Junia's P.O.VIt was finally the day of the ball and this excitement was building inside of me because Nicholas had asked me to be his date for the night. Of course, I was more than elated that he had asked me to be his date. I couldn't contain the excitement that was building inside of me just by the mere thoughts of my hands interlocked in his as we would sway to the tune of the mellifluous song that would fill our ears.The eye contact despite the masks. The sound of our hearts pounding as we stare into each other's eyes. I couldn't wait to experience those moments and most importantly, to experience what felt like to be loved by someone who loved me back.Dressed in a blue ball gown that sparkled as the stars surrounded it and like the cosmos had been woven into the fabric. I settled for a feathered mask while adorning my hair with glistening silver sparkles as the gown cascaded down the hard marbled floor.Taking a final look at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but be grate
Junia's P.O.VI was worried and the annoying thing was that I had no idea about what was happening and the reason why he wasn't here yet. Darting my eyes back to the clock, I couldn't help but to wonder about how serious the reason he had to leave was. "I hope that he is fine" I took another shot with my eyes still fixed intently on the phone. While waiting for Nicholas, other men tried hitting on me and wanted me to be their date for the dance but I politely refused them all, telling them that I was waiting for someone plus I already had a date!My eyes were beginning to get drowsy as I took another shot of alcohol. My mind was just screaming at Nicholas because for the umpteenth time, he wasn't picking his calls nor was he returning any. "What if something bad had happened to him? What if that is the reason why he isn't answering any of my calls?" I bit the corner of my lower lips with my eyes fixed on the screen. I was waiting for him. Where was he? Attempting to take another
EthanSlowly, a soft thud echoed through the air and I found myself feeling the weight of the thud that shook underneath my feet— Junia collapsed to the ground.I was at a loss for words to say, remaining at the same spot while Nicholas Hawthorne rushed towards her and yelled for the medics stationed outside in case of any emergency. They quickly rushed in, lifting Junia into the gurney and while Nicholas attempted to follow her, Jones stopped him. The taste of her lips lingered in my mouth, awakening all of my senses. I was soon jolted out of my thoughts when I saw Nicholas standing before me with a face filled with horror. "What did you just do? How are you even here? Why are you wearing the same suit and using the same mask as mine!" He roared while I fixed a stern gaze on him before accessing him with my eyes. I moved forward, closing the space between us, staring at him right in the eyes. "You sent me an invitation and I honored it. I have always wondered about who could have
Junia's P.O.VA gasp left my lips as I jolted awake. My eyes landed on the ceiling fan that creaked slowly and the feeling of someone's hands in mine. I soon heard the chair being pushed aside and Betty's face came into view as she stood to her feet and smiled amidst the bout of tears that streamed down her face. She squealed in excitement. "I was scared. I was fucking scared when Jones told me that you had fainted....." She threw herself at me while a groan left my lips. My eyebrows tugged together in confusion as I sat upright on the bed while rubbing my hands on my forehead. "What happened here? Why am I here?" I swiveled my gaze around the room.I mumbled. " Did something bad happen? How did I get....." I soon clamped my mouth shut as soon as the memories that I was trying to recollect flooded my head.My eyes kept widening with every passing second as soon as the events of yesterday began playing in my head. Ethan and I kissed! I danced with him as well, thinking that I was da
Ethan Aiden leaned forward while I remained reclined in the chair, twirling the pen that I was soon about to crush if this man didn't stop looking at me like he wanted to devour me."Ummm, Ethan. Don't you think that this is a bad idea? I mean I don't even know why we are here. It is something that we can just ignore and....." Before he could complete his statement, I turned to look at him, forcing out a smile."Aiden, I think that we are where we need to be" However, in a matter of seconds, my eyes shifted away from Aiden, staring at the woman who stared daggers at me as she clutched the side of her dress tightly. My mouth slackened as I gaped at her.The frown on her face deepened with every passing second before she soon darted her eyes off me while blinking her eyes rapidly. She sat on the chair next to me as Aiden gasped and muttered her name. With my eyes fixed on her and my gaze piercing her face like it wanted to read her soul, she soon turned to look at me, attempting to s
JuniaTaking a step inside my room, I combed my eyes through the whole room, my heart palpitating with fear as my lips wobbled, causing tears to pool in my eyes.The reality before me was daunting! The letters that were scribbled on my walls and the flowers that I have dedicated my life to growing. They all came from him, they all came from Ethan.I almost fell on my knees while I clutched the side of my dress tightly as my clenched fists trembled. I didn't even know what to do at that moment! Whether it was to laugh or scream out the words that were dying to be sputtered out.I ran my hands through my thick hair, chewing the insides of my mouth. "This isn't real. All of this isn't real" Was Ethan trying to tell me that all the letters that I would read with excitement building inside of me, he was the one that was sending it? All the times that I would drown in the pleasant scent of those flowers, it was Ethan that picked them for me.How was that possible and how was this even happ
Junia’s Clutching my cup of coffee with both hands, I heaved an exasperated sigh, lowering my head before biting the corner of my lower lips tentatively. One thing that I didn't understand was how my life seemed to have turned upside down as soon as Ethan came back and most importantly, I couldn't understand how the messages that I had received from Ethan seemed to have disappeared. How? Just how."Junia, you don't need to bother yourself about that creep of an ex-husband! Why would he set up cameras in your room? Are you even sure that it is him?" Betty asked, concern laced in her voice. I heaved an exasperated sigh, dropping the cup of coffee on the table as I leaned in the chair. "I am as confused as you are if I am honest. I don't know what the hell he wants from me. That day, he said that he was back for me because he never left in the first place. Ethan is just filled with a whole lot of nonsense"Betty leaned forward with her forearms on the table. "I am so pissed right now!
