NateI stormed into the office expecting to see her sitting somewhere waiting for me with those teary eyes that caused me to feel like the greatest piece of shit ever.I stopped dead in my tracks, checking every inch of the room with my eyes as though she would materialize out of thin air. A faint scent of her perfume still lingered in the office from the day before but she was long gone.My gaze lingered on the space she had stood on earlier when she came demanding to be separated from me and I felt my displeasure brewing underneath my skin.It was really unsettling how much hold she had on how I reacted. I made my way to my desk, my eyes scanning through the piled up papers and files scattered across my desk. I pushed the feeling of unease behind and focused on what I had to do. I could not allow her absence distract me from what was more important. Again.Still my mind conjured up the image of her as a ball of fire, so furious and hurt and I felt shame crawl into my chest. Despite m
NATEMy hands struck the door as my shoes were now soiled in water, My body hitting the door as panic surged through me.I hope, Vivian wasn’t stupid to do what I was already thinking.“Vivian!”I roared as my shoulder connected with the door one more time and my mind conjured up more images that showed just how much, how miserable I would be if Vivian had drowned while in my own house under lock and key, thinking I was protecting her.I had to save her. My shoulder connected with the door one more time and a huge hole was formed, my hands punched and tore a hole in the wall, cutting myself deeply as blood flowed freely but the pain was nonexistent because I was too focused on something else to think about that for a minute.“Vivian!!” I roared again but there was no answer as I tried to forcefully pry the door open and enter into the room, the maids had followed me and I swiftly looked back “Get a doctor, Now!” I commanded, wanting to spare anybody whatever sight lay behind the closed
Nate's I followed her almost immediately, as she bolted to her room. Although I felt a pang of guilt for everything she had gone through, it was quickly being overshadowed by the feeling of anger and frustration. Why did she have to be so stubborn with me? Why could she not just listen to me for once and take care of herself? As I neared her door, at first, I thought she was just crying. I could hear her whimpering and sniffing pitifully. But then I heard the unmistakable sound of retching and realized she was throwing up all that food that she had managed to get down into her stomach. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should go in, but something held me back. I don't know if she would want me to see her in such a weak and vulnerable state. “Fuck this.” I said through gritted teeth as the sound of her vomiting continued. I stepped into the room unhindered, without any door acting as a barrier since it had already been broken down by me earlier. My eyes scanned the eyesor
Vivian I slowly opened my eyes, groggily taking in my surroundings. This was Nate's bedroom, but I had no memory of how I got there. The last thing I remembered was struggling against him and then... nothing. As I struggled to sit up, a wave of dizziness washed over me, forcing me back onto the pillow. That's when I saw him, Nate, sitting in the armchair beside my bed, watching me with a concerned expression. "What... what are you doing here?" I croaked, my throat parched. Nate got up quickly and poured me a glass of water from the bedside table. "You've been ill, Vivian. The doctor said you needed rest and someone to take care of you." I took a sip of the water, trying to clear my foggy mind. “But, aren't you supposed to be at work or something?” Nate smiled wryly. "I need to ensure you take care of yourself without resisting the maids stubbornly. Consider me your temporary personal bodyguard.” I was taken aback by his words. Nate, taking care of me? It was a foreign concept, o
Nate's POV I was so exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster of the day that I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I curled up in the armchair in my room, intending to watch over Vivian despite her resistance and my tiredness. But as I stayed there, I drifted off to sleep. I felt myself falling, my body slipping off the chair. I tried to catch myself, but it was too late. I slowly got to my feet, rubbing my head. "Well, I'm glad I could entertain you." I landed on the floor with a hard thud and groaned sleepily in pain. My arms and legs splayed out in every direction. I looked up to see Vivian laughing hysterically, her concerned face hovering above me. “Nate, are you okay?” She asked, her voice still shaking from laughter. Was she worried about me? I felt pleased about the thought. I couldn't help but laugh too, feeling a little embarrassed. I nodded, still dazed from the sudden fall. “Yeah, I...I think so.” She leaned away from me and helped me sit back up, her hands lingeri
Vivian's POV If I wanted to escape, I would have done so already. I could not understand why Nate felt the need to escort me to the supermarket. On the list of unnecessary things and overreactions, this one ranked high on the list. We were only shopping for sanitary pads! Pads! It was an ordinary and easy errand. It was not anything that required the help of a tall muscled man especially when he wants to act like a personal bodyguard. I facepalmed as I thought of his overreaction when I told him I wanted to head out. I was now behind him as we navigated the aisles of the store, picking out the toiletries. We turned a corner and I spotted a few household essentials that we would be needing. Nate needed to check another section of the mall and seemed so engrossed in picking different pads for me. It was amusing really, how he kept asking the attendants about what he'd be needing for that time of the month like he was the one on his period. I left him with the attendant, finally gla
