Lucian woke up with a start as his hand slipped from the edge of the table making him lose his equilibrium. Looking around him, he sighed when he realized that he was still sitting in the kitchen with the lights on waiting before his silent phone.He had returned home that evening from work eager to try and have dinner with Thea, knowing that she should be home before him. As he waited and waited, he realized that Thea was probably dining outside and had his meal in lonely silence mulling over how to win her over again.Walking through the house, he sighed at the unfamiliarity of the place. It was a new house even for him. A place he had been hoping to live in with her. Now that he was, he realized that just living with her was never going to be enough. Because even though she was by his side, she felt farther away than when she disappeared last month.Reaching for his phone, he took a deep breath and tapped the screen calling her phone. The call went straight to voicemail. Worry star
"Professor... Professor Keaton!" Thea was startled as she looked back at her student who was looking at her with a worried expression on her face."Yes... Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment there," She said with a soft smile."You seem more tired after coming from your honeymoon, Professor. Are you sure that you're okay?" She insisted and Thea smiled at the young woman and nodded."Of course, I was just thinking about something. did you want something?" She asked."Oh, yes. There was another bouquet for you from your husband. I left it in your new office, and the data from last week's tests are out," She said with a sly smile as she handed her the results printed on a document.As she looked down at it to find a little envelope on top."This is.." She began only to find her student already walking away with a grin."Came with the flowers!" She announced as she disappeared into the other side of the lab.She lifted the envelope to find her name written on it with the distinct
Everything was a lie… Every single thing. Every moment, every word, and every touch. Even the sincere moments of consolation that drew out her strength, and the silly fights over small things. It was all a well-orchestrated scheme to make her hopelessly fall in love. How ridiculous is that? Just how much effort did it have to take to make her believe this? A pang rang through Thea’s chest as she felt the moment of realization she had been avoiding for more than a month draw near. “Did you hear what I just said, Professor Keaton?” The detective asked and Thea looked at him a bit out of it trying to gather her thoughts. “Sorry, can you repeat that?” She asked as she looked at him. “I was asking if you knew something about the money. Your uncle keeps insisting that you used it for illegal activities and we can’t find any trace of it in your accounts,” the detective said making Thea sigh. “As I said for the fifth time. There are no unusual activities and the money went to charity,” s
"What the hell did you just do?" Thea looked back at her friend to find her looking at her with a deep frown as she held her phone in her hand mid-gesture as if she was too shocked to continue what she was doing."I asked him to leave..." Thea answered simply and Pen sighed."I know. I was there. But why would you do this? He came all the way here from his meeting and raised hell because they took you in like this,""Well. that's all pretense. We're supposed to be a loving couple after all. I just don't want him involved too much in my problems," Thea stated as she turned around intending to walk outside."Are you okay with this?" Pen asked."Of course. This is for the best," She stated feeling a pang in her chest at the words she uttered.Somehow, she could see Lucian's blue gaze as it filled with hurt when she asked him to leave. His face as he looked up at her on the stairs telling her that he wanted to be with her. "Are you sure you're okay with this? Didn't you go a bit too far
Thea's head felt as if it was going to split in pain as she began to regain her consciousness. She groaned and tried to shift wondering why she was having another hangover when she didn't even remember drinking. That's when the memory of her last moment of consciousness hit her brutally like a slap.Thea opened her eyes frantically looking around her. In a panicked move that did nothing but kick her back to the concrete ground with a hard thud as her hands remained tied behind her back unable to do anything to block the impact.The air got knocked from her lungs and she gritted her teeth looking around her trying to distinguish where she was only to hear a voice from near her."Hey... It's okay, don't move abruptly,"Thea turned around and felt her eyes well up with tears as she looked into the blue eyes she had been trying so hard to avoid for more than a month."What happened?" She asked as she tried to sit up this time succeeding as she maneuvered herself up."We were kidnapped. I
“You didn’t answer my question,” Lucian said in the same calm tone as if this man hadn’t just threatened to violate her in front of him. “Who. Is. Behind. You” Lucian enunciated each word coming out of his mouth.Thea’s eyes moved away from the sight before her to look at Lucian’s hands. They were clenched in tight fists that she could distinguish through the darkness. She didn’t need to doubt whether or not Lucian was provoked by this man’s words. Because she could feel the rage coursing through his tight muscles ready to spring out at a moment’s notice.The man paused looking at Lucian with a blank face, the smile completely gone as he looked at him. Thea thought for a moment that he was going to turn violent when he simply asked.“Why? Are you going to pay me more than them?” He asked.Thea felt instant relief when the man said that, if he could be convinced with money, then…“If we can reach a deal,” Lucian answered, and the man smirked.Something was wrong, seriously wrong. His e
