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Part 2: Chapter Twelve
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Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Thirteen
Dave's POVLeaving Aria's apartment was like treading away from a piece of my heart. Sometimes that quiet click of the door closing behind me did feel very much like an echo in my mind, marking an end to something I wasn't ready to let go. That was a very cool night—much of a contrast to the raging fire in my chest. I stuffed my hands into the front pockets of my jeans and wrestled with frustration, hurt, and loss, almost palpable at the base of my throat.I needed a drink. Something to wash away the image of Aria's tear-stained face, her quaking voice when she said we were through. This was more than one should have to take sober. Half-consciously, I wandered into the nearest bar—well, then, a tiny, dimly lit, hole-in-the-wall that used to be a regular when things got tough. It wasn't classy, but it did the trick: a place to lose myself for a few hours.It was all but empty until I came in except for a couple of regulars nursing their drinks at the bar. I took the stool at the very e
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Fourteen
It was a very quiet day until I walked into my office after lunch. As usual, I was surrounded by hums of activity: phones ringing, keyboards clicking, colleagues murmuring about deadlines and stories. As I went in, lost in thought and mentally planning for the rest of the day, something strange caught my eyes on my desk.There, centred, stood a grand, nice, and laid-out gift basket, covering most of the area where my laptop usually rests. Beside it was a bouquet of fresh and vibrant flowers: roses, tulips, and some stalks of baby's breath, all tied together with a silk ribbon.I stopped, momentarily blinking at what lay before me. Who'd done this? I walked closer to where the basket and flowers were set, putting my bag down on the chair so that I could examine things more closely. Inside, I found some gourmet treats: chocolates, artisanal cheese, wine, and even a few luxury skincare products.It was quite the lavish production, the little certificate, but what threw me right off was t
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Fifteen
That morning of Lena and Nixon's wedding was soft. My window lace curtains dyed the light, which coloured the walls. I lay back with a stretch, and a mix of excitement and nerves fluttered around my stomach. Well, today was going to be a big day, in just a few hours, Lena and Nixon would finally take that plunge, and I felt so elated at the charge given to me to be Lena's maid of honour. It all seemed surreal, the distance they had come since those early days of their relationship and all that had built up to this momentous day of their lives. But amidst all of the joy was this little knot of tension that had been building all week, sitting heavy in my chest. It was anonymous, much like the others. Every day, I open the doors to my office, and something new is laid there, flowers, chocolates, even a piece of jewelry. It was flattering but also bewildering. And today, of all days, I couldn't afford to be distracted.I shoved those thoughts from my mind as I threw back the covers to g
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Sixteen
DAVE'S POV The wedding lights gave the garden a warm, golden look one could breathe. With the hum of conversation and glasses, everything was too distant and hazy for me. I stood on the edge with my drink in my hand, watching the guests mix and intermingle, celebrating around me. I had been keeping to myself for most of the evening, lost in my thoughts and desperate to push the gnawing feeling from taking root in my chest after the ceremony.Aria looked breathtakingly beautiful. The sight of her walking down the aisle hit me like a punch in the gut. It wasn't just the looks, but the memories that came rushing to repossess my mind: how we used to be. How she used to laugh at my jokes and the way she used to look at me, like I was the only person in the room, all came flooding back to haunt me. Now, with Jax never far from her side, she felt those memories slipping closer and closer, just out of her reach.I knew I needed to tell her how I felt. With every day that passed, the feeling
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
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 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 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
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Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Twenty Five
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Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Twenty Two
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Twenty one
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Twenty
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Nineteen
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Eighteen
Fallen Apart Part 2: Chapter Seventeen
