After Haven went to sleep, Alexis stayed by herself in the living room, deep in contemplation. The house was silent, with only the wall clock ticking. She couldn't get rid of the sensation that something had changed in her relationship with Matthew, something that she didn't know how to confront. Later, she had a moment of insight and understood what it was. Matthew revealing his feelings for her not only affected her, but also caused some pain within herself. The idea of no longer being friends with him, of putting space between them, caused pain. She held up their friendship, and the thought of it evolving was hard to come to terms with or understand. However, there were additional points to consider in this. Alexis had always noticed Matthew's calm instinct and the fact that he's always observant and talks less, his preference to stay in the background while others stood out. She had appreciated his faithfulness to Haven, his rigorousness towards their friendship, his constant
But was it really her decision? The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if she had truly been in control. There were so many reasons, so many things that made her push him away, but now, in the quiet of her room, she wasn’t sure any of them really mattered.She kept rolling on her bed from one side to another, holding her pillow tightly to her chest, sleep was far away from her at that moment. The room was silent except for the frog sounds coming from a nearby lake just behind the house. Outside it was a full moon as it sat gently casting a warm glow through her window, making it look like the moon was watching over her. The scenery should have been beautiful and peaceful, but Alexis' situation with Matthew made it far from it.Matthew was always there for her, ever since she started having issues with Haven, Matthew was always there for her, always listening to her and always being that shoulder for her to cry on. They’ve been friends for some time now, sharing laughter,
“I’m such an idiot,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “Why didn’t I see it before?”She sank back onto the bed, burying her face in her hands. She had been so caught up in her own fears, her own insecurities, that she hadn’t stopped to consider what she really wanted. And now, it might be too late.But was it? Alexis lifted her head, staring at the wall as if it held the answers she was looking for. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe she could fix this. But that would mean admitting that she had been wrong, admitting that she had feelings for him after all.“Could I do that?” she wondered. “Could I really put myself out there like that?” The thought terrified her. She had always been so careful, so guarded with her emotions. Letting someone in, especially someone as important as Matthew, was a risk she wasn’t sure she was ready to take. But the alternative was even more frightening—losing him forever.The thought of a life without Matthew in it, without his laughter, his warmth, his p
As Matthew held up, he attempted to plan himself for the discussion that was almost to unfurl. He practiced what he would say, how he would clarify everything without making it sound like he was an awful fellow. But no matter how numerous times he went over it in his head, he knew there was no simple way to do this. Some minutes afterward, there was a knock at the door. Matthew opened it to find Haven standing there, looking tired and worn out. The strain of his conjugal issues was apparent within the dim circles beneath his eyes and the droop of his shoulders. “Hey, man,” Haven said, venturing inside. “What’s going on? You sounded serious.” Matthew closed the door behind him, attempting to unfalter his nerves. “We have to talk about something... something I’ve been keeping from you.” Haven scowled, concern shining brightly in his eyes. “What is it? You’re beginning to stress me.” Matthew motioned for Haven to sit down on the couch, and he took a seat over from him. For a minute, he
He had attempted to do the proper thing, but presently it appeared like everything was falling separated. He felt a profound sense of lament, wishing he may go back and handle things in an unexpected way. At long last, Sanctuary talked once more, his voice cold and removed. “I ought to go. I can’t bargain with this right now.” Matthew needed to halt him, to undertake and settle things, but he knew there was nothing he might say that would make this superior. “Haven, I’m truly too bad. I never needed any of this to happen.” Haven didn’t react. He fair turned and strolled out the door, taking off Matthew standing there, feeling just like the ground had fair been tore out from beneath him. As the entryway clicked closed, Matthew sank back onto the love seat, burying his confront in his hands. He had fair misplaced his best.Alexis sat in the rich living room of the penthouse she shared with Haven, her spouse. The room was a picture of cutting edge luxury—sleek, moderate furniture, quieted
It doesn’t ought to stop anything between us. We will keep up the facade, keep living our lives the way we continuously have. But I can’t keep imagining that I don’t have feelings for him.” The room was filled with a tense hush as Haven ingested her words. Alexis watched him restlessly, attempting to studied his expression, but as continuously, he was outlandish to decipher. At long last, Haven talked, his voice calm but bound with a imply of something Alexis couldn’t very put. “You need to have an strong conversation with my best friend,” he said, more of an statement than a address. Alexis winced at the coldness in his tone, but she constrained herself to gesture. “Yes,” she said discreetly. “I do.” Haven turned absent from her once more, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed out at the city. For a long time, he said nothing, and Alexis felt her heart sinking with each passing moment. Had she gone as well distant? Had she misconceived him, misinterpreted their relationship
