Chapter 78Claire POVIt's been over one week since I left Khan's house that day, and guess what? He hasn't called me since then after he was sure that I moved back in with my parents. It's been killing me slowly, especially whenever I thought about the sex I had with him, but then, it was all my fault. I mean, I seduced him, so I shouldn't have expected less from him.It was a Friday night and my last day of being in this house for a while because I would be starting college on Monday, so I needed to leave tomorrow for my school which was in California. "Are you done packing your things?" Mom walked into my room and asked, but I shook my head."Not yet, Mom," I replied to her as she say beside me on the bed, and she rolled he eyes."What am I going to do with you? You are such a lazy ass. You were waiting for me to come help you do it, right?" She scoffed as she reached for my clothes which were on the bed, and started to fold them one after the other."Are you ok? You don't look fi
Chapter 79Janice POVLocked inside the room for hours, my phone taken away from me, I could only cry my eyes out as I sat on the bed in the large room assigned to me, hugging my knees to myself. I felt like my life was a ticking-timed bomb waiting to explode. As the thought of Connor flashed through my mind, I shut my eyes and allowed my tears to fall freely down my cheeks. He must be broken after what I did to him, but if only he knew it was never my fault and I never meant for that to happen.My heart skipped a beat when I heard keys clicking from outside, and in the next few seconds, the doorknob twisted and the door opened. My heart almost left my chest when I saw that the person was Carl."I'm so sorry for not being here since. I had something to deal with," He apologized to me as he walked inside the room and sat on the bed with a smile lingering on his face."Are you crying?" He asked then rolled his eyes and reached out his hand to touch me, but I flinched, so he took his ha
Chapter 80"Are you going to keep being like this, Connor?" Chase asked as he walked into Connor's room and snatched the pack of cigarettes he was about to take out from. Connor's room was in a mess and littered with five cigarette butt. He was about to go for the sixth stick when his brother walked inside just now."Give that back to me, Chase," He rose up and reached for the pack of cigarettes, but Chase squeezed it and threw it on the floor."What is the meaning of this?" Connor asked angrily."You are hurting yourself, Connor. I know you are pained, but trust me, this is not the best way to go about it. You are not doing the right thing...""What do you want me to do? I can't even reach her. I can't fucking reach her, so what do you want me to do?" Connor yelled at the top of his voice then ran his fingers through his hair frustratingly. He had been like this ever since Janice left him, and it only got worse with each day that passed by."You are not hurting just yourself, but..."
Chapter 81'I told you to never show your face to me ever again! You are nothing but a disgrace to my family' Tears streamed down Connor's cheeks as he sped down the driveway recklessly without the fear of getting involved in an accident. Maybe dying would do him more good. Besides, he already lost everything. His family's love and his woman, so what was the point of living?The sound of his ringing phone caught his attention, so he pulled over at the side of the road and reached for the phone. He swiped the answer button when he saw that the caller was his best friend."Hey, man! How could you stand me up at the company today? I told you I had things to deal with and yet you never showed up?" His friend's angry voice thundered from the other end."It hurts, Khan... It hurts," Those were the only words Connor could utter as he rested his head on the steering wheel and more tears streamed down his cheeks. He whimpered like a newborn abandoned by his parents, but the only difference was
Chapter 82Claire POVI arrived in California late in the night, so I checked in at a hotel to spend the night and leave for my apartment tomorrow. My Dad told me that I'll be living with his friend's child for the next five years I'll be spending in school. I just hoped I would be able to cope with her.I had just stepped out of the bathroom after a long bath, and I met my phone screen switched on. I reached for it and s smile laced up my lips when I saw a text from Chase.'Hey, little sis. I hope you arrived in California early. Get as much rest as you can, and I'm really missing you already. I love you, and I'm rooting for you here' I rolled my eyes after I read through the text. 'Thank you' I replied to his text then tossed my phone on the bedside table and finally went to bed.Seconds ticked into minutes and soon an hour and although I was tired, I was finding it difficult to sleep. My mind was clouded with many thoughts, and when I said many thoughts, I guess you know who it's
Chapter 83Claire POVI sat in the backseat of Christian's car as he drove us to wherever our apartment was."How was the trip?" He asked, breaking the silence that had taken over the atmosphere, and I nodded."It was fine," I replied to him bluntly, and I could bet he glanced at me through the rearview mirror."Hmm," I heard him hum, but I didn't bother to look at him as I looked out through the window. I had so many things going on in my mind and getting distracted by him was the last thing I wanted.I had no idea how long we'd been on the road, but the car stopped moving and I was forced to come back to reality, and I realized that we were in the compound of a beautiful bungalow mansion. My jaw dropped to the ground because there was no way this was a student house. I mean, it was too beautiful for students."We are here," I was already out of the car before he said those words. He stepped out of the car too."It's my Dad's house here where he comes for vacation. He rarely comes he
Chapter 84Janice POV"Are you going to keep me here forever, Carl? This is not fair!" I yelled at him angrily as soon as he stepped into the pit of hell that was supposed to be my room. I've been here for five days and haven't stepped out of this room since then. I was only allowed to go to the living room and back to my room. I wasn't even allowed to see the light of the world, and guess what? My windows were fucking locked maybe because he didn't want me to escape through there."Why are you keeping me hostage, Carl?" Tears trickled down my cheeks as I yelled again, but he just leaned against the wall and stared at me with his one eye like I was ranting. "You are going to hurt yourself if you keep yelling like that," He said calmly as he brought out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and a lighter. He then took out a stick, lit it, and started to smoke it."You are hurting me, Carl... You are driving me crazy, and...""That's because I love you, Janice... Can't you fucking read
