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The words echo in my mind, a jumbled mess of confusion, desire, and fear. Grace’s offer, so carefully presented, seems both like an escape and a trap, a solution, and a deception. I look at her, trying to read the sincerity in her eyes, but it’s hard to see anything but the quiet certainty she radiates. "Do you really think I have any chance of building a future that would be based on lies? Such foundations are destined to fall apart."Grace doesn’t flinch at my words, somehow I feel like she reflects on my words."You would be surprised... some walls can only be held up by a lie... I would know." Grace, who had always seemed like the polished matriarch, suddenly seems more fragile, for lack of a better word, more human."You said Christain would never forgive a lie, so why would you risk joining in on one." I still couldn't believe I was having this conversation... looking her directly in the eyes for the first time."You said it yourself, it's a risk... one that I'm glad to take bec
"What are you doing home?" Mira asked me as she stepped down from the ladder where she was hanging up Christmas lights, her eyes landed on the bags I had just set down on the floor leaving a loud thud. "What are those?" "The dresses Grace wants us to wear to the party." Along with the expensive accessories and beautiful masks. Hopefully, it will be enough to cover the dread on my face. I walked past Mira and sat down on the couch... it looked more like if I let myself fall down onto it like a sack of potatoes before placing my head in my cold palms. "Love, are you ok?" No, absolutely not. "She knows, Mira," I say before slightly lifting my heavy head. "Grace knows that I lied... she knows I'm not blind." Mira froze for a moment, then she placed the ladder against the wall, the Christmas lights now forgotten in her hands. "How? How did she find out?" Her voice dropped, low and careful, as if she was afraid of what came next. I leaned back into the couch, trying to steady myself.
Christian's POVI stood by the window watching the car drive in and sit in park just waiting to see Love step out... our conversation was short and I didn't have the chance to tell her everything that had rested on my mind since yesterday. She agreed to go to the party with me and for a second there I thought that was just about the first yes I was going to hear from her... but yet again she retracted from me. I could feel my heart beat in my chest as the car's engine finally cut off. I watched closely, hoping to see her make her way toward the door with that grace of hers, the one that always seemed to leave me breathless, even when it wasn't intentional. But as the door opened only my mother stepped out and made her way to the house alone."What are you doing glued to the window?" Mom asked as she entered the house, our driver left her shopping bags on the side table and left. "Love won't be returning today." She says as she leaves her bag aside. "Why? Did something happen?" Did s
"Where is everyone today?" Sebastian asks as he walks inside with Marley on a leash. To think that just several weeks ago he refused to leave his room, let alone the house. He seems more calm, as the storm that used to live inside him has passed. I wasn't sure if he was as happy as we would have liked but he was more present, his voice was heard more and for that I couldn't be more grateful. "In here. Your brother and I were just talking about the New Year's Eve party. Perhaps this is the year you finally decide to join us." Mom says. Sebastian has been avoiding being in the public light for years, sometimes they even speculate as to just where he is.Sebastian shrugged, letting Marley tug at the leash for a moment before he pulled her back with a soft mutter of her name. "I don't know," he said, his voice unsure, though there was still a hint of that guarded tone I’d grown used to over the years. "A big party full of people isn't really my thing." He didn’t look uncomfortable in hi
Christian’s POVChristmas EveSebastian ended up calling Love last night telling her that she should in fact take some time for herself and her friends. I believe his words were We are going to miss you but we also dont want you to get sick of us.The only person sick without her presence is going to be me...but that is why I needed something... an excuse to go and see her, even if it was for just a minute. And that perfect excuse was a Christmas present.The question was what to get her? What would show her just how much she meant to me without it being too much or making things weird? I could already tell that I was walking a fine line when it came to Love. I didn’t want to overdo it. But I wanted her to know that I was thinking of her.I also wanted to get her something that she could keep close to her side at all times, something that would remind her of me, make me present in her every thought the same way she occupied mine. Something personal, with meaning, something small, intim
I thought about going to her apartment tomorrow yet I lacked the willpower to stay away today. So with the gift in my hand, I stood in front of her apartment door ready to knock, and let my eyes fall upon her beauty, tho the person who ended up opening the door was Mira. "Good evening, Mr.Callahan. What brings you here?" She asks even tho she knows the answer. "Good evening... hope I'm not much of a bother I just came to give something to Love. Can I see her?" Mira's eyes land on the box perfectly wrapped in red paper with a golden bow on top. "Love is in the shower... but come in, you can wait in the living room while I go and get her." I stepped inside, my shoes clicking softly against the floor. Mira stepped aside to let me in when the small dog came to bark at my feet."Calm down Charlie, this is... a friend," She says as she scoops him up in her arms. Mira gestured toward the living room, her expression unreadable as she moved toward the hallway. “I’ll let her know you’re here.
