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 POVEric's voice was demanding and menacing when he asked that question. He gave me a deathly stare and I had to pause with what I was doing just to stare right back at him. I glared at him, agape, clutching the knife harder in my grasp. If I were a psychopath, I'd have driven it through his cold, stony heart and ripped it out. That'd teach him never to mess with me ever again.To say I was appalled by his stupid question was an utter understatement. I was livid. I was furious beyond words. How dare he insinuate that something was going on between his brother and me? The audacity! I felt my blood boiling, sizzling hotter than my steak right now, my temper reaching its boiling point. It took every ounce of self–control I had not to lash out at him right then and there.I felt insulted, infuriated and disrespected. What exactly did this man take me for? Seriously! Was he really accusing me of having something with his brother whom I only just met yesterday? That's insane! How
Sapphire's POVI was on the phone with Jamila, talking about everything and yet, nothing in particular. I ranted to her about my Eric problems, she's the only one I could talk to about it. Like always, she tried to console me by saying she was sure Eric was going to come to his senses sooner or later. She kept hammering on how she suspected Eric's mother had something to do with his abrupt change in behaviour.Jamila was on to something. For all I knew, she could be right. But I couldn't care less anymore. Eric made his choice. And it was to treat me like a piece of shit. Whatever his reason was, it was still not enough for him to treat me the way that he did. No excuse could cut it. I'd have appreciated it if he could come to me and tell me straight to my face what the problem was. That's if there was a problem. But no, Eric was hopeless right now.Jamila wouldn't have it though. When I told her I was done with Eric, she went on and on about how much he loved me, urging me to remembe
Sapphire's POVI couldn't believe what I just saw. I couldn't believe what was happening. Eric was in there with another woman! He was fucking another woman after driving me insane! He had betrayed me in the worst possible way, right in front of my eyes. All the pain, the hurt, the anger flooded through me like a tidal wave, crashing down on my already bruised heart.How could he do this to me? How could he throw everything we had, everything we shared for some meaningless sex? How could he betray me like this? How could he hurt me the same way Austin did?He knew how much I loved him. He knew it. I'd even confessed to him how I felt about him. It wasn't enough that he decided to trample on me these past few weeks, he was making a mockery of me and my love for him. I knew our relationship started out as a mere agreement which he'd initiated. But we'd long blurred the lines and it'd turned into something beautiful for us until he ruined it all with his stupidity and now...this!My hand
Sapphire's POVThat's not Eric.It's not Eric!The man that came out of the room was not my husband. But I was so sure he was the one I'd followed all the way here. I was certain it was Eric I had seen walking into the hotel. But this man... He was wearing the same clothes he had on when I spotted him—formal black jacket and black pants. His hair was now messier than it was and his shirt was unbuttoned and dishevelled.What's going on?I thought I'd seen Eric.I kept staring at the man, confused and all. He stomped past Ethan and I, with anger making his face. Obviously, things had not gone as planned with the blonde but that wasn't my concern. I was worried and puzzled by the fact that I'd thought it was Eric I'd followed here. This man was as tall as Eric, same hairstyle and from the back, it was so easy to think that they were the same person. I was wrong. I was so darn wrong.A smile broke on my lips and the pain in my chest gradually began to fade. Relief flooded through me, wash
Sapphire's POVI didn't let Eric drive me home. I stood my ground and without saying anything else, he furiously left with Sophia. Ethan placed a comforting hand on my shoulder but I shrugged it off, my mind swirling with a whirlwind of emotions. I didn't do it out of spite or out of anger for him. I was just so upset, hurt, angry and tired of this whole thing.The day had started out fine, with Ethan and I making the most of it that I wouldn't have imagined things would go so horribly wrong. What's with my life and drama? I'd give anything to have one drama–free day. But then again, wherever there was a Donovan, there was drama."Let's go home, Sapphire," Ethan said, giving me his hand.I peered at him. He had a soft smile on his lips, the kind of smile that lit up his whole face, making his eyes sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight. It was a smile that held warmth, kindness, and a hint of silliness all at once. His dimples peeked out, adding to the charm of his expression. His smil
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