Chapter 85"Are you going to continue like this, Connor? You are really not going to stop?" Chase's voice resonated in the room, filled with anger as he glared down at Connor who didn't seem like he gave a damn. The ground was littered with cigarette ash and butts and he didn't seem like he was going to stop even though he was on the eighth stick."I'm talking to you, Connor. You are driving me nuts and I can't take this shit anymore. Are you seriously going to be like this? You are going to get yourself killed at this rate," Chase spoke again as he snatched the cigarette from him and threw it on the ground. He further matched on it, putting out the fire."Say something to me, Connor. You can't keep being like this," Chase went to sit on the bed with him, but he stood wordlessly and walked out of the room without sparing Chase another glance, and he sighed."Where the hell do you think you are going, Connor?" He sighed when he stepped out of the house and found Khan standing in front
Chapter 103Janice POVI walked in on Carl smoking in his room, and I scoffed unbelievably. How could he still smoke in this situation?"Carl...""I want to be left alone," He cut me off without even allowing me to say anything, and I scoffed and rolled my eyes. At first, I was sympathetic toward him, but after hearing about everything that transpired between them in the past, I couldn't help the disgust I felt toward him at this moment. I understand how miserable Connor must've felt, the trauma he must've been through when he found them like that, and to think that he never felt remorseful about his actions. I didn't know what could be more cruel and disgusting."Why did you do that? Why your brother's wife of all women out there?" I asked him, trying to be calm. I was so disgusted with him that I couldn't even stand the sight of him. "I told you I want to be alone, Janice," He looked at me as he puffed smoke from his nose and mouth, his eyes were red and filled with anger. I was sup
Chapter 102Connor's jaw dropped to the ground as he stared back at Carl. For a moment, this felt like a dream to him. This couldn't be true, right? This person wasn't his brother who passed away months ago, right?"Why do you look so shocked to see me? You probably thought I was dead, didn't you? Are you disappointed?" Carl asked as he walked over to stand in front of Connor, but he was still too shocked to say anything.Connor opened his mouth to talk, but words failed him as the only thing he could do was stare at Carl from his head to his toes. When their eyes met, he took his time to check out his eyes which was said to have been destroyed the other time. It almost seemed like nothing happened to the eye. Was this really Carl or was someone impersonating him?"It's good to see you again. Are you as happy as I am?" The corner of Carl's lips twitched up into a smirk as he stared back at Connor. Although he wasn't prepared for them to meet now, he needed some more time to prepare hi
Chapter 101Connor POV'Carl is alive' Those words kept replaying in my head as I drove restlessly down the road. I had to confirm this myself because no way I was going to believe it without doing confirmation."Can you calm down, please? You are going to get the two of us killed," Chase uttered as he held on tightly to the seatbelt, but the only thing on my mind was to get to that house and confirm this.Thirty minutes later, I finally pulled over in front of the gate and stepped out of the car. I banged the bar gate impatiently while waiting for whoever was around to come and get the door, and after a few minutes, I saw a guy of about the same age as Claire, stepped out of the house."Who are you?" He asked as he strode down toward the gate where we were waiting."How may I help you?" He asked as he finally got to the gate."Where is Janice?" I asked him restlessly, and he gave me a long confusing stare."Why do you want to see my sister?" He asked me, and my jaw dropped to the gro
Chapter 100"What did you say you wanted to talk to me about Janice?" Connor asked desperately as soon as Chase pulled the car over in front of the restaurant."Why are you being so desperate, Connor? I'm not going to tell you, not until we have lunch together," Chase replied to him as he removed his seatbelt and stepped out of the car."If you tricked me into coming here, then I'm going to be so mad at you, Chase," He reminded Chase as they both walked toward the entrance door of the restaurant."I'm not trying to play you, trust me," Chase assured him, but deep inside him, he knew there was nothing to talk about. He only wanted to get him out of the office so he could eat good food even if it was just for the day. He hadn't been eating well, and he was just being like this as a concerned brother.Chase ordered food for both of them, but Connor could barely eat his food as he was being eaten up by his curiosity, dying to know what his brother brought him out here to discuss."Trust m
Chapter 99"I'm sorry, Sir... It was a mistake," The video editor, a young slim lady quickly apologized to Connor as a different image from the presentation they were having that day at the office, popped up.It was on a Monday morning, and Connor's company was doing a presentation for the new product he was about to release, but the video editor who was in charge of the presentation seemed to have messed things up."What is the meaning of this?" Connor lost it, so he slammed his hands on the table and rose to his feet."What is the meaning of this nonsense?" He yelled at the lady, not minding his business partners around. This was something he could've handled carefully and calmly, but fuck it! He had a lot on his mind already and had no patience left in him to do this carefully."I'm sorry, Sir... I didn't mean to...""Were you blind or something? You were fucking paid for this, so what happened?" He thundered at the lady again, and she panicked."Sir, you need to calm down, please.
