Chapter Forty-fourKENDALL’S P.O.V.“What happened?” I found myself asking as I fell on my knees beside him. Holding up his hand, I allowed it to fall back to the floor.His body was warmed and still maintained the normal color instead of being cold and turning blue like I had imagined. Still not convinced that he had life in him, I checked his pulse.For more than three minutes, I was trying to feel his pulse. Scared, I placed my ear above his chest trying to hear his heartbeat but since my head wasn't on his chest I couldn't hear a thing so I resumed holding his wrist.After what seems like forever, I felt it. It was weak but thankfully, he hadn't lost it.“What on heaven's name happened to you Caden?” I asked, hitting his cheeks hoping his eyelids fluttered open but it was still tightly shut.Pulling myself up, I grabbed a bottle of cold water from the fridge and then began to sprinkle it on his face. After a few seconds of this practice and there was no sign of life in him, I empt
Chapter Forty-fiveDeclan’s POVAfter our intimate encounter, I quietly slipped out of Kendall’s room, feeling both exhilarated and conflicted. My thoughts raced as I made my way to the room where Caden lay sleeping.As I peeked in, relief washed over me to see him sleeping peacefully. But even in the presence of my best friend, my mind kept wandering back to Kendall.Unable to resist the pull any longer, I found myself back at Kendall’s door. It was like I was being drawn to her, unable to resist the magnetic pull she seemed to have over me. I entered her room, finding her asleep in bed. I should have gone to my own room, but I couldn’t tear myself away from her.I watched Kendall sleep, her face serene in the soft glow of sunlight filtering through the curtains. My fingers itched to reach out and touch her, to wake her up and pull her into my arms again. But instead, I stayed rooted to my spot, simply observing her.Feeling parched, I reached for the glass of water on the bedside ta
Chapter Forty-sixDeclan’s POVThe next morning, I woke up with a bitter taste in my mouth, still reeling from the betrayal I had discovered the previous night. I glanced over at Shannon, who was still fast asleep, her peaceful expression mocking meI wanted to wake her up, to confront her about what she had done, but something held me back. Instead, I got up and prepared for the day ahead, my mind consumed with thoughts of Kendall and the betrayal I felt.After I dressing up, I left the room and went straight to see how my friend was holding up that morning. I entered the room and saw Caden still sleeping, it didn’t seem as if he’d woken up since yesterday even though he looked stable laying there peacefully.I sat there with him for some minutes and then decided to leave so I could check things in at the boarder. When I returned after an hour, as I entered my office, I saw Kendall sitting at the desk, buried in paperwork. Without a word, sat down too, then handed her a stack of pape
Chapter Forty-sevenKendall’s POVI couldn’t believe what had just happened. Declan’s accusations had left me reeling, and I couldn’t comprehend why he thought I would ever betray him like that. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I tried to make sense of everything, but the more I thought about it, the more confused and hurt I felt.Suddenly, the door burst open, and Declan stormed into the room, his expression dark and filled with rage. Before I could react, he grabbed me roughly, his grip tight and unforgiving.“Let go of me!” I cried out, pushing against him with all my strength. “I’m not your slave! I’m not your sex toy!”But Declan’s grip only tightened, and no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t break free. He forced me onto the bed, his movements aggressive and filled with anger.I fought against him, desperate to resist his advances, but he was too strong. With each passing moment, I felt more powerless and defeated.As he forced himself upon me, I despised every moment of i
Chapter Forty-eightKendall’s POVI didn’t know how long I lay on my room floor bemoaning my fate but I was certain it spanned for more than an hour.When I woke off, feeling exhausted and drained of all my energy, I groped my way towards the bathroom to clean up. While doing this, I purposely ignored looking into the mirror but curious to see my current look, I had no choice but to have a peek of myself.On seeing my disheveled face and the bruises I had sustained, tears began to roll down my cheeks. For the next few minutes that followed, I was sobbing silently.Right now, I really wished I could run away but I was trapped.Even if I had the opportunity to run off like I was in a dire need of, I had no idea on where I should head to. My home which was supposed to be my haven was going to reject me.If only my father hadn’t forced me into this I wouldn’t have been in this mess in the first place — I said in my head as I wiped my face with the back of my palm.After cleaning up, I mad
CHAPTER FOURTY-NINEFEW DAYS AGOCADEN'S POINT OF VIEWI scanned the streets and there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, a sense that something wasn't quite right. But I pushed the feeling aside.My instincts pointed my attention to a certain corner. My eyes narrowed as I stared at it — I decided to go there and survey.I rounded the corner but as I walked, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. I glanced over my shoulder, but there was nothing and no one there. Still, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.I paused, my senses tingling. There was a faint scent in the air, unfamiliar and unsettling. I took a deep breath, trying to pinpoint its source.With caution, I continued moving as the scent was coming from where I had initially been suspicious of.Suddenly, a noise broke the silence. I froze, my muscles tensing as I strained to listen. There it was again, a soft rustling in the bushes nearby.I approached cautiously, my hand hovering near my
CHAPTER FIFTYPRESENT TIMEKENDALL'S POINT OF VIEWI let out a sigh as I threw away a rumpled up paper for the umpteenth time. I took out a fresh paper and stared blankly at the crisp white sheet of paper before me.What could I possibly say to my father?I had to write this letter to him, but I had absolutely no idea what to say. I picked up the pen, my fingers trembling slightly as I poised it over the paper.But as I tried to form the words, they seemed to elude me, slipping through my grasp like water through clenched fingers. With a frustrated sigh, I dropped the pen back onto the desk.I sighed again, burying my head into my palms. With another sigh, I raised up my head and chewed on my lip.I had to think of something.I reached for the pen once more and this time, I forced myself to put pen to paper.Yet as I wrote, it seemed like my words were inadequate, meaningless. I paused, reading over what I had written, and shook my head in frustration. It wasn't right, it wasn't enoug
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE KENDALL'S POINT OF VIEW The sight of his glowing eyes filled me with a primal fear, one that seemed to seep into my very bones."Declan, please," I pleaded, "You're scaring me."But he didn't seem to hear me, lost in the grip of his own rage. His fists clenched at his sides, his entire body vibrating with barely contained fury.He got up from the bed and then, in a sudden burst of movement, he lunged forward, his hands closing around my shoulders with a vice-like grip. I cried out in pain"Tell me the truth, Kendall," he snarled, his voice a low, guttural growl. "Or so help me, I'll make you regret it."Tears welled in my eyes as I stared up at him, my body trembling with fear.He shook me violently, “Tell me!" he roared, "Tell me what you know about that night!"Tears streamed down my cheeks, mingling with the fear that clenched my heart in its icy grip. I shook my head frantically, my voice choked with sobs as I pleaded for mercy.“Please, Declan….let go of me.