RENEE Monday came too fast, as usual. Watery eyes fluttering open, I looked at the clock by my bedside with a frown as the numbers blurred together. It was seven in the morning. I should be getting ready for my morning shift at work. I told myself this but couldn't drag myself out of bed. I felt trapped, strewn atop the soft mattress, with swollen eyes and aching bones. It wasn't just the lack of sleep—my nights had been spent crying my eyes out—or the fatigue. No. It was much more. The fortified walls built within me were no longer there. The barriers between me and the emotions that flooded my heart were long gone. And now, since the night of the masked ball, the floodgates of guilt, anger, shame, and repulsion. These emotions spilled forth when I thought of him. Whenever I saw his name light up my phone screen as he barraged me with never-ending streams of messages. Or heard, “Please call me!” coming from my voicemail after I refused to pick up.Gosh! How could I have been
ROBERT "No fucking way!" I exclaimed loudly. "This has to be the dumbest joke in history! This cannot be true. Tell me this is a lie. Just some ploy by the media to sell a story, right? I mean, who made this up?" I spat, returning my gaze to my secretary, and flinging the magazine on the floor. "We can't say, Mr. Clarke, but we know the media will do anything for money. Aside from that, the allegations look too good to be true, and they have photos to back it up." Mr. Patrick, my lawyer, chimed in, his face concerned as he looked at me from his chair across the office desk. God, this was worse than I'd imagined. I closed my eyes and sighed deeply, thinking about the headline I'd just read. 'SCANDAL OF THE YEAR OR NOT? POPULAR BILLIONAIRE, ROBERT CLARKE, CAUGHT IN A ROMANTIC RUSE WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND & SON.' The article described and fabricated theories about Dylan being Renee's ex. They even had photos to prove it. My mind replayed the article's content as the words flashed before
ROBERT After deliberating for an hour, I parked my car in front of the restaurant where Renee worked, ready to talk to her. My stomach flipped, and before I could change my mind or even consider whether this was a good idea, my hands instinctively went to the door handle and pushed it open. As I stepped out of the vehicle, a gust of wind hit me square in the face. The air was crisp and cold, biting at my exposed skin and forcing itself painfully into my lungs. The sky had suddenly turned dark gray, and the air was chilly, making me a little nervous as I approached the building. I glanced at my wristwatch and saw that it was already four in the afternoon—two hours before she finished her shift if I recall correctly—and I quickened my pace. I looked inside the restaurant through the glass windows, hoping to see Renee, but there was no sign of her. As I approached the front door, I took deep breaths and tried to convince myself that she was probably somewhere else in the building
RENEE "It’d be in your best interests if you left, Robert. She isn't interested in seeing you." I pressed my ear to the bedroom door, my chest tightening as Nicole and Robert's spat grew louder with each word. The argument had begun a few minutes ago when Robert arrived and, luckily for me, Nicole answered the door. He’d demanded to see me, wanting to talk, and she’d flatly refused. Then he'd tried to explain that he was here to apologize and make amends, but Nicole wasn’t budging. She was hurt and angry on my behalf, and rightfully so."I won't. I'm not leaving until Renee tells me she doesn't want to see me herself.” Robert spoke up, his voice firm, persistent, and determined. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but she won't. Leave, Robert. I'm doing my best not to be impolite here." "Nicole, please stop making this so difficult." He begged, sounding so desperate that my heart ached for a split second. Nicole made a noise of disgust. "I shouldn't make this difficult. Says the ma
ROBERT "A refill?" The bartender asked as I held up my empty glass, and I curtly nodded. Taking a sip of the burning liquid, I grimaced at the bitter aftertaste, then returned my gaze to my phone on the bar’s countertop. I sat and stared at the picture of Renee displayed on the screen.In this photo, she was asleep on my hotel bed, her mouth slightly open and her strawberry blonde hair messy and scattered on the sheets. Her long lashes cast shadows across her delicate cheeks, giving her a soft and fragile appearance. Dammit, but she was so beautiful. The most gorgeous sight I'd ever seen and one I'd never get tired of looking at.Flipping through my photos, I found another picture of her. One I’d taken while she was standing on the balcony of our new mansion.With her arms outstretched, her dress fluttering against the wind, and the fabric dancing wildly before settling back into place. She looked so happy and at peace that, for a moment, my heart clenched.Her eyes were closed, bu
RENEE As I walked into my apartment, the soothing sound of SYML's “Girl” played from the small stereo in the corner. The song brought with it a sense of peace and calm that I rarely experienced these days. It helped me relax, even if only for a short time. And that was precisely what I needed right now—to relax. To let myself breathe without being weighed down by my worries. The previous few days had been... trying. Trying and more challenging than I could’ve imagined. “Damn!” I muttered, shoulders slumping as I closed the door behind me, sighing exhaustedly against it. My body sagged in front of me. My hands pushed my long hair away from my face before rubbing my tired eyes and pinching my nose. I knew my sleep-deprived appearance wasn't doing me any favors, and I wouldn't say I liked thinking about how I looked. Instead, I tried to distract myself by recalling everything that’d happened today. From scouring the streets of Orlando in my fruitless search for another job—since I
