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CH.99

Author: Golden Butterfly
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

Two days drifted by in an uneventful calm.

The residual entanglements of fear and worry still had me in their grasp. I was unable to muster the courage to venture beyond the familiar confines of our home.

The panic attacks and overwhelming sense of dread clung to me like persistent, unyielding companions in my daily struggle to find footing in this new, uncertain chapter of her life.

I sat nestled in the living room with my family, drawing comfort from their reassuring presence surrounding me as had become routine.

The soft murmurs of conversation and the warmth of being together provided a welcome respite from the turmoil raging within my mind. Yet, there was one noticeable absence that tugged at my attention.

"Mom?" I spoke up with a furrowed brow etched with both curiosity and concern. "Where's Suga? I haven't seen him around today."

My mother merely smiled warmly and mysteriously, reaching out to give my hand a comforting pat instead of providing the explanation I was exp
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    "Karl!" Talia's usually warm voice was now cold as ice. "What are you doing here?" Lavinia felt her heart stutter at the sound of her husband's name. She moved forward slowly, as if in a trance until she could see past Talia's rigid form to the man standing on their doorstep. His sudden and unexpected presence invoked a storm of emotions within her – fear, anger, sadness, and despite everything, an underlying lingering sense of longing that she could never quite extinguish all swirled together sickeningly. "K...Karl!" she uttered. Karl's intense gaze was transfixed solely on Lavinia, drinking in her delicate beauty which seemed to intensify the longing that burned within him. He yearned to cross the space between them and take her into his arms, to pour out the torrent of emotions he had been harboring for so long – his regret, his sorrow, his enduring love for her that had never wavered despite his greatest failing. The complicated relationships between Lavinia an

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    Their unhurried stroll led them towards the nearby shoreline, where the rhythmic lapping of waves against the sandy beach seemed like a calming backdrop to the heaviness of the conversation to come. They both stopped at the short stone wall that bounded the beach and stared out over the beautiful water for a while without saying anything. Karl finally turned his face towards Lavinia's familiar profile with sadness etched into his chiseled features. "You know something is coming, don't you?" he asked in a low tone that broke the stillness between them, his words laced with meaning. Lavinia turned to face him then. "I still hope for your forgiveness someday, Lavinia," he said with a strength forged by the fires of his suffering. Even after everything, Lavinia couldn't quite extinguish the small flicker of love for the man who had once been her universe. "Don't worry, I have agreed to the divorce,” he stated. The words sent a shockwave through Lavinia's being that left he

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    Talia finally managed to snatch the keys from the perpetually grumpy Robert about taking his precious car with a grin after a brief back-and-forth. "Be careful with her, you hear me?" Robert warned sternly. "Not a single scratch!"Talia rolled her eyes dramatically. "Yeah, yeah, I got it, Mr. Overprotective. I'll treat your baby like royalty, sheesh!"It was a familiar song and dance between the step-cousins. Robert put on an air of gruffness while inwardly not being able to resist indulging her. Talia knew just how to push his buttons to get what she wanted.With the keys safely in her grasp, she headed out, making her way down to the shoreline to meet Lavinia as they had planned earlier.Talia found Lavinia staring out at the softly swaying waves when she reached the shore. She seemed totally absorbed in her own thoughts, the breeze lightly tousling her hair. "Lavinia!" Talia called out in a singsong voice, breaking the spell of her cousin's reverie.Lavinia turned with

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    Karl’s grin broadened at her words and he drew the quilt over them both before they welcomed dreamland together.The next day, Lavinia was standing in the middle of the dressing room, clad in just her underwear, angling her body towards the full-length mirror. With a small smile, she ran her hands over the gentle swell of her baby bump, admiring the changes pregnancy was bringing to her figure.She grabbed her phone and started snapping a series of photos from various angles in an attempt to document this special journey.The bathroom door opened and Karl stepped in, fresh from the shower with a towel slung low around his hips.He raised an eyebrow at his wife's actions. "Uh, what're you doing there, babe?"Lavinia glanced over her shoulder with a smile. "I'm taking belly pics! Wanna get in on this?" She motioned for him to join her. "I want to have photos documenting my whole pregnancy so we can look back on it."Without hesitation, Karl crossed the room and wrapped his arms snugly ar

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    “Is my husband still angry with me?” she murmured.She could feel the scorching heat of his body through the thin silk of her negligee and smell the warm, musky scent of his skin. It made her head spin with a dizzying rush of want.Before Karl could respond, Lavinia closed the scant distance between them and captured his lips in a deep, hungry kiss.For a long, heated moment he seemed to melt against her. His mouth moved in tandem with hers as one of his hands slid up to fist in her hair.A low rumbling groan of pure masculine appreciation vibrated against her lips and it made her shiver with delight.Then, all at once, Karl seemed to come to his senses. He tore his mouth away from hers with a harsh curse. His hands quickly dropped away from her as if she had scorched him."Dammit, Lavinia," he growled.There was an unmistakable bulge tenting the front of his pajama pants. "Don't do this, not tonight. I'm serious."Lavinia felt her heart plummet at the rejection. "But Karl--""No buts.

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    Lavinia felt her stomach twist itself into an anxious knot when the realization struck her. Karl must have retreated upstairs to their bedroom, no doubt seeking the solitude and space his anger and hurt seemed to demand.She wavered in the doorway for a long moment, chewing nervously on her lower lip while weighing her options.Part of her wanted nothing more than to leave him be, to give him the time and distance he so clearly needed to process whatever emotions were raging inside him over the disastrous misunderstanding.Another, deeper part of her, however, knew that putting off a reconciliation would only breed more resentment and pain between them.No, better to bite the bullet and face the awkwardness head-on no matter how painful it might be.Drawing a fortifying breath, Lavinia finally turned on her heel and slowly headed for the stairs.By the time she reached the bedroom door, her heart was pounding a staccato rhythm against her ribcage. She could hear the muffled sounds of

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