He stroked her red cheek while holding her waist, repeating the same promises he made to her years ago. "I will love you forever as we grow old together, baby." "Stop it, you are making me blush." Ivy's face flushed as she was enjoying his sugar-coated words. His hand swayed down below, touching her soft skin as he came closer for a kiss. Ivy closed her eyes, awaiting the sweet moment, but he deviated to tease her. "Stop it," she pouted, displeased that he ruined her moment. "Dave, you haven't told me where our honeymoon will be." He smiled and kissed her lips, which made her smile as well because she got what she wanted. "If I tell you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore." "Please tell me, I might die with anticipation," she said, pulling a cute face. She looked more beautiful and seductive when she did that, and her beauty was the reason Dave asked her out back then in college. They became college sweethearts, and the whole school knew about the lovebirds that never went anywhe
She arrived at the courthouse, patiently waiting for her soon-to-be husband, but there was no sign of him yet. A few hours passed, and he still hadn't arrived. Ivy was getting impatient. She tried calling him, but he wasn't picking up her calls."What is taking him so long, he should be here by now," she said, wiping the bead of sweat from her face. Worry was making her sweat, even though it wasn't hot. It was a bright day, and she wanted to get married. Yet here she was without her husband by her side.She calmed her nerves and distracted her mind from worry by recalling good moments with him. How he confessed his love to her and how she reacted by running away to hide. She was only eighteen back then and knew nothing about love. Even when other guys asked her out, they never made her feel the way Dave made her feel.She called him again, and the same thing happened with the same result. No answer. Her makeup might get ruined before the actual event.Two more hours passed, there was
Her heart was breaking into pieces, her world crumbling and stabbing her deep, and she could feel it, the pain of being betrayed. "No," she stepped back. "No." She had to see it with her eyes to know if her ears were deceiving her, only then would she believe it. She hesitated, she couldn't bring herself to see what she never expected, wished for, or even thought of. Her hands were shaking, struggling to hold onto the doorknob. She forced herself to give in, to see it and clear her doubt. She opened the door slowly, still hesitating, but finally opened it wide. Tears flowed down her eyes as she saw her sister's naked body pressed against her boyfriend's, moving in sync as they made love to each other like they had no problems in the world. They didn't notice her, as they were still engaged in intimacy. Ivy sniffed, when was the last time she cried like this? When? Here she was, heartbroken. Did her sister even care about how she would feel when she found out? Her sniffing caught thei
She walked inside not hesitating for a moment, she didn't care about what might have happened. She decided to embrace life's taunts, get it over with, move on, or live on with her misery. She went straight to the bar and bought drinks with all the money she had left. The bartender just looked at her as she moved on from one bottle to another without slowing down."Hey, slow down." The bartender was worried she might choke on her drink.She ignored him and carried on, finding solace in alcohol, drinking away her sorrow. She was intoxicated with alcohol that she didn't notice she drank all four bottles. She lifted the last bottle and placed it upside down, and nothing came out. She groaned and faced the bartender."More... drinks... I need more drinks.""I'm sorry, you're too drunk to have more." Not that he wasn't allowed to sell more, he was just concerned for the pretty lady."GIVE ME! I said GIVE ME!" she was running mad."GIVE! Give... give me..." She rested her head, the shout fro
Ivy waited the whole day, but the boss didn't return. The long day was boring as she was told to only roam around the living area and her room. She accepted the hospitality, as it was a lot better than roaming the streets with no place to stay.She was about to sleep when the butler knocked on the door. "Miss, could you please come outside.""Sure," Ivy replied as she came out of the room."Well um…," he hesitated before letting it loose. "He said you should leave before he comes back.""But I want to thank him," she explained."I'm sorry, miss, you have to go," he ushered her out of the room."Please let me stay, I have nowhere to go, please," she pleaded."Miss, let me show you to the door," the butler insisted."Let me spend the night; in the morning, I'll leave. Please," she rubbed her hands together, pleading."You have to understand, I don't own this place; I am only following orders," he said apologetically."Plead with him," Ivy still insisted on staying."Miss, please this wa
Zack looked at her in disbelief, no woman would dare say that to him for as much as they wanted to. But this one woman standing in front of him showed no hesitation. Her gaze was completely fixed on him, she even smiled. He sat down on his bed and took a good look at her before replying."You said what?""Let's get married," she repeated, and this time she made it clear she was serious."You want to marry a stranger, how desperate are you?" He said, giving her a profound look. His cold stare didn't faze her as she kept a serious face eager for a positive response, in hope he agrees to her proposition. Her attitude was frightening for her demeanor, and Zack took his time to consider her initial request and her current proposition, which he never expected her to come up with. She seemed hopeless, as she has been pleading with him to let her stay, and he refused before she took his earlier conversation she overheard to her advantage. After all, no one forced him to help her in the first
