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Chapter 10
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2023-11-09 12:16:00Related chapters
Distant Hearts Chapter 11
Four years agoTatumOver the next few days, I realize that Bridget is who I think she is. A witch. I’m not a servant in this manor, I live with my dad and he’s the one who works for the house so I’m never really expected to take on chores but I help when I can. It’s a norm in the manor, children of the staff aren’t burdened with duties but it seems Bridget doesn’t give a shit at this point. In the past week, I’ve done house laundry, cleaned the gardeners shed, washed dishes and even mowed the bleeding lawn. It’s all Bridget’s punishment for me. She’s trying to get back at me for standing up to her in her office and to be honest, I’m fed up of being tossed around and used like a human dog. But if there’s one thing Bridget is very good at, it’s treating people like dirt. Dad is out of town for a few days, all part of her plan I’m sure, since she sent him on a fools errand in town for a few days just to make sure he isn’t around while she makes my life hell. As much as everyone in the
Last Updated : 2023-11-14Distant Hearts Chapter 12
Four years agoTateRyan has been my friend for the longest time. Probably my next best friend in this manor after Nigel and Nana. He genuinely cares for me and unlike other kids in the manor, we’re both two of the few kids that have stayed in this manor all their life. Most others Don’t live here permanently and others usually move out in their teen age or earlier. Ryan and I however have our whole lives here, our parents too so we stay and stick with them. I take a sip of the water he offered me and access the work I’ve done on the lawn so far. Choppy is quite an understatement for what I’ve done but that’s why Bridget gets for making me do hard labor like this, I dont have the slightest idea about lawn work. Ryan notices my stare and he cringes when he too looks around the field.“You’re doing great Tate”, he says quickly, as if to reassure me, as if I care. “Yeah, I better get back and finish it up now”. I begin to move forward but Ryan grabs my arm to stop me“You need rest T
Last Updated : 2023-11-17Distant Hearts Chapter 13
Present NoahI ordered food tonight and I’m worried Tatum isn’t going to be the one to deliver it. Dotty’s new delivery guy already started work a few weeks ago so he delivers my meals most times. Tatum only delivers if her shift has ended and she’s on the way home. It’s been quite a while since I saw her and I find that I’m uncomfortable with that, I want to see her, badly. My friend, Julius seats on the sofa opposite me with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He twirls the amber liquid in the glass, his face in thought. I ordered a double portion of food for the both of us, he’s stressed enough with his sisters wedding that he’d probably go home later tonight and forget to eat. “Dad doesn’t even leave his room anymore”, he says out of the blue. “And I hardly get to speak with my sister about anything except the wedding. I’m so fucking tired”, he sighs, sounding absolutely distraught. “Talk to your other sister then”, I say, hardly interested in his family drama “Same thing with he
Last Updated : 2023-11-24Distant Hearts Chapter 14
TatumFour years agoI lay sleepily on Nigel’s chest while he strokes my hair. He’s been doing it for a few minutes now and I’m about to fall asleep so I raise my head to kiss him but I see his face deep in thought.“Hey, what’s the problem?”, I ask, turning his chin to me. Hoping that he’d give me a response but instead, he smiles down at me then kisses me while hugging me tighter to him.“You’re so small”, he says instead of answering my question. “Nigel, don’t try to change the topic”, I scold and he sighs. “It’s really nothing”“Tell me”, I implore, softening my expression.“I want you to be my date at the event next week”“What?”“You know the event I’m talking about already and I’m asking you to come with me”“Nigel, do you know what you’re talking about? Taking me is going to expose us. Your moms going to find out about our relationship”Bridget is a socialite and she hosts her charity event annually so there’re always a lot of important attendees. Nigel and I going to eve
Last Updated : 2023-11-24Distant Hearts Chapter 15
