~Love was at my doorstep,But I chased it away~Catherine POV:When I opened my eyes, I was already in my room. Mom was sitting down on the bed, her phone against her ear while Talia was wiping my forehead with a towel.When she noticed that I was awake she grabbed my hand and squeezed it."You are awake." She whispered.Obviously I am awake. But what the hell happened after I fainted?Mom glanced my way and stopped talking to whomever it is she was talking to on the phone.She closed her eyes briefly before walking towards me."What happened?" I inquired. My head hurts. It hurts like a bitch."What were you thinking, Cat? Don't be too hard on yourself. Ace getting married isn't the end of this world and you know it." Talia said to me.No.She was wrong.Ace getting married is the end of everything for me.I can't sleep knowing that in the next few days he would be completely hers.Chelsey's.I hate her already even though she did nothing to me.I caused everything. I am the architec
~How can I rest when you're slipping away from me~Catherine's POV:At first I didn't know what to say. I just kept staring at him while he acted as if I wasn't there."You are getting married." I whispered softly. He looked into my eyes and cocked his head to the side."Why? You don't want me to get married?" He queried.No, I don't!But how can I say that to him?I have no right over him anymore."I am sorry." I whispered and advance towards him again. This time he didn't stop me from placing my hand on his chest. "Forgive me Babe. Please. Your butterfly is sorry."He lost it when I referred to myself as his Butterfly.He grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me closer to him, so close that our chest was touching."My Butterfly? What right do you have to utter such words? You're a fucking bitch for saying that to my face!" He bellowed and pushed me away from him.I gasped. My hands covering my mouth as I couldn't believe what was happening.The last time Ace used force on me was back in
74Mrs Meyers is seated in her office and before her is Mrs Hampton who was sitting down on a couch with her lawyer.Mrs Hampton was going through the company's documents with her lawyer and was ready to sign it as soon as possible while Mrs Meyers watched on.There was nothing she could do.This was her last chance."Can you sign it already? We don't have much time left." Mrs Meyers said, her eyes constantly shifting to the door.She was anxious about the fact that her daughter might barge in and destroy everything.Veronica Hampton grabbed a pen from her bag and with a smirk on her lips, she sighed her name on the documents with the instructions of her lawyer.After signing the documents it was passed to Mrs Meyers and she signed it as well. The company was officially a Hampton property."I just transferred $1 billion pounds to your account, hope you can manage it." Veronica said and chuckled. "You can start packing up your belongings now, the company needs a Hampton's touch in it."
75Catherine's POV:I didn't know what made me do what I did.Why am I like this? More reasons for Veronica Hampton to dislike me even more.Ace pushed me away from him and glared at me angrily."You always attract trouble." He said before running to the direction the camera sound came from.I attract trouble? Is that why I couldn't stay away from him? Because I'm addicted to trouble.I bit my lower lip and sighed.This is getting frustrating.Why did I messed up. I need to think straight. I need to make Ace understand that we can work out.I need to do something..... Anything at all to make him rethink his decision.I kicked my leg and ran off to the direction he followed. After a while I saw him wandering around the trees, probably still searching for the person.But who could it be?"Ace?" I called. He turned back to face me, his jaw clenched as he walked up to me.His hands were balled up in a fist and the veins of his neck throbbing.I stepped back in fright as he walked up to me
76Ace walked out of Chelsey's apartment and rested his back on the wall. He covered his face with his palms and screamed in pain.Why can't he be happy?Why does he have to be the one hurt in all his relationships?The door of Chelsey's apartment was thrown open and she rushed towards him."Please don't do this, Ace. Don't do this to me." She begged. Ace straightened his back and stared Chelsey. There is nothing she hates more than cheaters.Why would she cheat on him?He has been very attentive to her. He had been preparing earnestly for their wedding.He has always listen to her needs. He stayed away from Catherine for Chelsey's sake! What else does she wants?"Are you apologizing because I caught you in the act or you're apologizing because you're really sorry?" Ace questioned.Chelsey swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes looking everywhere but Ace.Ace shook his head and stepped close to her. He raised her jaw with his finger and searched her eyes.He was trying to see th
77Catherine spent the next day getting her things ready. She was returning to New York.She was determined to let go of whatever must have caused their previous split and get her man back.She wants to do it."Are you sure that Ace will like this? He literally left for New York because of you." Talia pointed out and Catherine shrugged.If he didn't like what he saw then he would learn to like it.As they got down from the plane and got picked up by Talia's driver, Catherine was thinking of how to make her journey successful.At night Catherine texted Ace. She wanted to cheer him up for what happened between him and Chelsey and how the media dragged him without knowing what happened when they were both photographed. "Hey Babe, are you okay? I am sorry about what happened to you. I am here to cheer you up if you want me to. Love you." She sent the message and dropped her phone on the bed.She was nervous. She knew that Ace won't respond to her but the thought of him ghosting her m
