I wouldn’t consider myself a daring person. I have never been one to do something so spontaneous and out of the ordinary. I’m not a rule breaker. But there was something so unbelievably hot about being in the bathroom with Ethan, with my arms around his shoulders and my legs wrapped around his waist as he kissed me like his life depended on it. It was so hot, and so breathtaking that all I wanted to do was melt into his arms. Ethan kissed me with so much passion that I felt it down in my gut, and in places I hadn’t felt anything in a long time. I felt it in the way his fingers moved through my hair, sending shivers of pleasure down my spine. I felt it in the way his tongue invaded my mouth, and the tingling sensation all over my lips as he kissed me. When we finally pulled apart, we were both gasping for air, and he was grinning like a kid in a candy store as he held me up against the wall and began to kiss my neck. “Ethan—” I gasped, unable to think properly as his hands firmly g
When I was a little girl, my dad used to take me out for walks every Sunday evening around the block. He would place me on his shoulders and we would walk around as many times as he could manage, talking about my weekly tea parties and the latest episode of The Looney Tunes. It was our daily father-daughter ritual, and I always looked forward to it because it was the one time I got to be myself around him, and have his full, undivided attention on me. Yet that seemed like a lifetime ago, especially after the hell I’d been through. And it all started on a random Sunday morning when I got a message from the front desk that someone was here to see me. I thought it was Ethan, so I told him to come up. But when I opened the door and saw my father standing in front of me, I froze instantly. He hadn’t changed that much, but there were still a few signs that he was getting older. His temples were grayer than I remembered, and his eyes were a little bit more sunken in than usual. He looked l
ETHANI know I can be a cynic sometimes. I don’t try to do it on purpose, but it just happens. Even when I’m not trying to think about the worst things that could possibly happen, I find myself going through them like a list sometimes, wondering how everything could get destroyed. With Liv, I tried so hard not to dwell on these thoughts. Things were going great after all. We talked every single day, and we saw each other almost as frequently. Every spare moment I could manage was spent with her, and I loved it that way. We would go for walks in Central Park, or I’d swing by her office at lunch and we would just sit together and talk. Being with her made me feel happy. It pushed all the demons in my head away and made me feel whole again. I wasn’t about to give that up for anything. But a single thought lingered in my head, making me question if this was actually going to work out. I knew I liked her, and I knew I was slowly falling for her. But that interaction with her father had f
“Holy shit! You look like a princess!”I couldn’t stop giggling like a lunatic as I twirled around the living room, showing off the dress. I felt so pretty, and it was such a nice feeling to unwind after such a hectic day. Rachel and I didn’t leave the office until it started to get dark. Normally I would have gotten back, taken a very cold shower and curled up in the nicest duvet until sunrise the next day. But then we got back and found the dress Ethan has sent, and I couldn’t stop smiling. Just looking at it made my stomach explode with butterflies. I kept imagining what he must have been thinking about when he decided to get it, knowing that I was going to wear it. The thought of that only broadened my grin. “Do you think it’s appropriate for the gala?” I asked. “Honey, it’s more than appropriate,” she said. “You look stunning.”“You too,” I replied, and we stared at our reflections in the mirror by the door. Rachel’s dress was black as well, except the neckline was way deeper
I don't remember how long I stood there, staring at Marcus in disbelief while a wave of shock washed over me. I felt like someone was playing some sort of sick joke on me, and I didn't find it funny at all. My gaze shifted back to Ethan who had taken off his mask and was staring down at us in disbelief. Marcus, meanwhile, look thoroughly pleased with himself. He looked like he could start levitating at any moment, and the triumphant look on his face was sickening. I wanted to punch him right in the face, or wrap my fingers around his neck and squeeze the life out of him. I wanted to make him suffer, and have him beg for my forgiveness. Instead, I ran up towards Ethan, who was still frozen like a statue. "Ethan," I gasped, finally reaching him and taking his hands in mine. "It's not what you think. I promise you it isn't. I saw the mask and I thought it was you. I promise you I wasn't trying to kiss him. I thought...""I know," he said quietly, causing me to stop mid-sentence. "Wha
ETHANI’m not much of a drinker. In truth, I despise alcohol. But there are few moments in a man’s life where the only thing that can make him feel whole again is the cold sting of vodka sliding down the back of his throat. After my fifteenth shot, I felt slightly easier and the knot in my chest loosened a little bit. Maybe it was truly the alcohol doing its work. Or maybe my body just realised that if I kept dwelling on things, I was going to have a heart attack. I shouldn’t have asked her to leave. I regretted it the moment I did. But I just couldn’t bear the thought of looking at her and knowing the truth about her and Marcus. It was the worst betrayal I’d ever experienced, and the most painful part was the fact that this wasn’t the first time I was experiencing something like this. I downed another shot and squeezed my eyes shut at the burn, as I forced the image of Veronica out of my mind. Thankfully the vodka helped a little bit, though it didn’t completely wipe her out of m
