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CHAPTER 33
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A vow of hate CHAPTER 34
We sat in silence for a long time after Mia went to bed. Christian had thankfully moved away from me the second he heard Mia’s door close with a soft click. And now, I was sitting on the other end of the couch with my back ramrod straight. All those years my mother spent trying to get me to sit straight and fix my posture, and here I finally was, putting the practice to good use. She would be so proud if she could see me right now. I focused my eyes on the TV screen in front of me, showing a new animation series now. My eyes were itching to look away from the burst of colors in front of me, but I knew that the second I did that, I would be forced to look at Christian, and that was the last thing I wanted to do right now. My eyes were starting to water from not blinking for so long, and I silently wished I could be sucked into the screen by some invisible energy only to discover that it was some alternate reality which Christian didn’t exist in. Christian gave up first, and soon after,
A vow of hate CHAPTER 35
“I almost died, Hazel… I almost fucking died.”I froze, and suddenly everything made sense. I was taken back to the things Mia had said to me the afternoon I had lunch with her and their mom. The pieces slowly started falling into place in my head, and my heart was thudding dangerously loud. He was talking about his past relationship, about the girl Mia told me about. The one who had betrayed his trust and taken everything from him… the one who had almost killed him. I understood why he was so angry all the time now, it was starting to make sense. But what I still didn’t understand was why his anger was directed at me. What did I have to do with all this? How could he have married me specifically to exert revenge for what was done to him if I have no idea about how I play into the whole thing? I barely even knew him before I got kidnapped by him.“Christian…” I whispered, finally letting my hand rest on his cheek, cradling his rough stubble. “I understand what you’re saying, I underst
A vow of hate CHAPTER 36
CHRISTIANWhen Mia walked through the doors looking terrified out of her mind, I was worried, and I immediately went into big brother mode. When she asked if she could spend the night, I immediately said yes and scolded her for even asking. But I knew I needed to get to work fast before she saw anything that would blow our cover. I made her a warm cup of green tea and kept her busy with Valerie while I proceeded to make my room look like it belonged to Hazel and I. The flowery scent of her perfume filled my senses the second I pushed her door open and I inhaled deeply, letting the familiar scent fill my senses. It took me back to the past… she still smelled exactly the same. But when the high wore off, I realized that what I was about to do wasn’t an easy task. I had my work cut out for me. Her room was a mess– not in the sense that it was dirty, but that she had obviously had a hard time finding something to wear so all her clothes were everywhere, and I had to work at an incredibly
A vow of hate CHAPTER 37
CHRISTIANWhispers… I could hear whispers as I woke, drowsy and warm—almost too warm. I was surrounded by heat and something that smelled enticingly good. My pillow tickled my face and I twitched my nose, trying to ease the itch, burrowing deeper into the welcome softness. My pillow giggled a little, and the whispers started again. I forced open my eyes. The light was dull, the skies looked heavy and dull, like it was going to rain. I lifted my head and met the amused gaze of Mia, who was sitting on the floor beside the bed, coffee cup in hand, and Valerie, who was giggling beside her with hair standing in every direction and a sippy cup filled with milk in her hands.“Daddy’s up!” Valerie exclaimed as she saw my open eyes. Then in a lower voice, “Haze still sleep sleep.”“Good morning,” Mia said with a smirk.“Were you that scared that you had to hide in here?” I asked with a small frown.“I came to get Hazel, but she’s still asleep and she wouldn’t be able to escape your clutches an
A vow of hate CHAPTER 38
CHRISTIANMia didn’t go home that day. She actually ended up spending the entire weekend with us. It was fine, because I'd rather have her with me till I was completely certain that everything was back in order at her place. But at the same time, it was hell having to continue sleeping in the same bed with Hazel. After what had happened that first night, we pretty much ignored each other when we were alone in the room. She found it hard to fall asleep, and I spent much longer hours in my office, only coming back into the room to sleep when I was sure that she was already asleep. And by some stroke of luck, Valerie hadn’t slipped up and said anything about us having separate rooms before now, so that was good. Mia would be going home tonight, and everything would go back to normal. But before that, we decided to go visit Hazel’s mom at the hospital. The weather was gloomy and a storm simmered just outside, low and tame. And I figured she would appreciate the company. I insisted on che
A vow of hate CHAPTER 39
HAZEL When mom first asked if I was really married, I thought it was a joke, so I still felt light and airy. She looked happy, healthy and better. She looked like she had actually been getting enough sleep recently, and I was happy about that. But things went south very fast. I quickly realized that she wasn’t joking or pretending about it, and I had to go with the flow so as to not confuse her, all while being so confused myself. I hadn’t expected Christian to be so understanding either, but he had handled the situation very well considering how abrupt it all was. He had handled it too well actually, because some of the answers he gave in response to my mother’s questions made me look at him in a different light. And if I didn’t know better, if I didn't know that it was all a lie, I might've believed them myself. He notified the doctors after that, while I sat next to my mom and held her hand, desperately trying not to break down into tears. We were told that the test results would
