Kathleen sat in front of her mirror, fully clad in her wedding dress as she observed her pale expression, it's her wedding day yet she looked so sad, doubts whirl in her mind, she's getting married to the most upright and perfect guy in the universe, well to everyone, he's a saint, even her parents see him as a demigod and her chance of a lifetime, she had tried on several occasions that Dave is no saint but they would hear nothing about it, her dad had even threatened to disown her if she so much as do anything that will sabotage her marriage with Dave, he is Rich, handsome and charming and would bring them out from their poverty state, he has so blinded her parents that none sees her desire nor do they care about what she wants.
Dave was every lady's dream but he was simply not hers because she has seen him in his true form, he might have been her dream also but she knows better, she knows he is a wolf in sheep's clothing, her mind flashed back to when she first met him.It was during her final year in college, she had been coming back from college with her best friend Tasha, they had been standing at the bus station for hours waiting for a bus but none was in sight, then suddenly, an expensive car parked in front of them
" Hey, pretty ladies" he had said beaming, his white teeth and laughing eyes pulled her right in and she found herself returning the smile" Mind if I give you a ride to your destination?"They hadn't waited for a second invitation, they hopped in, he had been sweet and funny throughout the ride, making them laugh. He dropped Tasha off first then headed to her house" Now I have the queen all to myself"" Really?" She had blushed at his statement of referring to her as a queen" Have you ever seen a queen without a castle?"He smiled ever so charmingly" How about I build you a castle and you be my queen, we'll rule our kingdom"" You're so smooth"" And you're so beautiful" Kathleen had blushed again at his compliment"By the way I'm Dave"" Kathleen" she had answered " Beautiful name for a beautiful queen" That was how their journey had begun, he frequents her house buying her things, in no time at all he won her mother's heart, then her father.Six months into the relationship, they had had a date and she never showed up, Kathleen was beside herself with worry as she tries to reach him but got no response, she decided to see for herself if he's ok, she took a taxi and went to his house, she knocked but got no response, thank God she was with the spare key he had given to her, she simply inserts it into the lock and opened the door. She got in, the living room was in a mess, his clothes and undies all over the place, she bent to pick them up and was puzzled when she saw female undies inclusive other than that she didn't see anyone, she headed upstairs and started hearing faint noise coming from the direction of his bedroom and she moved towards the direction, the door was slightly ajar, she opened the door and was shocked at what was before her, Dave in bed with another lady, she couldn't believe her eyes
" Dave?" She whispered in disbelief and he quickly jumped down from the bed" Sweetheart, it's not what you think" but she didn't wait to hear any of that, she turned on her heels and dashed out of the house.How could he cheat on her, she thought they were okay, she had cried her eyes out.
Dave was persistent, he kept calling and sending texts, he kept coming to her house to apologize promising he would never do it again, and finally, Kathleen had forgiven him and they continued their relationship. One day, he had come to college to pick her up, she was with one of her friends, Rick chatting and laughing when Dave showed up, he walked up to them his gaze furious, he held Rick by his collars, " stay away from my girlfriend""But we aren't doing anything wrong" before Rick could complete his statement, Dave punched him on the nose and Drew blood instantly, Kathleen was aghast and embarrassed as she tries to hold Dave, he suddenly turned on her and gave her a slap that sent her head spinning, before she could recollect herself, he had dragged her into the car and drove off. Kath was furious, " stop this car right now" she yelled but got no response from him. She made for the steering and tries to get hold of it " Shit, you're going to get us killed" he yelled trying to hold into the wheels" I said stop the car"" Alright" he backed and stopped at the side of the road" Sweetheart, concerning what just happened, I am sorry" Kathleen made no reply as she simply opened the door and came down.Dave came down from his side of the car, " Kath, I'm sorry, I regret hitting you", Kathleen didn't answer as she just kept on walking, Dave ran to her front" Kath, I don't know what came over me, I was jealous seeing you with another man"" Dave, I'm tired of this relationship, it's becoming toxic for me"" Please, don't say that Kath, I promise I will change, it won't happen again" he had knelt on the road, tears streaming down his cheeks begging for her forgiveness, Kath pitied him and forgave him, " I forgive you, please don't kneel, get up""Thank you so much, I want to make it up to you, let's go out for lunch" he had blabbered excitedly" I'm really tired, maybe tomorrow"" Alright, my love" he had kissed her forehead before leaving.Although Kathleen had forgiven him the incident was still on her mind making her unusually quiet, her mom came and sat down beside her, " you've been very quiet, what's eating you?"