For a while, it was quiet. An absolute quietness that was both peaceful and disturbing. There were moments like flashes when voices would reach her sometimes calling her name and sometimes talking amongst each other. But she was never able to pull through long enough to truly know what was going on.It was by the time that her awareness grew more alert when she heard them. The two distinct voices she knew so well.“How could you let this happen?! How could you when she was right beside you?!”“When are you going to stop blaming others for your own problems? You lost Thea because you acted like you could control her. Stop trying to blame me and start trying to figure out how to redeem yourself!”These words were followed by the distinct sound of a slap. And even in her sleep, Thea would later realize what truly went on that day.“…”“Are you alright?” Another voice asked.“Yeah… can you go check on him?”The silence that followed after that was deafening. Thea tried shifting her hand a
“Oh lord…” Thea mumbled as she closed her eyes looking down at the book in her hands barely seeing the words.“Did you say something?” Lucian asked as he leaned forward on the kitchen counter to look at her.“No, nothing,” she said with a smile, and he nodded, going back to preparing whatever it is that he was preparing.Thea stole another glance at him, feeling her heartbeat faster at the sight of him in his unbuttoned shirt and waistcoat hugging his muscles in a perfect fit that made her almost swoon. It had been like this since she got back from the hospital, so much that it had gotten unbearable.At first, Lucian was simply more attentive, especially since she was having trouble dealing with the pain from moving around. He had been adamant about not leaving her alone to the point of intending to sleep on the chair bestie her!In the end, he slept the whole night on the bed beside her on top of the covers when she insisted that he shouldn’t sleep on the chair. He didn’t touch her n
“Oh lord…” Thea mumbled as she closed her eyes looking down at the book in her hands barely seeing the words.“Did you say something?” Lucian asked as he leaned forward on the kitchen counter to look at her.“No, nothing,” she said with a smile, and he nodded, going back to preparing whatever it is that he was preparing.Thea stole another glance at him, feeling her heartbeat faster at the sight of him in his unbuttoned shirt and waistcoat hugging his muscles in a perfect fit that made her almost swoon. It had been like this since she got back from the hospital, so much that it had gotten unbearable.At first, Lucian was simply more attentive, especially since she was having trouble dealing with the pain from moving around. He had been adamant about not leaving her alone to the point of intending to sleep on the chair bestie her!In the end, he slept the whole night on the bed beside her on top of the covers when she insisted that he shouldn’t sleep on the chair. He didn’t touch her n
For a while, it was quiet. An absolute quietness that was both peaceful and disturbing. There were moments like flashes when voices would reach her sometimes calling her name and sometimes talking amongst each other. But she was never able to pull through long enough to truly know what was going on.It was by the time that her awareness grew more alert when she heard them. The two distinct voices she knew so well.“How could you let this happen?! How could you when she was right beside you?!”“When are you going to stop blaming others for your own problems? You lost Thea because you acted like you could control her. Stop trying to blame me and start trying to figure out how to redeem yourself!”These words were followed by the distinct sound of a slap. And even in her sleep, Thea would later realize what truly went on that day.“…”“Are you alright?” Another voice asked.“Yeah… can you go check on him?”The silence that followed after that was deafening. Thea tried shifting her hand a
“You didn’t answer my question,” Lucian said in the same calm tone as if this man hadn’t just threatened to violate her in front of him. “Who. Is. Behind. You” Lucian enunciated each word coming out of his mouth.Thea’s eyes moved away from the sight before her to look at Lucian’s hands. They were clenched in tight fists that she could distinguish through the darkness. She didn’t need to doubt whether or not Lucian was provoked by this man’s words. Because she could feel the rage coursing through his tight muscles ready to spring out at a moment’s notice.The man paused looking at Lucian with a blank face, the smile completely gone as he looked at him. Thea thought for a moment that he was going to turn violent when he simply asked.“Why? Are you going to pay me more than them?” He asked.Thea felt instant relief when the man said that, if he could be convinced with money, then…“If we can reach a deal,” Lucian answered, and the man smirked.Something was wrong, seriously wrong. His e
