COLEI stood in the middle of the hall in my parents' house, my hand in my pocket, fingering the ring that I had been carrying since she abandoned it on the nightstand and left without a word. And with each stroke of my finger on that cool metal, I felt a profound sense of emptiness in my chest. Like someone took my heart in a cruel grip and wrenched it out of my chest without any care.I knew it was a possibility, I knew this could happen but it still it hurt so much that the pain of it had brought me down to my knees on the morning that I woke up alone in the bed with her gone. And found the ring on the nightstand, abandoned. Forgotten. It had been two weeks, four days and ten hours. And every moment had been like someone was stabbing me in the chest on the empty space where my heart should be. Now my plan which seemed great at the time I decided to go through to make her accept my terms, suddenly felt irrelevant. Stupid, even. Small even, in comparison to the ache that had taken r
VIOLET“You found her.”“I did.” Alex replied, his green gaze fixed on the girl he has been unable to keep his eyes off.I followed his gaze to look at Scarlett, the girl he was searching for and finally found. She was sitting sandwiched between Kiara and Bree as they conversed. “I never thought that you’d fall in love.” “It’s not—” I stared at him, my eyes daring him to deny me. He raked his fingers through his dark hair in a rare move of vulnerability. “You can deny it all you want but all of us already know how much you love her.” I sighed, looked at where Brandon and Elle were engrossed into each other and I doubted they cared about anything happening around them in the moment. I said, “It’s scary. But you can’t run away from it.”He scoffed. “You are one to talk. Cole and you have been doing just fine.” The ache I had been trying to ignore by letting myself get lost in the happiness of all the couples surrounding me returned with a vengeance. He continued, like the cold hearted
VIOLETI stood there beside Alex and watched as he stepped inside the living room. Cole came into view as Sebastian moved out of the way, being dragged away by Alice. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, I even heard Elle’s remark about him looking so different and he did. The moment my eyes fell on him, my heart skipped a beat and almost leaped out of my chest. I had spent countless hours yearning for his presence, and seeing him at that moment felt like a warm ray of sunshine after a long winter, even though he hasn’t even glanced around to look for me— not even once. “Look at him. No doubt he was playing being a billionaire heir to pay you any attention.” Alex mumbled from my side, but there was no bitterness in his words. He actually sounded like he was bragging. He had a weird kind of relationship with Cole. Not like the one Mad had of best friend and brother, but different. But I didn't pay Alex any attention, because right then all my attention was on the man who filled ou
COLEI tried to stop myself because I could see it in her eyes that she was ready to give in, ready to stop being so stubborn that our relationship was put on the line. But it seemed I was the one who couldn't take it anymore, no matter how much I pretend to not care, the moment I had walked in I had been aware of her like she was an extended part of my body not a whole other person. And the fact that she was standing there with Alex was like nails dragging down the bleeding walls of my heart.And now as I stood there, having followed her to her bedroom because I couldn't stay away, my eyes refused to look anywhere but at her. She was like an oasis of cold water in the hot desert, the sight of her had that effect on me. I could feel my heart racing, my emotions in a whirlwind of their own. Somehow, she looked more beautiful than ever.As transfixed as I was, she too stared at me, unwavering, and there was no hiding the pain and longing in her eyes that I knew mirrored in mine. I wante
VIOLETI don’t want to do this, I thought to myself. But one glance at the girls and I knew I didn’t have a choice. They all wanted to know where their husbands were and that they could be in danger were making them desperate for any information they could get. And with Cole being the only person here, they think I was the key to get that information. If only they knew what had happened not few hours back, they wouldn’t even suggest it.But they already had an argument with Cole, who wasn’t budging from his guard duties like the good protector that he was. The only problem was Scarlett, who refused to stay put, even the kid’ pictures didn’t lessen her worries. All she wanted was to have Alex back where she could make sure that he was safe, and I understood it. I understood her need to make sure that the man she loved was alright, if it was me in her place maybe I’d have been worse. But knowing Cole, I knew he wouldn’t let them go and it wasn’t just because every men in the house will
VIOLETWith dread spreading through me faster than my heart could pump the blôod in my body, I turned the corner of the hospital corridor and found my family pacing the tiled floor. The white of it reminded me of the time and place, I'd rather not think about at such a time. I focused back in the present and saw Dom, who looked like he was about to have a breakdown as he gripped the back of his neck and let out a frustrated growl. My eyes slid to Brandon who appeared like he was still in a shocked state while Kiara and Elle clung to each other, trying to provide comfort to each other. One glance at Mad told me that he was barely holding on from flipping out because of Bree who was unable to control her tears as she silently sobbed in his chest. But it wasn’t what had cracks forming in my chest, it was Scarlett. She looked like death has washed over her. Looking at her, I remembered the first thought that had come to my mind when Cole had broken the news of Alex being shot— I had told
TWO WEEKS LATER...COLE“Where is he?” I asked as soon as I entered the house and found my mother pacing in the entrance hall.“I managed to send him upstairs to his room.” My mother answered, her concerned filled eyes meeting mine. She said, “I don't think it’s the right thing for him to stay here. It's only hurting him.”I had thought about it too, but as long as Lily doesn’t wake up, I couldn’t just ask him to move out or send him somewhere on his own when he wasn’t even eighteen. And, it wasn’t like I had forced him to stay with us here, it was Sebastian’s own choice. “What exactly happened?” I asked, as she hadn’t told me everything when she had asked me to come home because he got into fight with one of the staff members.My mother relayed what the twins saw and heard. A young staff member was talking to one of the old ones who had been with us since the beginning, and his morbid curiosity about Lily and Sebastian had him asking questions that got Sebastian’s attention and when
VIOLET“What are you going to do now? Cry some more?” I jerked my head up to look at Alex who regarded me with a raised brow. As I met his challenging green eyes I realized, that yes, I was about to give into my emotions and already tears were pricking the back of my eyes. But now, I quickly blinked them away. “Alex!” Scarlett admonished him, and Mom stepped forward to add, “Whatever you wish to do we’ll be there for you, sweetheart.”“Maybe we should kîdnap him and teach him a lesson.” Dom said, cracking his knuckles, “We can’t let him break Violet’s heart like this. Again.”“We are not kidnápping anyone.” Mom said, giving a look to Dom.“But, for the first time, I am on board with Dom’s idea.” Kiara responded, getting a wide smile from her husband.“Me too.” Bree piped up. “It sounds fun.”“Or, we could just crash the party,” Mad joined in. “Let’s go there and watch his face when he sees you there.”Alex tsked. “Nah. Violet is just too boring to do something like that. She will ju