Kathleen felt relieved that her mom was ready to listen, she would get a mother's advice from her, Being an only child, sometimes she missed not having any sibling to talk to," It's Dave mom, he has changed a lot, I don't think this relationship can work out"" Shhh, do not say that my child, people change, just put more effort, you can't deny he has done so much for this family" her mom wasn't understanding her either, she knew her mom wouldn't understand, " Your father would hear nothing about this, everybody has a flaw, so please learn to accommodate his flaws, he has been nice to us"Kathleen knew that her parents wouldn't understand, they had been blinded by Dave's money.Dave had come the next day to pick her up for their date, they had gone to a fancy place and had beautiful moments together but that beautiful moment had changed drastically when Raul, a long time friend had walked in, she hadn't seen him in years and in her excitement she had hugged him. Dave had stood up immediately and dragged her outside, " how dare you" he had fumedKath's heart skipped, she knew what he was capable of but she hadn't done anything wrong, " Dave please, Raul is just a friend"He had slapped her hard for that comment, shouting " you slut"He slapped her again, Kath lose her footing and bang her head on something very hard, her head spun as she was seeing starsDave was still busy ranting and hitting her and suddenly all noise faded into the background as the only thing that enveloped her was blackness and coldness as she had lost consciousness.Kath had opened her eyes to see her mom at her side, she tried sitting up but her mom rushed to her side to stop her, " what happened, where am I?"" thank God you're awake" her mother cried, " Dave told us you has slipped and bang your head when you both went out yesterday".In a rush, Kath recalled all that happened the previous night, how Dave had beaten her till she had fainted, that liar, he had told her parents' different story."Mom, that wasn't what happened"" Shhhhh, you need to rest, do not talk now"Why wouldn't she let her speak, couldn't she see she was suffocating already in this relationship? At that moment, Dave walked in and she turned her head to the other side of the bed." How's she" he had asked as if concerned, " improving, she's awake" her mother replied" Thank goodness" he rushed to her side," I'll go get something outside" her mom left them alone and Kath felt tears run down from the corner of her eyes, her pa
The doctor came out from the room and both Kath and her mother ran to him, " doctor how's my father?"" He's okay, it's just a minor attack, he just needs his rest"Kath breath a sigh of relief, her mom hugged her with tear-filled eyes." I'll be on my way, for now, he should not be upset by anything," the doctor told them and she nodded, " thank you Doc"Both Kath and her mother went into the room when the doctor left, he opened his eyes when they entered," Don't cry dear" he rasped, looking at her teary mom when they entered, her mom wiped her eyes with the back of her palms and hugged him.Kathleen stood there lost for words," Dad, I'm sorry" she managed to gasp out from her already clogged throat. He glanced at her and turned his face away from her without acknowledging her, she moved towards him and her mother nodded in encouragement." If you're really sorry them you'll agree to keep Dave in your life" he turned towards her and
"Hush now baby girl, it can't be that bad" Tasha hushed Kathleen" How could he be that cruel? Kath cried, " he tried taking advantage of me, all I did was defend myself, it's not fair that I still had to apologize to him" it" Life itself isn't fair, would you rather go to jail than apologies? You have no proof that he tried raping you"" Do you really think I should apologize?"" Yes Kath, trust me everything will be fine, I know Dave loves you"Tasha hugged Kath but inwardly she cringed, to be honest, she had always been jealous of Kath, she had always been everyone's favorite, that day that Dave had picked them up, she had eyes on him but he ended up choosing Kath, it has always been Kath and never her, that's why she feels that Kath deserves every bit of what she was going through with Dave, if Dave had chosen her, she would have treated him so well and they would have been so happy together. She rolled her eyes maliciously at Kathleen
Chapter five.Kathleen sat at the dresser and stared at her reflection, she was dressed as a bride, she was about to become a bride to the devil himself, she desperately wished for a miracle to happen, for someone to save her from this mess and prevent her from going into this prison called marriage." You look so beautiful dear" her mother walked in beaming, " you're so lucky. You made the right choice"." Are you sure mom?" Kath frowned at her mom's words, she doesn't feel lucky and she knew that this was far from making the right choice, Dave was all wrong for her but it was so unfortunate that only she could see that.Her mother stared at her, " what's with your tone? Of cause Dave is good for you, your father is very happy"."Dad would sell me because of money and you are too blinded to see that" she retorted." I thought we have discussed this, come, let's go, everyone is waiting for you".Kathleen followed her mother with a heavy heart.