Thea's head felt as if it was going to split in pain as she began to regain her consciousness. She groaned and tried to shift wondering why she was having another hangover when she didn't even remember drinking. That's when the memory of her last moment of consciousness hit her brutally like a slap.Thea opened her eyes frantically looking around her. In a panicked move that did nothing but kick her back to the concrete ground with a hard thud as her hands remained tied behind her back unable to do anything to block the impact.The air got knocked from her lungs and she gritted her teeth looking around her trying to distinguish where she was only to hear a voice from near her."Hey... It's okay, don't move abruptly,"Thea turned around and felt her eyes well up with tears as she looked into the blue eyes she had been trying so hard to avoid for more than a month."What happened?" She asked as she tried to sit up this time succeeding as she maneuvered herself up."We were kidnapped. I
"What the hell did you just do?" Thea looked back at her friend to find her looking at her with a deep frown as she held her phone in her hand mid-gesture as if she was too shocked to continue what she was doing."I asked him to leave..." Thea answered simply and Pen sighed."I know. I was there. But why would you do this? He came all the way here from his meeting and raised hell because they took you in like this,""Well. that's all pretense. We're supposed to be a loving couple after all. I just don't want him involved too much in my problems," Thea stated as she turned around intending to walk outside."Are you okay with this?" Pen asked."Of course. This is for the best," She stated feeling a pang in her chest at the words she uttered.Somehow, she could see Lucian's blue gaze as it filled with hurt when she asked him to leave. His face as he looked up at her on the stairs telling her that he wanted to be with her. "Are you sure you're okay with this? Didn't you go a bit too far
Everything was a lie… Every single thing. Every moment, every word, and every touch. Even the sincere moments of consolation that drew out her strength, and the silly fights over small things. It was all a well-orchestrated scheme to make her hopelessly fall in love. How ridiculous is that? Just how much effort did it have to take to make her believe this? A pang rang through Thea’s chest as she felt the moment of realization she had been avoiding for more than a month draw near. “Did you hear what I just said, Professor Keaton?” The detective asked and Thea looked at him a bit out of it trying to gather her thoughts. “Sorry, can you repeat that?” She asked as she looked at him. “I was asking if you knew something about the money. Your uncle keeps insisting that you used it for illegal activities and we can’t find any trace of it in your accounts,” the detective said making Thea sigh. “As I said for the fifth time. There are no unusual activities and the money went to charity,” s
"Professor... Professor Keaton!" Thea was startled as she looked back at her student who was looking at her with a worried expression on her face."Yes... Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment there," She said with a soft smile."You seem more tired after coming from your honeymoon, Professor. Are you sure that you're okay?" She insisted and Thea smiled at the young woman and nodded."Of course, I was just thinking about something. did you want something?" She asked."Oh, yes. There was another bouquet for you from your husband. I left it in your new office, and the data from last week's tests are out," She said with a sly smile as she handed her the results printed on a document.As she looked down at it to find a little envelope on top."This is.." She began only to find her student already walking away with a grin."Came with the flowers!" She announced as she disappeared into the other side of the lab.She lifted the envelope to find her name written on it with the distinct
Lucian woke up with a start as his hand slipped from the edge of the table making him lose his equilibrium. Looking around him, he sighed when he realized that he was still sitting in the kitchen with the lights on waiting before his silent phone.He had returned home that evening from work eager to try and have dinner with Thea, knowing that she should be home before him. As he waited and waited, he realized that Thea was probably dining outside and had his meal in lonely silence mulling over how to win her over again.Walking through the house, he sighed at the unfamiliarity of the place. It was a new house even for him. A place he had been hoping to live in with her. Now that he was, he realized that just living with her was never going to be enough. Because even though she was by his side, she felt farther away than when she disappeared last month.Reaching for his phone, he took a deep breath and tapped the screen calling her phone. The call went straight to voicemail. Worry star
Thea walked into the coffee shop looking around for her friend. She waved at her from across the room, and as she was walking toward her, she could see that she wasn't alone.Thea paused giving an exasperated sigh as she glared at the grinning, other person, who wasn't supposed to be there. Instead of looking guilty or even bothered, he smiled at her and lifted his cup in greeting.Thea looked at the door ready to walk outside, but the sight of the mint tea waiting for her on the table made her hesitate. Making a split-moment decision, she gave in to temptation and sat down reaching for the cup and inhaling the fresh herbal scent."Told you that the tea would be a good bait..." Peter said with a smirk and Pen sighed."Sorry. He insisted on coming as soon as he knew that we were meeting," She said.Thea took a sip from her tea and savored it completely ignoring the two."Well, she's not answering my calls and she's never in her office when I visit. If I go to her house, Lucian will pro