Harry POV
“Can’t I just come and visit my son?” - she asks and I cross my arms.
That would be nice if that was what she actually did. She always has a motive. And I’m not liking this. At all.
“Come on, we both know you came here for a reason” - I say and she puts down her China teacup on the coffee table in the middle of the front room.
“I came to see if it was true the rumours I e heard” - she says and I look at Rita that is looking down at her hands.
“What rumours?” - I ask
“That You and Rita are separated” - mother says and Rita looks at me
“I bet Rita already filled you in” - I reply
“Wh
Was a small one. But more tomorrow. And longer Let me know what you think.
Alice POV“I’ll see you Monday” - I say to one of my colleagues. I walk into the changing room and opened my locker to find a white envelope addressed to me.I turn it around but there’s nothing. Just my name. I rip it opened and a small piece of paper comes out.I turn it around and I gasp when I see what's written.I fold the paper and shove it in my backpack. I clear a small tear with the back of my hand and I change my clothes fast. Harry is picking me up so we can go have dinner with Devin and his new girlfriend. I brush my hair back into a high ponyta
Harry POV“Mr Richards is here sir” - My P.A. Says through the phone.“Send him in” - I replyI stand up at the same time the door opens and my lawyer walks in.“Steve” - I say shaking his hand - “how have you been mate?” “Not too bad, and you?” - he asks walking to the seating area of my office.I undo the button of my blazer jacket and I take a sit crossing my leg by my ankle.“Could be better” - I say“I see, how’s your mother and father?” - he asks offering me a smile while he takes some folders from his briefcase.“Honestly don’t know mate. Since the last
Alice POV I have been working the day shift lately. I honestly don’t care if I see Dave anymore. The Cat is out of the bag. Everyone knows I am Harry Payne’s girlfriend. Rita made sure to trash talk me to the press. I was told Dave is away on holidays on a hot country somewhere. Good for him. He never took holidays before. The day shift is better so I can actually see Harry more often. I’m always finished by eight o’clock and he usually meets me outside of the hospital and then we have some dinner and wine. We indulge in each other’s company. It is everything I always thought it would be. He is sweet and caring. He makes me his high priority. Since that shit show in the restaurant the press has been following me around and my life became a bloody nightm
Alice POVI hear the door open but I don’t want to move. I don’t want to look at him. I don’t know what to do. I know I am supposed to listen to him. I know I am supposed to trust him with all my heart and I know he would never hurt me on purpose. Or so I hope. I love Harry but I have to admit that I am scared that the photos might be exactly what I am thinking it was.Harry kisses the top of my head and I know I can’t hide. I open my eyes and I look at him. Trying to find some regret in his eyes. Something I can hold on to. “I’m sorry” - he says and I can hear the sadness in his voice. I shake my head not wanting to believe that I am completely and utterly in love with a cheater.
Alice POVI open my eyes and I am hit by a horrible headache. I close my eyes again and I start massaging my temples. This is what happens when we spend a long time crying. I sit on the bed and I see that it’s light outside. I grab my phone to check the time and it’s almost seven in the morning. I lift my arms stretching and get up. I walk to the bathroom still rubbing my eyes and I am hit by a cloud of steam. What the fuck? I look around and I see Harry standing in the front room wrapped with a towel around his waist. His chest still wet with some water rubbing down his back. His every move makes his perfect muscles back move in a hypothetical way. I shake my head and cross my arms in front of my chest while I rest against the door frame.
