Before he could say a word, she started clearing the dishes.“Leave it. Come with me.”“No, Steven. You cooked, I want to clean.”“Marie, please. Don't fight me about everything. Just come with me.”“Okay.” She said, rinsing her hands, and following him.The elevator ride to Steven’s floor was silent. Steven looked angry but Marie wasn't sure why. Was it because Sandra had visited her here? She couldn't stop her best friend from visiting her and it wasn't fair that Steven wasn't even making an effort to be friends with her. It's not like their marriage had ended on hostile terms. The elevator opened and Steven stepped out of it, holding his hand open for her.“Thank you.” She said, taking his outstretched hand.He fetched a blanket from his room, and sat down on the floor before motioning for her to join him. Marie ran a hand over her belly, casting furtive glances at the TV and then him. She saw his jaw harden and then relax before he turned to the TV and turned on MasterChef Austral
“Steven, wake up.” Marie said, shaking him awake.“ Steven! Wake up!” Steven’s eyelids fluttered as she struggled to pull himself off. He had just begun to hit that spot where the sleep was the sweetest, not to mention he has been dreaming about doing things with Marie that he couldn't wait to do.“Steven!” She screamed and all thoughts of pleasure vanished from his mind.“What?” He asked, wondering why there was such a ruckus.“There are policemen at the front door.”“Why?”“I don't know. We have to go and find out.”“Right.” He said, as the last vestiges of sleep cleared from his eyes. He kicked off the covers and climbed down from the bed.She followed him as he walked briskly to the door before he turned back.“Where are you going?” He asked, staring pointedly at her chest.“I'm following you out there.”“You are absolutely not doing that. Until I know what they want.”“But…”“Marie, stay back here and don't come out till I get back.”He said, walking out and heading to the fro
Marie smiled down at the red dress she wore to work today. She did feel quite beautiful in it and she had liked the way Steven King had looked at her when she came out. Like she was the best thing after sliced bread. Even now that they were in the office, he found reasons to step out and plant kisses all over her face and neck. Even though she put up mock protests everytime he tried to, she really liked that he paid no mind to her. She had been worried about Cadence Steele sitting in his office when they arrived but after his meeting with her, he had come out all smiles and so she tried to put the worries out of her mind.Her mind flashed back to the earlier occurrence in the morning. It felt so weird that Antonio, a man whom she had been considering a relationship with and had gotten assaulted by, was now dead. At a deeper level, she knew Steven had nothing to do with his death directly, but had he somehow done anything that inadvertently led to his death? Her phone beeped, reminding
“Steven, don't open it. Do not open it.”“Marie, calm down. It's not what you think it is.”It's not?”“No. Before I would do what you're thinking, we would have had a rather serious and long conversation. This is something else.”She sighed, relieved that he wasn't about to repropose, if there was any word like that.“Okay, in that case. I’m ready.” She said, grinning.He opened the box to reveal an exquisite set of silver earrings, chain and a bracelet that shimmered so wonderfully. The chain had a pendant engraved with her name on it.“You know I thought about engraving my name on it, but I didn't want you to think I'm vain.”“This is so beautiful, Steven. I don't know what to say.”“Say you like and you’ll wear it and one of my shirts tonight.”“Steven King!” She half-yelled.“You did say, you didn't know what to say. I was just helping out.”“This is so beautiful,Steven. Thank you.” She said, moving her hair away from her neck so he could put the necklace on her. Then the earrin
“It’s courtesy. Calling, texting, updating. That sort of thing.” Steven said, shaking his head as an unremorseful James stuck his head in the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. Marie snorted and then averted her gaze when Steven scowled at her.“Hey Sunshine, you are a sight for sore eyes. Come here and give me a hug.” James said, ignoring Steven.She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug.“Why is he so grumpy?” James asked, his voice lowered in a conspiratorial tone.“I think he misses you. A hug and a sloppy wet kiss should do the trick.” She whispered, glancing at Steven who was frowning at them.“It seems it may take more than that.” James replied as Marie bursted out laughing before wrapping her arms around James.“Forget him. I missed you.” She said, as James hugged her back.“Marie, need I remind you that you're married? To me?” He asked in a tone that made Marie bite back a smile. Jealous Steven was so cute and silly because this was James, his best
“I’ve watched you in these last few months Marie, and I believe you are good for him. Are you?” James asked, a stern expression on his face.“I… I mean… Yes, I think.” Marie said, uncomfortable with the look in James’s eyes. Where had the chill dude who made her laugh gone?“I think so too. He loves you, I hope you know that. Whether or not he has admitted it to himself or you. You need to know that if you hurt him or betray the trust he has in you, it will be terrible.”What was with the veiled threats? Did James somewhat know something about her secret with Alden?“I don't intend to hurt him.” Marie said, averting her gaze from James's face.“Great. That makes me happy because I won't let you. Yolanda hurt him very deeply. Steven goes around with a gruff voice and a scowl but he's probably the world’s biggest softie. If you hurt him, Marie, you’re most definitely going to answer to me.”“I don't want to hurt him. I’d never hurt him.” Marie said quickly, hoping the conversation would