A wedding suite was reserved personally for her, Zack managed to arrange all of that within a day, he was being considerate even though she would be all by herself. Tossing her phone on the exquisite bed and taking off her high heels, she intended to get a nice siesta before her phone rang. After she saw the caller's ID, she frowned and tossed it back to the bed, there was no way she was picking the call. The caller was persistent, as her phone kept ringing, she was tempted to smash her phone to make sure she never saw the caller's name, but as much as she wanted to, she refrained. There were better things to do than that, no matter how she tried to run away from her past, it will keep haunting her unless she takes action to deal with it so it never bothers her again. Her eyes caught a glimpse of something at the corner of the bed, very close to her phone. She didn't notice this before as she was too eager to rest. A black card was placed on the nightstand and she had an idea who it
The shop assistant made her decision to sell the dress to Kate. She took her card to proceed with the sale but Ivy's next reaction stunned Kate. Opening her mouth wide to spit out words of insult, but nothing came out. In fact, she was trapped in a stupor looking at the deed performed by Ivy. She flung her card to the side without hesitation and placed hers on the counter, smiling at the shop assistant who was staring at her incredulously. If she was really who Kate said she was, then her attitude was frightening for her demeanor."What... what's... the meaning of this? You..." Having recovered from the initial shock, she struggled to get her words straight.Ivy was pleased with the expression on her face. It was flushed red from anger, twitching her nose. "You are annoyed? Why are you annoyed when you started it..." Ivy smirked and turned to face the shop assistant."Let me make myself clear, I... will... be... paying... for this... dress. Understood." She emphasized her words, looki
FEW DAYS LATERIvy sat in the therapist's office, fidgeting with her hands as she tried to process the events of the past few weeks. Firstly, discovering her father was alive, then his repulsion, then the truth behind her mother's death. She sighed. It was all too overwhelming—Zack was right, she needed help if she wanted to dive into the road of vengeance. She had to be emotionally stable to handle the heat. That's why she had agreed to visit a therapist, as the nightmares were becoming unbearable. Ivy couldn't shake off the feeling of helplessness that had consumed her for so long.Dr. Thompson, a middle-aged woman with a kind face, took a seat across from her with a warm smile on her face."Welcome, Mrs. Anderson," she greeted, and Ivy returned the smile, forcing her lips to curl up.She looked up at Dr. Thompson, who was watching her with a compassionate gaze, and she asked, feeling a sense of desperation wash over her, "Where do I even start?"Dr. Thompson leaned forward, her eye
"Ivy, Ivy," Zack called softly, standing at the door to their bedroom. Ivy had locked herself in again and refused to answer.It made Zack wonder if he had been too pushy, too insensitive. He knew Ivy was strong and capable, but he also knew that she was still vulnerable, still hurting from her past. And it was like a thorn to his heart to see her suffering.He hoped that she would forgive him, that she would understand that he was only trying to help. But as the minutes ticked by, Zack couldn't shake the feeling that he had made a mistake—one that might take some time to repair."I'm sorry, Ivy," he whispered. "I promise to listen to you, to understand you. Please, just let me in."Zack paused, hoping that Ivy would respond, but there was only silence. He sighed, feeling a pang of regret and worry. He didn't want to lose Ivy, not even for a moment. He wanted to be there for her, to hold her, to comfort her.He tried again, his voice softer, more gentle. "Ivy, please. Don't shut me ou
Once the kitchen was spotless, Ivy and Zack got to work cooking up a storm together. They chatted and joked, with Ivy doing most of the work, supervising Zack on what to do."I'll start chopping the veggies," Ivy said, picking up a knife and heading to the cutting board."What do you need me to chop?" Zack asked, standing beside her."Can you chop the bell peppers and onions?" Ivy replied, starting to chop some broccoli.Zack nodded, taking the knife from Ivy and beginning to chop the bell peppers and onions. The sound of sizzling vegetables and the aroma of stir-fry filled the air as they worked together.As they chopped and cooked, Ivy felt a sense of calm wash over her. This was what she needed – a normal, quiet evening with her husband, away from the drama and stress of her family's secrets. She wished every day could be like this, problem-free.But as they cooked, she couldn't help but think about her conversation with Irene earlier that day. She knew she had to tell Zack about i