TatumFour years agoDad and I, along with all the other staff, leave for the charity event later that night. They won’t be working tonight since Bridget always hires people for things like this. I see Ryan at the entrance to the hall building and he waves me over. I smile at him and untangle my hand from dads elbow before making my way over to a beaming Ryan.“Hey”, he greets “Hi”. He turns his palm up and I take his hand as he walks me into the hall. “I hate things like this”, he says, pulling at the collar of his suit. “And why is it so hot in here”. He sounds frustrated now and it makes me laugh. “Here, let me help”. I reach up to loosen his tie so he’d feel better.“There, better now?”, I ask looking up at him only to see his eyes already on me. “Yeah, thanks”. I nod, looking away from him quickly.When I turn back into the hall, I see Nigel standing close to the VIP area and my heart skips a few beats. He doesn’t look happy to see me though, he looks almost angry and I’m
Last Updated : 2023-11-27Distant Hearts Chapter 16
Tatum: Four years ago The girl hanging on Nigel’s arm is beautiful to the point that I begin to think of other words to describe her because beautiful just doesn’t cover it. She’s not exactly tall but she is taller than me. Where I’m 5’2 in height, she’s about 5’5 tall and where I’m more curves than bones, she’s slender and graceful in a way that makes my confidence dwindle. Her slender body makes her appear taller than she actually is while my curves make me appear shorter. It suddenly occurs to me that in every way I’ve assessed her, I’ve somehow compared her features to mine and the contrast is startling. Her red hair is piled in ringlets above her head and the long evening gown she wears fits like a second skin. I’ve never seen her before but the way Nigel holds her, I know there’s familiarity there. She’s walking happily alongside him and there’s a satisfied smile on her face. Nigel looks very comfortable with her and it makes my heart tremble because I haven’t seen Nigel comf
Last Updated : 2023-12-03Distant Hearts Chapter 17
NoahPresent I hand over a piece of paper with prescriptions to the nurse. “Give this to the patients guardian. Let them get these from a pharmacy”“Yes sir”, the nurse concurs and I look over the unconscious patient on the bed one more time before I turn to leave. A few feet away from my office, I see Julius pacing leisurely in front of my door. He raises his head and sights me. I sigh and walk towards him, opening the office door and walking in before him. He follows quietly behind. I pull off my white robe and hang it on my coat hanger before pulling up my sleeves to my elbow and making my way to my chair. “What is it Dale?”, I ask Julius, using his last name. He takes a seat in front of my desk and I raise a brow at him, urging him to get to the point of his visit already.“Calm down sunshine, I swear I won’t take your time”, he drawls out cockily. I don’t answer him, God knows I don’t have the time.“So uhm, you know how I took a plate of food home the day that restaurant chic
Last Updated : 2023-12-06Distant Hearts Chapter 18
Tatum: Four years agoNigel takes some time to reply. The hesitation is a lot for me. I feel the tears coming but I don’t let them escape, I simply plead for answers with my teary eyes.“Her name’s Kate”, he answers casually.I walk towards him, eating up the space between us until I’m about a foot away from him. “You know that’s not what I asked”, I tell him, cold and calm. He exhales exhaustedly.“Tate, I really don’t-”“Just answer my question Nigel !”“Jesus Christ Tate! She’s no one okay. A family friend, that’s all. Her family’s been doing business with mine for years now. It’s nothing”I know he’s hiding something but I don’t point it out because I’ve known Nigel for years, I know him better than he knows himself and the look on his face tells me there’s more to this than he’s letting on but the same look also tells me that he’s not going to spare me any other details. “Fine”, I look down at the floor, inhaling through the tears then I look back up at him “just tell me one th
Last Updated : 2023-12-06
Latest chapter
Distant Hearts Chapter 27
