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Chapter 22
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Maggie 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
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Meant to be Chapter 26
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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"Ma'am, do you have any idea who might be behind this?" the police officer asked Maggie."I already told you, I don't know. I've been living here in Chicago for a short period, and I know a handful of people. I never did anything wrong in my life, never stole anything, or hurt anyone. I never even got a parking ticket!" Maggie started to lose her patience. The police officer she was speaking with for the last half an hour kept asking idiotic questions that, not that discreetly, indicated he suspected Maggie knew more than she was telling.Finally, the police officer gave up his pointless questioning and excused himself. She was still holding Eric in her protective embrace, and after a lot of rocking, he finally calmed down for Maggie to sit on the sofa with him in her arms.Jack was on his phone, organizing a security detail to watch over the villa from that night nonstop. He called a private security company that was enlisted in his comp
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After two new security guards arrived and set their base, Robert and Emma decided it was time for them to leave. There was nothing they could do for their friends tonight."Thank you for being here tonight. It means a lot knowing we're not alone in this." Maggie said while she hugged Emma."Don't mention it, dear. That's what friends are for," Emma smirked and got in the car."Yeah, Maggie, don't worry. We'll figure this out." Robert offered his words of support, and Maggie knew he meant it.They bid their goodbyes, and Jack and Maggie returned inside."Thank God it was Edit's day off," Jack commented."Yes. The poor woman would probably have a heart attack." Maggie agreed. She turned around to face him: "Jack, he was in my room. He could've touched my things and the bed I sleep in. He was right in front of me, a few feet away, only a piece of wood separated us. I feel violated." Her voice trembled, her eyes glistened with tears.Jack's embr
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The Annual Business Gala was organized in one of the most luxurious and expensive hotels in Chicago. Jack stopped the car in front of the entrance and gave the keys to a young valet before he went around the car, and opened the door for Maggie.She accepted the hand he offered and got out only to face the excessive flashing lights from the cameras of many reporters that came to document the event. "Don't worry, most of them can't get in," Jack leaned in and whispered into her ear. They did, however, pose for a few pictures. It was everything Jack was willing to give them, no matter how many times they called his name and how persistently they repeated questions. This time, Maggie was prepared for the luxury and glamour that welcomed them the moment they stepped inside the great hall where the reception was being held in.Everything was so perfect at the first glance, men wearing their tuxedos, women dressed in beautiful gowns
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"Is everything ok?" they were on their way back home when Jack noticed Maggie looking through the car window, not blinking.His question brought her back to reality. "Yeah, I'm just thinking." She sighed, thinking whether to tell him about the unusual encounter with Denis Wade earlier. "That Wade guy, from the reception," Jack hummed, his attention was solely on her. "Well, he approached me on the way back from the restroom. He was kind of drunk, and he kept looking at me like and repeating 'She told me you're dead,' like a crazy person," Maggie mimicked his voice. Jack squeezed the steering wheel and pressed the gas pedal in a rush to get home as soon as possible. He had a feeling that there was something about his mother-in-law and Denis Wade; he just wasn't sure what exactly."I'll go to see her tomorrow, and I'll ask." She said quietly.A minute later, they arrived home and Maggie, tired and tense, headed to her room seeking the much-need
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
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A week after Maggie came back to Chicago, her parents organized a modest wedding with only a dozen people present, including themselves and the minister. Maggie was ecstatic for them. How many grown-up women had a chance to attend their parents' wedding… She loved them so much and wanted nothing but happiness for them. A small reception was held in their manor, and the present guests enjoyed the celebration with discreet music, food, drinks, and a lot of laughter. That day, Maggie met one of her uncles and his wife, one of Wade's brothers. He was a nice man, and he was genuinely glad to meet her. His wife seemed decent too. The rest of the family she was yet to meet, and Denis had plans for family dinner so that everyone could gather and get to know what a wonderful daughter he has. Why did he wait for so long? Simply, he didn't want to overwhelm Maggie before she accepted him as her father. And it looked like she did. She would come by his house every so often for dinner, a