A vow of hate CHAPTER 40
It had been a few days since my mom’s troubling diagnosis, and over the course of those few days, the hospital had become my second home. She seemed better, she wasn’t hysterical or anything, and she even asked about Christian and Valerie every now and then, but I still couldn’t get myself to calm down and relax. I hovered over her at every second, and I was pretty sure she was tired of me breathing down her neck– a feeling that she made clear and communicated effectively when she quite literally kicked me out her room this afternoon. I walked back to my car with a gloomy cloud hanging over my head. She seemed fine, she seemed to remember that I was married now, but it was hard to shake off the fear that I was feeling.I walked into my favorite part of the house– the conservatory– where Tina had told me that I could find Valerie and Christian, and froze in surprise at the sight that met my eyes. Warm sunshine shone on Christian from the glass as he sat quietly while Valerie bustled ar
A vow of hate CHAPTER 41
The shrill sound of my phone ringing filled my ears as I reached the top of the stairs. I sighed, silently cursing as I fished for it in my purse, which only resulted in everything falling out of my hands and clattering to the floor. I watched with tears in my eyes as the contents of my phone rolled all the way to the bottom of the stairs.“Could this day get any fucking worse?” I silently swore, still very conscious of the fact that Valerie was in the house and she could hear me if I said that out loud. I angrily swiped at my eyes as I went back down the stairs, picking up lip glosses and cards and a ten dollar bill as I went. My phone was still going bat shit crazy, and I wondered who it was that was calling with so much urgency. It was my best friend, Olivia.“Olivia?”“Where have you been? I’ve been calling.” she said, her voice a mixture of concern and annoyance.“I was walking up the stairs… my phone fell, and I…are you okay?” I asked, deciding to leave out the insignificant det
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A vow of hate EPILOGUE
CHRISTIAN & HAZEL I chuckled as the doctor squirted the gel on Hazel’s tummy, making her squirm. Hazel always reacted to the cold. I kissed her and watched as the wand moved back and forth, and the image became clearer. “There’s your baby.” The doctor, Suzanne smiled, clicking and measuring. I held my breath as she turned on the sound, and I heard the heartbeat. The odd noise filled the room, the fast, steady sound like music to my ears. “You’re sure you want to know the sex?” “Yes!” Hazel and I exclaimed. “It’s a girl,” Suzanne announced. I laughed. “I’m surrounded. My own little harem.” Hazel’s eyes were focused on the screen. She tilted her head, looking confused. “It all looks good…” Suzanne’s voice trailed off. I frowned at the subtle change in the noise. It was faster, like an echo of itself, the strumming continuous. “Well, look who’s been hiding,” Suzanne mused and glanced over at us. She grinned and winked at me. “You did good, Christian.” She peered at the screen in
A vow of hate CHAPTER 169
HAZELI crawled into bed with Christian, snuggled into his side, and rested my head on his chest. He groaned as he shifted.“Are you all right?” I asked, worried that I had hurt him.He nodded. “Colin warned me that getting the sensation back in my legs was going to hurt. He’s fucking right.”Between rushing after Valerie, walking for everyone, moving around the house with his walker, and sitting on Valerie’s bed as he read to her for over an hour, I knew he was exhausted. But when I asked if he was ready to sleep, he said he wasn’t. I felt the same way too. Mentally, I was still wide awake. “Do you want some pain killers?”“No. As weird as it sounds, I want to feel it. I never thought I would get to this point, so aches and all, I’m going to go with it.”I laughed softly. “You’re right, Christian. You are weird.”He dragged her up his chest,causing a little gasp of surprise to escape me.“You wanna help me forget about the aches, Hazel?” he murmured in my ear, biting my lobe. “Make m
A vow of hate CHAPTER 168
The room around me buzzed with activity. Voices, people moving, talking to me, trying to get my attention. I held my breath, scared that if I even so much as breathed, I would miss something important.My focus was on one thing. The doctor examining Valerie. I had insisted, and finally Hazel relented, seeing how upset I was about her. My wife glanced up, smiling as she lifted Valerie to her shoulder. She tilted her chin, letting me know everything was okay. A fact that she was certain of, but I needed to be sure. She handed Valerie over to me and escorted the doctor out and I relaxed, pressing a kiss to my daughter’s head. She looked up, wrinkling her nose.“Hi, Daddy.” “Hey, baby girl.” She patted my hand. “Boo-boo better,” she cooed. “Good.” “Yeah, Daddy feels better.” I brushed a curl off her face. “How did you know?” She pushed on my cheek with her tiny finger. “You Daddy again. You smile.” I dropped my head, pressing kisses all over her sweet little fa
A vow of hate CHAPTER 167
