We went to the garage, discussing where we should go to get the groceries for tonight's dinner. Michael tossed me the keys and put his file case in the back of his BMW, then went to the passenger side.While I drove us to Target in his car, Michael replied to a few more business emails, which I tried not to roll my eyes at. Whenever he had the chance to read one, he did. Before bed, once he woke up, at the toilet, when he thought I didn't see him sneak away after we ate or as we watched TV – it was like an addiction to him. But; he was the business man. He led a company. He was well-known and respected in the higher circles. Not me. And I replied to some of those emails, and I knew they needed to be addressed as soon as possible. So I wouldn't nag.As always, we cooked together while some classical piano piece played in the back. Michael and I had found out through coincidence that we both enjoyed a good, classical music composition; which was strange if you considered the style of mu
Sara's POV "Does this suffice?", Michael's deep voice sounded from his bedroom, then he stepped out for Marie and me to see.Michael stopped in the middle of the room, opened his arms and turned slightly so we could see him from all his angles. "Won't Sara wear a black dress?", Marie asked, munching on our chips. "Don't you want to go in similar outfits?" "It's alright", I quickly brushed it away. "I love the blue suit on him!"I eyed him. This was the darkest blue I had ever seen him in. "That's a new suit", I noticed and eyed him even more openly and fondly. "Keen eyes like always", Miche smirked at me. "Tie or no tie?" "No tie and open jacket", Marie and I decided in sync. "Why are you already getting dressed though?", I inquired to know after I threw a glance at the clock. "We still have a few more hours to go." "Just wanted to try out my new suit", his smile showed his dimples.Michael was as eager as a child when he purchased a new suit and he could never wait to try it on
"I can't believe we actually got to pick you guys up!", Jess laughed as we entered the car. Philipp and Michael exchanged a fist bump and grinned at each other. "It took a lot of convincing, but here we are", I added with a smile.'Convincing'.More like – Michael is constantly horny like a teen and I had to give him a handjob, so that's why we couldn't pick you guys up. And now he was beaming because of it.Michael's sea blue eyes shone as he glanced into my direction. I rolled my eyes with a smile. So easy to please. Surprised, I looked down. He had taken my hand and intertwined our fingers. Michael mouthed a 'thank you' and my heart made a loop.'Anything for you dummy', I mouthed back, and an even bigger smile graced his lips.Michael held the car door open for me and extended his arm the moment I stood straight. Jess eyed me and wriggled her brows at me. The dress was something Michael had chosen when we had gone clothes shopping, and he insisted in buying me this piece. It fit
Hector Harrington's POV (Michael's father)Olive branch, MississippiHector's study"Michael, why won't you pick up?", I thought, sighing deeply as I watched the declined screen light up on my phone. "Why are you declining my calls? Are you still angry with me?", my heart twisted at that thought and got heavy. I ran both hands through my hair and walked in circles, contemplating if I should call again now or in ten minutes again. It was worrying me - why couldn't he pick up? Was he in trouble?As always, guilt washed over me as I stared at his profile picture. He was an identical copy of me, down to the deep brows, strong nose and prominent jawline, as well as the strong neck and shoulders. He had inherited the blonde hair and blue eyes of the Beaumont's, but his built and stern look were certainly from my side, the Harrington's.It had been one of the reasons he had inherited my middle name for his first name.I caught myself asking what he might be doing at this time of day. It was
Michael's POV"I have to go."Gone was the feeling of Sara's soft skin, her even breathing and the hotel's cheap blanket, replaced by the feeling of scalding hot sand underneath my feet.As I glanced down to check, everything around me got brighter. As if somebody had turned up the brightness, and with it, the temperature. I instantly started sweating. My skin felt hot.My feet were smaller, much smaller than to what I was used to.This scent ... salty, hot, fresh, full of life. Music sounded in the distance. A soft breeze cooled my skin from the scalding rays of the sun. I curled my toes and the sand moved along. I felt it tickle between my feet, raising one after the other to shake the sand off.Waves hit my feet, cold, so cold, the moment I heard it again."I have to go."There it was again.His voice.Frantically, I jerked my head up and my breath got caught in my lungs aggressively, making my gasp short and cruel.Sébastien.In front of me.In his beaming frog green swimwear, rou
Sara's POVMichael had his head on my chest, reading through his mails, while I stroke his hair.It amazed me how in the mornings Michael was like a whole new man; as if the nightmares never happened, he was in full work mode, concentrated, his mindset set purely on the company and then once his official workday was over, he made time for us, meaning Marie, Gerard, me and his family. Estelle would often manage to somehow call Michael in the evening, and he would take the time to speak to her and Adrien.Often, I also heard him discuss the market with his oncle Victor, which always sounded more like a military plan rather than a discussion between two business men.I watched my blond man hesitate for a second as he thought what he should type, then his fingers flew over the keyboard and produced a brilliant response. I took the time to scan his face intently.My fingers had the urge to trace the soft wrinkles around his eyes, as well as his dimples through his beard when he laughed. Th