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"Hi." Jack's voice trembled while he was taking in the sight in front of him.Maggie was standing there in the middle of the kitchen, holding Eric on her hip, supporting him with one arm and mashing the carrots with the other.Maggie raised her gaze from the bowl and looked at him. Their eyes met, and they told what they needed to tell, a story of love and anticipation, need and desire."Hi," Maggie said back quietly.Jack made a few steps towards them, but he didn't get close enough to touch her, afraid that he had finally crossed the line of missing her, and he was hallucinating at full speed. And if that was the case… if he touched her, and she disappeared again… burst like the soap bubble… no, he better not risk it. He needed her here, even as a wraith, she was here…When his eyes slipped from her face, the face he loved so much, he saw his son clinging to Maggie like she was his lifebelt. He didn't even raise his he
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It's been a crazy few months in Jack's life since Maggie left. He did his best to not let it affect him much, but he couldn't help it. Her leaving him reflected on every single aspect of his life. It was easy for him to get irritated and to snap at anyone in close vicinity, so much that his subordinates started to avoid him.It didn't help that Eric was much more irritable than ever, he cried more and smiled less. He missed her, it was obvious. Just like Jack did. It was his fault, it was all his fault… if he didn't have that stupid idea that he needed her, that he wanted her… maybe if he had stuck to his original plan and paid her off to sign the divorce papers when he first met her… maybe, just maybe, he and his son wouldn't be brokenhearted now.On the other hand, he got to know love and the feeling of belonging to a family, something his own always busy and overachieving parents failed to give him even when he was a child.Jack tri
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It's been a whole month since Maggie left Chicago and returned to her home town. That day, when she took off, she managed to get a ticket for a midnight flight, and she was back home before the sun was up. For a couple of days, she didn't even leave the house except for the short trip to the nearest supermarket to stock up on food and other necessities. She also started ordering in food, something she never did before here in Charleston, but now she had no desire to cook at all.At first, Maggie spent her days crying and missing Jack like crazy, so much that she contemplated with herself to go back to him and beg him to never manipulate her like that again and to promise her to always be like he was for the last 6 months, but she managed to hold herself back and stay where she was.She needed to try, she needed to give herself a chance to live without him, to try to move on and go back to her life… or to get over what he had done and forgive him.Maggie wasn't
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"I've been meaning to tell you…" Jack came into the living room to see Maggie sitting in an armchair with papers spread in front of her.As he saw her, Jack broke into a cold sweat. He knew exactly what she was looking at. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He forgot that he left the folder right on the desk when he called her earlier to get the one he needed and sent for. He should have destroyed them long ago, but nooo, he was too stupid for something like that. He enjoyed torturing himself with those…"Tell me what?" her voice was cold like he never heard it before. She was capable of sounding like this?"Everything.""Everything... like why there are dates from July on the divorce forms or those for full custody? From before we even met..." Maggie finally rose her head looked at him."Yes." Jack didn't move from where he was standing, at the entrance to the living room."So, you want to explain how I ended up here, with you, instead of you giving
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"You know, when we first met Denis Wade at that Gala, I thought he was scary. But now I think he's actually quite decent." Emma commented while standing in Maggie's new kitchen. Maggie came in to get some refreshments for the guests, and Emma followed.Jack and Maggie moved into their new home a week ago, and on the first following Saturday, they organized a small party to celebrate the event with their closest friends and family. Robert and Emma came with Aurora, and now both babies were sleeping upstairs in Eric's nursery, while their parents were downstairs catching up.Mary came to congratulate them, happy about how things turned out between the two of them, but she almost had a stroke when they told her about everything that happened since the last time she visited.Jack's friends from college and their better halves were invited too. Maggie met them at Evans' couple of months ago, right after she came to Chicago, and she actually liked them. She felt like
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The next day Maggie was forced to spend in bed, even though there was no particular need for that. She did have a couple of stitches on her waist, and it could get uncomfortable if she tired herself too much, but other than that, she felt good. More than good if she was honest… Jack was pampering her like never before. He brought her breakfast to bed the first morning when she woke up in her father's house, he didn't let her walk around and insisted on carrying her around in his arms even when she needed to go to the bathroom.Even though Maggie enjoyed all the things Jack was doing for her by the evening, it started to annoy her, so she snapped at him and ordered him to stop because she wasn't invalid, and she didn't like to act like one.The good thing about the whole arrangement of the three of them living at Wade's was she could enjoy her mother's cooking after so long. Rebecca tried to compensate for all the years she was absent with excessive cooking and b
Meant to be Chapter 47
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