Four years agoTatumIt’s been two weeks since the day I tried to break up with Nigel. I couldn’t do it that day and still haven’t been able to do it. He’s been busy, more than before. Going on trips to and from San Francisco, trying to speed up the process of opening his own firm. I hardly see him these days, we hardly communicate except for the few calls and messages, keeping me updated on his whereabouts and activities. I appreciate it, all of them. Dad has been busy as well. He hasn’t asked me if I broke up with Nigel, he hasn’t asked anything about my relationship and I don’t know how long he’ll hold off the conversation, how much longer I’d have that freedom. Either way, I’m definitely not prepared to answer the question. I just hope he remains occupied and doesn’t ask. Bridget has been quiet. She hasn’t called me to her office again, I haven’t seen her around either. Carrito started college recently so she’s been at school for the past few weeks and Kate, Nigel and I haven’t t
Distant Hearts Chapter 26
Four years agoTate:I wake from my slumber, stretching and slowly opening my eyes only to see dads eyes already on me. He’s leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. I sit up, throwing suspicious glances his way.“Being creepy doesn’t suit you, dad”, I say, if not for anything, then to avert his strong gaze from me. He doesn’t.“There’s Tylenol on the nightstand”, he says instead, pointing towards the glass of water and card of drugs beside me. I’m confused at first, but I recall that I cried myself to sleep the night before and judging from the raging headache I’m suffering, dad was really nice to bring me the pills. I stick one pill in my mouth, swallowing it down with the water. Dad uncrosses his arms and makes his way towards me, sitting on the edge of my bed and staring at me.“We need to talk”, he says and I groan.“Too early daddy. I’m exhausted”. I’m honestly not, but I’m not ready for heavy talk. “Sleep later. We talk now”. His tone leaves no room for argument.
Distant Hearts Chapter 25
Present NoahI take Tatum to my apartment after we leave the supermarket. She doesn’t complain which makes me realize that she always intended to cook here anyways.When I put in my code, I open the door for her and she waltzes in, her confidence captivating. Stepping in and locking the door behind me, I see her reach into one of her jacket pockets and grabbing a chocolate bar.How did she get it? She walks to the kitchen counter and prepares a pot of boiling water. When I get to the kitchen, she barely looks up at me when she instructs me to place the groceries on the counter, chewing on her chocolate bar.“How can I help?”, I ask and she shakes her head.“Just go get changed. You must be tired. I’m good here”I don’t bother arguing even if I actually want to help because if there’s one thing I’ve learned with Tatum so far, it’s that she does things on her own terms and hardly gives space for arguments. So I go into my room, change and pull out my laptop, working for a few minutes
Distant Hearts Chapter 24
Tatum: Four years agoNigel leads me into his room and closes the door behind us, locking it. He rests his forehead against the door, breathing heavily. When he turns to face me, anger and pain fill his eyes."You should've listened to me, Tate. If you had, I would've taken care of her and none of this would've happened.""Your mother threw a 1kg glass frame at me, barely missing my head by an inch, Nigel! This happened because she's crazy, not because I spoke up.""Mother has anger issues," he defensively states, infuriating me."Anger issues?" I incredulously ask. "Don’t pretend like you didn’t see her try to kill me, you even called her out on it so don’t fucking pretend, Nigel!""For fucks sake, Tate. You know she would never approve of our relationship, and you only made it worse by insulting her."I scoff in disbelief, speechless. How dare he defend her?"Let me check if you're hurt," he says, moving closer, his gaze fixed on my shoulder."Get away from me." I push him aside and
Distant Hearts Chapter 23
Noah: Present "Shall I drop you off at the restaurant, or would you like to go straight home?" Tatum turns to answer my question."Drop me off at the restaurant. I need to wrap things up with Dotty and go over what I discussed with Sophie.""Did you guys finalize the menu?"She shakes her head. "No, not yet. But that's why we'll meet up again.""Hmm." I pull up at the restaurant about five minutes later, and Tatum steps out with a goodbye. I wait for about a minute, then restart the engine, and as I'm about to pull out, I see Tatum hurriedly stepping out of the double doors. There's a panicked look on her face, and without thinking too much, I step out of the car just in time for her to basically fly into me."Dot-Dotty is...," she rushes out frantically but chokes on the words."Tatum, calm down," I say, and she does. I take her hand to lead her back inside, already knowing that something is wrong, and it probably has to do with Dorothy. Sure enough, Dorothy is slumped over on one o
