SYDNEY DECIDED TO let Ethan and Emily stay with Sofia. They always got excited for her and Gavin's anniversary celebrations, but, there was nothing to celebrate this time. She didn't want to upset them more than they already were.When she pressed her thumb on the fingerprint reader, it read, 'unrecognized'Her brows squeezed together. Had Gavin refused her access to their home? She had as much right to the house as he did. The only way he'd have a full right to the house was if they divorced and she didn't recall agreeing to the divorce.Again, she tried her thumb print but it didn't budge. Groaning, Sydney took out her phone to call Gavin before she could call him, the door opened.Avery stood by the door when she saw Sydney, a huge grin spread across her face." I didn't expect you to return from your voyage with your lover," Avery said in a voice laced with condescension.Sydney wore a frown. She couldn't still believe Avery could turn her back on her. However, she chose not to
AUTHORS POVSYDNEY SLID OUT of the sleek chiffon dress she was wearing. Blake's girlfriends do have a good fashion sense. Sydney thought.She sank into the steamy bathtub, exhaling a deep sigh as the warm water enveloped her. The tension in her body melted away instantly. It's been quite a day and she needed to cool off.Her eyes were shut, and her arms were spread across the bathtub. Not only did Gavin sleep with Avery, but he had unprotected s!x with her. Didn't he think of the aftermath of what he had done? Today was their anniversary. They were meant to spend time together alone and now he'd brought someone else into their home. Her heart throbbed but not as much as her body did. She was a woman with needs. He hadn't made love to her since the night he came home drunk and she couldn't bring herself to tell him she needed him. Despite how much she craved her husband's touch, she couldn't let what he'd put inside another woman enter inside her. She was starting to be strong, and
The game was over when Sydney heard her phone buzzing. She looked over at Gabriel to see him looking at her phone with a huge frown on his face. " Do you play Tennis often?" Alfred asked, making her look at him. She replied with a smile, " Not really. My dad made me play Tennis with old sports as a kid, but I haven't played since I was eighteen." Alfred had a healthy type of obsession with the Reed family. He'd know a lot about Gavin that Sydney didn't even know about. He knew what drove Gavin mad for success, it was because he wanted to be able to cater for his young wife and child. He also had an itch to know more about Sydney. " Because of your marriage?" " Partially, I wasn't really interested in Tennis; it was my father's request for me to master the sport; I didn't learn it out of my own free will. I'd say marriage was an excuse to stop." That was a h
AUTHOR'S POV WHEN SYDNEY GOT home, to her satisfaction, neither Avery nor Gavin was home. She had forgotten Avery had a job. She quickly did the laundry, excluding Gavin's because Avery had sent it to the dry cleaners. Sydney wondered if Avery even knew how to use a washing machine. She did the house chores and decided to make dinner for Ethan and Emily early since she was going out tonight. Theresa's favorite food was beef casserole, so, she decided to make some for her. Sydney never got the chance to talk to Theresa after what happened the last time. She asked Alfred if Theresa still came to the Country Club, and he said he hadn't seen her for quite some time.Although Sydney still didn't have much affection towards Theresa, she was concerned about her. She stopped by the antique store and bought a dolphin figurine. Then, she drove to pick up Ethan and Emily. Sofia was right, Emily had become a bookworm. She was reading a book when Sydney picked her up from
AUTHORS POV SYDNEY TIED HER HAIR into a ponytail and left some strands to fall by the sides. She plugged in her coiling iron and coiled the strands falling by the sides. She applied light makeup and put a considerable distance between herself and the mirror so she could take in her appearance. A flicker of sadness engulfed her heart seeing herself. She looked young and happy in the blue dress. Did she have any right to be happy? Wasn't she meant to be grieving over her broken marriage instead of dressing like a carefree college girl?Did she deserve to look beautiful?Her heart began to pace and she clutched her chest. No matter how much she denied it, Gabriel did make her happy and he made her forget she was supposed to be crying 24/7 over Gavin. She hated the way he made her feel. She was scared of letting go of Gavin so easily. They had spent more than a decade together, so she should grieve for more than a year!Sydney closed her eyes and shook off the thoughts. " I deser
AUTHORS POV" My husband and I used to play hockey as kids. He was so terrible at it." Sydney cupped her mouth and giggled outrageously.Barely half an hour after the station waiter had served the drinks, Sydney and Sofia were already high. Sofia was more composed than Sydney who had been ranting a lot.Sofia snorted and raised a finger opposingly. " My ex-boyfriend loved sports and I hated it because I sucked at it."She faced Gil, who was staring at her attentively, " Every time we were together he would, he would bring up boring football. At times he didn't want to have s*x because he didn't want to miss a football match."Sydney drawled with sad eyes. " That's so mean."" Tell me about it, he was a sports-loving douchebag a**hat." She chuckled fakely and continued. " I was a bigger a**hat for loving him. I mean what girl keeps on loving a guy that keeps on cheating on her with football? If football was a person, he'd prefer to f**k it."Sofia's face dropped, and she reached out to