Upon hearing Irene, Ivy recall what she had gone through a few months ago with Jake's situation. The danger, fear, and anxiety all came flooding back. Her eyes glazed over as she stared blankly into space. Was she ready to face that kind of situation again? It seemed her father's cruelty was beyond her imagination. "Having second thoughts?" Irene's voice cut through the fog, snapping her back to reality. "It would be better if we don't do anything rash, at least not now." Ivy shook her head in disapproval. She refused to sit back and do nothing while he had threatened her about Jeremy's trial. Upon drifting to this thought, she tugged on Irene's sleeve and forced her to sit back down. Irene didn't resist Ivy's pull but sighed in frustration. "We can't just sit back and do nothing, Irene," Ivy continued. "He's threatening me with Jeremy's case." Irene's brow furrowed in confusion. "Jeremy's case as in—wait." She paused, her eyes widened in shock. "Jeremy is back!" Ivy nodded a
Ivy refused to sit back and let things unfold before her eyes. Though she hadn't recovered from the trauma of her past, she had to take action.Ivy concealed her plan from Zack and her decision to investigate on her own. She needed Zack, but there were actions to be taken without Zack's help.So, the next day as Zack left the office, Ivy put on a brave face, not wanting to arouse any suspicion and also to avoid the retort of a therapist. She waited until Zack was out of sight, and with a sense of purpose and trepidation, Ivy dialed Irene's number.The line went through, and Irene's voice sounded with a hint of irritation."What do you want now?"Ivy ignored Irene's icy tone and got to her point."Let's meet up at the French bistro," she said flatly, leaving no room for protest.Irene chuckled at Ivy's slightly commanding tone, intrigued by whatever reason Ivy might have."What do you want?" Irene repeated, exasperation creeping into her voice."I'd rather discuss that in person, and I
As Zack swept her into their bedroom, Ivy's heart skipped a beat, racing with anticipation. She felt the wall against her back as Zack's strong hands pinned her in place."Late noon sex won't be so bad after all," Ivy teased as she felt Zack's hands cradle her hips, lifting her higher, his fingers digging gently into her skin.Ivy was breathless as her body was pressed closer to Zack's, their faces merely inches apart. The movement sent a thrill through her, and she felt her body responding at all turns."I'm glad you like the ideas," Zack finally spoke, a soft whisper in her ears, as he held her suspended, her hips at his mercy.Ivy's lips parted slightly, her body leaning into him. Her heart throbbed. Instinctively, she found her hand already wrapping around Zack's neck, pulling him close.She knew she should probably pull back, as it wasn't their usual position, but she couldn't help herself. She was drawn to Zack, and she didn't realize it at first, but she needed him right now. H
"Yeah, I don't see tears on your cheek," Susan said, her voice laced with sarcasm as she gently wiped away the tears streaming down Ivy's face.Ivy's eyes widened in embarrassment, and she quickly looked away, trying to compose herself.Susan's expression softened, and she wrapped her arms around Ivy, pulling her into a warm hug. "It's okay, Ivy. Let it all out. I'm here for you."Ivy's resistance crumbled, and she buried her face in Susan's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. Susan held her close, whispering words of comfort and reassurance as Ivy finally allowed herself to release the emotions she had been bottling up for so long.As Ivy cried, Susan stroked her hair, murmuring softly, "That's it... Don't worry about the time; we have all day."After what felt like an eternity, Ivy's sobs finally subsided, and she pulled back from Susan, her face red and puffy from crying. Susan handed her a tissue, and Ivy blew her nose, feeling a little more composed."I'm sorry," Ivy said, her voic
Susan's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly composed herself and hurried around to the driver's side of the car. "Okay, Ivy, let's get out of here," she said softly, starting the engine.Meanwhile, Anna merely stood by, observing as Ivy's car disappeared into the distance. It appeared that her pleasant chat with Ivy would need to be postponed, as it was clear that Ivy had her own issues to address. Anna sighed and shook her head, feeling a pang of concern for Ivy. She had no idea what was going on but made a mental note to reach out to Ivy later and check in on her.As she turned to head back to her own car with her PA, she noticed a figure watching her from across the parking lot. It was a man, and the moment their eyes met, the man turned away and hurried out of the parking lot."I think that's a paparazzo," her PA suddenly spoke up from behind her, having also noticed the man."Or a journalist," Anna remarked. "Either way, we should be careful," Anna continued, her eyes scann
Ivy blinked incredulously as she stared at her father. Was he being serious? "You want me to lie under oath and perjure myself to save Jeremy's skin?" she spat, her voice trembling with rage. Steve's expression remained impassive, as though nothing else mattered to him. "I'm not asking you to lie, Ivy," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "I'm asking you to... refrain from testifying for the sake of our family, and I promise I'll make sure that after Jeremy serves just a few years, he will never bother you again." Ivy laughed in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? After everything he has done, you want to manipulate the whole situation and lighten his sentence?" Steve's face darkened, and for a moment, Ivy thought she saw a flicker of anger in his eyes. But then, his expression smoothed out again, and he spoke in a tone that was almost... reasonable. "Ivy, listen to me. Jeremy made a mistake, okay? He's sorry for what he did, and he's willing to face the consequences. But if y