SophiaWe were quiet on the ride home, each occupied with their own thoughts. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Kieran wanted to say something but was holding himself back.“Are you still angry with me?” I heard him ask as I advanced up the stairs on the way to my room.“Yes, Kieran. I am angry. You shouldn’t have used my sister to keep me bound here.” I snapped and marched forward, leaving him behind.I got to the bathroom, took a shower, and did my nightly routine. I came to enjoy pampering myself every night. I used to think lotions, creams, and oils were overrated, but now that I had the means and time, I realized it didn’t matter if those things worked or not; the magic was in the process and the moments I had just for myself.Returning to the bedroom, I froze in my track. I didn’t expect to see Kieran standing by the bed, unbuttoning his shirt, but he was there in flesh and blood.“What the hell are you doing here?!” I hissed.“Getting ready to sleep?”“Get out!”“I hav
SophiaIt was the first time since we started living under the same roof that we spent the day simply ‘hanging out.’ Each past weekend, I lazed around reading and resting, and I rarely saw Kieran, even though I knew he was at home.Despite what I feared when I woke up, Kieran didn’t go back to being closed off, rejecting my every attempt to get to know him and avoiding answering my questions. Of course, he wasn’t all lollipops and candy canes, and I never expected him to be someone he was not, but the change in his demeanor was obvious.Although I didn’t interrogate him much, afraid that I would push him over the edge and he would shut me out again, Kieran answered all the inquiries I did voice out as I tried to learn more about him. And he didn’t restrain himself, either. Besides all the things he asked, he never missed the chance to touch me or kiss me no matter what we were doing… making food together or sitting on the sofa watching a movie.Though it was quickly becoming a habit I
Sophia “Had a good time?” A hushed roar from the dark startled me, and I dropped the shopping bags onto the floor. I was on my way to the walk-in closet to put away all the things I had bought when Kieran’s voice from the shadows astounded me. But it wasn’t his fault that I didn’t turn on the lights when I entered the room and saw him sitting on the bed with his back leaned against the headboard. “What are you doing there in the dark?” “Waiting for you.” I heard him say as I continued to do what I intended before he scared me. Was that a tinge of worry lacing his voice? I took my time unpacking the clothes I bought, and when I returned to the room, I found Kieran in the same position. Lazily, I strolled towards him and sat at the foot of the bed, not taking my eyes off his. “Did Clara spill all the dirty little secrets you always wanted to know about me?” Kieran was serious, his facial expression grave, and I couldn’t read a thing from it. And my heart? My heart sang in delight
Sophia A dark storm was raging across the deep, grey skies trapped in Kieran’s eyes, and I couldn’t find the strength to look away. I was a prisoner of their magnificent depths, with no wish to escape and be free. His hands got hold of my waist, and the effect of the touch was instant; it added fuel to the quenching fire and made it go wild again. My core was heating, and I found myself craving for more fire he provided. A deep, dark chuckle escaped my lips, a sound of pure disbelief. “What?” Kieran asked, but I was too ashamed of my own thoughts to admit them aloud. “Tell me.” he pressed further, whispering into my ear, pushing my senses into overdrive. “I was just wondering when I turned into a beast starving for sex,” I mumbled, bending my head down to hide tomato-red cheeks. “I was fine without it for years, and now, suddenly, I have the hardest time controlling myself not to rape you. I must be PMSing or something... damn hormones.” Yet, there was one more thing I couldn’t q
Sophia “Kieran,” I murmured, trying to break the kiss. “The board of directors is waiting for you in the conference room.” I stepped away, but he pulled me back into his embrace, trapping me in it. “Let them wait. I’m the one who’s paying them, not the other way around.” Kieran growled before he slammed his lips onto mine in a possessive, dominating kiss that made my world spin. A few seconds later, he decided to start acting like an adult and headed to the conference hall crowded with directors that awaited his arrival. Taking folders from the desk, he pecked my lips again before leaving his office. I stayed behind, trying to calm my raging heart and collect my jumbled-up thoughts before I had to leave the secluded place his office represented. It has been like this in the past few days, ever since we shared that moment in the shower, which brought us closer together on some new levels I never knew we could reach. There wasn’t a day when Kieran wouldn’t demand my presence under s
Sophia “Oh, my God!” I screamed in happiness, tears cascading down my cheeks. “Look at you!” I stepped back a little to take a proper glance at my sister. “You are glowing!” I pulled her into my embrace and said it in a lower tone. “I missed you so much, Ellie.” But then I felt her bump as it prevented me from pulling her closer, and I moved back again, bending to get on the same level with it. “Hey there, buddy!” I gushed blissfully. “I missed you too, sweetheart. I can’t wait to meet you.” I sensed Ellie stiffening, and without guessing, I knew Kieran was behind me. So, I straightened up, but I didn’t step away from my sister; I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Hi,” she squeezed through a tight smile, and watching from this point, I understood her reluctance. The last encounter she had with Kieran was months ago, and she for sure didn’t remember him as the best brother-in-law. “Hello. You look well, Ellie.” Kieran greeted her. “Welcome back, little brother.” He smirked at Ph
