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Chapter 21: Fear and Loathing
Last Updated:
2024-08-05 18:25:25
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It Should Have Been Like This Chapter 22: Sass and Snark
"Take a seat if you wish to," he said coldly and walked out of the room. I stared after him, rubbing my ass as I whimpered. He was acting quite cold. It wasn't like he used to be. Rominic was the sweetest… okay, facade, I get it.I sighed and stood up, groaning as the pain shot from my butt cheeks to my knees and elbows. I kicked off my shoes, pulled my sweater over my head, and tossed it on the leather mid-century modern sofa, the only one in the office that could fit four semi-fat people. I sat down on it and wiggled my throbbing ass for comfort."Bastard," I didn't even know whether to be angry or cry from the pain and humiliation, so I just chose both. Cry in rage. It would be so easy to kill him, we were alone after all. But I couldn't. Working together was a bad idea, but again, I couldn't quit. I needed to lay a good example for Zachary. If I quit, he'd know and distance himself from his father. As tempting as the situation was, I prefer not to.I never got the love of my fathe
Last Updated : 2024-08-06It Should Have Been Like This Chapter 23: Heartache and Despair
You know that feeling where you feel like the ground should swallow you up? Well, that was how I felt while sitting in his car and staring out of the window.I wanted to scream and yell from the earlier incident. I blame him for angering me and making me come after him. The fortunate reward is that he didn't die, that should be good enough as an apology for him. But what I saw…I groaned and sank into the car seat, fighting the urge to bury my face in my knees and turn to mud. As much as I was trying to be brazen about it, I knew it wasn't something I wanted to live with. It's not like I haven't seen it before, but I had always been a big-time prude and it had been years since I saw a fine naked man. The keyword is fine. I don't know if it's possible but he looked bigger than before or maybe it was because it'd been years since I last saw 'him'. And the worst part was that I was supposed to be an erotophobe.Why didn't I feel repulsed by the sight?Why did I like what I saw?And Jesus
Last Updated : 2024-08-07It Should Have Been Like This Chapter 24: Consequences of Chaos (1)
I quietly ate at the dining table, not conversing with the kids or grumpy Rominic. He was still in pain and I felt so much better after crying because he deserved it. Crying reminded me of why I need to hate him, and why I must show him no mercy for his wrongdoings.Zachary and Savia noticed it, but they didn't do anything to question me and I was glad they didn't. "So, Mom, you're quiet," Zachary stated, looking at me from the corner of his eyes. Or not.I sighed, he was ready to bother me. "I'm tired,""So I'm guessing your day didn't go so well," Savvy added, giving me her signature smirk. I rolled my eyes to Nic who grumbled something about me being an insufferable woman."Dad, how did your day go?""Bad, terrible, and I blame your mother,""Seriously?" He slammed his fork down and flared his nostrils in furious annoyance."Yes, seriously. Working with you is like signing a contract with the grim reaper. First, you almost lost your mind because of holographic snakes," my cheeks bu
Last Updated : 2024-08-08It Should Have Been Like This Chapter 25: Consequences of Chaos (2)
"I was going to tell him but there were snakes!" I exclaimed.Rominic stared at me seriously. "What happened to my children?""Some bitch teacher—""Manners, young lady," I scolded, glaring at Savia.She huffed. "Can't I just swear out loud this once?""No,""Permitted,""Rominic! You can't go encouraging your kids to swear! She's just eight!""I'm like a few months away from my ninth birthday,"My lips twitched into a sneer. "That doesn't warrant it, sweetheart. You're not allowed to swear even in your head,""That's taking away their freedom of speech," Rominic said in a somewhat complaining manner.I glared at him. "They are kids, Nic,"He rolled his eyes with a scornful glare. "You cursed at me the whole day,""I'm an adult in my early thirties,""Then you should show a good example too,""They can swear as much as they want when they are grownups," I argued, folding my arms once again."No one is allowed to tell my children what to do. They can do and say whatever they want,"I an
Last Updated : 2024-08-09It Should Have Been Like This Chapter 26: A Night of Anguish
