Nothing made sense the day after. Or even two weeks after. I barely saw Xavier after that day. He had been seriously ill for a few days after that and Brenda, the fire-breathing dragon that she was, made sure I was kept away from his room at all costs. But even after he got better, I still barely saw him. The closest I had been able to talk to him was at the dining table. And that had been to ask him to pass the salt.It wasn't like I hadn't tried to say something else. But Xavier had simply ignored me when I asked how he had been and then his mother stepped in to hack my head off my neck. Currently, I was at a cafe stuffing my face with cake while Susie and I talked about my supposed plan for the future. I wasn't doing much listening as I was quite busy trying to figure out why one minute, I thought I had Xavier, and the next, all I had was a teddy bear I had named Xavier and flogged several times a day. Yes, I was that desperate. "I'm thinking we could open a dress shop... Are
I stared at Laura in disbelief and chuckled. "You're right. I am wasting my time. Let's go, Susie." Susie drained the rest of her drink, rose to her feet then stood very close to Celine's scrunched-up face and belched. The look on Celine's face was priceless and both I and Susie cackled our way out of the cafe. As we walked down the street, Susie covered my hand with hers, walking by my side. "That was it, girl. Stand up for yourself! Let those bitches know who the freaking boss is." She hyped and I laughed. "Too bad it's just a month left as Mrs Hailey Lowell," I joked and she sighed. "Too bad. We haven't had the fun of our lives yet." Susie grumbled. "Hailey!" Someone yelled behind us and we turned to see Laura running toward us. Her hair billowed behind her as she did and I snorted at how she looked almost innocent. Innocent my foot. "Hey," she panted once she got to us, bending over to grab her knees and steady her breathing. "What is it?!" Susie demanded, glaring down at
By the time we reached home, the cake I had eaten had dissolved and my stomach felt very empty. I wonder why it seemed I always ate like some silly pig, but never put on weight. It was one of the gifts I felt blessed to have. "Hungry," I mumbled as we weaved through the mansion, trying to get to the kitchen. "Me too." Susie said theatrically. She always did like to be extra..I laughed at her imitation of a dog panting and shook my head. "You look hilarious," I said. "And how do you think you look, Marilyn Monroe?" She spat. "Susie, that is so random and weird! How do you come up with these stuff?" Susie shrugged and grinned. "I try.""That doesn't answer the question but I would be foolish to pry," I stated. Susie threw me a wink and we halted In front of the kitchen. Was I dreaming? Or hallucinating? I feel it had to be hallucinations. I had spent the past weeks daydreaming about him, envisioning him and chasing after him like I was chasing after the wind. And there Xavier st
"You don't fucking own me. We are not truly married and you don't have the right to question me!"I knew when he used my full name that something awful was coming next. I had hoped that somehow, he wasn't avoiding me. That it was simply the chain of events that kept us apart. But it seemed I had hoped against hope. My eyes stung with incoming tears but I held them back. "We married before a priest! We're legally husband and wife. I deserve to know if I did anything wrong to make you not want me again." I said, blinking rapidly to hold back the tears that threatened to slip from my eyes. "I never wanted you!" He spat. "Stop living in the fucking clouds, Hailey.""Liar!" I screamed, stepping closer to him. My hands hovered in the air between us as I stared up at him. Xavier's eyes had darkened as he eyed my hand drawing close to his body. His breathing got harsher with each millimetre I closed in. "You want me." He smiled then, a cruel one that sent a shiver down my spine and my bra
Despite all the hype from Susie and listening to all women power songs by Little Mix, when I got to the dining room, the false bravado that I had put on, cracked as I noticed how everyone seemed to stare at me.Everyone including Xavier. But that wasn't because I appeared in a hot smoking dress and smelled like roses or something. On the contrary, I looked like a lost hobo. The sweatshirt I found was bigger than I was and underneath it was baggy pants. Old clothes from when I lived with Grandma. She always did say I needed to hide my curves. I had disobeyed her and now I got my heart torn to shreds. She was right all along. I knew that now.Ignoring the smug look on Brenda's face and the concerned look on Zach's face, I made my way to a chair far away from Xavier and settled on it. They had already begun eating and the meat and pasta casserole looked quite delicious. I sighed delightfully. At least coming down to eat wasn't in vain. Zach cleared his throat as I mounted my plate with
"You invited her?!" Susie yelled when Laura stepped into the salon. The hairdresser handling my hair yanked on it too hard and I yelped in pain. "Will you be gentle or shall I yank yours in return?" "Sorry, ma'am." The older woman grumbled unhappily and I watched her face in the mirror. She looked like she would rather strangle me instead with the wire of the hair dryer. Madness. It was funny how people envied me without knowing that I wasn't much different from them. And that in two days, I would be dropping Lowell's name for good. But of course, it was my little secret. And I was quite good with it. "Hailey, I am talking to you!" Susie snarled And I glanced at her tiredly. Susie sat beside me, getting her hair done as well. I mean what was the point of being Mrs Lowell if I wasn't able to give my girl a good pedicure and the best salon treatment ever? I had been on a spree for the past few months. Xavier had said I could live my fantasies for a short while and though he probab
"Hailey!" Brenda screamed so loud, I was sure astronauts could hear her. "What crawled up her a-""Just help me tighten the dress will you?" I groaned gesturing at the zipper of the cream lace ball gown I wore. "The modiste shouldn't have listened to you. Now she made it so tight.""Oh quit your whining," Susie chastened as she helped zip up my dress. "This dress is beautiful and you know it." It really was. I could barely recognize myself in the mirror. It was a cream-coloured dress that hugged my torso rather tightly. The sweetheart neckline made my breasts look like ripe plums and I feared that they would slip out at the ball the next day. "I don't get why we have to do a photo shoot. The marriage is ending anyways." I told Susie as she fetched my heels."You talk as if you don't know Brenda," Susie replied, helping me step into the deathly high shoes. "She's the fake till the end sort of person. And her son is exactly like her." My heart squeezed at the mention of Xavier quick
The photographer hired was none other than Vegas prominent artist John Declan. His name was splashed across magazines and tabloids as one of the most sensuous yet famous photographers in the history of photography. I couldn't for the life of me understand why Brenda had thought this man was the best person to take our pre-ball pictures or whatever this was called. "Ah Mrs Lowell, you're quite far away from the master you know?" John Declan declared in a faux french accent that grated my nerves. We were in his rather cosy studio, standing before the backdrop as he directed us into the poses he wanted. The paparazzi were locked outside the building. I knew they were still there even though we couldn't hear them from the soundproofed studio."I hadn't realized." I ground out with a stiff smile but apparently, he was either deaf or immune to sarcasm. "You need to move closer to the master. Yes, a little closer." Stiffly, I shifted towards Xavier, keeping my face straight and simple.