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CHAPTER 61
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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
A vow of hate CHAPTER 63
It was 6pm, and I’d spent the entire day with mom and Olivia at the hospital, so I was pretty tired. I had just stepped into the entryway of the house when I heard someone humming a tune from the kitchen. Frowning, I took off my shoes and headed in the direction of the kitchen. Tina was off today, so that couldn’t be her. And the voice sounded way too light and feminine to be Christian or the chef. Besides that, I recognized the song that was being hummed, it was from a horror movie, and it didn’t sound like something anyone in the house would want to sing.There was a woman in the kitchen— a woman I didn’t recognize. She had her hair in a tight bun, a bun so perfect that not a strand of hair was out of place. She had dark red lipstick on and she was dressed in a simple straight long dress. She had her phone in hand and looked like she was flipping through pictures or something. The marble countertops were clean and everything looked to be in order. Valerie was in her high chair in fr
A vow of hate CHAPTER 64
“A tutor?” I looked at Olivia’s confused face as she sat across from me at The Lark, drinking her coffee and happily munching on biscuits.“Yeah, it’s crazy right?” I exclaimed, thankful that I wasn’t the only one who thought this tutor business was totally weird and unreasonable. Well, that was until Olivia shrugged and popped another biscuit in her mouth.“I mean, I guess it’s not all that shocking.”“What? What do you mean?” I asked, appalled.“Well, your husband is unbelievably rich, and you know how these rich people are. They want their kids to engage in a thousand activities at a young age… something about being well rounded and all that.” She shrugged.“But she’s three!” I exclaimed again. Why wasn’t anybody seeing things from my perspective? Was I being unreasonable? I knew I wasn’t. Everyone else was though.Olivia placed a palm over mine on the table. “Her father is Christian Walker.” She said, like that alone explained everything.I sighed, feeling my mood dampen. “Okay,
A vow of hate CHAPTER 65
CHRISTIANThe sterile hum of the fluorescent lights above mocked my already churning stomach. I scrolled through the news article on my phone, re-reading the headline for the tenth time: "Medical tech CEO, Christian Walker, Accused of Harassment by Former Employee." My reflection stared back from the phone screen, a pale, haunted version of the man I used to be. The man I was ten minutes ago.The accusation itself felt like a punch to the gut. Grace, my ex-assistant, a woman I barely remembered beyond her constant need for coffee refills. We'd never… no, the thought was ludicrous. Yet, here it was, splashed across every news outlet, a digital scarlet letter branding me a predator. Anger, hot and primal, rose in my chest. This was a smear campaign, a desperate attempt to extort money. Grace had been let go some months ago for incompetence, not some fabricated harassment story. But the seed of doubt, planted by the sheer audacity of the accusation, burrowed deeper. Did I ever say somet
A vow of hate CHAPTER 66
CHRISTIANThe pristine white walls of Tim’s office felt just like a prison cell. Outside, the city buzzed with its usual frenetic energy, oblivious to the storm brewing within me. People were going on with their lives, the sun rose and set as usual, people married, had birthdays, went on dates and laughed as usual. The world was moving on, there was no waiting for me to sort out my mess. A week had passed since the accusations exploded, a week of frantic legal consultations, media inquiries deflected with practiced PR speak, and a deafening silence between me and Hazel—I barely left my room when I was home, and I tried to spend as little time as possible there. The couch in my office had become sort of like a temporary bed. The company had taken a hit, stock prices were lowering, different news anchors waited outside the building day after day, and they didn’t leave even when it was nighttime. Grandfather had called yesterday, and I wondered why he had taken so long. I expected all he
A vow of hate CHAPTER 67
HAZELWhen I first saw the news about Christian, I was in my mother’s hospital room, laughing and reminiscing about old memories. The first emotion I felt was shock–my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach and it felt like there was a gaping hole in my chest. Fear came soon after– what did this mean and what was going to happen? My hands started to shake and my breathing became labored. Soon enough, my entire body was trembling. I dashed out of the hospital to my car and drove home in silence, no music or anything— the noise in my head was loud enough. I found myself wondering if he was okay, if he needed some sort of comfort in that moment and if I would be able to render it to him. I wondered if he was home and if I would give him a hug when I saw him– would it make things awkward? Would it make him feel better? Was he okay?It wasn’t until I pulled up in the winding driveway that I realized that not once since I first saw the news at the hospital did I even consider the possibilit
A vow of hate CHAPTER 68
I sprinted down the stairs to the exit of the lounge with a confused Mia trailing behind me with her arms spread in question. I didn’t have the time right now, I would explain everything to her later. Once outside, I dialled Mark’s number. It rang a couple times before going to voicemail. I tried again and again but there was still no answer.“Shit!” My fingers rapidly flew across my phone screen as I sent him a text message. Hazel: What have you done Mark?I waited for a reply, but nothing came. A minute passed, two minutes, still nothing. “Fuck!” I was pacing now, and my mind was reeling with a million possibilities.“Mrs Walker? Is there a problem?”I turned at the sound of Dennis’s voice. I had completely forgotten about him. Smiling at him and attempting not to look so frazzled, I shook my head. “No, everything’s good. Can you take me to Christian’s office?”“Mr Walker’s office?” He asked, evidently concerned. I didn’t know if Christian had given him some other kind of order or
A vow of hate CHAPTER 69
“Twenty three year old ex Walker employee, Grace Smith, who a little over a week ago, came out with some serious allegations against her ex employer, Christian Walker, has now taken back the accusations. Miss Smith, who had accused Mr Walker of sexual harassment, showed up at the right moment when his wife, Hazel Walker, took a public stand in support of her husband. Miss Smith confessed to being forced, coerced and threatened by an unidentified male to cook up the story against Mr Walker. She claims that she was unable to keep up the lies anymore since she felt guilty as the accused has been nothing but kind to her. Miss Smith has now been taken in for questioning… more to come on this story at 10am tomorrow.”My nails dug into the armrest of the couch as I sat stiffly and watched the video recording of me and Grace Smith at the lounge earlier today okay over and over again. I turned off the TV and tried to breathe more evenly. Everything had worked out, somehow it had all worked out
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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