TRIGGER WARNING This chapter contains themes that might trigger some people. If domestic violence is a trigger for you please skip this chapter. Read at your own risk. Rita POV “Mum, please. This is too much” - I say “Get in the car Rita” - she tells me and I nod my head. “Get him to pay for everything” “She will” - Mum says and I nod my head. These two are more eager to destroy Harry than they are to see me happy. I do love him. And I understand that he wants a divorce because he loves Alice. I just wanted to be loved. Once we get out of the car
Alice POVHarry left around one hour ago. I have been cleaning the house as a form of relaxation. I know what you’re thinking. How can you relax while you clean? Well. I do. It takes my mind away from my problems. Today is my day off, and I am honestly happy. Harry is sorting out his divorce hopefully, and then it won’t be long until we can actually be together. As I finish cleaning the kitchen, I make myself a cup of tea, and I turn the tv on. There’s some breaking news. I focus on the tv, and I can’t believe what my eyes are seeing. I put my mug of tea on the centre of the coffee table, and I sit at the edge of the settee. My hands cradling my face while my elbows wrest on my le
Harry POVIt’s been hours since we arrived at the police station. They keep asking the same questions over and over again. I kept my mouth shut as Steve instructed me. Steve gave them the contacts of my security team to pass them the footage of my CCTV cameras. I had to provide the personal passcode to access the cameras from my office. It took them three hours to get the images. But at least they have them. They will be able to see that it was all consensual. Steve was the first one to see the footage, and I can see the smile plastered on his face. “Kinky” - he says“Please”, - I say, dismissing his try of a joke. “This is gonna be easier than I
Abbey POV “MUM, MUUUUUUUM” I scream from the top of my lungs, and I can hear her running up the stairs with dad following her. “What happened? Are you hurt?” she says, almost breathless, as she opens my bedroom door. Dad stops right behind her with his hand on his chest, trying to catch his breath. “You’re getting old, dad”, I say jokingly, and he gives me a stern look that breaks as soon as I offer him one of my biggest smiles. “What happened?” Dad asks, “Why were you screaming the house down?” he keeps asks as they both take a couple of steps into my room. “I got into Oxford University”, I say, and mum starts to cry immediately as dad walks to me with open arms, and I hug him tightly. “Oh baby, I am so proud of you”, dad says, kissing the top of my head. He is a lot taller than me; I am just a little bit taller than mum, a couple of inches, but that still makes dad tower over me. “Mum?” I let out, and she hug
Harry POV It’s been a couple of months since Alice chose that dick over me. Rita suggested we worked on our marriage because she was willing to let the past be in the past and forget about everything that happened between us if I could work on our marriage because of our children now that Karen and Alice are out of the way. We have been doing couple’s therapy, and I have to say that it is actually helping me heal from the fact that Alice chose Devin over me and is helping me to see that Rita is the best option for me. She wants the same things as me, has the same values, and wants our children to have a happy family. My relationship with my parents changed for the best since they helped Rita hide from Karen, keeping her and my son safe. We are having another boy, we haven’t decided on the name yet, but we are working on it. I want Harrison, but Rita doesn’t want another name starting with H. We have to sort it out. We sold the flat an
Devin POV “Devin, come here please”, Francisca says and I walk towards her from my improvised desk in the front room. She has the design for the house for me to approve, we go through everything and I ask her to change some small things, like the window features, and to keep the balcony exactly the same way it is right now, I have my morning coffee outside every day now and I actually enjoy it. I can understand why Alice used to do it. I have asked her to get someone to make the maze disappear as it is a difficult place for me, I used to love it when I bought it, and the first time I took Alice in there, we shared our first kiss, she got lost and when I found her she hugged me and kissed me, but then, it was in front of the maze that she chose him over me, she decided that he was more important than I was. I walk back to my desk and I hear a lot
Devin POV It’s been three days since the Gala and I am back at the cottage, I am having an architect to come and check everything out to do some remodelling of the house, I need a bigger and more comfortable work space and I definitely need it quieter. The staff in this house have no sense of keeping to themselves and leaving my life out of their business. Maybe after the meeting I’ll just go for a trail ride and try and clear my head. I haven’t been able to focus on work for the life of me. All I keep thinking is Alice, and how she might be back in his arms and I am here moping around. I shake my head and I walk back into the house and into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee when the doorbell rings, slowly I walk to the door sipping my coffee and I open it. The architect is waiting for me with a smile on her face, Francisca, she is Portuguese an