ROBERT “Robert, stop sending me flowers! Stop sending apology notes! They won’t change anything, so stop. Stop it!” Renee’s voice came through from the other end of the phone the moment I pressed the answer button and held the phone to my ear. I shivered slightly. Her call had arrived just as I was wallowing in self-pity, with a bottle of whiskey in hand and a plate of uneaten food staring blankly at me. I’d been ready to drown myself in a sea of sadness when this phone call interrupted my lonely reverie. Like always, her voice pulled me out from under the water where my problems had taken hold, forcing me into a state of self-consciousness I hadn’t felt in days. Renee was my lifeline. A ray of sunshine amid a stormy sky. She made me want to be more. To be better. She was my rock, the one thing that kept me grounded in the midst of this constant chaos.Ever since she’d come into my life, everything had changed.For the first time in years, I felt so in love. So happy. So, satisfi
RENEE “I’ll go check who’s at the door.” Nicole offered, smiling as she kissed me goodbye and exited the bedroom for the living room. “If it’s the delivery guy with flowers and notes, just send him back to wherever he came from.” I yelled after her, my eyes rolling. “As usual.” She snickered. “Of course. As usual.” I said. “I’ll do exactly that, my lady. Whatever you say.” She responded with a mock curtsy, and I rolled my eyes. Sighing, I sat on my bed, pushing the comforter across my legs and pulling my knees into my chest. I leaned back and watched as the sun rays from outside flickered across the walls and curtains, casting a warm orange hue into the small cozy room. My thoughts drifted away as I reminisced on the past few days' events. I faintly smiled and closed my eyes as I inhaled the fresh breeze that filtered through the open window. Even though my life was in shambles, and I was still unemployed, I was doing my best to stay positive. Suffice it to say that nothing e
ROBERTI watched as the officers led Amanda out of the courtroom, her shackled hands clasped behind her back and her head hanging low. She looked broken. Defeated. And whereas she'd walked in confidently earlier, flashing a smug grin at me, now her feet dragged, and she didn't dare to look up. She couldn't, though, not after all that’d happened. Seeing her like this, knowing she finally got her karma, a bitter satisfaction curled in my chest.Finally, she got what she deserved. After the chaos, the wreck—the way she'd torn through my life, Renee's, and so many others—she would finally pay. This was her end. Her retribution. And it was brutal, yes, but it was also entirely fitting. "Yes," I breathed out, an invisible weight, one I'd carried for far too long, lifting from my chest. "Damn, I feel good," I murmured under my breath, and a smile formed on my lips.God! I couldn't wait to get home to Renee. I couldn't wait to tell her it was all over. That we’d won, and Amanda would ne
Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing. ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky. ~•~AMANDA TWO MONTHS LATER Typically, a day begins when the clock strikes midnight, and the seconds tick.For some, it begins at seven a.m. or earlier. But today, my day began when the courthouse doors swung open and the bailiff ushered me and my lawyer into the courtroom. As we walked in, a hushed murmur rippled through the room, and for a moment, my stomach clenched—not in nervousness, but in anticipation. Which was strange given my crimes.Any prisoner convicted of murder would probably feel fear. Fear of their impending punishment, fear of the unknown consequences of their actions, fear of being executed. They'd also feel guilty, combine that with a sense of helplessness, and voila!But see, I wasn't just any prisoner. I was Amanda Clarke, and I feared no one. I feared nothing. As a convict who'd hired the best defense attorney in the country—my lawyer's record was pristine wi
RENEE "Look who's getting out of these four bleached walls today!" Nicole squealed with delight the moment she entered the room. She ran toward me, arms outstretched. "I'm so happy, Renee." She sniffled. "So fucking happy." "As am I," I said, hugging her with all my strength. "Where's Mom?" I asked. "She's at home, er, the mansion, preparing for your arrival," Nicole said. "I suspect you're going to eat a lot today, my friend," she added, and I laughed. "I can only imagine." I groaned and let go of her when Robert and the nurse assigned to check me out of the hospital arrived. She pushed a wheelchair into the room, signaling it was time for me to leave. As Robert turned to greet Nicole, the nurse, a petite young lady, attended to me. She introduced herself, asked a few questions, provided some healthcare instructions, and then it was time to fill out the discharge paperwork, which Robert quickly took charge of. As usual, he wasn’t letting me lift a finger. It’d been
