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Chapter 18
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2024-10-29 19:42:56“I used to come here with my friends from school so often that late papa Joey threatened to throw us out forever,” Jack chuckled at the memory, “but he never did. I continued coming here with my friends from college too. When you see the joint from the outside, you would never guess that they make the best pizza in the city.”
Maggie was sitting across from him, and she was looking around, careful not to miss a word he said. The restaurant was indeed small and had only a couple of tables all covered with plaid tablecloths, but the atmosphere was perfect, homey and cozy, and the smells coming from the back… they were probably the most delicious and inviting smells she has encountered.
They were both dressed casually, and this was the first time for Maggie to see him not wearing his usual white dress-shirt, but dark jeans and simple tee-shirt. She was in a cute, fluttery summer dress that reached just above her knees and strappy sandals.
The waiter came a few minutes
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Maggie woke up early. The sun was not up yet, so she made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast for her and the other adult resident of the house, Jack. Mary will not be coming today, and she was the one to prepare breakfast for them in the past days. Maggie and Jack never had breakfast together, except for her first morning here. She was avoiding him quite literally, but since she discovered he wasn't actually as 'bad' as she thought initially, she decided that she could afford to walk around the house more freely.She made a fresh pot of coffee and a plate filled with her favorite French toast, and she also cut some fruit she found in the fridge. She was just about to sit at the table and start eating when Jack entered. His hair was neatly combed, and he was dressed perfectly, not a single wrinkle on his smart suit. Well, he indeed was a sight to see, and Maggie just realized how much she started to enjoy it.Jack woke up today earlier than usual. He inten
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Jack was about to leave his office when the phone on his desk rang."Hello, son. It's your father speaking. Your mother is very disappointed with you. Did we have to hear from someone else that you got married?" 'And here it goes…' Jack thought."Well, hello to you too, father. What you heard is right…" he was cut off by his father's strict voice."I am disappointed too, boy. Is this how we taught you?" 'It's exactly what you taught me,' Jack thought but said nothing, "We expect you for lunch this Sunday. Bring that girl so we can meet her." he never waited for Jack's reply, he cut the call when he said what he had to say.Jack sighed. The good mood that held him since early morning was now gone. His father, like always, managed to make him feel like a failure with just a couple of words. It was always like that, ever since he was a kid. Nothing he ever did was good enough in his father's eyes. When he was a child playing around the house, when he was a strai
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"I missed you so much, mom," Maggie sobbed in her mother's embrace. She was finally here, in Chicago."I missed you too. You have no idea," Rebecca whispered, tears were streaming down her face.Maggie moved back a bit, scanning Rebecca up and down. She was sitting on the hospital bed, looking better than she did in so long. Her skin was not as ashy as Maggie remembered it to be, at least she thought so. And her eyes shone brightly."You look good, mom, really good." Maggie's voice was beaming with happiness."I feel good, better than I have in a long time. Especially now, when I have you near." Rebecca sniffled. "Let me look at you!" and after she took a good look at Maggie, she added: "You look rested, and you are shining! Oh, I was so worried for you…" she sniffled again."I told you, mom, there was no need to worry," she said, and before she could say anything else, a discreet cough stopped her. She turned around and saw Jack standing in the corner
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Maggie was wearing her most elegant dress, a deep blue one, with sleeves that reached her elbows and a skirt that came to just below her knees. The neckline was also decently placed, it showed nothing more than her collar bone. She pulled her hair into a low bun, not too constricting, but enough to look more put together.Jack was in one of his expensive suits, and they were on their way to his parents' house. He was tense and gripping the steering wheel with excessive force. He had a feeling that this won't end well. Maggie noticed his knuckles white from squeezing the wheel, and she put her hand on his forearm, rubbing it soothingly."Hey, you don't have to worry. Everything will be fine." She tried to calm him a bit, but he only huffed in response.Soon they arrived in front of the beautiful mansion Maggie has ever seen. It was a three-story building with a fountain in front of the stairs that led to the entrance. The house itself was surr