Steven felt Marie stiffen in his arms. Even in the dark, he could see her lips and chin quivering.“You don't have to tell me yet, Marie. But I do hope it's something you can talk about someday.”“I can't talk about it now. But I will… someday. Please?” She asked in a pleading tone.The truth was that he was a little disappointed and frustrated. A part of him felt that Jeff was the reason some parts of Marie were still locked to him. He felt it in the way she withdrew sometimes when he touched her. It was like she was constantly trying to let herself loose and then reel herself in when she was losing control.“Why do you want to know about Jeff?” She asked, her expression questioning as she raised her head to look at him.“I…I… I don't like the way you clam up when you think of him. But I’m ready to wait.”“Okay, can we go back to the house now?” She askedThere were a lot of reasons he wanted to know about Jeff, chief of which was that he wanted Marie to trust him with all her secret
“That's impossible.” Steven said as Marie noticed Amelia flinching by Alden's side. She probably wanted nothing to do with this arrangement but Alden had imposed it on her. She didn't think the child needed to be privy to whatever argument was about to go down.“Hey Rick, Do you like comic books?” She asked, smiling at the boy. Steven looked as though he was ready to club her but she didn't care right now.“Sure, and classics too. I do prefer classics if you have those?”“Ah, a young reader. You're in the right place. You have to see our library!” She said, injecting cheer into her voice. With that, she shot Steven a behave-yourself look and went with Rick to Steven’s library. Once she unlocked the door, Rick made a bee-line for the classics. He hadn't been kidding. She closed the door and headed to the living room where Alden was saying,“Look, it's just a few weeks, Steven.”“Absolutely not. No offense, Amelia but Marie and I work.”“So, your staff can look after him during the day
“What?” Steven asked in a voice so phony that everyone turned to stare at him.“Is that blood, uncle Steve? It is. There's blood on your shirt.”“Shhhhh, buddy. Don't make a big deal about it. I cut myself.”“You did? Cool! Let me see.” Rick exclaimed, as though he was being given front row tickets to a fun show.“Richard! Get back to class!”“But granny…”“Now!” Amelia boomed as a disgruntled Rick turned in his heel and headed towards the stairs, waving to Steven as he went.“You may want to get that cleaned up before leaving.” Alden said to him as he wheeled himself into his room.“Hand it to me.” Amelia said.“Oh? I didn't actually cut myself.”“I know. I’m not stupid. Alden keeps sneaking off in his wheelchair and I've seen some funny looking characters hanging around. I don't want to know what all this is about but I hope you're both not being stupid. And he's finally getting the exercise ”“Ah.” Steven replied as he took off his shirt and handed it to Amelia. He walked with Stev
Maybe it was the fact that the guy was a psychopath who had put his wife in a coma or the fact that he had such a punchable face but Steven didn't stop until Smith stopped laughing and started to cough.“Oh, I could go on for hours. I'm only just getting started.”“Kill me, please. I’d love to see how you get the answers you want.” Smith saidSteven snarled as he shook his knuckles.“Oh, make no mistake, Smith. You are going to die. You're going to pay for what you did to Cadence. I’ll make sure about that even if it's the last thing I do.”“I keep telling your stupid old man. I didn't kill Cadence Steele.”“The same way you didn't run my wife over?”“Exactly. I mean I know about it, make no mistake. But I neither authorized nor did it.”“You know what Smith, you're full of crap and I'm tired of doing this with you, so start talking. There's no use stalling too because you're not getting out of this till I'm satisfied.”“Look, I know you think I'm the one you’re looking for but I'm no
“What do you mean?”“I mean I've never seen you so affected by anything, Alden. Not even when your own son got into an accident.”Alden’s eyes hardened as he grunted.“That wasn't an accident. It was a stupid decision made by someone who should have known better.”Steven fought the urge to roll his eyes. Of course Alden would say that about his father. Alden had never cut him any slack.“Right, but you're deflecting the question. Why do you act like she means so much to you? What's this about?”“The only person that can give you the answers you want us is your wife, Steven.”What did that mean? Was there something about Alden and Marie he didn't know?“I don't understand what you mean, Alden.”“Are you ready to leave now?” Alden asked, pushing his chair backwards as he averted his eyes from Steven. Steven sighed and walked ahead of his grandfather. It was funny that Alden would rather die than let Steven touch his wheelchair while he allowed Amelia to help him all the time. He also kn
