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Eighty-Four
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2023-10-15 01:51:21Related chapters
Fallen Apart Eighty-Five
ARIA'S POVAs I walked out of the airport, I saw Xavier resting against his car, typing away on his phone. When I was close enough, I called his name as I removed the hood over my head. "Hey, little sis." He smiled as he took my bag from my hand. "How was your flight? It wasn't too scary, was it?""Not at all," I replied.He put the bag in the trunk and I got into the passenger seat. "Are you okay?" Was the first thing he asked when he took the driver's seat."I won't lie and say I am" I leaned into my seat. "I'm desperately trying to be fine but it's like the Mendez don't want me to be happy even for a moment." He sighed and looked ahead. "I'm sorry that you have a coward as a brother. Just like before I was never there for you when you needed me the most." I took his hands in mine. "Don't say that, you did what you could. If not for you, I would have married him without knowing the truth. It's not your fault that we are not powerful enough to fight against them but if there's one
Last Updated : 2023-10-31Fallen Apart Eighty-Six
NIXON'S POV"What's going to happen now?" Lena asked as she stepped into my office. I returned to my office with a banging headache after I managed to calm everyone down after the meeting with Dave. The phones in the media department were blowing up with calls and questions about the new article they released. As they were not able to give any reasonable explanation, they had to ignore all the calls.The most frustrating part was that I had no idea what to say to Mr. Mendez. He has been calling me so nonstop that I was forced to switch up my phone. If I was able to predict the future and find out that I would end up in a situation like this when Dave took up the position of the CEO of Styles, I would have done everything in my power to stop that from happening. But it was too late to regret."I have no idea." I ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm completely blank right now." "How could Dave run off like that after putting everyone in such a horrible situation? Isn't he supposed to
Last Updated : 2023-11-03Fallen Apart Eighty-Seven
ARIA'S POVMy brother and I were stunned that we couldn't move from our positions and say a word when the news about Dave ended. I never once imagined that Dave would confess his crime himself when he had already gotten away with it. At first, I thought it was part of Xavier's plan but seeing how shocked he was, I could tell that he also had no idea about it. "Why are guys looking so shocked at a restaurant commercial? Haven't you seen a large-size pizza before?" Savannah's voice brought us back to reality.I blinked and moved my eyes away from the TV that was indeed showing a commercial for a pizza shop. I turned to Savannah with disbelief written all over my face."He confessed.""Who confessed?" She gave me a confused look."Dave," I replied and her eyes widened. "He went to the police station and told them the truth concerning Mom and Dad.""You are not joking with me, are you? Who in their right mind would confess to a crime that they already got away with? You must be seeing
Last Updated : 2023-11-04Fallen Apart Eighty-Eight
XAVIER'S POVAs much as I wanted to believe my sister that Dave confessed out of guilt my inner mind didn't want to trust him. My sole purpose of going to the police station was to talk to Dave. I wanted to know what his intentions were. I didn't think I would be able to tolerate it if they tried to do anything that might harm Aria again.I didn't want to confront Aria about it but deep down in her heart, I knew she still cared about Dave, even if it was a little bit. She wasn't sure if she could handle Dave being imprisoned for the rest of his life. It was a trait of Aria to still care about people even after they wronged her, especially people who meant so much to her. She found it hard to throw away people, so I understood her predicament. Her situation with Dave was different from others which was why she wanted to pretend as if she didn't care what happened to Dave but her act couldn't fool me. Despite not being invested in her life like a big brother should, I still knew her l
Last Updated : 2023-11-07Fallen Apart Eighty-Nine
ARIA'S POVSavannah and I finished preparing dinner then I sat in the living room waiting for my brother to return. I was typing away on my phone when Savannah returned to the living room after changing Aurora's diaper. "Ari, can I ask you something?" she asked as she sat on the couch opposite me."Sure, what is it?" I put my phone down to give her my undivided attention."Do you want Dave to go to jail?" "Is that even a question?" I raised my eyebrows at her. "Of course, I want justice for my parents."She rolled her eyes at me. "That was not the question I asked you. I know you want justice for your parent but are you okay with the fact that Dave might be spending the rest of his life in jail?" I remained silent as I didn't have the answer to that question. She took my silence for an answer and continued, "You still have feelings for him, don't you?""What?! No." My eyes widened. "Why on earth would I still be harboring feelings for a man who is responsible for the death of my p
Last Updated : 2023-11-08Fallen Apart Ninety
NIXON'S POVAfter talking to Dave at the police station, I made up my mind that I was going to help him in any way that I could. At that point, I knew there was no way of getting him out of jail. The only possible way to help him was to get the judge to give him a shorter sentence. Since I got to Mr. Mendez's hotel suite, he has been making a series of calls, he made me list out the contact of all the judges he knew from Chicago and Pittsburgh. Through one of them, he was able to reach the judge in charge of Dave's case. Putting a large amount of money on the table, he managed to buy him off and convinced him to hold the court hearing the day after tomorrow.He then called up their family lawyer who defending Dave in court and informed him about the new arrangement and strategy.During the phone conversation, Mrs. Mendez walked into the hotel suite with Lena behind her. She took her seat on the couch, waiting for her husband to end the call. Lena came to stand beside me and whispere
