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52|Chain Reaction
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Beautiful Disaster 53|All That Remained
The unending silence was one of the reasons Austin hated visiting his childhood home. It hung over the house with a heaviness that almost made it hard to breathe, welcoming him home as soon as he stepped inside. It was so total and complete in its stillness that he was convinced if he had to spend even one night here, he'd go mad.The place never used to be this gloomy, though. In fact, many of his early memories were filled with vibrant splashes of colour and sounds, and of love and happiness. But then his parents began to spend less and less time together. They'd talked even less, too. By the time his mom died five years ago, life and colour had long left the place, and all that remained were his father's regrets, missed moments, and the unceasing silence.As Austin strode down the hallway to his father's den, the thick, plush carpet swallowing the sounds of his brisk footsteps, he couldn't help but think about his own place, if it would also turn into a tomb when Marybeth left. The
Beautiful Disaster 54|Still Not Enough
As soon as the last of Marybeth's pupils dashed out of the classroom a little after 2:00 PM, she grabbed her stuff and headed out.She still had plenty of time to prepare for the dreaded night ahead, but the idea of wearing Liliana's dress seemed less appealing the more she thought about it. Sure, when she tried it on last night, it looked great on her, but she refused to attend another major event in a borrowed outfit."So Sea Point Mall it is," she decided as she snapped on her seat belt.A loud bang on her window as she was about to pull out of the parking lot startled the shit out of her, sending her heart lurching to her throat. She jumped slightly in her seat, frowning when she saw Scarlett waving and smiling at her as if she didn't just almost give her a heart attack."For heaven's sake, Scar!" she yelled at her friend as she rolled down her window. "Can you not do that? I thought…I thought you were…""What?" Scarlett asked when Marybeth's voice trailed off. "You thought what?"
Beautiful Disaster 55|On Her Sleeve
The state of the city address was always held at Clifton Bay's Civic Centre, but ongoing renovations had forced the council to host the event in Parliament.When Austin arrived at the venue, the red carpet was already ablaze with social media influencers who didn't even have a fucking clue when the country's constitution was passed, all dressed up in their Sunday finest and ready to mingle with the bigwigs of politics and business."Look at them," Austin snorted in disgust as he watched a herd of scantily-dressed women pose for the paparazzi. "They do know this is not a social media event, right?"Smiling, Benji gave him a sidelong glance. "I'm pretty sure they don't care, Boss. It's all about the eyeballs.""Huh!" Austin huffed and checked the time, wondering what was taking Marybeth so damn long."She's here," Benji assured him. "Arno's just confirmed they've passed the final security checkpoint."Sure enough, not even a minute later, Arno pulled up on the sidewalk.When Marybeth st
Beautiful Disaster 56|To Catch A Rat
"So, almost a week in. Any regrets yet?" Angelo commented as they strolled to the bar to grab drinks.Austin shrugged and accepted a glass of bourbon. He'd never admit it, but he had plenty of regrets where Marybeth was concerned.He regretted that she had learned the truth about his horrid past from someone else, and now knew stuff about him that clearly made him a monster in others' eyes.He also regretted that he'd rushed their relationship and fucked her the first chance he got when she might not have been ready for such a step. But most of all, he regretted pushing her into a marriage she never wanted.On the other hand, the four days he'd spent with her were some of the best he'd had in a remarkably long time. He could safely say the light Marybeth had brought into his life eclipsed all his regrets."I guess your silence means no regrets then, huh?" said Angelo."Can any man truly have no regrets?" Austin muttered, watching an influx of politicians flood the Assembly Chamber whe
Beautiful Disaster 57|In Pieces
Austin stood rooted to the ground, unable to process what his brain was clearly trying to tell him: to turn the fuck back around and pretend he never saw shit...Pretend he never saw his older brother with his dick in some guy's mouth, an expression of pure rapture on his face, his head thrown slightly back."No!" he whispered, absolutely horrified by the disaster of a train wreck unfolding before his eyes.How?Why?How could he not have known?Why did they not close the blinds?And why here, of all places?"Let's go," Marybeth tugged at his arm, dragging him away from the window. "We shouldn't be here!"Dazedly, Austin followed her down the hallway, his whole being numb, his heart in pieces. Not for himself but for his father. He'd been through too much. Learning the truth about his oldest son would completely destroy him."Not a word to anyone about this! Not a single word!" Austin said to Marybeth when they reached the ground floor, the sound of his papery voice grating on his nerv
Beautiful Disaster 58|Come Clean
There was a marked difference in Austin's mood when they returned to the Committee Room, and Marybeth was damn relieved. For a moment there, after their little mishap with Blake, she'd worried Austin would unravel and descend into madness. She may dislike him sometimes, and their relationship may be confusing, to say the least, but that didn't mean she enjoyed seeing his world turned on its head.But if she thought his obsession with his older brother would stop with their shocking discovery, she couldn't have been more wrong.While Tim and Angelo finished their drinks, Austin focused on Blake and Hadley, following the couple's every little movement as they worked the room.At some point, Marybeth had to step in and steer him away. "Austin, seriously, you need to stop watching them. If it's starting to creep me out, imagine what it's doing to your brother and his fiancée.""I'm just curious, that's all. I mean, how does he do it?" he said as they headed inside the public gallery in th
Beautiful Disaster 59|Balls Of Steel
They didn't say a word to each other on their way to Sea Point.While Austin typed away on his laptop and caught up on work, Marybeth got on the phone with the principal.Smith sounded unimpressed, but she agreed to contact the social worker assigned to Adeline's case."I'll call you back soon with an update," she said and hung up.Marybeth wasn't holding her breath to hear back from her. If the case was reported months ago, and the social worker still hadn't followed up, there was zero chance she'd drive to Sea Point after hours on a rainy Tuesday night.Sighing, Marybeth placed her phone on her lap and watched the sleek sheet of water slide down her window, comforted by the gentle pit-patter of the raindrops falling on the roof of the car.Her mind was a constant war zone, an endless loop of chaotic thoughts bouncing between her worry for Adeline and her anger at Austin.She should have known their truce wouldn't last. But when he confided in her about his brother, the fool she was
Beautiful Disaster 60|I'll Be Good
"I have good and bad news for you," Smith said. "Which one do you want first?""Hit me with the bad first.""Alright, unfortunately, I can't get through to the social worker."Marybeth rolled her eyes. She could have told her that. "What's the good news then?""We've managed to get beds. It's actually two cots at Safe Haven for the little boys—"Marybeth cut in, asking, "what about Adeline? Where does that leave her? You can't separate them. They don't know where their mother is, and Adeline's been looking after them the whole day. They won't handle the separation well—""With all due respect, are you trying to teach me how to do my job?""Of course not! But you're the one who read me the riot act about not following protocol, and I'm pretty sure leaving one of the children by herself is not protocol!""Marybeth!" Smith inhaled hard, clearly outraged by her brazenness. "You understand Safe Haven is doing us a favour here, right? There is no bed for Adeline. They've taken in four of ou
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