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For the next few days, Maggie gave her best to avoid Jack. She left her room only when she was sure that he was out and that a chance for them to meet was nonexistent. Every morning, she would wait to hear him leave before she would go down to have breakfast, and she would be back in her room as soon as she heard his car coming through the gates. Maggie was aware that she was acting childishly, hiding from him like this, but she couldn't face him. She didn't want to face him. After he kissed her that day when they returned from the disaster of lunch at his parents'… Her heart was beating wildly, and her thoughts were a total mess. Why did he have to kiss her? Why did he have to make this even harder for her? Why did he have to complicate things between them?Again, he gave her no choice; he forced himself into her heart just as he forced himself into her life. It was always him, always his choice. She had no say in the matter.And the worst thing was, she like
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She was avoiding him again. This time it was his fault. That night, four days ago, after they came back from his parents', Jack couldn't hold himself any longer. He kissed her, and it was just as satisfying as he thought it would be. It was everything he never thought it was possible to feel. It was what he was searching for. It felt right!And then she hid from him again.Was it a wrong move? Was it too early for a kiss? Maybe. But that didn't change the fact that it was the best damn kiss he ever had.Jack wanted to give her time, he honestly planned to, but when he hadn't seen her or talked to her in four days, he couldn't wait any longer. He craved her presence; he yearned for her sweet voice.It was Thursday and just got out of the meeting with the marketing company that was supposed to make an advertisement for his company products. Back in his office, he had a hard time concentrating on the paperwork in front of him, because his mind
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"You and Jack seem different," Emma said meaningfully to Maggie while they were standing in the kitchen. A few seconds earlier Maggie came in to get some water, but Emma stormed in after her, curious to find out if her instinct was right.From the moment Jack and Maggie arrived, Emma noticed there was something different about them, but she couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was. She waited impatiently for a convenient moment to ambush Maggie and dig out the truth."I don't know what you're talking about," Maggie brushed her off. Of course, she knew what Emma had in mind."Don't lie to me, missy. I know something is going on between you two. Spill it out! Now! You wouldn't deny a request from a pregnant woman, would you?" she added, faking shyness, and caused Maggie to laugh."You are unbelievable, you know that?!""I've been told… come on, come on! I'm dying to know! Jack has been my best friend ever since I met him and I
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A week ago, Hiram was in Jack's office. He took Maggie's phone and promised to get back to him as soon as he finds something. He agreed with Jack and Robert that this could not be a mistake. To this day, Jack hasn't heard a word from Hiram, and that started to worry him. But since he got a new phone and number for Maggie, she hasn't received any new messages.Jack was enjoying every single second he has spent with Maggie in the past week. Every morning, he would come to his office, deal with the most pressing questions, hold a couple of meetings, and then, as soon as he could, he would go home.He would often find Maggie in one of the spare rooms on the first floor that she turned into a tailor parlor. She was knees deep into making a dress for the Business Gala. If she wasn't working on her dress, she was in the nursery, spending time with Eric. One day, when he couldn't find either of them in the house, he started to panic for a second, but one glance through the window
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A note for those that are reading this story as I upload it: I made a mistake in uploading the previous chapter, 46. I uploaded only half of it and additionally added the rest. Please, delete this book from your library, clear your cache memory and then add it again, so that the glitch that is caused by me being stupidly clumsy is fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for understanding. Sending you my love <3"Can you talk now? I am seriously starting to lose my patience," Rebecca said in a threatening way. Jack and Maggie sat on the sofa in the living room in Wade's home with Rebecca and Wade sitting opposite of them. Eric was in the room that their hosts equipped as a nursery before they came, and there was a room upstairs prepared for the two of them too.It was so like Rebecca to take care of every possible need of her guests, and the fact that she already prepared everything for her daughter told Maggie that her mother already felt com
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A couple of hours earlierAfter the loud shot echoed through the room, Maggie froze. She felt like the time stopped and the space around her ceased to exist. The gun she was trying to get a hold of was now burning hot, and she had to release it. The smell of burning gunpowder filled the room.Maggie gulped once and raised her gaze to meet Kevin's, but what she saw there was the sight she will never be able to forget… it will haunt her for the rest of her life. For a moment that seemed like an eternity, Maggie watched the light of Kevin's life diminishing until it was no more. Kevin, too let the gun from his hands, and it fell on th
