“Did you ask the valet for a fucking cab!?” he snaps, not looking at me, his hands tight on the wheel. “No!” I breathe, knowing that my only choice now is to lie. “You’re mine now, Bambi,” he growls, turning his dangerous gaze on me. I shrink back in my seat, my eyes wide at the violent possessi
I’m still screaming as I look backwards, upwards into the dark sky and see Christian standing there, panting, rain streaming through his hair and down his face. My breath leaves me as I figure out who it is – who was driving the blue car – But I don’t have a chance to say anything as Christian g
I murmur Christian’s name again, shaking my head, looking back over at where Edward is laying. “What did you…do…” “Hit him,” Christian murmurs, his eyes moving in the same direction as mine even as his arm tightens around my waist. “With a tire iron.” “Shit,” I whisper, going tense and staring a
As we move away Christian glances around for cameras, but those that I spy are as old and defunct as the gas station parking lot in which we stand – powerless, probably not used in years. I glance back towards the road, where traffic continues to fly by, apparently not noticing the scene before them
Christian, seeing what I’m doing, doesn’t say anything to Nico or Frankie yet and instead comes to the kitchen, standing at the counter in front of me and waiting patiently as I pour him a long dram and slide his crystal tumbler over the counter to him. I don’t give him any ice, knowing he won’t wan
I stare at Nico, having no idea what to do next, when suddenly Christian’s words register with me. Wait, what? Make him decide between me and Nico…again? When had Nico made him make that choice before? But there’s no time to think on it as Nico looses an exhausted breath, drops his eyes from
“The harm,” Nico snaps, “beyond the obvious, is that you and Violetta had a date tonight, Chris. She was waiting for you, and then she got pissed. I couldn’t tell her where you were because I didn’t know, and even if I did I probably wouldn’t have!” He glances at me now, his habitual frown on his fa
Frankie reaches forward across the table to grab the half-drunk bottle of whiskey, breaking my eyeline for a second, breaking the connection between Christian and I. I inhale a deep breath as I blink, realizing suddenly that I’d stopped breathing in that moment. But despite what passed between Chr
A small smile creeps on Leo’s lips. “Yeah, okay,” he says, relaxing back against our chair. “Our secret.” I grin at my baby, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, because my boy can’t resist a secret.“What’s all this?”I turn to see Christian standing at the open door, peering into the dining
The danger. It’s…it’s far too poignant.My heart breaking, I open a private browsing tab on the web browser and quickly search for Craigslist in both this city and Athens, Greece. As I do my memory goes back to a conversation I had with Frankie, when he told me that this is the best way he knows for
I stand frozen, staring down at the letter as it sits on the little hall desk, my breath coming in fluttery little gasps.The words are very simple.There are vineyards in Greece as well. I’ll take you there.I read it again and again as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing with a mix of h
“You don’t know anything about my life,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, turning my eyes back down to the dishes. “I had no choice.”“You think you’re the only one who suffered?” Lucy whispers. “You think I wanted to be in this position? We were friends once, Iris. We were good to each other. Bu
“Mommyyyy,” Leo says, looking anxiously towards the kitchen door, shifting from foot to floor. “Hurry up! Aunt Bianca says we have to go!”I laugh, glancing down at my little boy, who looks so adorable in the private school uniform he wears to Kindergarten – crisp white shirt, navy blazer, his dark
But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her
My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing
“Yes,” he answers, a growl in his voice. “That should suit just fine.”I laugh at the irony in this and shake my head, looking away. “So now you want me to come back, to pretend as if nothing ever happened? You expect me to just accept this, the way things are now?”Christian opens his mouth to resp
Disappointment floods my chest, a sense of disbelief washing over me. “You think I would trust you again after everything? After how you treated me? You expect me to just come back and forget?”His eyes narrow, disappointment etched into his features. “You were faithless. I thought you’d be loyal. I