**AUTHORS POV**"In the car. Now. Please." Sydney drawled in a low, punishing tone that made Gabriel's throat bereft of moisture.*It's your chance, Gabriel. Give her what she's asking for. You know you want to. Gabriel, do it.*Gabriel's hands folded into fists as multiple sweet, tormenting thoughts ravaged his mind.*Show her how much you burn for her. If she decides to run away tomorrow... Capture her and lock her up just like you did to your wife.*Gabriel jerked out of her hold suddenly. He leaned into the driver's seat and panted softly.No, no, the past wouldn't repeat itself. She was too much for him to risk losing.Sydney looked ahead, refusing to look at him. Afraid too. Was there something wrong with her that threw men off? He looked like he was going to catch some deadly virus if he didn't move away from her.Gabriel looked at her; his dark eyes softened. He knew what was going on in her head. She was too transparent; it made him nauseous."I know what you are thinking, Sy
AUTHOR'S POVSofia's chest heaved as she watched Gil discard the c**dom into the trash can. She flushed scarlet remembering the wonderful hour in bed with him. She had never had a one-night stand before. She never expected it to be so exhilarating and especially not with the man of her dreams.Although he didn't look as ripped or affluent as her colleagues described him to be, she was drawn to him. Even more than she expected.Gil turned to her with a charming smirk, his hair tousled as he climbed on the bed and lay next to her. He'd had s!x with many women and never stayed an extra minute more but something about Sofia piqued his interest.He was bewildered how a shy little woman like her would be so dominant on the bed. He had always been the one to be on top but with her, it was different. He tried but she kept fighting for dominance. And boy, she got it and it drove him wild.Sofia smiled wearily at him. Her eyes scrutinized over his taut body. Her gaze drifted to the tattoo o
GABRIEL SPENT THE NEXT two hours staring at the sky. He was freezing. It was the first time he'd felt so cold. His mind kept on reeling on every unpleasant thing he'd done. Things he had been told. Things he'd seen. Things that could have happened differently if he'd controlled his emotions; if he'd listened to the warnings.Ethan reminded him greatly about his childhood. What his mother's infidelity had caused him. There was no one to help him and pull him out of his misery. There was no one willing to sit and understand what was wrong with him and he was unwilling to believe anything was wrong with him.Gabriel walked into the house. He passed by Sydney's room and saw she was asleep. He went to Ethan's room and pushed the door open quietly. Ethan was moving on the bed. His eyes were tightly shut. A wince was planted across his face as he kept on turning. He seemed to be having a nightmare." Don't shoot him, don't shoot him please." Ethan cried.Gabriel went to him quickly, he sat
" Charlotte, you should have spent Christmas with your boyfriend; he must be feeling down without you with him."Gabriel returned to the dining room just in time to hear his father change the topic from politics. Alfred had visited Gabriel as soon as his spies delivered news that Sydney and her kid had left Gabriel's place. He insisted Gabriel followed him home for Christmas. Gabriel was adamant at first but when he remembered his father was a lonely man with no one except him and Charlotte, he had to agree.Charlotte blushed and slipped out her hand under Alfred's to brush a strand of hair off her face." It's my obligation to spend the holidays with my husband." Alfred smirked and took a bite out of his chicken breast. " Did that apply to all your ex-husbands also?"Gabriel slid into the chair next to his father. Gabriel wasn't a bit surprised by his father's indifference towards Charlotte's infidelity. They were more of friends than husband and wife. Alfred lost his attraction t
GAVIN'S LEGS WERE MADE of ten pounds of steel. He was motionless. Deaf. All he could hear was the faint echo of Ethan's name on Alejandro's scarred lips.Sydney's eyes were like the moon as she ran behind Gavin, nearly knocking him off. " Ethan, are you okay? Jesus Christ what if it touched you." Sydney's arms were around Ethan's body, shaking. He was still screaming. He couldn't stop screaming.The bullet managed to pass through the space between the outline of his cheek and shoulder, making its way into the glass wall.By the time Gavin regained his ability to move, Christopher had poured out of the house, his eyes wide in matching shock. Mathilda was hiding behind a wall in case there'd be another gunshot.Christopher looked between the wall and Gavin. " Holy shit, how did this happen?"" Someone please call the police and an ambulance. He isn't moving." Sydney screamed.Gavin was stumbling as he walked to Ethan. He pulled Sydney gently away from him and grabbed Ethan's raised sho