Vivian's POVI couldn't shake off the feeling of awkwardness that lingered long after the incident at the supermarket. Nate's behavior had left me feeling stunned and confused. I didn't know how to process the mix of emotions that swirled inside me, anger, fear, and curiosity. Why did he act so possessive and jealous?To avoid confronting those feelings, I did what came naturally, avoiding Nate. I stayed stuck in my room, choosing to go down only when I was sure he wasn't around. My luck lasted for a while until I lucked out when he appeared in front of me, a silly smirk on his face showing his amusement.“How long are you going to avoid me for, Vivian?” he asked with an unusual slur to his voice.I felt a flutter in my chest as I met his gaze, unsure of how to respond. “I'm not avoiding you,” I lied, trying to sound nonchalant.Nate raised an eyebrow, his smirk spreading into a smile. “Oh really? Because it does feel like you're going out of your way to avoid me, Vivian.”I shrugged,
VivianI jammed the door behind me and leaned against it, my mind churning in confusion. Nate has been different lately. More caring, more thoughtful. He was not the same arrogant, cold man I was used to. And it was throwing me off. But it had to be because of how guilty he felt.My chest tightened as I thought about the dinner. His efforts, though clumsy, were genuine. And the way he remembered I liked pad thai. It was a detail I had not expected him to care about. But that didn’t change what had happened between us. No amount of grand gestures or sweet words could erase the pain he had caused.I threw myself onto the bed, feeling the weight of it all press down on me. How could he expect me to just forget everything? How could he think that a few apologies and a couple of thoughtful actions would make me trust him again?The worst part was, a small part of me wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, Nate had changed. But that part of me was tiny, so tiny tha
Her hands trembled slightly. She was staring out the window of her office at the academy but her mind was somewhere else entirely. She had been transported back in time to the fateful day two weeks ago when the doctor had made the announcement with a wide grin on her face. "Congratulations, Miss Vivian. You're ten weeks pregnant." She had said, flashing Vivian a genuine smile that reached her crinkling eyes. At that moment, a cold sweat had broken out on Vivian’s forehead as the doctor’s words hit her like a bomb. The words had been so unprecedented, so out of left field that it took her a long time to understand the gravity of the doctor’s pronouncement. When she had finally digested her words, fear caused a knot to form in her stomach."The baby is in perfect condition." The doctor had said and Vivian had smiled at her, happy but at the same time, uncertain. "Your husband must be so proud." She had said. But would he? Nate had been so vehemently against a child and even though
VIVIANI opened my eyes. But I was in an unfamiliar place. The darkness that surrounded me was not only palpable, it was suffocating. I tried to breathe but my lungs seemed to be constricted with something. I stretched forth my hands to guide my path but something seemed to be on my way. I tore at the barrier but it only grew thicker. It was the darkness. Was there any way out of here? How could I fight something I could not even see? I opened my mouth to scream but no sound would come out. I was stuck in this deep, dark pit with nowhere to go but down. Below me, it seemed like there was quicksand and if I did not find a way to get out of here quickly, I would be swallowed whole. I clawed at the space in front of me, beside me and above me but the darkness was too dense, too restricting. Where was help when I needed it the most? My determination had started to wane. My resolve which I thought was stronger than steel bars had become considerably weakened the more it dawned on me t
NATEI felt overwhelmed. I had not felt this way in the longest of times, not even when dealing with Richard's stupidity. Why were things going haywire all of a sudden just when I thought the dust had settled down? I could not pretend not to know why. Gran's announcement yesterday had triggered a lot of suppressed resentment and I just had to deal tactfully with it or everything I held dear would be taken away right before my eyes. I had been called to the company the day before because Aston was making trouble. Word had spread that he had gone around contacting all the members of the board and having a secret meeting with them. I was not sure what the meeting had been about but I could guess. "Let's hurry." I said to my driver as I looked through Vivian's mail for the umpteenth time. I was about to send a message thanking her for her hard work when my phone started to vibrate. It was a call from my personal assistant. "They are holding an emergency extraordinary meeting of the