I feel the familiar sting of hurt and anger as I recall how he had forgotten my birthday. I had planned everything so meticulously — baking a cake, cooking a special meal, all with the intention of spending a simple, yet meaningful day with him. But he had broken his promise and never came home, leaving me to sleep off my disappointment while waiting for him.For the past seven days, I've been giving him the silent treatment, refusing to even cook for him. Part of me wished I could just leave his house, but my anger hadn't quite reached that level yet. I was determined to make him feel the full weight of his oversight.His Royal Majesty finally joined me in bed. I'd made sure to surround myself with a barrier of pillows, creating distance between us. He hadn't even bothered to apologize, dismissing my reaction as "childish.""It's just a birthday," he said, the nonchalance in his voice only serving to infuriate me further."Laverne, are you still angry?" he asked, as if the answer was
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The day began with a heavy silence. After waking up, I felt a sense of embarrassment and lingering anger over my terrible outburst the night before. To my surprise and unease, Rominic didn't utter a single word about the incident. In fact, he barely spoke to me at all throughout the day, and this only worsened my already foul mood. I couldn't bring myself to talk to the children, afraid that I might end up venting my anger and frustration on them.I had hoped we could get through the day without any further interaction, but I was wrong. It was I who ended up disrupting the tense silence.As I observed Rominic, I couldn't help but notice that he was clearly in pain, likely due to the fall he had taken the previous day. Try as I might, I couldn't ignore the fact that he was suffering. The more I tried to push it out of my mind, the more I felt the tears threatening to spill. It was my fault that he had fallen, and my mind raced with fear-driven thoughts. What if he dies? How would my ch
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I twisted my lips in a pained grimace, biting down hard on my lower lip until I could feel the delicate skin break. Oh, how I longed to just punch that infuriating, smug smile right off his face, to slam his head down against his desk until that self-satisfied expression was wiped away. But I couldn't, and Rominic knew it — he knew he had me trapped. My heart pounded with a burning fury as I clenched my hands at my sides, feeling the joints of my knuckles crack under the strain. The metallic taste of my own blood seeped into my mouth as my teeth continued tearing into my tender lip.Rominic's expression softened, and he slowly rose from his seat, moving to loom over me. His hand came up, reaching towards my face, and I instinctively tried to pull away, but he was too fast. His fingers gripped my chin firmly, forcing me to hold still as his thumb gently stroked the tense muscle of my cheek."Stop biting your lip," he murmured, using his other hand to press his thumb against my bottom
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I watched as Rominic vehemently insisted, "Lavender, I'm telling you, I'm not sick." I stared at him blankly as I proceeded to remove the medications from the bag. Rominic let out a huff of laughter, sensing that I wasn't buying his claims. "Seriously, I'm fine!" he insisted.My gaze traveled over his trembling form. Despite being bundled up in layers of blankets and heavy coats, he was shivering uncontrollably. The only aspect of him that seemed stable was his voice."Mm hm," I hummed sarcastically in response."I'm okay, Laverne. Don't you trust me?" He pleaded. I ignored his protests and walked over to the water dispenser, filling a glass with warm water. I approached him, setting the cup and the bag of medications on the nightstand before beginning to remove the pills from their sealed packets."You bought me drugs?" He asked, his tone laced with uncertainty."Uhm," I replied, gathering the medications in my palm and stretching them out to him. Rominic took a deep breath, his gaze
Last Updated : 2024-08-13
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The sky was a perfect shade of blue, a vast canvas unmarred by even a single cloud. The sun shone brightly, its warmth brushing against my skin, and the faint scent of chlorine and freshly cut grass wafted through the air. Despite the lively scene around me, I found myself staring up at the sky, smiling faintly. It wasn't because I felt at peace—I wasn't. Inside, I was a tangled mess of emotions, but I smiled anyway, if only to keep myself together.I sighed heavily, the weight in my chest pressing harder as my mind drifted to the scandalous headlines that had erupted online just days ago. The rumors of an affair between Apollo and me had spread like wildfire, and the storm they caused had been brutal. Thankfully, Apollo going public about his love for Rominic had turned the tide in our favor. Watching Rominic and Phineas look as if they'd turned to stone when they found out had been oddly satisfying. That, combined with the widely known fact that Apollo and I used to hate each other's