I had never tried to comfort a person still caught between being a young man and a grown-ass adult. I had never reached out and been the role model.It was another lesson I was learning.Dennis was emotional. Filled with apologies. Begging for forgiveness. Once I broke through his stuttering words and barely held-back sobs, I set him straight.“What happened was not your fault. You didn’t put me in this wheelchair, Dennis. None of it is your doing. You need to stop blaming yourself.”“I can’t.”“You can. Get some help. I’ll ask Randy to take you on. He is an amazing person to help you sort things out and get your head straight.” I barked out a laugh. “If he can handle my shit, he can help you.”“But he’s here.”“Yes,” I agreed. “Which is where you need to be. You have a life waiting here for you, Dennis. A job you’re good at. Friends. Family.” I huffed out a breath. “Don’t let that day define you. Move past it.”“The guilt,” he said quietly. “It holds me hostage. That I’m walking arou
A vow of hate CHAPTER 166
I grabbed her hips, guiding her. Pushing her up and pulling her back down. She sobbed my name, her back arching as her release washed through her. I watched as she lost herself in the moment. I had forgotten how beautiful she was in her release. The way her entire frame shuddered. How she bit her lip and lowered her chin as if sinking into the feeling. The breathiness of my name falling from her lips. And how it felt when her muscles fluttered, tightened around me, taking all I had—giving me so much more.My body strained, the urge to thrust and grind against her eclipsing everything else. An orgasm hit me, obliterating everything in its path. I saw stars, the ecstasy was so great. I opened my mouth in a soundless scream, and somewhere, deep inside, I felt a flex, the pinching of muscles not used for so long now gripping, then vanishing as fast as they had engaged. A long, agonized sound escaped as my entire being surrendered. The pain, the pleasure, the sweet torture of it all.Hazel
A vow of hate CHAPTER 165
CHRISTIANThe taste and feel of my wife chased away the last lingering remnants of my dream. Hazel wasn’t walking away. She was right here, with me, in my arms.Right where she should be.I kissed her deeply, seeking out her tongue with mine, stroking hard and deep. Reclaiming her mouth. Reclaiming her. I yanked her tight to my chest, pulling off the towel she had draped around her body. I pushed down the blanket that covered me, needing to feel her. I dragged her over my lap, groaning at the feel of her weight pressing down on me. Still kissing her, I slid my hands over her silken thighs, parting them and settling her so she straddled me.She pulled back, gasping. “Is this okay?”“Fucking yes, it’s okay.” I pressed my mouth to her neck, licking up the damp, elegant column of her throat. “It’s fucking perfect.” I murmured. “You’re so perfect for me, Haze. And I’m such an idiot. Everything that has happened, it only made you stronger, but not me… I got weak.”She grabbed my face, holdi
A vow of hate CHAPTER 164
Valerie’s feet kicked in excitement as we turned down the street. I smiled at her in the rearview mirror.“Daddy waiting!” she crowed.I felt both excitement and trepidation as I pulled into the driveway. I wanted to come home so much, yet I was afraid of what was going to happen when we were alone. Would Christian continue moving forward, or would our presence once again cause him to slide backward? Once he got over the initial pleasure of seeing his child, would he again find her, and me, more of a bother? I wasn’t sure I could take it if that happened. I couldn’t watch the man I love disappear into the shell he used to be. But a small voice in my head kept telling me he wouldn’t. The gifts, the notes, the calls, and texts from him were all sent by the man I loved. He had made sure I knew how sorry he was feeling and how hard he was working to come back to us. He even opened up and expressed his worries, finally letting me know the depth of his fears. Finally letting me understand w
A vow of hate CHAPTER 163
HAZELChristian lifted his face from my neck, his eyes red, his cheeks damp. I had never witnessed him break down that way. The rare occasions when he cried, he still held himself in check, his pride unable to allow even me to fully see his pain. I grabbed the tissues Maddox had dropped beside us and wiped Christian’s face, cupping his cheeks. “Hey,” I whispered, looking up at him from where I crouched between his legs. “I guess I lost the last piece of my man card with that display,” he mumbled.“I doubt it. Maddox was openly weeping before you even finished walking, and Mia had to leave the room.” He frowned in confusion. “Why?” “They’re as proud of you as I am, Christian.” “Where are they?” “Maddox made sure you were back in your chair, and they left. I heard the car driving away, so I assumed they left to give us some privacy.” He looked down, surprised. “I have no recollection of being moved.” I softened my voice. “You were pretty emotional.”
A vow of hate CHAPTER 162
Hazel loved the spa. She sent pictures of them all enjoying the treatments, sipping champagne, even funny ones of Valerie getting a baby massage and having her toes done with the girls, holding up a glass of apple juice. They made me smile, even as my heart ached. I sent flowers to the hotel for Hazel. I added a box of her preferred chocolates. When she went back to mom and Grandpa’s, I sent a chef to make her favorite meal. A basket of bath products to indulge her love of soaking in the tub. I sent it with a stuffed bear, fluffy and cute with a card attached, reading: "Snuggle this until you’re home. I’ll take his place when you’re ready. All my love—Your Christian". One night, lying in our bed alone, I turned on some music. I shut my eyes and listened as the soothing voice of Neil Diamond played in the darkness. A song came on, and for some reason, the lyrics hit me as they never had before. “The Story of My Life” spoke of the depth of his love for the woman in his life
