now. It left me haunted with vivid nightm
Sapphire’s POV“I’ll never be yours,” I spoke defiantly, hiding every hint of fear in my voice. “Never.”“Oh but you already are,” Ethan responded, sniffling on my hair and twisting the gun against my head like it was about to bore a hole inside. “Whether you like it or not, you belong to me now. Eric can’t do anything about it. Isn’t that right, Eric?”Eric snarled, moving forward, “Ethan—”“Careful, bro. I thought I made it clear that if you try anything stupid, your tigress will pay for it. You wouldn’t want me to paint the walls with her blood now, would you?”Eric stood still but the fury in his eyes was unmatched by anything I’d ever seen before. He knew he was trapped, forced to play by Ethan's rules to keep me safe. Ethan was relishing in his power, revelling in the control he had over both of us. The son of a bitch held all the cards right now to his sick game.“Hang in there, tigress,” Eric told me in a softer voice, “I promise we’ll both walk out of here together. I’m takin
Sapphire’s POV “Going somewhere?” I looked up at Eric who was getting ready to head out. “Yeah,” he answered, peering into the mirror and fixing his shirt. He was wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of black pants. His hair was wet from the shower he had not quite long ago. He grabbed his leather jacket from the back of the chair and shrugged into it, zipping it halfway. The material creaked softly as he moved and his rich cologne filled the room. “Where are you off to?” I asked, sitting up on the bed and watching him. “Just going to meet with some contacts,” Eric replied, flashing me a quick smile. “I’ve got some important stuff to take care of.” “By this time? It’s almost 10.” “I won’t be long, I promise.” “Be careful,” I mumbled. Eric turned to me and shot me a warm smile. “Always am, tigress,” he cooed, crossing the room to plant a kiss on my forehead. I watched him as he grabbed his keys and wallet from the dresser, tucking them into his pocket before heading towards the
Sapphire’s POVI struggled so hard underneath the monster, trying to get him off me but all my efforts were futile. He was a whole lot stronger than me, pressing his body harder on mine, his lips grazing neck. I screamed and squirmed, flashes of that night he violated me whelming my brain.Ethan didn’t relent. He groaned in my ear, kissing my neck hungrily and rubbing his erection against my core. His breath washed my body whole with filth and disgust and I wanted to throw up at that point. The bitter, foggy memories of that night were replaying in my head as Ethan tried to have his way with me again.“Let me go!” I cried, struggling still, hoping and praying that someone out there would hear and come to my rescue.Where are those stupid bodyguards when you need them? Where’s Eric when you need him?I had to do something to get myself out of this. I had to break free and run away. I couldn’t let him do it all over again. I would never look at myself the same way ever again if I didn’t
Sapphire’s POVEthan took a step forward, the usual calm and friendly look on his face completely gone. His eyes went dark and he pressed his lips into a grim thin line, his brows furrowing slightly.“It was you!” I screamed, angry tears spilling in a split second as I clutched my panties tighter and stepped backwards, heading for the door. “You…you..raped me!”He was quiet, deadly quiet and something like anger flashed in his eyes. He looked different, like a completely different person. The stare he gave me was frosty and sharp; the kind a psychotic criminal gave after being exposed.I didn’t wait for him to say another word and didn’t demand any explanation from him even though the whole thing was puzzling and mind-boggling. In a flash, I turned towards the door and raced for it. But Ethan beat me to it. He blocked my path and locked the door before shoving the keys in the back pocket of his sweatpants.“Leaving so soon?” He asked, a devilish smirk now imprinted on his face.“Open
Sapphire’s POVEric had still not come home yet. I was still up, waiting for him and it was already very late. My eyes darted at the huge clock in the living room, my hands gripping my phone tightly. It was a little over 9pm and I’d been calling him for that past one hour but couldn’t get through to him. Perhaps his phone was down. I wished he’d come home soon.He’d given me specific instructions to stay put and not go to the hospital to look for him. I was intent on listening to him this time. I didn’t want him getting all worked up again about how stubborn I was so I waited patiently, glancing at my phone occasionally and listening for the sound of his car driving in.I had been waiting all evening to hear the latest update regarding Patricia. I hadn’t got any information about her condition and what state she was in but from the looks of things, she might not make it. She’d lost a lot of blood when I’d gotten there the previous night and she had more than two stab wounds.I didn’t
Eric’s POVThese past few months had been fucked! I had never seen anything like it. It had been from one fucking problem to the other, day in, day out, with no breathers, no breaks and no end in sight. What the hell was going on? The universe must love playing horrible games with us.First, Sapphire and I split up for months after she found out about the accident which I believed all my life I was responsible for when in reality, my sick mother was behind it all. And up until now, we still had no idea who’d called Sapphire to feed her with all of that bullshit of me conniving with my mother to kill her siblings.Secondly, my wife got raped after we were back together and like that wasn’t terrible enough, she got knocked up in the process. The bastard who did it was still on the run. She made up her mind to keep the baby, another blow to my face. It almost broke us apart and then she lost the baby, thanks to Patricia. I felt like shit at first when we thought Sapphire had a miscarriag
Sapphire’s POVI glanced down at my body. I was covered in Patricia’s blood and the footsteps were getting closer. I swallowed, cold sweat dripping out of my pores. If anyone saw me here like this, they’d think I stabbed her. I had to get out of here and fast. I got up and headed quickly for the door but I stopped dead on my tracks when someone walked in.Oh no! I was too late.“Sapphire? What the…?”“Eric?” I was relieved for a moment. It was just Eric. Surely, he wouldn’t think that I had anything to do with this. Or would he?I went over to him, my hands trembling, my voice shaking and my breathing heavy. “Eric…I…I… P…P…Patricia.”Eric gave me a hard once-over, his eyes trailing over the blood on my clothes and then darting towards Patricia’s seemingly lifeless body lying on the cold marble floor. He had an unreadable expression but his gaze was fierce and hard that I feared the worst.I didn’t know what I was expecting exactly. Perhaps I thought he’d begin with the interrogation,
Sapphire’s POV“Mrs Donovan,I’m terribly sorry that you had to find out this way. I should at least have the guts to face you and say this but I don’t. And I’m even sorrier for what I did to you and for the pain I caused you. I never intended to do it. I was forced into it. As you know, the love a mother has for her child can be overwhelming and compelling; hence I did what I had to do.I’m not saying any of this to excuse my actions, for you to take pity on me or even consider forgiving me. I don’t deserve your forgiveness and I’ll carry the burden of what I did to you for the rest of my life. A week ago, I had told you and the others that my little boy was very ill and so I took a leave. But that was a lie.My son was kidnapped and they told me the only way to get him back was if I did the unthinkable-kill your baby. I didn’t want to do it but I had no choice. They threatened to kill my son. The day before I left, I laced your tea with an undetectable poison the kidnappers gave me
Sapphire’s POV“I’m sorry but she lost the baby.”The doctor’s words replayed in my ear every single minute since the day I lost my child. The day he had broken the news to us, I was distraught and words couldn’t even express how shattered and hopeless I felt. I felt like dying along with my baby. All of a sudden, my life stopped making sense.How did I get here? How did I get to this point? When did my life become such a never-ending pain-filled nightmare? It was always one problem or the other. Why couldn’t I just be happy and have peace for once? Why was I always a mess? Why was my life a mess?I thought back to how terrified and unsure I was to become a mother at first, given the traumatic circumstances. And then, how I grew to love the idea of having a child, of creating a life and nurturing it as the days passed. I had so many dreams for my baby. I was already coming up with names.But now, all those hopes and dreams lay shattered at my feet, broken beyond repair. They were brut