The first step was to get it what had gone wrong. Haven knew Alexis cherished him—at least, she had cherished him once. Their marriage hadn’t been idealised, but it had been strong. Or so he thought. He needed to figure out when things had changed, and why she had turned to Matthew, of all individuals. And after that once he knew, he would make an arrangement to bring her back to him. Haven gulped down the whiskey in one go, the burn of the liquor doing small to ease the tie of pressure in his chest. He knew what he had to do. It was time to stand up to Matthew. The following day, Haven drove to Matthew’s flat with a sense of horrid reason. He had attempted to stifle the fuming energy that bubbled inside him, but each passing mile appeared to feed the fire higher. His knuckles were white as he grasped the steering wheel, his jaw clenched so firmly it throbbed. When he at long last arrived at Matthew’s flat, he didn’t bother with greetings. Haven knocked on the door, his clench hands
He begun with little gestures—leaving flowers at her office, sending her keen messages about the recollections they had made over the a long time. He made beyond any doubt to be present in her life, going to occasions they used to go to together, appearing up at places he knew she frequented. Each time, he was cautious to be the charming, mindful spouse she had fallen in love with, the man who had once been her accomplice in each sense of the word. But as the days turned into weeks, Haven started to realize that winning Alexis back wasn’t going to be as simple as he had trusted. She was neighborly, indeed inviting, in reaction to his endeavors, but there was a void between them that hadn’t been there some time recently. It was as on the off chance that a wall had been raised between them, a obstruction he couldn’t appear to break through. One evening, Haven chosen to face Alexis specifically. He welcomed her to dinner at their favorite eatery, a little, hint put tucked away in a cal
For a long, tense minute, none of them moved. Alexis stood at the door, her chest hurling, her eyes bolted on Haven. The air felt thick, charged with feeling, as if time had halted through and through. “Alexis…” Haven at last overseen, his voice breaking marginally as he said her title. He took a little step toward her, but she took a bigger one back. “Don’t.” Alexis’ voice was scarcely over a whisper, but the constraint behind it was unmistakable. She felt numb, but underneath that deadness was an outrage so furious she thought she might detonate if she didn’t say something, anything. “Don’t you dare take another step.” Havensolidified, his face falling. He looked nearly terrible now, standing in the center of the room, caught between his wife and his ex. “Alexis, I—” “What the hell did I just walk in on?” Alexis’ voice broke, and for a minute, she thought she might lose control and collapse into wails right at that point and there. But she bit down hard on her lip, constraining
Alexis looked at his face, her lips squeezed into a lean line. She needed to accept him. She needed to accept that things may go back to how they were some time ago. But part of her was still afraid…. afraid that this was just the starting of something that might break them. “I don’t know in case I can just believe that,” Alexis said unobtrusively. “I need more than words, Haven.” Haven nodded gradually, pressing her hands. “I know. I’ll show it to you. I’ll make this right.” Alexis looked down at their interlaced hands, her heart throbbing with the weight of everything that had happened. She needed to believe him, to believe that they may settle this. But she moreover knew that it wouldn’t be simple. It wouldn’t be settled overnight.“Okay,” she whispered, her voice faltering. “But don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Haven lifted her hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. “I won’t. I swear.” Alexis closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his touch, the truthfulness in his
As long as they were talking, she lamented it, but it was late. Haven’s expression obscured, and he took a step back, as if her words had physically hit him. “Are you for real right now?” he inquired discreetly. His voice was low, controlled, but Alexis may hear the hurt underneath it. “You think I still have feelings for Vanessa?” Alexis looked away, her throat tight. She didn’t know what to say. She had no proof, no genuine reason to accept that he still loved Vanessa. But the fear, the frailty, had taken root deep in her chest, and it wouldn’t let go. Haven shook his head, letting out a baffled breath. “This isn’t about me having feelings for her. Vanessa is wiped out. She’s frightened. She’s alone in this, and I can’t just turn my back on her.” “You can’t turn your back on her, but you'll turn your back on me?” Alexis inquired, her voice trembling with emotion. “Do you indeed realise what this is doing to us? To me? I’ve been here, holding up, stressing, pondering where you're
