Lucas and Rae had spent the past two days in the fishing village and Rae hadn’t shown the signs of improvement the healer said she would. Lucas was growing impatient but he didn’t voice out his worries. He knew that the healer was trying her best and if things were right or if he could’ve managed to contact his people, Rae would be receiving the best medical care money could get but since it wasn’t possible, they had to make do with whatever they could get. Lucas had been in the room all day watching Rae sleep as he didn’t feel the need to leave the room. He missed her dearly and he didn’t want to spend five minutes away from her. He somewhat blamed himself for the tragedy that had befallen her. If only he had been more attentive to the jealousy growing in Maya’s heart, he would’ve seen this coming from a mile away but he hadn’t and his nonchalance had proven to be a great mistake. “You need to leave the room to get some air,” Lucas blinked twice as his train of thought was i
Rae found life here peaceful and calm. Nothing seemed rushed and everyone here was jovial with huge smiles on their faces at all times. She was with a couple of the village women and the healer who had practically brought her back to life. She was being washed as tradition demanded and she didn’t object, she still felt very weak and unable to do anything at the moment. The healer had said it was pretty much normal as her limbs were still growing accustomed to being mobile after several hours of immobility. She was sitting in a gigantic bathtub while the women washed every inch of her skin gently, one of them was singing a lullaby. Rae let out a sigh of contentment, she could get used to living like this. “Your husband has been rather impatient since you woke up,” One of the village women began. “He doesn’t want to spend one minute away from you.” “My husband?” Rae wondered out loud as she racked her head trying to piece together what the woman had just said but it was hurtin
The next couple of days were an eye-opener to Lucas. Previously, he didn’t know Rae to be a clingy person but the past few days had made him realize that she was. She was always next to him at all times, barely letting him leave her line of sight for more than five minutes. He had first thought she was scared of being alone but he eventually figured out that she didn’t want anyone coming near him, especially the ladies who hadn’t stopped trying to woo him despite knowing who Rae was to him. “Tell me something, Lucas.” Rae began. “Why are they all over you? Did something happen when I was unconscious?” “Nothing happened,” Lucas quickly said, already sensing she was getting angry. “They’re just overreacting, you shouldn’t read too much into their actions.” “I find it weird that they know you’re married but they’re so brazen with how much they chase you even in my presence.” Rae sighed. “I mean, I know you’re quite the catch but they lack manners and it pisses me off. You’re my h
Lucas let out a yawn as his eyes fluttered open to the sound of someone knocking on the door. He glanced at the wall clock opposite the bed and it was barely six o’clock which meant that there could only be one reason why he was being disturbed at this time. “Who could it possibly be?” Rae groaned as she snuggled into Lucas’ chest. “Tell them to go away.” “I don’t think I can do that, Rae.” Lucas chuckled as he rubbed his eyes. It was time for him to get up and make his way outside. “Why?” Rae popped one eye open to stare at him. “It’s the boys, I need to go out with them,” Lucas explained as the knocking intensified. “I’ll be out with you in a minute!” Lucas hollered as he turned towards Rae who had a look of displeasure on her face. “You’re leaving me to go with them?” “I promised to help them fish last night,” Lucas began. “A couple of the fishermen are down with the flu and they need extra hands. Besides, they’ve fed and clothed us for a while now, it’s only right fo
It had been an awkward night and Lucas couldn’t figure out how things would spiral from here on. He had been so close to breaking a promise he made to himself and he could feel his guard coming down faster than he could blink and there was nothing he could do about it. If anything, he couldn’t deny the fact that the attention she was showering on him was getting to him, and if she continued at this pace, he would surely lose his self-control and make love to her. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been in such a brain-wrecking situation when it came to a woman before. He hadn’t felt his heart racing in years simply by being touched neither had he wanted any woman as much as he wanted Rae right now. He kept on thinking if he was doing the right thing and it was difficult for him to differentiate between lust and duty at this point. He turned towards Rae who was sleeping soundly next to him and brushed off the strands of hair that had fallen across her face. In many ways
Rae was determined to make it work tonight. She had been worried about why he had refused to sleep with her but she wasn’t going to wait for him to make the first move anymore, she was done waiting. As soon as they got home, she quickly changed into red lingerie. “How did you get those?” Lucas asked, his eyes wide as he stared at her. “I had help from my friends,” Rae replied, as she walked up slowly to him. “You’ve been running for so long, not tonight, Lucas.” She started to grind against him and he held her close and tight. She didn't know if it was the alcohol she had taken at the local eatery but for some reason, she felt safe and wild with him. Her body was performing fireworks and she knew she wanted a piece of him. She turned to face him and he looked at her and he pulled her in for a kiss. One that lasted passionately for about a minute. He pulled back. "Come on, Rae. Come with me." Rae nodded weakly and held his hand tightly as he guided them to the bed where s