Last Updated : 2023-11-08Fallen Apart Ninety-One
ARIA'S POVI woke up that morning feeling regenerated and energetic as I hopped down the stairs, following the sweet aroma coming from the kitchen. As I entered the kitchen, I was greeted by Savannah talking to someone on the phone with her back turned to me.Without announcing my presence to her, I walked further into the kitchen and placed my elbows on the counter."Yes, I'll be there tomorrow," she replied. "I won't change my mind this time, I promise." She hung up and jumped in surprised when she turned to place her phone on the counter."How long have you been standing there?" "For a few minutes." I shrugged. "What's the occasion tomorrow?" "Oh, that. I have an event to attend, like a fashion show." She scratched the back of her neck as she spoke which was a habit of her whenever she was lying. Thinking that she might have a good reason for not telling me the truth, I decided not to push it. "Okay." "Do you think you can help me watch over Aurora tomorrow?" "Sure." The soun
Last Updated : 2023-11-09Fallen Apart Ninety-Two
ARIA'S POVThe following morning was a busy one for me as Savannah was instructing me on Aurora's routine throughout the day. I was still in the lecturing process and I was already regretting why I accepted to look after the baby. Not that I didn't want Aurora with me but the 'looking after her' process was already starting to get stressful. I couldn't imagine that I was going to go through all that when I became a mother one day. After one hour of lecturing, Xavier and I got ready to leave for the court. Dave's hearing would begin in the next thirty minutes. According to Lena, the case was going in Dave's favor as the state lawyer had not been able to acquire any evidence against Dave. So everyone had a positive mind that everything would go as planned.We got to the court and sat on the defendant's side before the judge arrived. Dave was brought into the court in an orange jumpsuit. As if he could feel my eyes on him, he looked in my direction and a bright smile appeared on his f
Last Updated : 2023-11-09
Latest chapter
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Twenty Five
I took her view and entered the room. The view that my eyes chanced upon, a woman sitting at the brink of the bed and burying her face in her hands, had revved up my heartbeat; she lifted her head and looked at me. There was surprise as well as confusion in Aria's gaze."Dave…what are you doing here?" she asked, tremulous her voice.I stepped closer to her, and my heart went out to her. "Aria, please, don't do that. We have to talk. You had to know how much I love you, and we have got to do this together. Please don't make this mistake. Don't decide without you talking to me," she said.She stared into mine, her own already welling with water. "I don't know if I can do this, Dave. I'm scared… so scared."."I know you are," I said, my voice cracking as the emotions spun their way inside of me. "But I'm scared too, Aria, scared to death of letting go of you and our child. We can face this together. I love you and will be with you no matter what. Please just allow us a chance."She tremb
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Twenty Four
DAVE'S POVThe reports lay on the desk as my eyes looked at them without really seeing. It was two weeks ago—the night that had unleashed all my emotions with Aria. She hadn't been returning my calls or texts, and every time I tried to find her, the doors closed in front of me.It was as if that had been such a welcome distraction from the growing pit of dread deep in my stomach—one which it was easy to leave my focus on. Therefore, I just thought that probably Aria needed some space and time to think, and I gave it to her. But the days were beginning to slip into weeks; the chasm between us began to feel impossible to cross.I was just about to get into the other useless read-through of the reports when the shaking of my door broke with a knock. Before I could get a chance to answer, Nixon walked in, a sad look across his face."Dave, we have got to talk," he said, shutting the door.I rose to my feet; missed a beat in my heart. Nixon never did drama so whatever his news was, it had
Fallen Apart part 2: Chapter Twenty Three
Returning to Chicago was very much like stepping into the storm all over again. The city was the same—booming and ruthless; only I was different now. The sojourn at Pittsburgh had poured in a new perspective and a brief sabbatical from the storm that life was getting transformed into. Onwards, as I pushed open the doors and jumped into the office of the magazine, all my lugging from the past came back and sat on my shoulders again.I virtually wore the broadest smile ever as I greeted colleagues around, with their eyes to my back, and whispers trailing down the hall. News about Jax did travel fast, and however much I wanted to act like I did not hear the murmurs, they were impossible to ignore."'Did you see him? Jax is still in prison…Isn't she the one who used to go out with him?"Yeah, apparently she's trying to steer clear of any more drama. Who can blame her?"The two prattled on, voices droning in my ears as I looked down, burying myself in my work. I had the art of evasion of
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Twenty Two