Derek was astonished at her words, he laughed almost hysterically, he guessed she had hit her head so hard and it was affecting her thinking, "hold on, I have no intention of getting married anytime soon"She rose from her bed and looked at him desperately, " you have to, please, you've got to save me""Calm down, you don't even know me, you can't just get married to a stranger"."I bet you are better than the devil I am fleeing from, it would be just for a while"He looked at her as if considering it, "what do you stand to gain from this?""The protection of a husband" she answered frantically"And what do I stand to gain? She considered his question for a while, "I'll be forever indebted to you. you'll have my gratitude"Derek considered her statement, in reality, he needed a wife, his mother had been on his neck and had even gone ahead to arrange a marriage for him with Cassandra, he was supposed to get married immediately he got home and
They've just signed the marriage contract and Kathleen's stomach quivered as they came out of the magistrate office, she glanced at her husband, the only thing she knew about the man she had married was his name, Derek Deloux, her husband, her heart pounded as the reality of what she has just done hit her, she had sought shelter from him, what if he turned out to be worst than Dave, well, she can handle it, there was nothing like emotions attached to this marriage, it was simply marriage by name alone, she would have nothing to regret.Derek looked at her, "regretting already? The deed has already been done, now let's go home"."Home", the word sank into Kathleen, she have no idea where home is, she had no idea about anything."Where exactly is home?"He smirked at her question, "home is where the heart lies baby"Her cheeks burned at the name he called her, "that's not the answer to my question" she fired back trying to cub her discomfort."I see
Chapter 8"Your wife?" His mother's tone was that of surprise as she blinked, "but.....but....""But what mom?" Derek interrupted"I thought..." His mother stuttered and once again Derek cuts her off, "that's the problem with you mom, you're always thinking, I'm sorry I didn't inform you about her but right now my wife needs to rest""Oh! Sure" his mother left the entrance so they could both go in, her voice wasn't sounding happy and the expression on her face was that of anger, she narrowed her eyes on Kathleen as she went in."Your room has been prepared for you" his mother informed him"Thanks, Mom, right now I want to see Dad, where is he?"He's in his room" his mother replied him and he raised a brow, "I thought he's supposed to be in the hospital, why is he home?""Well, I am trying to avoid too much publicity, the doctor is coming here to administer treatment, I think it's better that way""Alright then, I'll see him shortly" he tu
He entered his father's room and saw him lying on the bed with his eyes closed, he looked aged and worn and for a moment he felt guilty about abandoning him, his father was his only family related to him by blood, his mother had died years back and his father had remarried, although, Derek wasn't cool with the marriage because he felt his father had made the wrong choice as he had married his late mother's best friend, he had made his misgivings known to his father but his father had gone ahead to marry her, he had no choice than to accept the marriage but that was the first step that created a gap in father and son relationship, his father had made many mistakes but he was still his father, he wondered why his father was so obsessed about him taking over the family's business, afterall, he has a Step brother, his step mother's son from her previous marriage.Dave was so much interested in the family's business but his dad had never given him the chance, that alone had ma
Derek was blindfolded by a man as soon as he got to the address and was led into the building, the blindfold was removed when he was inside and the sight that befell him made his heart sink, he, first of all, saw just the gun pointed at Kathleen's head, his eyes traveled the arms that held the gun and anger lit his eyes, "Dave? How dare you?" He whispered furiously and took a step towards him but he was kicked hard by the man who brought him in and he fell in his face, "this is no time for you to get angry son" Marcella's voice said from behind him a split secondbefore she came into view, "you're behind the kidnapping?" Derek whispered unable to believe what was before him, "how dare you" he gritted"I dare" she replied furiously, "and you must do everything I say if you want to keep her alive"What do you want?" He stared at Marcella angrily and she smiled, "now you're talking" she brought out some papers and threw at him, "it's simple, sign these documents st
It's been two days since Derek had returned from the hospital, he thought about the day Kathleen was abducted and his heart constricted painfully, he had lost three people so close to him in one day, his driver had died that day and Geoffrey, although still alive may never be able to walk again and Kathleen, God, she is now in an unknown destination, perhaps dead, but he doesn't want to think of her dead, she has to be alive, that's the only way he could live, without her, there's no life. He has been called from the rehab center to go and pick up his father, it would have been an I deed memorable and joyous day if only Kathleen was around but he felt hollow and empty inside, he was good for nothing because he wasn't able to protect her. the police were trying their best but he couldn't help but feel that they are wasting so much time in bringing his wife back to him, he has to do something, he has to find her but where could he start from? He was on his way to get his old man when
Derek struggled to open his eyes, there were buzzes and lots of noise, he opened his eyes and squinted against the daylight, he vaguely realized that he was moving and people were surrounding him, he was on a stretcher and soon he was placed inside an ambulance, someone must have informed the police, Kathleen, those men have taken her, he tried to sit up but fell back as his eyes shut, trying to withstand the pain he was feeling on his head, "please don't try to move, you're greatly injured" a medic tried to hold him down, "Kathleen.. " he tried to pronounce her name but his mouth was too heavy to obey him, he was drifting and he fought against the wave, he had to get to Kathleen, "find Kathleen" he rasped before the darkness dragged him under. "I told you not to do anything to Derek" Marcella's angry voice made the men shift on their feet with their heads bowed, she had met with them after they had taken Kathleen to where she had instructed them, she was furious, if a