Sophia When you are happy living the life you never thought you would get to live, you don’t even notice how fast time flies by. When you enjoy every moment of your day with the people you love and who love you back, nothing but them matters, and no problem in this world seems too complicated. When you love someone with love born out of hate, a love that grew from a single spark into a full-blown wildfire, you have a hard time grasping reality. You’d often catch yourself thinking your life was a dream you would soon wake up from, and everything would disappear. The fear of losing what is most important to you would come in waves, and you would pinch yourself to make sure you were awake. It’s been more than two months since Kieran and I started living like the married couple we were, and Ellie and Philip returned from their extended honeymoon. Except for Nora being an occasional pain in the ass, everything else was perfect. Each day I would spend time in the office, have lunch with
Sophia “Don’t worry, dear. I’m perfectly all right.” The woman spoke before she swiftly turned around and left, leaving me behind frozen in place, unable to move even when my eyes couldn’t find her anymore. It was over. It was all over. She’s found me. The life I built here was falling down like a house of cards, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I looked through the crowd frantically, trying to spot the grey bundle of hair, but I failed to locate her. Did that mean I only imagined her? Was she really here? She didn’t come after Ellie and me? But her voice was too vivid in my head, too real. Aunt Moira was here. “Hey, Sophia, are you OK?” Clara’s hand on my shoulder snapped me back to reality, and I pulled all the strength I had to nod and fake a smile. Yes. Sorry. Let’s go.” Not knowing how my legs carried me forward, we entered the building, and the elevator took us to the 21st floor. As we rode up, so did my lunch, and I barely held it in until I heard the char
This is how it all began It all began when a person I trusted betrayed me in the worst possible way, resulting in me losing my job. It all began when I got home early and stopped my sister from making the biggest mistake of her life. It all began with a slap. It all began with a hand wrapped around my neck. It all began one day in March when I met him. It all began when I met Kieran King. The man that changed my life completely. It all began with the hate I held for the man that blackmailed me into marriage. It all began with hate that slowly, without me noticing, turned into love… unconditional and undying love for the man that stormed into my life, turning it upside down. It all began with a past that caught on to me. It all began with the past that caught on to him. It all began with greed. It all began with obsession. This is how it all ended It all ended in danger. It all ended in fear. It all ended in justice. It all ended in chance. It all ended in love. It a
KieranTo say that the past three years of living with Sophia were not a bumpy ride would be a lie.To say that those three years were not the best years of my life would also be a lie. No, scratch that. It would be blasphemy. That was why I had no intention of uttering such atrocity.Sophia turned out to be a real angel in disguise, just as my instincts were telling me she would be from the moment we met. Though turning into a little devil was not unfamiliar to her, I came to love that naughty side of her. To say that we didn’t have the best start would be an understatement. And that was nobody’s fault but mine. At first, driven by the pure desire to prove Sophia was not what she seemed, I did the unimaginable; I hurt her both physically and mentally on more than one occasion. It was a borderline miracle that she found it in her heart to forgive my sins and never speak of them in any ill manner. Pretty soon, all my attempts to portray Sophia as the bad guy in our story flopped beca
Sophia 4 months later To say that my life in the past couple of months was anything less than a fairytale would be a complete and notorious lie. That’s why I had no intention of uttering such blasphemy. Because it was exactly that – a life I never dared to imagine. Kieran was the most wonderful husband a woman could wish for; he was caring and gentle, loving and thoughtful, and he was all mine, unconditionally. Just as I was his. To say that I didn’t enjoy the pampering and all the attention Kieran showered me with would also be a lie. I absolutely loved it! I loved every cuddle and every kiss. I loved every breakfast in bed and every late-night snack hunt he went on for me. I loved how he knew my every thought as if he was reading my mind, and I loved how there were no more ominous storms in those beloved grey skies trapped in his eyes. To say that Kieran was a totally different man would be a lie, too. Yes, he was open with me, and I was sure he didn’t lie or hide things from
SophiaMuch to my dismay, I spent an entire week in the hospital, even though I felt better after a few days. I suspected Kieran had something to do with it since doctors were ready to release me to recover at home. But I didn’t mind it, as I perfectly understood why he did it. There wasn’t anything but pure worry about my well-being in his actions; he only wanted to be sure I was all right.After all the walls between us came tumbling down like they were made of sand, Kieran and I formed a connection on an entirely new level. There were no more secrets and half-truths, no more lies.My husband never left my side during the seven days I was bedridden. He hovered over my every breath and flinched at every sigh I failed to hide. Some other me, me before him, would’ve probably gone mad from all the fuss he was making, but I? I loved it! I enjoyed every second of it, and I didn’t want it to end.Was I ever scared that he would change back to the man he was when I met him? Cold and demandi
SophiaWhen I woke up fairly rested, in pain and still not remembering how I ended up in the hospital, pregnant nonetheless, I demanded the answers Kieran owed me, but a more important thing came up. Doctors needed to check on the baby as soon as I was awake, and I had nothing against it. What’s more, I wanted to make sure she was OK.Yes, some inner voice whispered into my ear that it was a girl, and I believed it, while Kieran strongly protested, claiming he was sure it was a boy, though I could see a smile in his eyes that he tried to hide.Nurses rolled in the ultrasound machine, and a doctor I hadn’t seen before came in too. After a few quick questions I answered to the best of my knowledge, the nurse helped move the hospital gown up to reveal my belly. The gel they applied on my skin was unpleasantly cold, but Kieran’s hand that took hold of mine made my nervousness disappear as if it was never there, and all that was left was anticipation to see what the ultrasound would show.