ROBERTShe was awake.God, she was awake.I couldn't believe it, but as my legs carried me across the room and toward her, yes, Renee was awake. She was alive. She was conscious. And she was looking at me with teary brown eyes, muttering my name repeatedly. As I reached her bedside in a flash, and despite the doctor's warnings to take things easy, I pulled her into my arms and hugged her hard. Tight. Bone crushingly. The tears dropped faster than ever, and I cried. I sobbed. I turned into a blubbering mess, not caring about the doctor or nurses in the room. I just let the fucking grief out because it was about damn time. "Oh, God... Oh, Renee..." I mumbled, my voice breaking as I buried my face in her hair. "I... I thought you wouldn't make it. I thought I had lost you forever." My body shook violently as I spoke, but it didn’t stop my arms from tightening around her. I wanted to permanently hold her close. To never, ever let go of her."You didn't lose me." She whispered, her v
RENEE My dreams were a blur. I saw everything and nothing. I remembered everything and nothing. There was sunshine, and there was rain. There was light, and there was darkness. It was all so beautiful, but so terrifying. It was like time stopped, and I could do nothing about it. Everything felt surreal and I couldn't make sense of it. But then, suddenly… a feeling overtook me—a familiar feeling. The feeling of being alive. Of being whole. Of being complete. There was no more pain, blurry dreams, distorted visions, or anything else. There was only peace. And that peace woke me up. That peace made me move. That peace snapped me from my trance. Eyes fluttering open, the first thing I saw was a white ceiling. Then white walls and curtains. I blinked several times to orient myself to where I was, but the room appeared unfamiliar. It looked like… a hospital room. But why would I be there? I blinked slowly, trying to adjust my eyes to the sunlight streaming through
‘You’re my sunshine. My only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you… please don’t take my sunshine away.’The sky really was grey, almost black in its intensity. It looked like a storm could burst out at any moment and unleash its wrath on anything within sight. But he didn't care. Robert. He just stood in the field of daisies, arms crossed, staring up at the gray sky as if it were the most wondrous thing in the world. And he was singing. Singing with that bassy, beautiful voice of his. The one Renee had fallen for. That made her heart skip a beat and sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach. ‘When the sky is dark, and the clouds are thick, I will keep you warm through the rain. And I will always be with you through the wind and snow. I love you. I love you. I love you.’He kept singing, his voice carrying through the air and reverberating throughout the field, causing even the smallest flowers to sway gently to his me
ROBERT“…bad news, Robert. You need to get here. Renee… She was drugged. Or poisoned. I…I'm not sure, but she fainted. She’s in a critical condition, and her life is hanging on by a thread…”Nicole's words swarmed and raced in my mind like angry gnats as I rushed past the hospital's reception, the busy ER nurses and medics, and through the bustling hospital corridors to the VIP room reserved exclusively for the Clarke household.I could hear my heart thumping steadily, but the agony was nothing compared to the million terrifying thoughts flying through my mind. Every thought brought me back to that single word. Drugged. Or was it…Poisoned?Renee had been poisoned. Fuck no!This couldn’t be real. What I’d heard on the phone earlier wasn’t true, neither was this situation. It was a prank. Maybe someone, Nicole or Renee herself, was pulling a cruel joke on me.Yes. That’s it. And by the heavens, my woman was okay. She was at the mansion, and the party was still in full swing. She wasn’t
O, how the mighty fall! With ruin upon ruin, heap’d, and vengeance answer’d upon vengeance. ~ John Milton, Paradise Lost.~•~AMANDA“I didn't pay you thousands to stop at every fucking checkpoint, Mister.” I seethed, gritting my teeth in anger, as the driver pulled to a stop at another police roadblock, this one much busier than the other two we passed.“I have to fucking stop, missus.” He looked over his shoulder at me, scowling. “Either this or my cab is confiscated, and I'm fined. I damn well can't afford that, even with the scraps you're paying. So do me a favor, stop being a whiny bitch, and shut up.”My mouth flew open in surprise, and for a few seconds, all I could see were spots, my cheeks flaming with rage. What the fuck?Did this good-for-nothing asshole just call me a whiny bitch? And did he call the 2,000 extra dollars scraps? Scraps? The fuck!I almost laughed at the irony of my situation. Almost.Take deep breaths, Amanda. Deep… deep… deep fucking breaths, I told myself
RENEEI’d heard “congratulations” a million times tonight, and my ears were still buzzing from it all.Most were from people I barely knew—Robert's acquaintances and business associates—and I was grateful that they at least seemed genuine about it.Their words were kind and, for the most part, calmed my ruffled nerves, but they weren't enough to dispel the lingering fear that’d settled over me like a cloak all evening. There was a nagging voice in my head. A small whisper kept telling me that something bad would happen tonight. That danger was lurking around, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Sometimes, I worried that my pregnancy hormones were to blame and whether it was affecting my mental health. But no, it couldn't be. The growing child inside me did not cause my feelings of paranoia and continual dread.Instead, it had everything to do with what this party stood for. I mean, I'd had this feeling ever since Dylan came into the suite to talk, and then Robert had this elabora