His marriage to Alexis had continuously been great, but this minute right now was digging up questions and questions he didn’t know how to reply. Could Vanessa truly be telling the truth? "Haven." Vanessa’s voice was soft, arguing. "I need you, just for a couple of days while I recoup. I don’t have anybody else." When Haven at last came home that night, Alexis was waiting for him in the living room, her arms crossed firmly over her chest. The minute she saw him, she stood up, her face pale and strained. "Well?" Alexis requested. "What did she say?" "She’s hurt, Alexis. Her lower leg is sprained, and the doctor said it could’ve been more awful if she’d landed in an unexpected way.""That’s not what I implied, Haven," Alexis snapped. "Did she say anything else? Is she still accusing me?" Haven’s quiet was quick enough. Alexis tossed her hands up in scepticism. "I can’t believe you! You’re really believing her?" "I’m not saying I believe her," Haven answered, his voice rigid with
Vanessa’s loft was as if it were a ten-minute drive, but it felt like an endlessness as Haven's mind ran through the conceivable outcomes. When he at long last pulled into the park, his heart crashed in his chest. He found her front door somewhat unlatched. "Vanessa?" Haven pushed it open cautiously. Inside, he found her on the floor at the foot of the stairs, jumping in torment as she clutched her lower leg. The scene was chaotic, a chair upside down, her purse spilled over the floor, and one of her shoes lying midway down the stairs. Vanessa’s face was pale, her breathing shallow. "Jesus, Vanessa," Haven murmured, hurrying to her side. "What the hell happened?" She looked up at him with wide, tear-streaked eyes. "Alexis," she whispered. Haven solidified. "What? What around Alexis?" "She was here," Vanessa said, her voice trembling. "She pushed me." Haven gazed at her in incredulity. "Alexis wouldn't, she wouldn’t do that!"Vanessa’s eyes are somewhat limited. "She did, Haven.
Alexis observed as he wrote angrily, his face lit up by the screen. She knew Haven would do anything to keep her safe, and the thought gave her a little degree of consolation. But the fear was still there, prowling just underneath the surface. As Haven worked, Alexis found herself replaying the call in her mind. The sound of the breathing, the ominous silence… It all felt so thick, so individual. She shuddered, pulling the cover on the sofa more tightly around herself. “What if they’re trying to frighten me?” she inquired, her voice scarcely over a whisper. Haven looked up from the tablet, his expression genuine. “Then they’ve succeeded. But we’re not going to let them keep you frightened. We’ll get to the root of this.” He returned his face to the screen, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he explored through distinctive websites and gatherings, searching for any device that may help to trace the call.Hours passed, the night getting darker and calmer, but not one or the othe
Alexis had continuously been a solid lady, one who didn’t effectively frighten. But this… this was different. It wasn’t just the quiet; it was the feeling that came with it, like somebody was observing her, like she was being chased. She shook her head, trying to expel the thought. She needed to tell Haven. He would know what to do. He always knew what to do. Haven was in the living room, his feet propped up on the coffee table, observing a late-night ball amusement. The soft flash of the tv cast shadows over his face, but he took note of Alexis the minute she entered the room. "Hello angel, you okay?" he inquired, his eyes narrowing with concern as he noticed her pale face and wide eyes. He quieted the TV and turned his full attention to her. Alexis gulped hard, trying to find her voice. “Haven… something bizarre just happened.” He quickly stood up, his huge outline towering over her as he took her hands in his. “What happened, Lex? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” “I… I got
Haven considered her for a minute, clearly not persuaded, but he didn’t thrust it. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, pressing tenderly. “You’ve been working yourself out of late. Come on, let’s get to bed. You should get a few rest.” She gestured, thankful for the pardon to elude the uneasy contemplations whirling in her mind. “Yeah, you’re right. Let me just wrap up here.” Haven kissed her on the chin and headed back upstairs. Alexis observed him go, the warmth of his touch waiting on her skin, but the fear still chewing at her inner parts. She rapidly wrapped up folding the clothing, her hands moving mechanically as her mind began to race. When she was done, she turned off the lights on the ground floor and made her way to the room. Haven was as of now in bed, flipping through the channels on the TV with a sight of boredom on his face. Alexis slipped into the bathroom, sprinkling cold water on her face, trusting it would wash away the unease that clung to her
Alexis was in the centre of folding the final stack of clothing when her phone buzzed on the countertop. She’d had a long day, filled with errands, chores. It was about 11 p.m. She rubbed her chin, feeling the fatigue throb that continuously appeared to crawl up when she was overtired. But the sight of her phone vibrating once more drew her thoughts back to it. She picked up the phone, anticipating it to be one of her friends, likely Trina or Melissa, sending late-night messages about something unimportant. The screen showed an obscure number. A cold shudder ran down her spine, but she dismissed it, considering it could be a robocall. Still, something made her falter. After a minute, she swiped to reply to the call and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello?”There was a delay, and for a minute, she thought the call might have been a mistake. But at that point, she listened to it, a swoon, nearly subtle breath on the other end of the line. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Sh