I huffed. He grew serious again."Swear it to me too."My eyes widened slightly. He sounded so hurt and ... for the first time, not confident at all.And in this moment, I swore to myself a few things.That I would always love this man.That I would always walk beside him, supporting him with all my might.And that I would never forgive his parents for hurting him so badly.The child in him was still scared, damaged, and it fought with his consciousness still to this day. What a mess they had left behind ...I swore it to him. I swore it to my god. And I swore it to our future children. I would make them happy and I would make him a happy papa. I would see to it that we had a healthy family.Michael took my hand.We held each other on the way to the meeting.We held each other's hand during the flight, as he looked out the window into the distance.Sara's POVFlight, 3 hours left until they reach New York"Let's go to France. My home."He squeezed my hands harder at these words, his h
Sara's POV"How many are there?", my voice broke at all the newspapers laid out on the table. You couldn't see the glass of the table at all.Headless. Countless of headlines. Pictures of us, pictures of me. Michael's name in all the articles, mine not yet mentioned.Marie patted my hand, clearly tired. It was well after ten in the evening and it took a toll on both on them to say up earlier than usually. I felt bad. I felt so, so bad.That Eleanor still loved Michael.That they had to stay up this late because of us.That this was happening.That this was all happening, because Noah had lied about everything; from his identity to his feelings.Had I known who he truly was, had I known that Michael awaited me later in my life, I would have dropped everything, and I would run into his arms.I wouldn't have hesitated when he flirted with me. I wouldn't have to fight for my divorce and feel bad for falling in love with my boss.I would have talked to Eleanor much sooner, so this wouldn't
I took a deep breath, catching his eyes. I knew the text by heart, so I just looked at him and forgot the paper in my hands."You were there when I needed you the most, at the hospital, as I recovered, and that twice. You tried your hardest to make me happy, you nearly broke your back in exhaustion but kept going. You stuck around and loved me with the same intensity. Just thinking about you makes me smile, seeing you happy makes me happy, seeing you sad makes me sad. And when you smile at me as if I were the only woman on this world, the best thing that could have happened to you, as if I were the biggest achievement of it all, one corner of your mouth always higher than the other, it's always the right one, with your dimples showing - my heart swells up with love and feels like it could explode. Even now, so many memories later."Michael cried silently with a smile. I wiped his tears away, continuing to speak."Life with you seems so much more intriguing and promising." My own voice
I mouthed and mouthed compliments to her, until she was beaming again and walking with a raised head.I heard dad laugh, but I couldn't stop staring at Sara - the rest of the room and people were pale, grey, boring compared to her. It disappeared in a blur, while all of my senses sharpened on her.And as she stood in front of me, I whispered: "Beautiful. Perfect." I took her hands. I needed to hold her, or else I would go insane. I leaned forward to this angel, almost not daring to move as if she could vanish suddenly, holding my breath at this perfect being that was really my wife! "I wish I could kiss you already", I whispered.Sara's cheeks and ear flushed and she leaned forward, making our foreheads touch. Her eyes were full of an expression that said 'do it'. And I nearly did, hadn't the woman spoken.And then - long minutes and many tears later, we were proclaimed as husband and wife - and I could finally, finally! kiss her.And I did. I poured all of my love into the kiss - an
Michael's POVDecemberNew York, the Rink at Rockefeller CenterMy old Sara was almost back. She was bubbly again, happy and talk-active, but non-stop or constantly clutched to me.I wanted that - so I could protect her.It's December, 4 months later after mon amour had been kidnapped.Sara parked the car and we both got out. I waited until she circled the car, then intertwined our hands as we went to the ice skating center.Our wedding was planned. Everything was organized, ready for the big day, waiting for us.We both had finished seeing our therapist, Sara just a few minutes ago. I had picked her up and let her drive us here, to surprise her. The dogs were looked after by Jess and Philipp for the few hours we would be gone.Now we were waiting for January 23rd, our unofficial one year anniversary and wedding date.With Sara in tow, her hands wrapped around my arm, while I had my arm propped up in a 90 degree angle, we went onto the ice.Sara giggled."What is it honey?", I turned