Distant Hearts Chapter 22
Tatum: Four years ago.I'm floating. At least, it feels like I am. I have no idea where I am, and my mind is foggy. But slowly, I start to come to, and I feel my body being moved around. I'm being carried. I reach out my hand to touch him."Nigel?""Shh, go back to sleep, baby. I'll take you to bed."Sure enough, he puts me down on a bed that I recognize as the one in the cottage. Suddenly, my mind clears up completely, and I remember the events that led up to this moment — Kate, getting caught by Bridget, and Nigel's promise to meet me at the cottage. However, he never came as soon as he promised. I fell asleep waiting for him."Where were you?" I ask him. "What time is it?""A little past midnight," he replies, ignoring my first question.I sit up and persist, "Where were you?"He doesn't respond."You promised you were going to meet me here right away.""I know, baby, and I'm sorry. I got caught up," he sighs frustratedly."In Kate?" I ask scornfully. His surprise is evident, even
Distant Hearts Chapter 21
Noah: Present Julius and I arrive at his family house a little after noon. We have work together and he had things to do at home so he suggested we move our meeting here. I’m not exactly happy with the idea but arguing with Julius is a waste of time. He rings the door bell and his little sister, Jennifer opens up the door with a wide smile on her face. “Hey Jelly”, Julius greets, immediately walking past her and into the house. I nod at her, about to follow him but she shifts a bit and I can’t get past her now. “Noah”, she greets, “it’s been quite a while since I last saw you”Her signature smile is on her face. She’s the last child in the Dale family and also the most spoiled. “Yes. Hello Jennifer…how are you?”, I add for courtesy sake.“I’m good”, she replies, the smile on her face seeming to widen. “Come in then, I’d take you in”I’ve come here countless times but I still indulge her. She doesn’t take me to the living room, instead, she takes me to their lounge room and there
Distant Hearts Chapter 20
Tatum: Four years ago I've been in this compound for a while now, and Bridget is the most feared person here. Even when her husband was alive, she commanded fear while he earned respect. The staff felt more comfortable around him.I've seen Bridget's anger enough times to recognize it, but this time it's different. She is absolutely furious. There's no other way to put it. If we weren't so far apart in Nigel's large room, I'm sure her anger could physically harm me.I'm too shocked to move away from Nigel. I'm frozen, unable to take a single step.She glares at us from the doorway. The light streams in, revealing our shocked expressions, frozen in time."Maid, leave. Nigel, my office. Now!" She doesn't wait for a response, simply walks away, the angry click of her heels signaling trouble.Nigel turns to me. "Stay here, okay?""What? Don't leave me," I protest, but he interrupts."I promise I'll be right back." He kisses my forehead and leaves the room without waiting for another wo
Distant Hearts Chapter 19
PresentNoahI can't tell if I'm nervous. I'm hardly ever nervous, so I really don't know what it truly feels like. But right now, I think what I'm feeling could pass for nervousness. Tate is short, just a little above 5 feet tall, and I'm 6'3", which is a significant height difference between us. So, explain to me how she's managing to glare down at me like she's not the one who's closer to the ground."How could you even let him?" she asks, enraged."You have to understand that this isn't my fault," I say, not sure if I'm trying to defend myself."Well, obviously it is. You could've simply told him no from the get-go, but you chose to ask me instead, knowing that my answer would be no either way.""Tate—""Forget it," she cuts me off. "It's useless, and I'm not doing it." She turns and walks away, but I don't stop her because I warned Julius this was gonna happen. She gets to the door of my apartment and is about to reach for the knob when the door opens, and Julius steps into the