Lucas opened his eyes to a flurry of mixed emotions. The sex last night had blown him out of the waters, it was beyond what he had imagined in all ramifications and it made him giddy with excitement. Despite the numerous times he had sex with her in his head and with his eyes, it had gone beyond his expectations when they finally had sex for the first time. The sex was addicting, he rounds himself wanting more—wanting here, even at this moment. He was struggling to control himself and the urge raging inside of him. Rae was still his daughter-in-law, despite everything that was going on between them and the lie he had told her which had led to all of these happening. Even though Gunner wasn’t showing the slightest sign of affection towards her and he had no intention of making her his wife, she was still engaged to him. Lucas was thinking of shutting down the engagement between Gunner and Rae. He knew that Gunner wouldn’t mind even if he did, he would be relieved and he woul
The rest of the morning had gone quite well and Lucas spent the rest of the day trying to get ready for his journey to the city tomorrow. He had been putting it off for so long that it was finally time to sort it out and go back to his life. He had been here for what? Nearly two weeks? It was more than a proper vacation for him and Rae as well. He was fortunate to get everything set up and ready for his departure tomorrow. Luckily for him, there was a truck coming to the village tomorrow to take a shipment of fish down to the city, Joe had told him that he could join the truck by the time they were set to head back to the city. Lucas had often wondered what the state of his estate would be at this point. Would they have considered him dead and moved on with their lives or are they still carrying on the search for him, determined to find him by any means necessary? There was only one way he would be able to find out and that was by heading home as soon as possible. The next m
Rae’s POVWe stood in silence, holding each other’s gaze as we exchanged words in silence. The tension between us was thick, you could cut through it. “Goodnight, Rae.” Lucas bent down to kiss my cheek, lingering longer than he usually did. He let go of my hand and turned to walk away. “Wait—“ I began, making him stop in his stride. There was every chance that I was going to regret this by morning but I didn’t care right now. I couldn’t get thoughts about him out of my head and I was done trying to discard my feelings. Lucas turned to face me, waiting in silence as his eyes searched my face. “Do you want to come inside?” I whispered, hoping I would be audible enough.The slight smile on his face gave me the answer I needed. “What about your nausea? Won’t anything—“ “The doctor assured me that I would be perfectly healthy.” I cut him short, pushing my door open and making my way in hoping he would follow suit. I turned around immediately I heard my door slam shut with a soft t
Rae’s POV“I don’t want you in the spotlight,” I began, I was going to sound ridiculous at this point but I didn’t care. “I don’t want other women seeing you and trying to pry you away from me. It’s bad enough that you get catcalled whenever you go out and even if you try to hide your identity, it ends up the same and to be fair, I’ve been reasonably understanding and you know I can’t do anything about it but I don’t think I can show that same level of restraint if they ever try to take it a step further after everything that has happened, I might just kill the first woman that tries to flirt with you and hide her body somewhere no one would ever find it.”Lucas wore a huge smile on his face and I groaned, covering my face with my hands. I hadn’t realized just how much I had been talking.“You’re adorable when you sound this way.” He began and I mentally slapped myself. “You don’t have to patronize me, Lucas. I sound like a jealous housewife who is trying to get her husband to never
Rae’s POVI felt my body tremble as Lucas spoke, the calmness and ferocity in his voice serenading me. My fears were beginning to dissipate into thin air as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close, knowing I had Lucas by my side gave me all the assurance I could ever need.I smiled at the first memory I had of us together. It was a week after I arrived, I had grown weary of being in bed all the time so I decided to take a stroll to clear my head. It was a bit confusing figuring out what stairs to take but I eventually made my way downstairs and went into the woods, seeking solace and the quiet it would bring. As I made my way through the woods, taking in the beauty of nature and listening to the chirping of the singing birds, a powerful scent filled my nostrils as I approached a clearing. There was a man so engrossed with the book in his hands that he didn’t notice me invading his privacy. He was the same man that brought me here and I hadn’t seen him since the fi