Kathleen was happy that she would soon be home, the doctor had told her that she would be discharged later in the day, she had missed Derek and although he was never scarce in the hospital, she had missed cuddling up with him at night and waking up in his arms, Derek had told her the previous day that his father has improved a great deal and would be home anytime soon, she smiled when she thought about her father-in-law coming back home, he had been unstable and immobile since she got married to Derek, she was happy she would finally meet him in good state of mind. Her thoughts wandered to Marcella and Dave and her face darkened, as far as they are in that house, they'll always pose a threat but she doesn't think Michael Deloux would let Marcella off the hook that easily this time around, Nicole had been sent to prison and she believed very soon Marcella would join her there, they deserved to pay for all their crimes.The man in the room besides Kathleen watched as she was pi
Derek dashed down the stairs, taking it two at a time, he ran into Mary who was carrying drinks to the sitting room, spilling it all over him, she would have fallen if he hadn't held her by the shoulders to steady her, "I'm sorry" he quickly apologized. She observed him for a second, "is everything okay Sir? You look pale" Derek shook his head, his head pounding furiously in his chest, "I just got a call that my wife is in city memorial hospital, she's been shot""What!" She gasped, completely dropping the tray holding the glasses of juice and tears immediately brimming in her eyesWithout waiting for Mary's response, he dashed off and heard her vaguely saying to him to change his clothes and also Marcella running towards her and asking her what happened, without beckoning to his driver, he got into the driver's seat and drove away.He wasn't allowed to go into Kathleen's room when he got to the hospital as she has been prepared for surgery, he watched Kathleen throug
Kathleen had gone to visit Michael Deloux, the old man seemed sober and she decided to ask him who gave him the dose back there in the other facility and his description of the culprit only confirmed her thoughts, it was Nicole, she was behind this, why would she do that? She decided on a whim to pay Nicole a visit, she had to find out her motive for doing such. Nicole was still staying in the house that was gifted to Kyle by Derek, she opened the door just as Kathleen was about to knock, "well, well, look who is here" she smirked as soon as she opened the door and saw Kathleen, her eyes going cold, she stared at Kathleen with so much hate that Kathleen shivered, " what are you doing here?" She hissed at Kathleen, ignoring her, Kathleen pushed her way in, " I am here to know what you will gain if Derek's father relapsed""I don't understand what you mean by that, please, leave my house"Of cause, you know what I'm talking about and I'm not leaving here until I get an answe
Kàthleen went downstairs the next morning for breakfast to see only Dave seated on the table, she immediately turned to go back in but before she could take two steps, he was fast to go round the table and stood in front of her, blocking her exit."Get out of my way" she gritted"Or else what? He smirked taking two steps towards her and she unconsciously moved backward, he kept coming on to her and she kept moving until her back touched the table, "what the hell do you think you're doing Dave?"What does it seem like?" He asked bringing his head closer to her, she placed her palms on his chest and pushed, fuming in anger, she docks and slide out from beneath him and had almost made her escape but his hand quickly snaked out and dragged her back, forcefully placing his lips on hers, Kathleen bit down on it so hard that she drew blood, he yelped in pain as he pushed her away, Kathleen spat out the blood, heaving furiously and she stared at him through narrowed ey
Kàthleen couldn't have heard it wrong, could she? His wife? So he had gone ahead and married her once best friend, she felt pain in her heart as old wounds were opened, ever since she had run away on her wedding day, she hadn't allowed herself to think about it and hadn't asked about anyone from her past, so she had absolutely no idea that Tasha was married to Dave but in just a matter of days, ghosts from her past kept popping up, first it was her parents, then Dave and now Tasha. seeing Dave was enough to shake her but seeing Tasha, her once best friend who betrayed her was like a bitter pill she just couldn't swallow, she had trusted her and confided in her, she had seen Tasha like the sister she never had and had loved her but all she got for her trouble was a stab on her back, she watched as Tasha slowly sat close to Dave, tears unbiddenly welled in her eyes, she just couldn't take the pain, it was too much for her to bear, these shocks she had gotten, all in one day fin
Kathleen felt like she was sitting on a Ferris wheel as her head spun, "what are you doing here? She managed to gasp out and he looked at her mockingly, "visiting my family" she looked confused and stared at Derek who was also staring at her, his expression confused also, "you two know each other" they asked at the same time and Dave laughed out loud, amused at the situation, "well I can do the honor of clearing the confused air" he turned to Kathleen and smiled, "Derek Deloux here is my lovely bro and to you sweet brother, this lady here is my bride" he said simply and Kathleen flinched at his reference to her as his bride, "we didn't get married" she murmured and Dave laughed evilly, clearly enjoying the scene"He's not my brother either and can never be one" Derek gritted out and Dave chuckled some more, wrapping his arms around Derek, "my mother is your father's wife, we're family" Derek shoved him away and Dave snarled " do you think you can keep my mom locked up forever?"