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CHAPTER 54
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A vow of hate CHAPTER 55
“Is she asleep?” Christian asked when I joined him in the living room after putting Valerie down for the night. I nodded in response to the question and tried not to let the intimate domesticity of the scene unnerve me too much. He was sprawled on one of the huge comfortable new sofas that Mia had talked me into buying when we saw it in one of her many catalogs.“Yes, she was still going on about ‘Nebo’ when she dropped off.” He smiled faintly at that.“I don’t think she’s going to get tired of seeing that movie anytime soon,” he murmured, referring to “finding Nemo”. We had watched the movie five times already this week on Valerie’s insistence, and it was only Wednesday. Christian fingered the rim of the glass of scotch he had poured for himself, indicating a glass of red wine on the little table beside the sofa. “Wine?” Not wanting to refuse and end the comfortable atmosphere between us just yet, I nodded and curled up on the opposite end of the large sofa, tucking my feet beneath
A vow of hate CHAPTER 56
Being married to Christian Walker had turned out to have its own advantages—apart from the broody eye candy and the almost daily private show I got whenever we ended up in the home gym together, I mean. As much as I didn’t care for the idea of having a driver take me everywhere I needed fo go, I didn’t put up any fight when Christian forced me to go with Dennis in the mornings instead of driving on my own and getting myself into situations—his word, not mine—but it was a word I could have coined myself. Mark hadn’t reached out or showed up in a while, but I knew he was still out there somewhere. Lurking behind the surface. My mother’s cancer had flared up recently, and the doctors were working tirelessly round the clock. I tried not to think of the negative, so each morning, I put on a big smile and went in there to spend the day with her. If I was being honest, I didn’t know what to expect anymore. Christian had concluded on his own that I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to drive
A vow of hate CHAPTER 57
A god awful cramp in my stomach yanked me out of sleep. I moaned and pulled my knees up to my chest. Every muscle in my stomach seemed to contract and twist. Then a strong wave of nausea slammed into me.Oh God, I was gonna be sick.I felt the vomit begin to rise; knew I’d never be able to hold it back. I scrambled off the bed and rushed to the bathroom like my ass was on fire, knocking down my bedside lamp in the process. I winced as the glass shattered. But I made it to the toilet just in time. I retched violently as vicious contractions racked my stomach. It was so bad I could barely catch my breath between the flows of vomit that surged up my throat and sprayed the toilet pan.“Hazel?” A hand settled on my back just as Christian bent over me. “Shit.”Mortified, I tried waving him away, but he wouldn’t be budged. He held my hair out of the way and rubbed my back as I hurled like a champ. The stench of stomach acid and vomit stung my nostrils. Finally, the contractions stopped, but
A vow of hate CHAPTER 58
A month laterThe hall that Mia had chosen for her event was probably the most beautiful one I had ever seen. It was decorated in pastel colors, which followed the theme of her new skin care brand that she was launching. Everyone was dressed in different shades of pastels to match the products too. Soft strains of music flowed effortlessly through the room and we walked in with Christian’s hand on the small of my back.It was a Saturday, and it was the launch party for Mia’s new business. The sheer elegance of the gowns and tuxedos in the room never ceased to amaze me no matter how many of these types of events I attended. Whatever the theme was, these people always seemed to find a way to beat my expectations. I knew the dresses these women were often clad in cost a few thousand dollars and they all looked so beautiful in them, which was to be expected if they were putting that much on a piece of clothing. I stood next to Christian as his eyes scanned the room, the smile on my face
A vow of hate CHAPTER 59
“What were you thinking by inviting him here? This is Mia’s event.”“Exactly, it’s Mia’s event, so I don’t see how it’s any of your business.”“Christian…”“What the fuck is the problem with you, Hazel?” Christian asked as I led him to a more secluded part of the large room.I looked around to make sure no one was working earshot of us, and my eyes caught Mark’s from the bar. I avoided his gaze and turned back to face my husband. I didn’t know what it was in his choice of words and tone that infuriated me, but I was starting to feel myself getting increasingly upset. “What is this, Christian? You’re friends with him now?”Christian regarded me with a cool gaze, and I knew he was getting upset too. “Do you have a problem with that?” He asked in a low growl.I threw my hands in the air, frustrated. “You don’t make friends, Christian. You don’t. The most you can do is maintain relationships for business purposes. But now all of a sudden, you’re buddy buddy with Mark and playing house wit
A vow of hate CHAPTER 60
CHRISTIANHazel was acting strange and being so suspicious. Something smelt very fishy.No… something actually smelt fishy. I meant that in the literal sense. Something did smell fishy. I turned to the right of me, sniffing the air with my nose like a dog, and came face to face with a pimply faced paparazzi hiding in the corner with an open can of tuna in his hand, fork frozen mid air with his mouth open as he realized he’d been caught. I threw him a filthy look and walked away, all the way to the other side of the room. There was all this expensive food and drinks here and he was eating a can of tuna in the corner? This night just kept getting better and better.My hands rested in my pockets and my eyes found Hazel. She was still by the bar, all alone this time. I watched her knock back a half full glass of tequila, and frowned as she said something to the bartender who nodded politely at her. A few seconds later, a wooden holder holding six shot glasses was placed in front of her.
A vow of hate CHAPTER 61
HAZELThud! Thud! Thud!The sound of tiny feet bouncing on the bed woke me up from the deep slumber that I was in. I slowly opened my eyes, only to immediately regret the action. The room was flooded in light, and my eyes took a moment before they adjusted to the harsh glare. I let out a moan as I stretched, loosening all the knots in my body before I turned to look at the culprit who had woken me up.Valerie had stopped jumping and she was now sitting next to me on the bed, smiling at me with those big beautiful eyes. “Yay, you’re up!” She exclaimed, clapping excitedly.I flinched and inwardly groaned at the volume of her voice. A sharp pain sliced through my head like an ax, and I held my head in my hands, internally cursing. I didn’t feel good at all. It felt like someone had tied me up and tucked me into a car tyre, only to roll me around the entire city over and over again, or like I had been run over by a bulldozer. And it wasn’t just that— my throat felt dry and raw at the same
A vow of hate CHAPTER 62
If there was one thing I hated about living in Seattle, it was how unpredictable the weather could be at times. It was currently 5pm and a storm was quickly rolling in. Valerie and I sat in the living room, playing a game on her iPad when the power went out and everything went back. An ear piercing shrill sound escaped Valerie and she immediately jumped into my lap. I cradled the little girl as she buried her face in my bosom and cried while using my free hand to pay the couch and find my phone. Once the phone was in my hand, I turned on the flashlight and Valerie finally raised her head to look at me.“Haze, Valerie scared,” she whimpered, referring to herself in third person.I smiled at the little girl and kissed her tear stained cheek wincing as I tasted the salt. “I know baby, but there’s nothing to be scared of.”A loud crack of thunder rumbled immediately after what was supposed to be a reassuring statement, and Valerie screamed again, clutching my shirt with her tiny hands. Sh
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