He had styled his hair how I loved it - with the curl falling onto his handsome face, the rest of his waves brushed back loosely. He looked as always proper and delicious in his suit - he had chosen a dark grey colour, a grey tie and a blush pink handkerchief to fit our theme; of course he thought of everything, my clever man!I spotted how he swallowed, how he beamed, how he bobbed his feet up and down in his excitement, how he wiped his eyes once again.Faster, faster, faster!Why was this aisle so damn long?Michael winked at me as he spotted how impatient I got. 'Love you', he mouthed.My heart was melting with love.Finally - finally we reached him. Dad hugged me, kissed my cheek.Then Michael and dad patted each other on the shoulder, then hugged. "Take care of her", dad said to him, making tears well up in my eyes. He handed me over, making me take Michael's hand. Dad squeezed our holding hands."Always", Michael whispered back to my father, then turned to me. "Beautiful. Perfe
Mum spotted my reaction and leaned over, whispering sweetly into my ear. "I think it was worth going out today."I nodded as she kissed my hair, tears blurring my vision.Maybe this was a sign that I would be awarded if I stepped out. Maybe this was a sign that not everything was cruel.I thought of Michael. I thought of how I sat close to him at work with another two friends close to me, friends I could trust and I knew had visited me during my unconscious time in the hospital.My lips trembled. I wanted to show Michael this dress. I wanted to show him what had made this day so special, besides waking up next to him.Betty and Olive, the two more than helpful female employees, helped me yet again in this dress and as Betty buttoned it up, Olive's eyes shone. "This is your dress, isn't it?"I looked at the small mirror in the changing room, my bottom lip shaking heavily.Who was this woman in the mirror? She was breathing taking with her big eyes and square face, with the hourglass bo
He talked to me about the wedding to cheer me up. He talked to me about our nephew and nieces, showed me videos of Adrien, Estelle and Sara. He talked to me about our babies and how the incident had only made his protective manner grow, and he showed that without a doubt.His hand quickly laid over my body when Hector got too close. When someone came in unannounced, he sent a death glare towards the door.The way he talked to me though, with this softness and this new-found love, only made me suspect more that he wanted a baby even more quickly.It was a nice technique to make me forget about my aching body, I must admit. And I let myself be endorsed in the baby talk, in the name choosing, in how the baby would change our lives - because honestly? After what had happened, I wanted to make the most out of my life. I wanted to have a baby with him.I wanted to live. I wanted to make the world a happy and safe place for my babies. I want to have all of Michael's babies and put more 'us'
Sara's POVAt first, I blinked.Then, unfamiliar faces appeared in a silhouette above me.The harsh light made me close my eyes again.Had the policemen turned on the light once they had found me?Was I free again?"Ms Basic?", the male voice asked, shaking my shoulder. "Are you awake Ms Basic?"I nodded, my head gradually starting to hurt.I weakly raised my arm, still disorientated where I was, who I was, what day and time it was?With my hand, I shielded my eyes from the harsh light and slowly opened them.Wait, I could move my hands?"Where ... am I?", I coughed, my throat dry."In the hospital, Ms Basic. Your fiancé brought you here after you were held hostage", the man explained. I turned my head slightly to see his coat.This was my doctor?Another hand moved around my body. I turned to see the light rose outfit of the nurse.I was in a hospital room ...?But that means - I had been rescued! I had really seen Michael!I jumped up; immediately their hands caught me.It all came
Sara's POVI panted and cried and whaled as Noah repeatedly stabbed my legs. In and out, always in a new spot. The wet sound echoed in my ear.My body had grown numb and cold to the pain once he stopped stabbing me.My vision only got worse.The corners turned black.I had trouble staying conscious.I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep."Why would you call him!?", Noah yelled. He grabbed my head. Everything was spinning. "Why why why? Why do keep on clinging onto him!? Is it because he has more money? Is it because he is a shameless flirt!? Is it because both of you are divorced!?"Noah grabbed a good chunk of my hair and with a swift swipe, cut off half my hair.He let my own hair fall onto me."I'll derange so much he won't love you anymore!", Noah yelled, his voice breaking. "And then I'll kill you - because you know what? A whore like you isn't worth this pain! If I can't have you, nobody can have you!"Noah cut off the other half of my hair."The more I look at you, the more
Sara's POVNoah's tongue slipped out of my mouth, causing blood and saliva to drip out my mouth, running down my chin.My ex-husband, my abductor, stepped back with a fond smile. His eyes ... they were filled with love. With love?Every core of my body grew disgusted at this realization. What a sick fucker! Did he enjoy torturing me? How could he like something so grotesque?!With every second he kept me here, the more the man I had loved disappeared from my memories. As if the old Noah distanced himself or was being replaced with this abusive psycho.Whatever I had once felt to him - those feelings and memories felt foreign right now, unfamiliar, disgusting, vile. Why had I wasted over four years with you? Why hadn't it been Michael who I could have met at my university? Why couldn't I be happy from the start?"Did you feel anything?", Noah purred, tracing the side of my face with his knuckles.With angry tears, I heavily shook my head.Noah didn't hesitate - his slap left my face nu