VIVIANI typed away feverishly. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins, fueling my fingers and propelling me to think. What had this not occurred to me before? Why had I glossed over Emily's statement back then like it was nothing at all. Had I been too overwhelmed at the time that I had been unable to put two and two together? Unable to see what was right in front of me? Emily had said three companies. Three companies, but only two were behind bars. So what happened to the last one? It was a question I should have been asking for sometime now. Would I be able to find a connection that would reveal which company was the third? Would I find enough proof? I started by digging into the two companies. Their CEOs had been well known in the business world for taking over small companies after leading them into debt. There were many comments online laying complaints against them and a third name kept popping up. Could it be?... I changed the direction of my research. It w
VIVIAN It all felt awkward. Gran had made the announcement of the century and the room was thrown into chaos. Aston looked like he could combust in anger at any time and stormed off. Gran was unwilling to listen to Nate's protests and Nate's mother just looked surprised. I, on the other hand was unsure how I was supposed to react. I was not very surprised, considering how much affinity Gran held for Nate, I was only a bit skeptical about the timing. But what did I care? I was no longer a part of the family. I was practically a stranger who happened to witness the Stuart family going at each other and it didn't matter what my thoughts were. I just wanted to escape before anyone looked in my direction and thought to rope me into it. Gran shuffled out of the room, leaning slightly on his cane and I saw my chance. Nate was still looking around, confused as ever and there was just a general tension in the air that I was sure no one would notice my silent disappearance. It felt good n
NATEI swore internally. How had Ashton found out? But then again, the same idiot that had the temerity to give out company information had probably babbled again. Vivian looked stricken standing there, staring numbly from Ashton to my mother to Gran. She tried to say something but it seemed like the words would not come out. I wanted to hold her and calm her down like I did yesterday in the hospital but this was not the place or time and I was pretty sure she would push me away. Guilt weighed down on me heavily. This was all my fault. I had brought this situation on her and I wanted to fix it badly but I felt control slipping out of my hands. Ashton was pushing, tearing down the walls of support around me, trying to strip me of my confidence and painting Vivian as the black sheep. I could not understand for the life of me why he had suddenly turned bad. Or perhaps he had always been this way, lurking silently in the shadows, waiting for this chance to ruin me. "Vivian did nothin
VIVIANI sighed for the thousandth time. Why on earth couldn't I be allowed to catch a break? Had all the universal forces aligned to ensure I did not have a single moment of peace? The whole situation seemed absurd to me. I did not yet know what Ethan was going on about but it couldn't be anything good, judging by the tone of his voice. Moreover, he was never one to impose, so if he was in front of my house, it must mean something quite severe was about to go down or was even going down. The taxi came to a stop in front of my apartment and I hurried up the path. I did not have to look for Ethan as his car was parked conspicuously on the driveway and he was sitting on it's hood tapping his phone impatiently. "What the hell, Ethan..." "There's no time for this." He looked worried, confused and most notably, tired. His tie had been drawn down, probably to enable him breathe properly while driving and his hair was tousled as if he had been in too much of a hurry to brush it properl
VIVIANI was elated.I flashed a wide smile back at the sea of smiling faces. I had not felt this way in a really long time, had not felt like what I had to say mattered, like I could dispense joy so freely, so abundantly and still have so much of it left to live on. I was not sad or angry or conflicted here, I just felt like I was wrapped in a bubble of peace, woven softly into a web of comfort and it scared me that this peace was fragile. That it could easily be broken if I didn't protect it. "Do you kids remember what we learnt yesterday?" I asked, leaning towards them and adopting a high pitched childlike voice. "Yes!" They chorused with enthusiasm. I smiled and turned to the board. "Today, we will learn something even more interesting. Are you ready to learn?" They answered with as much enthusiasm as earlier. Their innocence tugged at my heartstrings. Wouldn't my baby have grown to sound like this? To make mischievous jokes and play pranks on others? Maybe it was really not
VIVIANAnother emergency. But this one couldn't be a prank because Nate had delivered the news and we weren't exactly friendly enough to pull that type of joke on each other. Also, it involved my mother. Nate was a premium jerk but he wouldn't stoop so low. Right? I wished he would. I would swear at him and maybe even hit him but my mother would be fine and I would have worried in vain. "Oh God, oh God... Oh God." Night was falling fast but I didn't care. I rushed out of the house and flagged down the first taxi I saw. If anything happened to my mother, how would I cope with the pain, the guilt. If anything happened... Thoughts consumed me and filled my head with scenarios that were probably too far fetched but seemed feasible at that moment. Panic had taken over me and my hands shook terribly as I contemplated calling Nate. What would I say? What was I trying to find out? "No, no..." "Is there a problem?" The taxi driver was looking at me through the rearview mirror and I ave