Ethan Her eyes held shock and anger at the same time as her mouth opened wide. She acted as if she wanted to puke with a face filled with horror.Betty and Jones gasped simultaneously while I averted my gaze from them. "It has been a long time, did you enjoy the food served from the food truck? I made sure that light food would be served to you all"Betty drooled out the juice in her mouth while Jones walked towards me. "Why are you doing this? You can't pester Junia like this? I wouldn't allow you to harm my sister and traumatize her the same way that you did then" He attempted to lunge at me but a single word of mine caused him to pause in his tracks."Harm?" "How have I caused her harm? Is it bad that I want to look after your sister? Because she is my ex-wife doesn't mean that we are enemies. Right? Junia!" I glanced at her while my eyes traveled down her hands. Her fist was clenched like she couldn't wait to bury her fist in my palm.Jones buried his face in his palm. " I didn'
Epilogue- SANTAJunia’s P.O.V It was snowing outside as I shut the windows while Ethan sat next to the fireplace, with his eyes fixed on the wallpaper. “I hate the snow….” He grunted from afar, raising his head, his eyes slowly meeting mine. “I mean, I just hate it…..” He shrugged. Ashlyn, my oldest child, a perfect replica of her father, shook her head. “How can you hate the snow? We should play in the snow tomorrow…”Ethan shook his head. “No!”She pouted. “Yesterday, Andre and I played in the snow alongside Mum but because you caught a cold. You couldn’t play with us but since you are getting better, can you just play with us tomorrow”She darted her eyes towards me, her eyes glinting as she pleaded. “Mum, can you tell him….”I sighed. “Baby, your dad isn’t feeling too well at the moment. You don’t want him to catch a cold again, right? You know he doesn’t listen to me again and he only listens to you!”Ashlyn gasped, snapping her fingers as she jumped on Ethan. “That is right,
Junia’s P.O.VAfter Two Years Was this how it felt to be all left alone?The loneliness, the heart that ached for someone who just woke up one day and disappeared.“Ethan”On the day that I regained consciousness, I didn’t find myself, the only ones I found by my side were Briella, Jones, and a hand-written letter. The letter read;“Dear Junia, I am sure that by the time you are reading this letter, you will have regained consciousness. I am sorry that I am writing this to you while hiding in the dark like a coward but I can’t bring myself to face you. I feel like meeting me has brought you a lot of trouble which I would never forgive myself for. I couldn’t even keep to my words of me protecting you, I wallow in regret, sadness, and grief every day”“But, amidst all of this, you are still very dear to my heart. If fate wants, we will meet again in a happy and healthy state. I hope that you forgive me for causing you a lot of pain. I love you, Junia.”Then he disappeared like the wind
Nicholas’s P.O.V**After A Few Months**Was it worth it?The things that I did, the people’s blood that I soiled my hands with. Was it worth it? Now, I lost everything and the only thing that remained was me wallowing in regrets. If I had taken things differently, then I was sure that I wouldn’t be in this situation!I was reduced to a pauper, I had all of my funds seized and somehow, the Government confiscated everything that I owned. I was left with nothing but sorrow. Why did I do this to myself? Wasn’t it quite appalling that the one behind all of this was never found? What happened on that island after I was arrested? Now that I thought about it, turning myself in was the best decision that I have ever made. After the dramatic turns on the island, someone or an organization went after almost all the members of the cartel, totally wiping some off while some were arrested. It was more like a huge sweep over that shook the entire country. Another mysterious thing was that whoe
Ethan’s P.O.VDread, fear and anxiety. How could so much happen in a day?When the rhythmic thud of rotor blades pierced through the air, I was supposed to breathe a sigh of relief, to be happy with the fact that help was here at last. But that wasn’t the case, staring at Junia’s motionless body as she lay in her blood. On the other hand, it was Aiden, the one that I trusted. Was this the end? No! It was the beginning of how miserable my life will be from now. Empty, desolate, and void. I wiped off my tears, at the same time, darting my eyes at the television. The news was on and it was about Nicholas who had finally been arrested and how Aiden was wanted. Tears formed in my eyes again. It was so painful and suffocating. I was so suffocated. **Flashback** Nicholas tossed the plank as his chest heaved up and down. “I wanted to run away but I saw the two of you from the shore. I saw how you were willing to protect her even if it all led to a dead end”“I felt ashamed of myself an