I could feel the slight tension in her posture as my hands settled on the small of her waist, but I held her there, not in an overpowering way, just enough to keep her close, to make her stop talking for a moment."Christain..." Love said as she put her hands on mine, yet she didn't try to escape my touch or step away from our closeness. The small gesture was enough to tell me that she wasn’t afraid of the closeness, even if there was still hesitation.“Love,” I said her name softly, almost like a plea, as if asking her to hear me beyond the words, to understand that there was no rush, no pressure. "There are a lot of things going through my head right now..." She says as she intertwines her fingers with mine, and my heart starts beating with more force than ever, sounding like drums in my ears. "I just need a bit of time to make a decision of what might be best... for both of us.""That is easy Love, on my part the best thing for me is to have you in my life... forever," I say as I s
Love's POVChristmas morningI sat at the kitchen island with a coffee cup in my hand and stared down at the perfectly wrapped gift box Christian gave me. I shoudnt have accepted it in the first place, everything that I say yes to just bineds me more and more to him when I have no idea of what it is that I should do.One second I was convinced that nothing was possible, that there was nothing to look forward to but then Grace's and Mira's words played on and on inside my head making me think that I do have a possibility of actually having what my heart desires so much. That I could have Christian, a man who in more ways than one is the perfect man... the man of my dreams, something I didn't think was possible after Daniel.I took a sip of my coffee, the rich taste grounding me, but my thoughts were anything but steady. I knew that I was on the edge of a decision, but it felt like I was standing on a cliff, unsure if I could take a step forward or if I’d fall. And if I did fall, would I
Christian kept his word. To the outside world, we were this perfect, happy newlywed couple. So in love, so eager to start our honeymoon. But behind the facade, everything was different. Every touch, every word, every look felt hollow. His arms around me were nothing more than a carefully constructed performance, a show for the people around us.As we walked through the airport, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of the eyes on us. The casual paparazzi snapped their pictures, capturing our smiles, our closeness, and the image of a perfect couple. But it was all just that, a picture. A snapshot of a life that didn’t belong to us.Christian kept his distance from the photographers, his presence almost protective. He would always make sure no one got too close, his hand gripping my arm just a little tighter whenever the flashes started. In that moment, I felt both protected and imprisoned, wrapped in a cocoon of control that had nothing to do with love and everything to do with appearanc
Love's POVI just stood there. At the same exact spot, I was when he left me. I didn’t dare to move. I didn’t know how to. The weight of his absence pressed against me, suffocating, as if the very air around me had turned thick and impossible to breathe.The wonderful dream about a new future disappeared. It shattered, crushed into a million pieces like glass breaking across the floor. The vision I had of us, of something real, something lasting, seemed so far away now, an illusion I had foolishly believed in.This was a nightmare. One even worse than I could have ever imagined. Because it wasn’t just about losing him...it was the way he had left, the coldness in his eyes that made me feel like I never mattered at all. It was the way everything had felt so perfect one minute, and then the next, it all collapsed. I thought we had found something special, something real. But as he said, it was all built on a lie. I never wanted to hurt him, God is my witness. I wanted to defend myself,
Mira’s POVThe wedding was beautiful, and Love looked so happy. Genuinely happy, with no weight on her shoulders that I for one dont feel bad about how their story started. With the lie I told and she followed. Perhaps it was destiny if there even existed such a thing.There was only one thing about the wedding I didn't get, and that is how the hell did Vincenzo score an invitation. It was no secret Christian wasn't a fan of him, so how did he get in?Not that I care.For one I did what Tamara asked me to do in the first place, I stayed away from him. It wasn't like I wanted to be around him anyway. He looked at me like I was a puzzle meant to be solved, and I hated how that felt. He didn't have the right to dig out all the things I buried.I left the venue and waited for the taxi I ordered to return me to the city, I was dying to take off my shoes and curl up in bed with Charlie.“Don’t tell me you’re avoiding me now,” Vincenzo said, his voice low and teasing. I froze. This is the clo