Chapter 98Janice POVMrs. Hughes didn't deserve any of the pain she was being through, and seeing her earlier broke my heart. She was a nice woman who never deserved the treatment she was given. I could understand how eager she must've been upon realizing that her son whom she had been mourning for months was alive, and the heartbreak she must've suffered when he pretended not to know her.The sound of the knock on the door pulled my attention."Who is there?" I asked."It's me. Can I come in?" My heart missed a beat and I rose to my feet when I heard Carl's voice from outside. I swallowed nothing, my heart hammered hard against my chest and I fondled with my fingers. I couldn't stop him from coming inside the room and I couldn't also send him away."Can I come in?" He asked again, and this time, I was left with the only choice of letting him in. The door opened, and he walked inside. As usual, he was wearing a pair of black short trousers and a black casual shirt."I've been home ov
Chapter 97"What are you saying, Chase?" Mrs. Hughes' eyes narrowed in shock after Chase told her about what happened back at Carl's house."Mom... I...I...I saw Carl... I saw Carl... I really saw him," Chase stuttered, his heart pounding hard against his chest, his lips quivered fearfully. "Stop joking around with me, son... How is that possible? Your brother is dead... Carl is fucking dead!" Mrs. Hughes felt like she was losing her mind, this was hard to believe because the last time she checked, her son was dead. He had died months ago and it couldn't be possible that he was the one Chase saw, but Chase was sure of what he saw. He was sure that person was his brother whom they thought was dead."Mom, why are you not believing me?" Chase ran his fingers through his hair crazily like he was about to lose his mind. Apparently, he had already lost his mind and thought he was going crazy that moment that he saw Carl."How am I supposed to believe you, Chase? How am I supposed to believ
Chapter 96Janice POV"Sweetheart, let's go inside," Carl faced me and smiled at me, but that smile meant something else and if I could do anything, I would start running right away from here.Chase was too shocked to talk, so he just stared wordlessly. I had expected that reaction, anyway. I mean, this dude was believed to have been dead, and popping out of nowhere now was really shocking."Come on," My heart missed a beat when he placed his hand gently around my shoulder like the gentleman he never was, and I was left with only one choice, and it was to follow him.I wished I could disappear at that moment as he led me back into the house. My heart pounded hard against my chest, my breath hitched momentarily and I felt suffocated as the thought of the hell that awaited me behind those closed doors hit me hard.Nobody was in the living room when we got there, so he led me to the room, and as soon as we got inside his room, he slammed the door close and locked it."Ca... Carl... I did
Chapter 95Janice POVCarl called me about an hour ago to inform me that he was on his way, and I didn't wish for anything more than for him to not make it here. Of course, I knew this was extreme, but what was I supposed to wish for when he had made my life into a living hell?After breakfast with my parents and Jeff, I returned to my room since I couldn't go anywhere else aside from being here.Sitting on my bed and just staring into space while wallowing in my own thoughts, a knock sounded on my door, and when I ushered whoever was at the door inside as I was too lazy to go open it myself, the door opened and Jeff walked inside."Jeff?" I called surprisingly."Someone is here to see you, sis," My heart skipped when he said that, and immediately, many thoughts came parading my mind. Who could that be? Could it be that it was Connor that came back again? I asked myself and swallowed nothing."Who is it?" I asked curiously as I stood from the bed."He is outside the gate. I was on my