I always knew things were going to be bad once Ethan found out the truth about my marriage to Marcus, and I always knew that it was probably going to take some time before I would be able to fix things. But I never knew that it would completely ruin our relationship. Even after a month since the incident, he was still avoiding me. He wouldn't answer my calls or my texts, and the few times I went to his office to try and see him, his assistant informed me that he didn't wish to be disturbed. I felt so stupid, hanging around and desperately waiting for a sign from him. I just wanted him to give me a chance, so we could try to work something out and see if we could move past this. "If he doesn't want to talk to you, then stop bothering him," Rachel snapped when she walked into the kitchen and found me trying to dial his number again. "Liv, he made it clear that he wants his space. The more you persist, the more he's just going to continue ignoring you.""I know," I sighed, setting th
MARCUSIf there’s one thing I pride myself in, it’s my ability to read people. One look at you, and I can pretty much instantly tell exactly what you want. And once you know what someone wants, you have them in the palm of your hand.Take Olivia, for example. From the moment she walked into that conference room seven years ago with the most dazzling smile I’d ever seen in my life, I knew exactly what she wanted. I knew that this was someone who wanted to be loved. You could see it in the way she tried so hard to impress us, the way she would nod eagerly before answering any question and how bright and attentive she seemed. I could see through this act however. Underneath the confidence, I could sense a crushing need to be loved and appreciated. I could tell that she cared a lot about what others would think about her. I could see it in her eyes, and when it was time for me to make her fall for me, it didn’t take long to make her realize that I was the only one who could give her exac
I hated to say it, but I despised Rosa. I knew I was supposed to be nice to her, and I truly wanted to make her feel safe around us, especially if Ethan was right and her husband was an asshole. But it was so hard to put a smile on my face and continue to act like everything was fine when I could tell that she was attracted to my man. I wasn’t being paranoid. It was very obvious, and you could see it in the way she kept clinging onto him, groping his arm and laughing flirtatiously. I was forced to trail behind them like some sort of unpaid bodyguard, and every time Ethan tried to draw me into the conversation, she would immediately shut me out and bring his attention back to her. “Do you know I spent a month in Greece? It was such a beautiful country. I would lie around on the beach all day long and sunbath with only a bikini on.”“I spent a year in Russia actually. But it was so cold, and I swear my nipples could cut glass by the time I left.”“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stop thin
I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. It was almost midday, from how bright the sun was and the warmth in the air. I sat up and stretched lazily, glad that we were having some sunlight at last. I really wanted to go on a hike, and I didn’t want to waste a perfect opportunity like this. Ethan was already out of bed, and I wasn’t surprised. The man never stayed in bed longer than was necessary, and I’d never gotten a chance to wake up before him. I needed to check that off my bucket list, so I could lie awake beside him and watch how handsome he looked while he slept. Almost immediately, I remembered the conversation we’d had yesterday before he’d carried me upstairs and made love to me until we both passed out from exhaustion. As soon as I remembered it, I pushed it to the back of my mind. I wasn’t going to dwell on it at all. I wanted to spend some time with my boyfriend, being happy and enjoying each other’s company instead of dwelling over something like th
For a long time after Ethan said that, I just stared at him in silence. I didn't know what to say or how to act, and my mouth was completely ajar as I desperately tried to figure out what to say. Ethan couldn't meet my gaze after that. He stood up and walked away from me, and I didn't miss the tears in his eyes. He looked like he was completely broken, like he needed someone to pull him back from the edge of the darkness. Except I didn't know if I would be able to do that. I never thought I would have to face something like this. I never thought I would sit across from my boyfriend and hear him tell me that he was a murderer. It was one of those surreal moments that hit you like a truck, and you just didn't know how to process it. What was I supposed to say? How exactly was I supposed to process something like this? Should I just brush it off and tell him that it didn't matter? Should I talk about it until we got to the root of the problem and figured a way out of this mess? Everyt