THE SCENT OF ROAST CHICKEN consumed the whole of Gavin's smart house. Gavin had hired a few excellent chefs to cook up something for the feast since he knew barely anything about cooking and Avery refused to get out of her room.She'd been behaving uncanny for some weeks, his conscience pricked him to ask her what was wrong. When he did, it didn't end well. Gavin nearly had a knife in his heart. She kept on screaming it was his fault she was in this position and chased him around the house with a knife.He promised himself to stay at least ten feet away from her.He'd expected her to be locked up in her room during the feast but she was the first at the table.Sydney came in five minutes to the stipulated time. She mustered all the strength in her not to lose her composure. The house looked exactly how she'd left it but it felt a whole lot different. It was like a shallow pit sucking her into memories. Memories she so desperately wants to forget.Sydney looked at the couch. She reme
SYDNEY WATCHED THE waves form and crash. Her heart was colder than the snow falling, tighter than the pressure from the oxygenless point of the sea. Her heart wanted to split and burst.She had just wanted to look at the sea with a smile on her face and no care in the world before Gavin called.She wondered why she answered his call so quickly. There was something wrong somewhere, she felt it. It was like he was going to be wiped out of existence if she didn't take his call.She had a dream the previous night. Gavin was sitting on a wooden bench in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mists. A phone was held to his ear. He was shaking. Saying something about Ethan. Then the phone dropped and so did his body. The mist turned red.Sydney was breathing a little too hard when she asked him how their kids were. He noticed it." You are breathing uneasily, what's wrong?" He sounded so genuine it made her stomach churn.She wanted to tell him. " Nothing." But she couldn't.Gavin sighed, " Th
" Why don't you sing a Christmas song for us, ehn friend?"Gabriel clutched the knife he used to cut into his turkey a little bit tighter. Gil had been getting on his nerves since he served Dinner and sat a couple distance away from him. " Oh, I forgot, you mix auto with tenor and soprano with bass." Gil chuckled on the glass of water placed in his mouth. " We don't want your bad voice ruining Christmas Eve."Sofia intervened quickly. She grabbed Gil's face in her palm and made him look at her " Why are you being such an a**hole? Stop it. "Gil didn't look at her. His eyes were fixated on Gabriel's angry ones. They looked like they were ready to jump on each other. No one spoke again. There was a foul aura around the dinette. It was like everyone had beef with each other except Gil and Sofia. Sydney made sure to avoid eye contact with Gabriel who wouldn't stop passing glances at her.She felt like a pile of rubbish after what she'd done. She didn't want her and Gabriel's friendshi
" It's sweet of Gabriel to cook up the meals. " Sofia remarked as she lay on a chaise lounge watching Gabriel cook. She moaned at the aroma of the turkey. It was freezing on the yacht, but Sofia and Sydney couldn't care less. They didn't want to miss the serene views of birds flying across the waters, waves crashing, and whatnot. Sydney hadn't felt any sense of relaxation since Gabriel professed his affection for her. She wanted to believe it was some sort of joke or dream. He must have been feeling lonely and needed a shoulder to lean on, and Sydney was there for him. Maybe that's why he confused their friendship for love. The heart is a tool the devil uses to ruin people's life. Ruin friendships. Ruin good relationships. She reckoned. The only source of relaxation she found was when she stepped into Blake's yacht. It was a good thing she'd accepted his offer. Ethan and Emily would love it here. She would have loved to bring them, but Gavin called and said he wanted them
AUTHOR'S POV " Your check is on the dining room table, pick it up when you are done. And don't you dare go into my wife's room; I don't want you looking through her closet." Sherwin Peters said disdainfully to Gil before picking up a coat and leaving. Gil sent two middle fingers to his back and growled, " Open your eyes, a**hole; your wife is cheating on you with a seventy-two-year-old horse rider." Gil sighed when he realized he was talking to himself. He raked his fingers through his hair and looked at the broken fence through the kitchen window. " I need to get myself a real job. Joseph would also have if he existed in the 21st century." He laughed at himself. He was a worthless piece of shit. He thought. He couldn't even hold one woman he'd like— lust for. " Don't think of her, Gil, she must be having an orgasm for that b**tard she was holding hands with. What man even paints his fingernails? He must have a really small— shut up Gil, that's enough." He groaned an
WHEN SYDNEY'S RETURNED, the house was silent. Gabriel's bike wasn't parked outside, so she wasn't sure he had returned yet. She hoped he was fine. Sydney was tired. Exhausted. Despite how much she didn't want Gavin to know where she lived, he still found out. There was no cab in sight, Sydney's legs were boneless from the roller coaster ride and Gavin offered her a ride she couldn't resist. Gavin was impressed with Gabriel's home. It fitted a psychotic hoi pol-loi like him. Despite being tired, Sydney read Ethan and Emily to sleep. When they fell asleep, she kissed their forehead and released a shudder. Hugging herself, she walked out of the room. It was like the temperature dropped every second. Sydney heard sounds coming from the television. With the hopes of seeing Gabriel in the living room, she went there but saw no one. The living room smelt like a turkey sandwich and tea. " Strange." She mouthed and turned off the television. Maybe he'd watched a movie and gone to bed.