78Catherine couldn't believe what he said to her. The insult.She stood up from the couch and stalked towards him."Don't you ever call me stupid, Ace Hampton. I am not stupid and will never be. Did you even care about me a little? The moment i heard the news about you and Chelsey i texted you, just to cheer you up. I flew here from London just to make sure that you're okay, to let you know that im here for you if you ever need me!" Catherine snapped, her eyes getting blurry with tears and her lips trembled. "I wanted to make sure that you're fine. But you...... You dont care Ace. I'm really pushing myself to believe that you dont love me anymore and that's okay. I wont force you. You treat me like trash, you insult me, you make me feel embarrassed of my love for you. I didn't do anything wrong by loving you, i made a mistake once and tried to make it right but you didn't let me. I am done trying. I wont stay running after a man that doesn't value me at all." Catherine ran past Ace
79It has been almost two weeks since Catherine ran out of the forest house. She hasn't called, text or think about him since then.She was in the process of taking care of herself only.She was tired of being the one chasing after him.He should do the same if he truly cares about her. He should put in the work.She got out of her car and stared up at the Montego Hotel and restaurant.It is crazy that her classmates organized a reunion not even a year after graduating from highschool. It sounds crazy.She never thought that she would someday return to Montego hotels but here she is.According to her highschool class representative, the bar there was fantastic and it would be the perfect venue for their reunion. As she walked inside the restaurant the first person she saw was Karla."Oh my goodness, Catherine is that you? it is been so long, how are you?" Karla asked her."Hi, Karla. Long time no see, after my graduation I relocated back to the UK where I'm schooling at the moment, I
101"Is that true?" Veronica Hampton asked and Ace hummed softly." We visited the hospital earlier today and the doctor made it known to us." He responded calmly and glanced at Catherine. "Do you want to speak with her?"Catherine shook her head frantically but Ace casually shrugged his shoulder.She still found it extremely hard to make a conversation with Veronica Hampton."Yes, of course. Put her through." She uttered. Ace handed over the phone to a shaky Catherine and she took it, just then Anitra walked out of the kitchen."Hello, Mother." She greeted her." Ace told me that you're pregnant." Veronica Hampton said and Catherine nodded." Yes, ""I am glad." Veronica Hampton uttered softly which threw Catherine off guard. She wasn't expecting such response from her. "A young Hampton. It has been long overdue. Congratulations on your pregnancy, Catherine Hampton. I'll send a professional nurse down to London that will always look after you and make sure that my grandchild is healt
100After the judge declared Alexander Meyers and his wife guilty as charged, things have been significantly different in Catherine's life.She felt more at peace with herself. She stopped feeling guilty of being the only one that survived the accident.She feels more relaxed to stand before her mother-in-law.She stood outside their apartment building, waiting for Ace to drive out their car from the garage but she wasn't just waiting, she was lost in thought as well.For the past three days she hasn't been herself. She missed her period the other month and this month as well, she wondered if she had an infection. She fell sick constantly and missed a lot of lectures. She hated the fact that Ace missed his lectures as well because of her."Get inside the car and stop thinking." Ace called her out.Catherine sighed softly and walked over to him. "Sorry," she mumbled before getting inside the car.When Ace joined her inside the car, he took her hand in his and lightly squeezed it. "I do
99 It was the final court hearing of the case between Mr. Alexander Meyers and Mrs. Danielle Meyers. It was a famous case being held on TV screen where everyone can watch it. Veronica Hampton was sitting down on her office, her laptop in front of her as she watch the trial. "Your honor, Catherine Meyers Hampton was loved by my client. He provided for her. Sent her to the best school in the whole of United States of America. If my client had anything else planned for her he wouldn't have let her acquire education. My client is innocent." The defendant attorney claimed. "Objection, your honor." Said the plaintiff as he stood up from his chair. "Overruled, Defendant, you can continue." Veronica Hampton balled her hand in a tight fist and slammed it on the desk. She grabbed the telephone on her desk and speak into it get inside my office right now, Mereda. A few seconds later she walked inside the office standing in front of Veronica Hampton. "You call for me Mrs Hampton." She