Harry POV As soon as Alice left Devin walks out of the room and I grab his arm tightly. He looks me in the eyes and I don’t recognise my best friend anymore, he looks like a stranger looking at me, he looks more confident and more independent. Not that that is a bad thing, it’s just different from the Devin I am used to. Devin always kept his head down after all his drug addiction, he has a man slut but he kept himself in the dark from everything else. “Leave her alone, she is mine”, I tell Devin and he shoves my hand away from his arm placing both his hands in his pockets again. “She will be the one to decide if she wants me to leave her alone, the day Alice tells me to go, ill go, but if she doesn’t I am sticking around until she tells me to give up”, Devin tells me and anger builds up in me. Devin approaches me and whispers in my ear “I know you let her fall on purpose”, Devin says and I take one step back looking him deep in his eyes, he
Alice POV The police wants to ask me some questions, obviously Harry doesn’t want to leave me alone but the police insists, they need to get our testimonies separately, they want to hear both sides of what happened and they want to see if the stories match, They say they’ve heard Devin already and they have given us a few minutes because of the traumatic side of things for me. Harry says he is not leaving my side and that they can ask us both questions at the same time, I know they are just doing their job but I have to say I like the idea of not being alone with anyone I don’t know right now. The police starts asking me questions as in, how did Karen take me upstairs to the roof terrace. I said she cornered me in the bathroom when I wasn’t expecting her and she said Devin and Harry were fighting up there all because of me. I look at Harry and once more his face is unfazed, as if nothing ever shocked him, he learned to hide his true emotions
Harry POV Alice leaves to walk into the bathroom and I see that Devin is getting ready to follow her, no, not on my watch, he needs to stay away from her, he’s done more damage than good, I need him far away from Alice, I walk to him holding on to his arm and telling him to stay away from her, and for the first time he faces me telling me to let go of him and that I am making her unhappy. What the hell does he know about happiness? All he has is failed relationships because of his little obsession with me. Devin calls me self centred and if we weren’t on such a public place I would’ve shown him how wrong he is, how all I want is Alice’s happiness by my side, all I want is to hear her laugh and see her smile again, see her eyes shining when she smiles and looks at me, see her biting her lips when I approach her and take her in my arms. “Where is she?”, I ask as I get inside the bathroom and I can’t see her anywh
Devin POV I haven’t gone back to London in over a month, I changed my phone number and I have been conducting my meetings from the cottage, I sold my flat and all my properties in London, I couldn’t bare the idea of going back. I have been keeping in touch with Rita’s mum and she updates me about Henry, he is my godson after all. I stopped reading the news and I am keeping to myself. I know Rita is still gone and I know that Harry is probably panicking. I have been taking care of my horses and of my mental health, I stopped drinking and went back to my meetings, I need to keep focused, my will to do drugs was too strong and I can’t cave, I’ve almost lost everything once and I can’t do it again. Once more Harry got everything he’s ever wanted and I was left with nothing. I roll to my side on the bed and I keep reminding me that we were younger back then, Harry couldn’t have done it on purpose. I
Alice POV I have been back in London for over a month, and I have to say I am not happy, or I am not as happy as I thought I would be. I thought that after our conversation, things would’ve gone back to normal, but they didn’t. Harry is distant, and I don’t like his touch anymore. In fact, we haven’t had sex since we came back to London. I am starting to notice small things about him that are making my skin crawl. Harry forgave me for sleeping with Devin, but I can’t say I forgave him for sleeping with Karen. I understand his reason for doing it, I know he is worried, and I know how much he is struggling with Rita’s disappearance, especially with Henry asking about her constantly. I know he is worried about the child Rita is carrying, I know, and I am worried too, but I think he went too far like; he enjoys the challenges like he enjoys when someone tries to control his decisions, and he does it to pro