Ethan’s P.O.V“We have to leave this place as fast as possible, there is a helicopter that is currently waiting for us”Junia breathed heavily, glancing behind her as we ran deep inside the island’s forest. She placed her hands on her chest, muttering under her breath. “How were you able to find me?”She pursed her lips slightly, tears glinting in her eyes. “I am sorry, I should have listened to you when you told me to wait for you. I was just concerned for my sister”I swallowed. “Don’t say anything. Just run if you want to see BriellaThankfully, I was grateful that I had listened to my instincts when something kept bugging me to add a tracker to her necklace. It was as if I knew that something crazy was bound to happen because first of all, Nicholas’s name wasn’t on the guest list just for his name to be added last minute. At that very moment, I knew that something was amiss. “I tracked you here! Don’t just worry about anything, when we get to the helicopter, we can talk about ev
Nicholas’s P.O.VAiden sighed, running his hands through his hair. “From a very young age, I had always looked up to Ethan. He was the standard and he always did the bare minimum but still, everyone was like, be like your cousin Ethan. So isn’t being like Ethan actually doing the same things that he did?”My face scrunched up in confusion. “I knew that he liked Junia from the very beginning. I liked the same things that he liked, hated the things that he hated! I wanted everything that he had and no matter how much it takes, I did everything to get it”“As much as I liked him, he didn’t deserve the happiness that he had. Junia was the one who built him up so I thought, what if I snatched Junia away from him? Everyone would realize that he couldn’t do anything on his own so I used you!”He continued. “I used his weakness, Maddie! Despite everything that I did, he and Junia found their way together. I tried to tear them apart by using you, using Briella’s situation but still, they foun
Nicholas’s P.O.VThrough the help of the yacht that was already stationed at the sea behind the house, I was able to get Junia to the island and finally, I was glad that it was all over. Finally, she was mine and in the end, it was just me and her in a world without Ethan Blackwood. I watched as she shivered and I pulled the duvet over her, tucking the strands of hair that were on her face behind her ear. She was breathtaking! She was everything that I had ever wanted. My voice was barely above a whisper as I stroked her in the hair. “It is just you and me from now. We are going to have beautiful kids that will make you forget about Ethan!”She groaned, talking in her sleep. “Ethan, Ethan, Ethan,” She mumbled. The smile on my face suddenly vanished, replaced by a frown! Why would she mention his name when I was clearly before her? I lowered my head, pressing my lips on her cheeks. “Very soon, you will learn to mention my name alone”I heaved an exasperated sigh but at the same ti
Junia’s P.O.VI was so uncomfortable with the way Nicholas stared at me! It wasn’t only annoying but it made my blood boil because why in the world was he staring at me like that after the warning that had been issued to him by Ethan? While Ethan conversed with some of his friends at the event, I talked with a few people that I knew but despite all of that, I could feel Nicholas’s eyes bore into my face. His eyes almost pierced into my soul and it made me so uncomfortable. Anxiety crept at the back of my neck and I had no option but to dart my eyes towards him. I raised a brow at the same time glaring at him. “What do you want from me? Why do you keep on staring at me?” I sent him a text and he checked his phone almost immediately. He read my message, didn’t say a word nor did he type back. All he did was stare. He was a lost cause! Why did I even text him in the first place? I was sure that he had mental issues as well because if he didn’t, then why was he acting like a creep?
Junia’s P.O.VI gnawed on my fingers, pacing back and forth while trying to process one or two things together in my head. Jones sent the address that Briella had sent to him and it was another whole different address from the one that Briella had given me. Someone was playing games right now! I was snapped out of my thoughts when the door swung open and Ethan poked his head inside. He heaved a sigh on seeing the worry that was etched on my face. I rushed towards him, pulling him in a hug. I wrapped my hands around him while he patted me on the back. “Junia, you are going to smudge your makeup”On the realization, I withdrew from his embrace, darting my eyes toward his tuxedo that was already stained with my foundation. “I am sorry, I would clean it now”Ethan laughed. “Why would you clean it when I can buy another one? You don’t have to worry about that and on the other hand, you don’t have to worry about Briella. I have everything under control”I stared deep into his eyes. “Ar