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Lavender stood in the dimly lit living room, her nerves fraying with every passing second. The soft glow of the overhead light bathed the space in warm hues, but it did little to soothe the tension crackling in the air. Rominic was pacing, his creamy blonde hair disheveled, winter-gray eyes stormy as they pinned her in place. He wasn't speaking yet, but his silence was worse than yelling. It was the kind of silence that suffocated, pressing down on her chest like an unseen weight.She laughed nervously, the sound brittle as it broke the stillness. "It's not what you're thinking," she said, her voice softer than she intended. "I swear, Rominic, it's not.”His eyes flickered, sharp and unyielding, and she could feel his temper bubbling just beneath the surface. The faint ticking of his wall clock was the only other sound in the room, an infuriating reminder of how slowly time seemed to move in moments like these.Lavender inhaled deeply, trying to steady herself. Her cinnamon-brown hair
It Should Have Been Like This Chapter 108: Truce Over Grudges
Apollo's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts, sharp and unrelenting. "You alone could've prevented everything, but you chose not to. That's exactly why I despised you. None of you deserve him.""True," I whispered, my voice trembling but steady enough to hold the weight of my resolve. "I don't deserve him." I lifted my gaze to meet his, my expression calm despite the storm raging inside me. A soft, bitter smile curved my lips. "But neither does he deserve me."For a moment, Apollo's sneer faltered, his sharp retort caught in his throat. I turned away before he could recover, the silence between us broken only by the muffled sounds from outside and the deafening beat of my own heart.The room was still thick with the lingering stench of sweat and mildew, but somehow, the suffocating weight of the earlier confrontation had begun to lift. The muffled groans and rhythmic thumping from the other side of the door persisted, but I could almost tune them out now. Apollo leaned back agains
It Should Have Been Like This Chapter 107: Locked In (2)
"Useless," I muttered, shaking my head and leaning further into the armrest of the sofa. The fabric felt damp, and I shifted again, trying to touch as little of it as possible.Apollo leaned back against the wall, his legs stretched out and his arms crossed over his chest. He looked as though he were perfectly comfortable, but I knew better. He thrived on tension, and this situation was no different. A heavy silence settled between us, but it was far from peaceful. The noises from outside—the cries, the moans, the unmistakable sound of a furniture slamming against a wall—filled the void like an unwelcome guest."You've changed," Apollo finally said, his voice cutting through the cacophony. I turned to him, my expression flat and unimpressed. "What?" "What you did out there…" he trailed off, his tone strangely contemplative, though the familiar edge of derision lingered."I don't see anything wrong with seducing my husband," I replied sharply, emphasizing the word ‘husband' with veno
It Should Have Been Like This Chapter 106: Locked In
You know how sometimes things don't go as planned? Well, my situation was one of those.At first, everything seemed to be going perfectly. I had managed to get under Apollo's skin so effectively that he stormed off, his face tight with fury. Victory tasted sweet—at least for a fleeting moment. With him out of the picture, Rominic was mine, entirely mine. We flirted, trading sharp smiles and lingering glances that set my skin ablaze. We kissed, his hands firm yet teasing, and for a brief while, the club's chaotic energy seemed to fade into the background. Then, as if the universe couldn't let me revel for too long, Lilith and a group of men I'd pointed out started brawling. Rominic and Phineas stepped in, practically dragging them apart before things got bloody. They saved lives; I mostly tried not to get crushed.And somehow—still baffling to me—I ended up here. In the mixed-gender restroom. With Apollo.Let me clarify: calling it a “restroom” was a cruel joke. There wasn't a toilet i