Christian’s POV I smiled. I smiled as I said yes, took her hand, and promised to stand by her side for the rest of our lives. I smiled as our picture was taken, each click of the camera capturing a moment that felt so bittersweet. I smiled as Aidan gave his best man speech, his words were meant to celebrate our love, but they fell on deaf ears because all I could hear in my head were the things she had told me, the secrets she kept buried deep inside. I smiled as we cut the cake, though it felt like I was slicing into something that was no longer real. I smiled as we shared our first dance, the music playing, the room spinning around me, but I was stuck in the silence of my own thoughts. I smiled. But every smile, every gesture, every movement felt like a lie. I was drowning. I smiled while I was dying inside. She had told me everything. I should have been angry, furious even, for what she had kept from me. But all I felt was the sharp sting of betrayal, and the even sharpe
Christian stares at me, his mouth slightly agape, as though he’s trying to process what I just confessed. His lips move, but no sound comes out for a long moment. The air between us feels thick with disbelief, and I can see his chest rising and falling as he takes in my words, still not fully able to comprehend them. "I know you must hate me now. But please, listen to me." I say as I hold onto his hands now, for him to stay, but also so I wouldn't crumble down. "I need you to know that none of this was planned. From the moment I entered your life all I wanted to do was help Sebastian. This lie wasn't supposed to last, I was planning to leave after he got better and while that does not make any of this any better I thought that in a way we helped each other. But then I started falling in love with you, that is why I tried so hard to put a distance between us. I knew how wrong it was, it haunted me every day but as much as I wanted to tell you the truth the fear of losing you was muc
Love's POVThe wedding day..."You look absolutely stunning, gorgeous.""Beautiful... I just might cry."Mira and Tamara talked around me, I could hear them but for some reason, I couldn't find it within me to say anything. I just stared at my own reflection. I didn't sleep all night; my thoughts were eating at me. This day, the day when everything was supposed to be all happiness, was far from being happy for me. This isn't what my life was supposed to look like. The mere fact that it all began with a lie was reason enough for me to feel like a stranger in my own skin. I wasn’t sure who I was anymore.The soft rustling of fabric from Mira and Tamara as they moved around the room felt distant, like I was underwater, trapped in my own thoughts.I glance at the mirror again, my reflection staring back at me. The dress, the makeup, the carefully styled hair... it all screamed perfection, the kind of perfection I was supposed to feel excited about. But inside, all I could feel was a deep,
"Christian, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Vincenzo asked as he lifted his head from his book. I had a feeling I would find him at the club, it seemed he operated from here these days."What's the deal with Volkav?" I ask wasting no time. The look on his face tho was awesome enough."Why do you ask?""Because he just left my office, but not before threatening me. He wants me to reopen the deal, and sign the contract with him." Vincenzo listens to me and then nods his head to a man sitting at the table next to us. "And you come to me... why exactly?" He asks."Cut the crap, Vincenzo," I say as I sit down, not wanting to attract more attention to us. "I know what you do, and I know the kind of people you are associated with. So tell me why does he want the deal so bad?"Vincenzo leans back in his chair, his fingers drumming slowly on the table as his eyes narrow. For a moment, the club's muted hum of chatter and clinking glasses fade into the background, leaving the two of us in a ten
Love’s POV"What do you mean he moved into the building?" I ask Mira over the phone as I walk alone in the garden. As it turns out finding solitude in this enormous house was much harder than I thought. It was as if the walls had eyes and I was forced to walk around with this damn cane all the time."Exactly that, and he has Tolga behind me all the time. I'm telling you I'm gonna go crazy." Meanwhile, I find this reassuring. Vincenzo is keeping his word, keeping her safe. It made what I had to do a bit easier on me."As long as you keep in touch with him, can you pass on a message to me? Tell him it's done." "Done? What are you talking about? What’s done?" Mira’s voice on the other end of the line crackles slightly, her frustration bleeding through the words."You don’t need to worry about the details," I say quietly, my voice steady but with an edge of something darker. "Just tell him. It’s done. I’ve taken care of it." There’s a pause on the other end of the line. I can almost hear
"Where are you taking me?" I asked as I watched his angry profile, taking in all of his gorgeousness, down to the point of his neck where my mother's scarf peeked through."Home." That was the only thing he told me, and he stayed in silence all the way back to my apartment building. He entered the garage, got out, and opened the door for me. Still, no words were spoken. I took out my key card and opened the elevator while he pressed the floor button. The silence was killing me, it played with my nerves."Was that really necessary?" I asked, breaking the silence."Perhaps that will teach you to listen to me, Trouble." He murmurs under his exhausted breath. "It Mira. Ok? Mira. And you, you had no right, non whatsoever to act that way.!""I have the right. My heart gave me the right." He says as he suddenly turns towards me, my back finding the elevator wall. "My heart claimed you as his and I can't... I won't let you or anyone else take you from me. Trouble." The weight of his words hit