Chapter 45Jessie stood in front of the mirror, her fingers trembling slightly as she tried to fix her hair. She couldn’t shake off the unease that Candace’s sudden appearance had stirred. Whenever she appeared, Gavin always made her seem like an outsider. What was her hold on Gavin? Why was he always dismissing her when she showed up?Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. It was Gavin. He walked in, his eyes dark and distant, and for a moment, they both stood there in silence. While Jess waited for some explanation from him, Gavin’s mind wandered to the conversation he’d just had with Candace. “We’re still up for this evening, right?” Jess finally broke the silence. His eyes softened involuntarily as he swept across her adorned body. He wanted to hold her and to share Candace’s threat but he decided against it, knowing that it would not only ruin the evening they had planned together, but also their newly mended relationship.“Definitely,” he managed, “I’l
Chapter 46Jessie descended the stairs slowly, each step feeling heavier than the last. Candace’s words echoed in her mind, swirling together with the hurt and jealousy that cling to her chest like a deadweight.“It’s like you’re not even making any efforts for your wife.”She gripped the railing to steady her spinning head.She willed herself not to turn back, not to look up at the rooftop where Gavin sat.But she couldn’t help it. Her head turned slightly, her eyes flickering back in hope, expecting to see him following her. Nothing. The night stretched out behind her, quiet except for the faint buzz of distant street lights and soft music in the cafe street. Gavin didn’t come. Her heart twisted painfully, each passing second deepening the hollowness inside her. Wasn’t it just yesterday that they promised to give themselves another chance? Yet he just disappointed her.She pulled her jacket tight around her shoulders as the cool night air nipped at her skin, and she quickened her
Chapter 47THE NEXT DAYThe first light of dawn filtered through the curtains, wrapping the hotel room in a warm glow. Jessie stirred awake, the events of the previous night swirling in her mind. Everything replayed vividly— the ruined evening, the alcohol, the confession, until Gavin’s kiss that led them to bed. A blush crept across her face as she buried herself deeper under the covers. Jessie felt the warmth of his breath against her neck as he pulled her closer. They lay side by side enjoying the view of the forest by the full glass window. As if she had just remembered their unfinished conversation from last night, Jessie looked into his eyes, asking.“What about her?” her voice barely a whisper. Gavin took a deep breath, his brow furrowing in thought. “You’re my future, Jess. I promise, I don’t care about Candace.” His gaze was earnest, “I want to build something real with you. It’s you I want.” Jessie’s face flushed with pink, her lips curling into an involuntary smile.
Jessie’s world tilted as the words “our child” echoed in her ears, louder than the sound of her own heart beating wildly in her chest. Her mouth went dry and for a moment, she couldn’t find the strength to speak or even move. “What… what child?” She managed to whisper, her voice shaky, barely audible.Gavin’s face darkened, his eyes bloodshot with barely contained rage. A vein pulsed across his forehead as his fist clenched by his sides. He turned around to catch Candace’s smug satisfaction. Every fiber in him wanted to storm across the room and slam her against the wall, repeatedly until that smug look on her face was wiped but that would be considered assault.“Gavin,” Jessie called, her voice still shaky. “What child is she talking about?”“I don’t know,” Gavin replied, his voice hoarse like he was barely restricting himself. “What child are you talking about Candace?”Jessie’s felt her stomach churn with both anger and frustration.“Are you playing games with me?” Her voice c
Jessie’s accusation lingered in the room like a stray bullet looking for who to pierce. Gavin took a few moments to process what he’d heard. “What are you talking about, Jess?” He blurted out, “What’s going on?”“Gavin,” Jess breathed, “Candace is behind Ryan’s madness. I’m sure of it.”“You must be sick in the head!” Candace’s eyes flashed with anger.“Look at that ring,” Jessie said, “The one on her right hand. That’s the same ring Ryan used to propose to me.”“Gavin, is this the woman you settled for, really? One daft, piece of shit that doesn’t know that anybody can buy a ring?”“We both know, Candace,” Gavin interjected, “You don’t wear cheap jewelry. There’s no way Ryan could’ve afforded a ring like that.”“But then again, there are knock offs.” Candace interjected. “What is wrong with you, Gavin? Are you seriously taking her side?”Gavin ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening as he spoke. “You leave me no choice, Candace. Did you do this with Ryan?”Candace’s eyes f
Jessie and Gavin spent two more days in Iceland.Free from Candace, free from tattletales. The internet had dumped their hate for them, and had began to bite on Ryan for trying to break a 'beautiful union'.Gavin and Jessie wished they had known Candace’s role earlier, they would definitely have thrown them both to the curbs. Meanwhile Viktor was overjoyed that his advice had worked. But more than just that, he was relieved that Gavin was going to return to the office without having to worry about the awkward atmosphere in his office. While Gavin had found a balance between working on his vacation and his family time, Franklyn was actively overseeing the company in person and reporting every detail to him.Standing by the window, Jessie let out a deep, deep breath. One that she felt she had been holding for a long time. She hadn’t realized how the suffocating the last few months had been until now. Her life was finally taking some kind of shape. Having being stuck in bad times fo
Chapter 57Gavin stared blankly at the contract in front of him, his mind thousands of miles away. Well, not exactly a thousand miles- more like a few hours back, to last night. He could still feel the heat of Jessie's body against his. He could hear the way she whispered his name in that half-moaning, half-pleading way.But it wasn't the passion of their lovemaking that stuck with him- it was the way she looked at him afterward. It was the change in her tone when she said, "Next time be gentle, Gavin." She was half-pleading, half-angry.Gavin sighed, leaning back in his chair. Even though he felt the pull of responsibilities at work, his mind was drowning in the pull to Jessie's warmth. She bothered him. He missed her.She was upset with him because of the way he fucked her, yet he couldn't stop himself from wanting to do it again.Gavin sighed for the umpteenth time, he wasn’t used to this feeling- this need to please someone not just because it felt good, but because he cared ab
Chapter 58Gavin’s POVYou can call it out honeymoon phase. You can call it whatever you want. I don’t care. I was on top of the world. Well, I was just on top of her. But on top of her felt like the world! And I couldn’t help the excitement. It was overwhelming. It was too much. I didn’t think it was possible. I didn’t think it was possible to be this happy. I laid beside Jessie, breathless from the marathon sex we had all day. It all started when I got back home earlier than usual. Jessie gave me a blowjob by the door, drove me to the couch and fucked me brainless. She was teaching me how to go slow. I loved it. I allowed her torture me however she wanted for the greater part of our lovemaking, and then when I noticed she was tired, I reminded her of who was in charge. “You have a great body,” I confessed, still panting. She indeed had a great body. Even right now, as she lay curled up on my shoulder, the way her body curved, like a wave, effortlessly graceful.She wa