“What happened then?” I asked. “He was back at his old job a month later,” he said. “And this time, he found out that his wife was expecting a seventh child.”“That’s terrible,” I said. “Why would anyone to that to themselves?”“You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped,” he said. “If I
“But you’re not working for the company now, are you?” I pressed on, trying so hard to make it sound casual and not like I was interrogating him. “So what changed?”“I-I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, staring down at his hands. “I’m sorry, but it’s a bit personal.”Something about the way he
MARCUSThe first week was the most brutal. I felt like I was walking on eggshells. Emily hadn’t spoken a single word to me since I walked into her room after she woke up. She hadn’t even looked at me at all, and she simply kept a blank express on her face. Getting out of the hospital was the first
“Have you lost your goddamn mind?” she asked as soon as she walked into my office. “Good morning to you too, mother,” I replied. I’d just finished signing a letter which would nullify another department, so I was in a sour mood already. But she didn’t seem to care as she sat down in front of me. “
Somehow, the universe always knew when things were starting to look up for me, and it would completely wreck my plans. Every good thing had to be followed immediately with a terrible event, and I was used to it by now. I should have seen that coming after my date with Ethan. Because the very next d
O: No, it’s not you. My friend is missing, and I’m worried about her. The cops are looking for her, and they’ve told me to sit tight and wait for news. E: Jesus!!! I’m so sorry to hear that. How did this happen?O: I don’t know. She just didn’t come home last night. And I’ve been trying to call her
That’s when the tears started to flow. I broke down completely, dropping to my knees beside her and crying as though my soul was being ripped out of my body. I cried for everything that she had to go through. I cried because I wasn’t attentive enough to realise that my friend was suffering. I cried
Taking care of Rachel became my main priority. After the nightmare of the last few days, things were starting to look up. Neither of us had gone out at all, and we simply stayed in the hotel and binge-watched reruns of Friends. We ate together, braided each other’s hair and just talked. It was just
Everything else that happened was a blur. All I saw was red, and I just wanted to hurt him. It wasn't until he passed out that I finally let up on him, taking a step back and turning to face Liv, who looked absolutely petrified. That was the last thing I remembered before passing out. "Where is tha
ETHANThe first thing I heard was the beeping. As I tried to open my eyes, a blinding pain shot up my entire body, and I almost couldn't breathe for a second. I felt like someone had smacked me in the face with a sledgehammer, and then gotten several bags of cement and laid them all over my body. I
“Forget them,” he said. “We’ll get you some new ones once we’re out of the country.”“Chris, listen to me,” I said. “Please, just let me do this. I won’t take long. You can watch me the entire time.”He stared at me with his eyes narrowed, clearly trying to figure out what I was up to. To be honest,
I saw the moment the gun went off, with the brief flash at the end of the barrel, while I threw myself entirely onto Chris' arm in an attempt to shove him out of the way. But the bullet had been shot, and I turned in horror to find Ethan falling to the ground. And in the moment, I felt like the worl
Oh, God!"Chris," I whispered, my voice barely above a whisper, “what happened to you?"He flinched like I'd slapped him, and his eyes darted down to the marks. "D-don't l-l-look at that,” he said, stammering as he stepped away from me, keeping the gun leveled at my head. "What happened to you, Chr
I'd never felt more fear in my entire life than I did staring down the barrel of a gun, with Chris standing on the other end. To say that I was terrified would have been the understatement of the century. I froze completely, like a deer caught in headlights. And it was as if my brain had switched of
"I'll always worry about you," he said. "It doesn't matter what the circumstances are.""That's so sweet," I said. "Now run along and let me finish packing up here."He looked like he wanted to argue, but I stared him down adamantly until he gave up and shook his head, accepting his own defeat and t
"Please tell me you're joking," I said, staring at his canvas in disbelief. "If you tilt your head slightly to the side, it's not so bad," he replied. "Seriously, I think it's even flattering.""Ethan, is this really how you see me?" I asked. "All you've done is draw a slim brunette with huge tits
I stood in front of my canvas and took a deep breath. The air smelled like damp earth and pine needles, like the kind of crispyness that made your lungs feel cleaner. There were a few birds chirping in the trees, and the forest whispered around us as I stared at the blank canvas and just appreciated