98Ace was laying down on the bed pressing his phone. He had a zoom meeting with his mother and some employees a few minutes ago and he was just intending to get out of the bed.The bedroom door was pulled open and Catherine walked in. She was wearing a black short and a white camisole, her hip length golden hair was packed up in a high ponytail and her face free of make up.“You done with the meeting, Babe?” She whispered asked as she walk into the room. Ace's mouth lifted in a small smile as he tapped his side of the bed for her to sit on.Catherine chuckled at his gesture and slowly walked up to him, she slipped her feet out if her slippers and climbed on the bed. She placed her hand on his chest and stared inside her phone. "How was the meeting?" She inquired curiously.Ace slowly caress her back as she talk to him. The best leisure for him is hearing her talk. Her voice sounds like music to his ear and her touch set his body aflame. The kind of attraction he felt for her was tota
97"What happened?" Catherine asked and took the phone from Anitra."Police reject the bail of Chelsey Black." She read out loud and chuckled. "This is mother's handwork."Ace took her hand in his and let out a deep breath. "She deserves whatever Mom will throw her way, she shouldn't have touched you at all.""That is by the way, are you both leaving already?" Anitra questioned and Ace hummed. "We're done for the day." He replied.*****It has been two weeks since Ace and Catherine returned to London and resume college, a lot of things had happened within the two weeks and one if them was that Chelsey Black was fined £100,000 for physically assaulting Catherine Meyers Hampton. Catherine and Ace were done with their classes for the day and we're going to the parking lot, the security team following them at the back. As soon as they got to the parking lot she got a phone call from her Mother."Hello, Mom?" "Hi, Catherine. How are you?" Mrs Meyers asked. Catherine got inside the car
96Ace sat down on the bed beside Catherine and took her hand that has all sorts of wire fixed on it in his hand and sniffed in.“I'm sorry, Butterfly.” He whispered. He should have cut out the bullshits and had Chelsey walked out of the restaurant, but for some time he thought that it was cute seeing Catherine stand up for herself.He had no idea that Chelsey would go to the extent of physically harming her, he never thought of the possibility of such thing happening.The door was gently pulled opened and a nurse walked in. She smiled at Ace and walked around to Catherine's side of the bed. "Good afternoon, Mr Hampton."she greeted him."Good morning, Nurse. " Ace responded calmly. It has been more than 6 hours and Catherine was yet to wake up. It scared him a lot.The nurse checked the drip connected to Catherine's body and checked her body temperature then write it down on her chart.."She will wake up very soon. Don't worry." The nurse told him.He truly hope so.After the nurse le
95Catherine was wearing a lose jeans trouser and one of Ace's t-shirt. She sat before the vanity mirror putting on her lip gloss as some of the servants pull out their luggages.They will be returning to London that same day and she was just getting ready. Ace left for his Mom's room 30 minutes ago and she was still waiting for him to get back to her.The door was pulled opened and Ace walked in. Catherine stared at him through the mirror and cocked her head to the side, scrutinizing him as he walked up to her.“You ready, Butterfly? We don't have much time.” He said as he grabbed his hair brush from the vanity.Catherine packed her make-up kits inside her make-up bag and stood up from the chair, she turned around to face Ace and smiled lovingly at him, her eyes almost closing. “Ready. What did you talk about with your Mom?” She asked her, she walked towards the bed and grabbed her handbag then straightened herself.“Just school stuff and our security of course,.” He responded and to
94Catherine took a deep breath and composed herself before looking up at Ace."Baby." She whispered and stood up from the couch, he walked up to her and pulled her towards his chest, wrapping his arms around her protectively.He kissed her hair and caressed her back slowly. "Is Mom back? Did something happen? Why were you sitting like that?" He inquired." No, I was just feeling a little bit down when you walked in . It's nothing serious." Catherine responded calmly. She gazed up at him and smiled. " How was your day?" "Great, did you have a great time with your mother?" He asked. While they both started walking towards the staircase."Yes, she apologized as expected of her, what about you?" She inquired."Since we will be going back to college tomorrow I thought about spending sometime with them." Ace responded softly, Catherine nodded her head and intertwined their hands."Mother said that she wants us with her during dinner, but first you need to wash up." She told him and winked
93"I can't believe you Mom, you took such a huge step and you couldn't even tell me about it. What did you take me for? You didn't think about my safety. What if he comes after me without my knowledge? What if Mrs Hampton really didn't find out what you did. What if, Mom?" Catherine questioned angrily when she visited her mother the next day.She was beyond pissed off, Alex is a psychopath he is the kind of person to go to any lengths in achieving their aim, someone who caused the death of his brother and then take custody of the daughter for more than four years before carrying out his plan, someone with such patience and calculative method can do anything, he is sick!"I wanted to tell you about it sweetheart. I just didn't think of telling you immediately, you just got married. I didn't want to spoil your mood. I'm truly sorry baby girl. I don't think of you as a child that shouldn't know about something like this, especially something that can cause you a lot of harm. It wasn't i