“Where are you?”“Hello to you too, Alden.” Steven said as he honked at the driver in front of him. Did people drive with their brains turned off these days?“I'm at your house and Dr. Terence tells me you’re not here.” The accusation in his tone spoke volumes but Steven chose to ignore it.“If you’d let me know you were coming over, perhaps I may have been ready to receive you.” Steven answered in a cool tone.“When you asked for this leave, you did say it was so you could remain at your wife's side, not gallivant around town.”“What do you want, Alden?”“No, listen to me young man. You're the one who’ll get down here fast if you want to hear what I have to say.” He answered before hanging up the phone. Steven exhaled as he massaged his temple. The last thing he wanted was Alden sticking his nose into how he was caring for Marie. Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the house and headed to the room where Marie was. Alden was in conversation with Dr. Terrence and didn't notice at firs
Dr. Terrence met him outside Marie's room and was about to say something but Steven held up his hand to forestall any comment.“I need everyone to leave for a few moments.”“Okay, Mr.King but if I may…”“Now, please.” Steven repeated as frazzled nurses began filing out of the room. He wasn't sure if he could stomach any more bad news so whatever Dr. Terrence had to say would have to wait.Dr. Terrence nodded and exited the room. Steven looked down at Marie and smiled at her. Even in a coma, her beauty took his breath away.He let out a long sigh and sat beside her bed before taking her hand in his.“You know, for the past few weeks, Marie. I’ve been mad at myself. Thinking about where I went wrong and how I could have failed you so much.”He squeezed her hand and checked to see if there was any reaction on her face. Her eyes remained blank and unfocused as they had been.“I’ve been mad at myself for letting you go through so much pain. For the fact that you're stuck somewhere between
Steven's mind whirled with thoughts as he heard the sound of Zed Norton's car backing out of his driveway.He ran a hand through his hair as he thought about what had transpired between Sandra and him. How on earth was he going to explain this to Marie when she came out of the coma? He could just imagine the look on his face.“You know when you were stuck in a coma fighting for your life? Yeah well, I slept with your best friend. And I don't even remember doing it.”He let out another curse and Sarah tossed him a concerned glance. He let out a sigh and plunked into the chair.“Any special orders for lunch, Sir? The chef wants to know…” She askedThe thought of having any food right now made him want to puke. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see was Cadence lying in a pool of her own blood.“I'm not hungry, Sarah. I’ll head out and probably eat something.”“Okay, Sir. Do I make any provisions for Ms.Rakes?”“No, Ms. Rakes wouldn't be returning anymore.” Steven replied as she
“What are you doing?” Steven whispered as he jerked away from Sandra. His head was reeling from pain. Had she really kissed him?“Sorry. I don't know what happened…You looked so sad and I wasn't thinking.” She said as she abruptly got on her feet and cleared her plate. She grabbed the glass and was about to take the bottle of wine with her when Steven dragged it from her.“You can't drink the whole bottle, Steven.” She said in a quiet voice.“Get out.” He said, in a voice harsher than he intended. She glared at him for some seconds before wilting and walking out of the room.He took a swig of the bottle and sighed. Did she deserve such hostility from him for a mistake? She had only been trying to help him after all. It seemed all he was capable of these days was messing up on a grand scale. His actions kept hurting the people he called friends and family even when he didn't intend for them too. Tomorrow, he'd apologize for being bitchy to her. For now, he had only one thing on his min
“Thank you for calling me. I’ll drive him home. The last couple of weeks have been very hard with his wife being in a coma, you know.”Steven could hear Sandra talking to someone. He tried to remember calling her. Had he done that himself or had Tony called her? What time was it? She was looking at him now with something akin to disappointment on her face. Well, he didn't bloody care.“Come on, let's get you home.” She said, as she tried to help him to his feet. Steven chuckled as the both fell back on the leather seat. What was she thinking? That her tiny body could support his weight?“Is something funny, Steven King? You should be ashamed of yourself. You’re drunk. No one's been able to reach you all afternoon. James and Joanna left after breakfast and have been trying to get across to you. Your cell was switched off. And then I get a call that you're wasted in a bar!”“Arghhh. Stop talking in my face.” He mumbled. Her voice was beginning to give him a headache. He wasn't that drun
After Steven got off the call with the 911 operator, he thought about what to do next. He couldn't go home to Marie in this state, knowing that her suffering was caused by him. Nor was he in the mood to face either James or Joanna. He couldn't go to Alden's as that meant endless lectures he wasn't ready for. He knew the only thing likely to get him through the next couple of hours. He turned off his cell phone and drove off. Thirty minutes later, he parked outside Ziggler’s. The tiny, nondescript bar was exactly as he remembered it. He hesitated for a minute before heading in. He had promised James that he wasn't ever coming back here and for over ten years he had kept that promise. But there was no turning back now. A woman was dead because of him, another was in a coma fighting for her life. He needed this, if only for a few minutes. He opened the door, alighted and walked in before he could lose courage. Inside the tiny bar was exactly as he remembered it. How long since he had sat