Xavier had spent most of the next fortnight within the confines of the house with his baby daughter, little Aurora; mankind could attribute getting associated with the atmosphere of normality amidst these crazed minds in and around people. They made one feel slightly better, anyways. The bright spot in my life was Aurora, Xavier's baby. Her laughter and innocence diverted my mind from that hurricane inside my guts.And Xavier, he never stopped showing up. Either waiting to hold me with all of my words, many, or sitting wordless with me when my words failed. He had wars of his own, his own aches: waiting for Savannah to return, raising Aurora on his own. But it never crossed him from how he was acted at that it was of much miracle to be noble, he quared each new day with that kind of fortitude. I saw and wished I could find it in myself.And suddenly it was one of those evenings where one sat in the porch with the sunset overhead, and this very question was coming alive inside me since
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Twenty one
ARIA'S POVAnd there was the sun, first off, up close, shining warmly but in an absolutely singular, discreet design, wringing and bright out through the blinds and all over my bed. For one moment all was also right in my world; this was just some stupid nightmare. For a brief second, there was a sense that everything in the world was also just fine; it was all just some ridiculous nightmare. But as the fog of sleep thinned, I could see the face of reality coming creaking down upon me.There was the weight of a body beside me and the familiar scent of Dave's cologne in the air. Dread consumed me as my head turned to his, slowly, heart in the throat, lying beside me, still asleep. His face really looked peaceful, quite unlike the trouble that I knew was dwelling underneath.Panic surged through me at the full force of what I had done. As soon as I lay in Dave's bed, in full nudity and all the sheets, it all came back, the way that I kissed him. I had let myself fall into the biggest t
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Twenty
DAVE'S POVDarkness had passed as I finally drove the old Civic through the winding city streets, my brain swirling with thoughts that snaked into a cocktail of feelings, triumph and unease. The news of Jax spread like a wildfire through the grapevine, and much as I loathed to admit, somewhere deep inside me, the thought of his downfall came with a bit of joy. That definitely had to be said: he had it coming. Not half of me, though—there was another that couldn't see past Aria's face in my head when she discovered all that she had been told. What would she do? Didn't she see this as a way to get rid of him and finally turn back to me? Or would she retreat into herself as she had retreated before, only this time even more broken?It was with all that running through my head that I pulled up outside Aria's apartment. I parked the car, opened the door, and let the cool night air do little to settle the restlessness in my chest. I came to her front door and knocked, waiting for her to an
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Nineteen
ARIA'S POV Long before the fallout hit. My phone started going off and never stopped, vibrating out of its cradle the second the story broke. Friends, colleagues, reporters—everyone wanted a piece of the madness. I ignored them all as my heart raced, scrolling through the headlines; each one landed in my gut like a gut punch: “Jax Grayson's Secret Life Exposed!" “Exposé in the Fashion World: The Unimaginable Reality of a Fashion Giant!" "Jax Grayson Probed for Money Laundering!" I felt like throwing up. My stomach somersaulted with the words of the allegations. They had to be wrong. Simply wrong. Jax was one of the good guys, sweet …How in the world could he have held something like this secret from me? From everyone? My hands were shaking as I fumbled with that bar of digits to call Jax, hoping against all odds that there was some kind of explanation; a way that maybe this could all just be a horrible, horrible mistake. But when he picked up, his voice came flat, resigned.
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Eighteen
DAVE'S POV I crossed through the doorway into my office, started pacing, and wondered how to deliver this piece of dynamite to Nixon. My office was quiet except for the humming of air conditioning. Inside my head was a no-man's-land. What I was doing, I felt, was walking a tightrope. One wrong step and everything could come crashing down. But at that moment, thinking of her in Jax's arms, of her being able to smile again the way she used to smile at me, made it resolute, and somehow, I knew I had to go through it. This morning, Nixon was extremely caught up. He had one meeting and call after another, so he was active. Still, I knew that at least I had to try and speak to him before going any further with the plan. He wasn't just a friend; he was my brother-in-law, partner in crime, the one man who could talk me out of any crazy idea I came up with. I inhaled slowly, then walked into his office. The door swung a bit wide, and behind the desk, I could see him buried in some paper
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Seventeen
ARIA'S POVMy phone buzzed, it must have been for the hundredth time that morning. I didn't need to look, though all texts and notifications seemed to come down to the same thing. Well, the rumour mill hadn't stopped since Jax and I got together, but today… Today felt different. You could feel it in your bones, like a storm about to hit just out of sight."I rather reluctantly opened my phone again to scroll through the scores of messages, tweets, and posts flooding my feed. I looked up sheepishly to see what adorned every major gossip website: "New Power Couple: Aria Stephenson and Jax Grayson Romance Heat Up!" with pictures of him and me leaving that wedding together last night.". The photos had captured everything—how Jax used to hold me close and how I'd look at him.But the captions only distorted everything, making what was such close, personal time between the two of us into a public spectacle.The anxiety mixed with impatience surged, upped by apprehension in my chest. This
