Chapter 55 I know the exact moment Ash steps inside the room. I know, because I've been feigning sleep for the past three hours since he stepped out of it. I know the moment he cuts his eyes toward me, so I fake a light snore as he walks closer to me. Goose pimples break out all over my body as I feel myself being appraised. I can feel his relief. It rolls off him in waves. He's relieved that I'm calm, that I'm asleep. Just when I feel the gig is up, he moves away and his steps become faint as he heads toward the bathroom. I'm afraid I'm going to have to bust his happy bubble right about now. I wait a few minutes before I slide out of the bed. I pull his bedside drawer open and my hand curls around the handle of his gun. It fills me with power and makes me confident. As I walk towards the shower, calmness washes over me. I know what I need to do. I silently open the door that leads to the bathroom and slips inside. Steam. . . so much of it, clouds the air, fogging up the floor-t
Chapter 56Lightening splits the air, rendering everything in vivid white. Beautiful as well as harsh, exactly like the situation I'm currently facing."... and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death will not exist anymore."The priest's words pierce through my mental ruminations. Instead of filling me with peace, they seem to do the opposite. No one is wiping away the tears sliding down my cheeks right now, that's for sure.As for death. . .Laughter bubbles up my throat and comes out as a loud snort as I stare at the coffin currently lying on the ground at my feet. Like a switch, memories begin to spill, like quicksand, through my mind. Fond memories."Sis, you should wear the red dress for your date, it looks bomb on you." Tanya's impish smile is from ear to ear. "Derrick won't be able to take his eyes off you, not with those hips of yours.""Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." The priest's voice
Chapter 57 The sounds of owls hooting pierce the stillness of the air. Darkness looms suddenly, chasing away the last glimpses of the sun. The walls of the building begin to look like living creatures to the man as they close in on him. He looks around- at the plastered walls where no paint graces them, and then at the floor which is littered with sand, broken blocks, and wood. His eyes sweep across the bare room and beyond it, then cling to the windows and the broken shutters hanging from the rusty hinges as they rattle against the walls. His lips curl in disgust as he shakes his head. "This whole building is a picture of decadence." He laughs and shakes his head once more before settling for a shrug. "It's a price I have to pay for what I'm going to do. I can't fail now." He stands from the stool he is perched on and stretches before walking to one of the windows. Even in the dying light, he can make out the tombstones rising from the earth a short distance away from the house. H
Chapter 58 He's going to kill me. He's going to kill me. He's going to fucking kill me. My breath hitches. My heartbeat kicks up a storm in its cage, and a cold sweat breaks out all over my body. You're next on my kill list. Breath. It doesn't look like my lungs are getting the memo of pulling oxygen inside them. The pressure behind my eyes is almost at a busting level now. It feels like they might pop out at any moment. Sweat pools on my forehead and my hands are clammy- I don't recall ever having sweaty palms before. Dark spots have begun to dance in front of my eyes and I know, I just know this might be my end. . . That is until my eyes land on the China dish. Suddenly, my lungs inflate and I suck in air greedily as my heartbeat slows down by a fraction. I pitch forward and cough raspily, beating my chest, all the while sucking in large gulps of air, my eyes watering from the strain. This is how Clarissa finds me. "Oh, my goodness . . .'lis!" She's by my side in a jiffy,
Chapter 59 "Why are there so many guards? It's like we can't move an inch without one popping up to ask you where you're going." Clarissa laments as we step through the gate. I can sense the annoyance coating her words. Heck - I'm annoyed as well. Wrong! I'm livid. But I get it. Ash is trying to keep me safe. That's fine, that doesn't mean I have to like it. I mean, I'm thankful and all that he cares, but I feel smothered. I'm still ruminating on this as we finally step through the gate when a cab stops directly in front of me. I thank my stars as I flag it down and enter. Clarissa looks behind her, and I wonder what she's thinking, and then it hits me. She's waiting for Night Eyes, or someone else, to come barging out and stop us. Unfortunately for her, that does not happen as she gets inside, her movements slow and sluggish. She situates herself in the front seat, and I think it's just as well because this way I will be left in peace with my thoughts. The cab drives fast, and b
Chapter 60Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to care, if I should die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to keep.Wrong prayer.If I die now, father in Heaven please accept my sou-No, no, no, lord, please, no, I don't wanna die, at least not just yet.A shot rings out, and I crank an eye open. I don't feel any pain, still, I open my second eye and pat my body down checking for a wound or even blood. Relief pours through me when I don't find any, but as I look up, shock spirals through me when I see two men squaring off, guns pointed at each other.I wonder if, maybe it's a trick of the light or the dizziness assailing me, but after a few seconds of staring aghast at the scene before me, I confirm it - There are indeed two men.Ash is standing like a white knight in shining armor opposite the man I can now clearly see is not just a look- alike but his split image. Different clothes but s
Chapter 61 "I'm pregnant!" My world tilts for some precious seconds, before righting itself. Pregnant. She's Pregnant. Pregnant. . . with a child. My child. How come? Unfortunately, my brain isn't able to comprehend what she just said. "What did you just say?" Tears slide down her eyes and her shoulders hunch forward like she's carrying the weight of the world on them. I wish I can hold her in my arms and tell her everything will be fine but my brain - it's refusing to boot. "How. . . is that possible?" The words are out before I know it but I instantly regret it when I see her reaction. Her eyes spit fire, and her shoulders that were hunched arch backward. She cocks a brow as she stares at me with pure hatred. "What do you mean how is that possible? It was made possible when you inserted your dick inside of my vagina wayyy too many times to count, so don't just stand there and act shocked, 'cause the baby I'm carrying, is yours." I blink, severally, because she's never rai
Chapter 62 Pregnancy hormones stink. Nah! Actually, they hurt. It's like a brain reset took place while you were asleep, and when next you wake, you realize something inside of you changed - and not necessarily for the better - making you act out. And then you begin to say and do things, totally out of character for you, making your boyfriend wonder if you're indeed the same person he's been sleeping on the same bed with. But within the folds of your heart muscles, you know this is the time for you to misbehave and get away with words you ordinarily wouldn't have been able to speak, even in your wildest dreams. Goodness knows I love Ash to death, but right now he's driving me crazy, treating me like I'm a fragile doll that should not be broken. "Just . . . put the food on the table and stop fussing around me." He straightens, turns and I'm able to see surprise etched all over his face. He rolls his eyes, actually rolls them, and releases a sigh. "Here I am trying to make you mo