Rae’s POVMy eyes widened in shock as my jaw hung open for a few seconds before I snapped it shut.Will you go out on a date with me? I couldn’t believe Lucas had said that. He had been everything but romantic towards me during these past few days since Gunner left, we had a cordial relationship without any sign of sexual intimacy between us until tonight when he had made love to me out of the blues. “Rae, you have to say something.” Lucas’ voice interrupted my train of thought and forced me back to reality. “I’ll understand if you think this shouldn’t happen or if you think it’s forced but I just wanted to get it off my mind.” “No, it’s not that, Lucas.” I tried to explain. “You caught me off guard.”He merely nodded, waiting for me to speak further. I watched him out of the corner of my eyes as his gaze was now fixed on the moonlight casting a soft illuminating glow over us. He was giving me time to think about my decision while waiting patiently for the outcome. I cradled my
Lucas’ POV“Rae has been sulking all day. She has locked herself in the room and has refused to eat anything since morning, she won’t even see her maids. You have to go talk to her."I stared at Damon, a bit surprised at what he just said. “Are you trying to pull my legs?”“I’m not. You’ve been locked up in your world that you’ve forgotten there’s someone who loves you and you’ve spent the whole week regretting why you finally have the woman you claim to love.” Damian couldn’t help but laugh.“You think this is funny, don’t you?” I glared at him.“In my defense, If I were in your shoes, you’d be laughing at me in a much more annoying manner.” “You win.”“It was never in doubt, Lucas.” I let out a groan as I ran my hands through my hair. I had prayed for a second chance and when I had finally been given, I was already doing everything the wrong way. “Do you think she’s going to forgive me?”“I don’t know, Lucas. You’ll have to ask her and see what she says.” That was four hours ag
Lucas’ POV“You’ve barely said a word since Gunner left this morning,” Damian began, his keen eyes watching me. “What would you have me say, Damian?” I shrugged as I briefly glanced at him before returning my gaze to the painting hanging directly in front of me. I had made my peace with the fact that Gunner had decided to carve his path in the world and realistically, I was happy for him. It was what I had always wanted for him and he was making that big step. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you feel slightly guilty concerning the circumstances surrounding his leaving,” “You sure know how to suck the fun out of the room, don’t you?” I glared at Damian. “There wasn’t any fun to start with and I’m here for you to talk about this before it starts to eat you up.” “I’m not in the mood to discuss, Damian.” I tried to shut him down. “We can do this some other time.” “Maybe,” Damian began. “But the next time I bring it up, you’re going to give me this same excuse again.” “I
Rae’s POV“It’s time to wake up, sleepyhead.” I groaned as I popped one eye open to see Lucas hovering above me. It was a welcoming sight because the last time I had woken up to this, it was in the fishing village.Usually, it was often accompanied by him making love to me for the rest of the morning but I didn’t think that was going to happen now given how tense things still were between us. “How many hours did I sleep?” I yawned as I stretched out on the bed. I still felt tired, and understandably so.“It’s past 3:00 PM,” Lucas replied. “My goodness,” My eyes widened in surprise. “Why did you let me sleep that long?”“You looked like you could use it,” Lucas shrugged. “Kim called an hour ago. She was just waking up as well.”I nodded. “It was one of those nights.” Lucas handed me a cup of tea which I gratefully accepted with both hands welcoming the relief a couple of sips brought with it. “Are you ready to talk about it now?” Lucas asked gently, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Lucas’ POVThe past couple of days have been nothing short of exhilarating for me in many ways. I couldn’t have woken up at a more perfect time. My life’s work had been on the line and I managed to gain control and effect several changes to the board like I had always wanted to. I also learned of the fact that Lyra and Laila had been placed in a maximum psychiatric hospital for the rest of their lives as well.Everything else was in order, Gunner had once again managed to do exceptionally well aided by Damian, who had always remained by my side even through the worst times. After the internal struggle with the opposition section on my board, Gunner informed me of his decision to go abroad. “Are you sure about this, Gunner?” I asked him. There was a huge difference between taking a long vacation and deciding to relocate to another part of the world for good. I wanted to know if he was making this decision with his right mind and not because he wanted to abscond from whatever it wa
Rae’s POVI was flickering through the pages of the novel in my hand absentmindedly. I had no interest in reading but I wanted to keep my mind busy. I couldn’t remember the last time I left this room and frankly, I didn’t want to either. No one knew how long Lucas would be in this coma and while it was terrifying, everyone was struggling to maintain a positive attitude about the current situation. I hadn’t seen Gunner in a few days and I understood why. Our relationship would need a lot of time to fix and he didn’t mind giving me space and for that, I was grateful to him. I hadn’t seen Damian in a week either. He was trying to keep the company afloat with Gunner’s help and I knew that this was a rather critical period. I didn’t know much about the business but I knew how power mongers would react to the news about Lucas’ situation which was why Gunner and Damon were doing everything they could to keep the truth about his situation under wraps. But there was only so much they could