Sophia“Kieran?”As I laid in bed, unable to get up properly, a thousand thoughts ran through my mind. What the hell was he thinking, standing there, watching me like a hawk? I hated that unreadable facial expression of his, the one he mastered to annoy me when I couldn’t figure out what was going on in that damn head of his.“Did you know about this?” My voice was a mere whisper, but the twitch of Kieran’s eye meant he understood me perfectly.Finally, he moved and came to sit beside me. “The doctors informed me earlier.”Then it hit me.Kieran couldn’t have kids! I could recall the day when he told me the truth to the last detail; every word spoken, every emotion they awoke. I knew how Kieran felt about his condition, how haunted he was, and how much strength it took him to talk with me about the option for us to start a family. And now this?How was this possible? How was I pregnant? Were we this blessed to have a baby conceived the natural way?Was this why Kieran was so grim and
SophiaBam! Bam! Bam!What the hell was that noise?Beep! Beep! Beep!Swoosh… tap, tap, tap.Four different sounds were distinguishable even though they were simultaneous, but I couldn’t make out the murmurs in the background, no matter how hard I focused. They stayed far away and unreachable, taunting me, frustrating me.Why was it dark?What happened to the light?I tried opening my eyes, but it seemed like the hardest task in the world; my lids were too heavy to lift.A storm of confusion raided my mind and the noises! Oh, they drove me crazy!Where was I?Another loud bang resonated around me, this time much louder; my ears were hurting from its potency, but every reaction failed me, and I started to panic. What was happening to me?The beeping sound picked up its pace, pushing my panic into overdrive. I wanted to move, to run away from it, but my legs wouldn’t listen to me.That’s when I became aware of the pain.It hurt... My arms, chest... back, feet, even my damn hair hurt!I
KieranFree of the desperation that broke my body and mind, I ran through the hospital, aiming for the rooftop. Security stopped me from entering the elevator, so I tried the stairs, but they caught me on the second floor, delivering a message from my brother to stop acting crazy.Though Philip was right, I’d reconsider the new CT scan donation I promised to the director.Two guards led me to the waiting area, and moments later, a nurse exited a room and came straight to me.“Mister King, our best team of doctors is with your wife. They’re doing everything necessary to make sure there are no hidden threats to her health.”Barely comprehending what the brunette was saying, I headed to the room, but she stopped me, blocking my way.I pulled my hands into fists, directing the fury for the woman into them. Should I kill her right now?As if she could read my mind, she cast her eyes down to the floor, trying to hide from my murderous intentions. but still didn’t move.“Sir, I can’t let you
Kieran“Simon,” I said as soon as I laid my eyes on Philip.“Already called him. He’s on his way.” He was on the phone. “And I have the captain on the line.”Good. With how much money I donated to the Police Department just this year, the President of the fucking country should be on the line!The only thing that kept me from succumbing to the despair that lurked around me in the shadows of my rationality was Sophia.She needed me sane now more than ever, and I couldn’t afford to fall apart.“Yes!” Philip nodded as if his interlocutor could see him. “All right, Captain. Keep me updated.” With that, he cut the call and focused solely on me.“The highway is blocked, and the pursuit has visual.”We were standing in the hospital parking lot where he rushed to meet me, assuming he didn’t want me anywhere near his wife, who had just given birth and witnessed her sister being abducted.And he was right.If I looked half of how I felt, I for sure didn’t appear as anything less than a monster.