Eric's POVI woke up, my head slightly spinning with a feeling like I had been hit by a car but in a really good way. Actually, it was the kind of ache that said, "Damn, you lived last night."I realized that I was butt naked, with Sapphire just as bare, curled up against me, her skin still damp from the marathon we had pulled in the bathtub. The sheets were a mess and my tigress was still sleeping in my arms, her breathing calm and soft like a gentle autumn breeze.I chuckled as images from last night's escapade flooded my mind. We had really spent the entire freaking night making love in the tub, of all places and she had dozed off right there, in my arms with my cock still buried deep inside of her. I had carried her to the bed after a while and that was how we called it a night. But that didn't stop me from showering her body with kisses and fondling her all over.I'd have made love to her some more if she hadn't been so tired and sore from my thrusts and all. I lost count of the n
Eric's POVAfter finally admitting to myself that I was hopelessly in love with Sapphire, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. She was still asleep, looking peaceful and utterly beautiful. I wanted to do something special for her, something I'd never done before—make her breakfast in bed before I told her how much I fucking loved her. The idea had me grinning like an idiot. But there was one little problem. I didn't know shit about cooking.Still, I was going to give it a shot. How hard could it be anyway? I had faced down boardrooms and negotiated million-dollar deals in my sleep. I had earned my first billion dollars without a dime from my family. Cooking should be a piece of cake. I slipped on a shirt and sweatpants. I gave my tigress one last kiss on her forehead before tiptoeing out of the bedroom.I strode into the kitchen and damn, I'd never realized how foreign this place was to me than the surface of Mars. The plan was simple: scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Tigress was go
Sapphire's POVMy whole body was aching. My thighs felt like they had run a marathon on a treadmill made of jelly, my arms like they had been lifting weights all night. My head was slightly pounding and I felt sore underneath. My eyes fluttered open, the blurriness still thick. I yawned, stretching my limbs out and rubbed my eyes, now half-awake. When I finally peeled my eyes wide open, the sunlight attacked me and I squinted before lifting my hands to block it.The memories of last night flooded my mind. I smiled and sighed, all of my insides as happy as my love glove. The night we shared would make even the most scandalous romance novel blush. Eric was a man all right but in bed, he was far from it. He sure knew how to leave a woman gratified and satiated. He'd mastered the art of lovemaking so well that I wondered how long it'd taken him to perfect his bedroom skills, or bathtub in this case.And then, I frowned when I thought of the number of women he must have screwed before me.
Sapphire's POVIt had been almost three weeks now. Eric hadn't spoken to me since the night he came home drunk. We barely saw each other despite the fact that we were living in the same house. More than half of the day, he was out, to avoid seeing my face, no doubt. He grew a habit of coming home late, sometimes even past midnight.Forget sleeping on the same bed, Eric didn't even sleep in the same room with me anymore. He moved some of his stuff to his personal fitness room and usually locked himself up whenever he was around. He was quickly becoming no more than a stranger to me and my heart ached like it had never ached before. The few times he saw me, he would waste no time avoiding me like I was a disease or like the sight of me killed him.Every attempt I made to talk to him was met with cold silence or harsh words. He was very quick to brush me off or pretend like I didn't exist. Most times it felt like I was talking to a brick wall, my words bouncing back at me, unheard and un
Sapphire's POVCora brought her hand to her cheek, the part where I'd just slapped. Her head was turned to the side for what seemed like minutes. She was frozen on the spot, staring into space as if trying to make sense of what had just happened. When it had finally clicked in her holed brain that I'd indeed slapped her, she faced me, her eyes now as red as her lipstick."You slapped me?" She fumed, caressing her cheek. Her whole face had turned red in fact."You're damn right I did," I snapped at her, my voice low and dangerous. I should've been scared of how I sounded right now. "And trust me, I won't hesitate to do it again if you dare to disrespect me one more time."I locked eyes with her, my heart pounding with anger, every fibre of my being pulsing with fury. What the hell did she think of herself? Who the hell was she to talk to me that way? What in the world gave her the right to speak of my relationship with Eric like tha? This woman had some nerves. And I blamed Eric for it
Sapphire's POV"And where the hell are you coming from?" Eric growled, stepping closer to me the moment I came out of my car, my old, timeworn Ford. I opted to use that instead of the brand new Bentley Eric had gotten me as a wedding gift because it was the only car with no tracker.Smart move, right?I ignored Eric and whispered a "Thank you" to my bodyguard. I'd been feeling lightheaded earlier and didn't feel like driving so I'd sent him my location and he'd driven me back home. I glanced at my diamond wristwatch. It was past 11pm. I wasn't even as late as I'd hoped I'd be. But whatever. There's always next time, I smiled and glanced at Eric whose eyes were clouded with intense anger. My smile faded and I made an attempt to strut past him. But he took hold of my hand and drew me back effortlessly like I weighed a feather caught in a hurricane."I asked you a question, Sapphire," he said, his tone harsher this time and his grip around my wrist tight as hell. "Where the hell are you
Sapphire's POVThe strange man's eyes widened as if he just realized I was naked and quickly looked away, turning to face Eric. I shuffled backwards and pulled the sheets, wrapping them around me. What on earth was going on here? Who the hell was this guy and what gave him the nerve to barge into my bedroom so late at night? He didn't even knock or say anything. He just strutted in like he owned the damn place. He shattered whatever fragile illusion of security I had left.Where are the stupid bodyguards when you need them?And worse, I let him touch me while I was naked! I just wanted the ground to open up right now and swallow me. I clutched the sheets around me tighter, taking another step backwards. I couldn't believe the audacity of this stranger, walking into our bedroom like he belonged there. My heart pounded against my chest, a cacophony of fear, anger, and confusion surging through my mind.I wanted to scream so badly, to demand answers, to kick this man out of here this ins
Sapphire's POV"Hey," Ethan greeted from behind me. I was in the kitchen, cutting some vegetables to go along with the nice, delicious steak dinner I was preparing. The aroma of sizzling meat was all over the room, mingling with the scent of herbs and spices.I quickly turned to face him, my eyes meeting his as he leaned against the kitchen counter, close to me. I took a while to respond, my gaze examining his features. Ethan was tall, just as tall as Eric but unlike his older brother, he had jet black hair, which pretty much seemed like how Eric used to style his when I first met him. Until he dyed it brown and began wearing it with neat curls before we even got married. And I never told him how much he looked better with it.Ethan also had beautiful brown eyes and a symmetrical face but his looks weren't as chiselled as Eric's. He was good-looking, it obviously ran in the family, but he had a more boyish handsomeness and would easily cut out for a charming lead in a romantic comedy
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