Someone up in heaven must have been praying for my bad luck, because as soon as Ethan left, the rain came down heavily once again. Every fibre of my being wanted to run after him and tell him to stay with me, but I couldn’t. That would make me seem like a lunatic. And I kept reminding myself that I trusted him, so there was no need to panic. Still, he was gone for almost two hours. I kept looking out the window and waiting for him to show up, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Across the lake, the light was still on over at Rosa’s place, which made me believe that he was still there. I kept trying to pick out his silhouette moving through the house, but that was impossible from this distance. Once I finished cooking, I made my way upstairs to the main bedroom and waited for him to return. I didn’t want to eat without him, so I decided to sit there and wait. But that was worse than torture. Since I didn’t have my phone, there was nothing to do besides worry and overthink and con
Much to Ethan's dismay, we didn't end up showering together. Even though I knew that was what he wanted, I just couldn't stand the idea of us doing that while I was exhausted and smelled like sweat. Besides, knowing him, we wouldn't just be showering. After that, I set about making lunch. There were a few spices in the pantry and some spaghetti, with some corned beef in the fridge and some cheese. While I cooked, Ethan came over and helped me with the vegetables. We'd found the audio system in the house, and Ethan linked it to his Spotify so we could listen to music while we worked. To my surprise, he was an expert in the kitchen. He showed me how to hold the knife and slice the spinach in thin strips, and he knew the exact amount of spice to use so the sauce wouldn't turn out too sweet. "Where did you learn how to do this?" I asked."I spent a summer in Italy learning how to cook," he said with a shrug. "There was this pop-up culinary school that I attended with some friends, and
The drive up to the cabin was long and exhausting. I fell asleep pretty much as soon as we left Manhattan, just as the rain started to fall and Ethan turned on some white noise on the speakers to help me sleep. I ended up dreaming of the first time my dad and I went hunting, and he taught me how to take down a deer. I woke up just as Ethan turned off the highway, and we turned onto a dirt road which was lined on either side by tall trees that formed a canopy overhead. It was late in the afternoon, and the rain was still falling. "Hi Cupcake," Ethan said as I sat up. "Welcome back to the land of the living.""How long was I asleep?" I asked, rubbing my eyes groggily. "An hour and forty five minutes," he replied. "I took seventeen pictures of you while you were asleep."I rolled my eyes and reached for my phone, before he quickly snatched it out of my hands. "Hey!" I shrieked. "What was that for?""No phones, remember?" he said. "You're stuck with me.""I just wanted to check the ti
“Toothbrush?”“Check.”“Makeup kit?”“Check.”“Fishing gear?”“Check.”“Sexy lingerie?”“Check.”“Secret gift that will definitely make you the best girlfriend ever?”“Check,” I said, waving the package in front of Rachel. We were standing by the door, waiting for Ethan to pick me up so we could head to the cabin together. Storm clouds were gathered in the sky, and it was clearly going to rain soon. I was looking forward to sleeping during the drive, because I was fully exhausted. I’d stayed up all night planning an itinerary for us, as well as checking the town below the mountain to see if there were any fun activities we could do so we wouldn’t get bored. But apart from a local book club and a flea market, there was nothing else to see or do. And that was exactly what I wanted. Having Ethan all to myself was like an early Christmas gift. Finally, I wouldn’t have to deal with that awful feeling every time he had to leave, and I felt like my world was going to implode without him. I
ETHANI know I’m an asshole. Liv doesn’t deserve this. I know it as well as I know the back of my hand. But I can’t stop myself sometimes. It’s not like I’m trying to sound like a jealous piece of shit. And it’s not like I don’t trust her. I do. I trust her with my life. I know that I would move heaven and earth for her. But every time I hear that fucking Nathaniel Holloway’s name, I just feel like punching someone Why couldn’t she see him for what he was? It was obvious that he was trying to get under my skin, and he was doing it specifically by targeting her because he knew that was the perfect way to get to me. It was just like him to try something as underhanded as this. The Holloways were like a thorn in my side. They’d always been there, lingering in the shadows and causing a mess wherever they went. I still hadn’t forgotten about the Wrexham incident seventeen years ago, which was the first thing that made our father’s illness known. Everyone told me it didn’t mean anything,
I rushed into the office, thinking there was an emergency. Nate hadn’t answered my calls, and I thought something had gone seriously wrong. Even though I didn’t want to leave Ethan, he told me that he understood that I had to leave, and he even walked me to the cab. I was panicking by then, thinking the deal was about to be called off. So imagine my surprise when I walked into the conference room and find Nate sitting at the table casually, feet up on the table like he owned the fucking building, and a few faces I recognized from the party last night sitting with him and laughing at something he’d said. What the actual fuck?Nate lifted his head and noticed that I was standing right there, and a grin spread across his face as he said, “Oh, hi, Livia. Fancy meeting you here.” “What’s going on?” I asked. “Your text made it sound like something urgent was going on.”“Sorry about that,” he said. “I just needed to make sure you would get here on time. We need this deal finalized today,