[Vivienne]We drive in silence for a while, and I start to feel the tension ease ever so slowly. Sure, I’m still strung like a tightly wound coil, but at least I’ve calmed down enough not to burst into tears anymore.But maybe it’s because I’m now filled with deep annoyance and anger. I want so badly to scream and break something. I feel like I have so much rage inside me that if I don’t find a way to vent it all out, I’ll just explode. But I don’t say any of that. I have a feeling that no matter what I say, Alexander is not going to change his mind.Thankfully, the drive that feels like it lasts ages finally comes to a stop. He pulls the car over under the shade of a tree, and I don’t waste another second sitting inside next to him.“Ms. Sinclair!” he calls from behind me.But I don’t wait, don’t stop, don’t turn. I keep walking and walking and walking until my legs hurt, and I’m as hot as the sun.When I feel like I don’t have even a sliver of strength left in me, I sink to my knees
[Caden]“I’m sorry to say, Mr Ferguson, but this level of negligence cannot be overlooked,” the police officer says to the owner of the hotel.The same hotel from where Vivienne went missing a day before.How do I know about that? Don’t even let me get started.Mr Ferguson looks at me and then back at the officer. He purses his lips, wipes the beads of sweat off his forehead and then smiles, very awkwardly so."Look, officer, my staff and I have nothing to do with this. I swear to God. I’m sure there’s a very good explanation for why Mrs. Lawrence is not on my property. Maybe… maybe… maybe she went to see the music festival yesterday? Yes, that seems logical, don’t you think? Besides, it hasn’t even been 24 hours since she, you say, disappeared. I mean, how do we know she even disappeared? Maybe she had a little too much to drink and you know… got some company—”Before another word comes out of his mouth, I leap out of my chair and grab him by his throat. “How fucking dare you!”Mr. Fe
[Vivienne]“I think the simplest way to handle this situation is to take responsibility,” one of the men employed by Alexander says. He appears to be in his early forties, tall and good-looking, with an air of maturity about him.His name is… Duke, I think? Or at least that’s what Alexander introduced him as when he joined us on Alexander’s private plane.Oh, and yes, he’s taking me back to the Bahamas—something about Caden causing all kinds of problems for him.I’ll be honest, I have no idea what Caden is even doing at my hotel. How did he even know I was there? Or that I took a vacation in the first place?“You want me to admit that I kidnapped her?” Alexander asks, sounding more annoyed than confused. “That’s the best you can come up with?”Duke shakes his head, leaning forward. “No, that’s not what I said.”“Then what ARE you saying?”The two of them glare at each other before Duke leans back and sighs. “I’m saying that she needs to take responsibility.”“Wait, what?” I can’t help
[Vivienne]When our plane lands at the private port, we drive straight to the hotel.It was only yesterday that we arrived at this place, but so much has happened in the last few hours, it feels like an entire eternity has passed.During the whole twenty-minute drive to the hotel, Alexander and Duke keep their conversation to themselves. Duke gave me some instructions on what to say to the officer, if asked, and what not to do. He seems really worried in case something goes wrong. I can’t say the same for Alexander—he remains just as calm and composed as I’ve come to know him to be.Finally, the cars come to a halt, and though I’ve been telling myself that Caden being here and asking about me isn’t a big deal, I’m starting to realize what a fucking lie that is.All those questions I’ve been trying to suppress come rushing back. What the hell is he doing here? What the hell does he want? How did he even know I was here, of all places? Is it a coincidence? Is he keeping an eye on me?“Y
[Vivienne]Caden looks at me as if he can’t wait to get me alone and actually murder me. Or maybe I’m reading too much into whatever’s going on across his stupidly handsome face. He doesn’t say a word, though, as if daring me to continue testing his patience as much as I can.I don’t know what to make of it, so I just keep talking to the officer. “Rest assured, there was no force involved. I went with Alexander because we’re both adults, and single, and we can do that if we want to. I’ve known him for many years, and, as it turns out, I enjoy his company a lot.”The officer exchanges a blank look with another man in the room. I haven’t seen him before, but he doesn’t seem irrelevant, so I’m just going to assume that my disappearance affected him, too.“So, are you saying Mr. Bane here did not force you to leave the hotel?” he leans forward. “You can be honest, Ms. Sinclair. I assure you, I won’t let any harm come to you. You seem like a smart, independent woman, so I hope you know tha
[Vivienne]Before I can say another word, he tightens his grip and drags me toward the same elevator I had hoped to use to escape from him.I try to free myself. “What the hell are you doing?” I twist my arm, but nothing helps. “Just let me go. Just… Caden!”It’s like he doesn’t hear me at all, or maybe he just doesn’t care.He keeps dragging me into the elevator, slamming the button for our floor, watching as the doors close.“I said, leave me alone!” I try again, over and over, but it’s like he’s made of stone—nothing works. He just stands there, probably pissed off, his jaw tightly clenched.“Have you lost your fucking mind? Just…just let go of me!”When we reach the desired floor, the doors open to reveal a lovey-dovey couple too busy making out to notice anything else. Caden doesn’t care, though. He simply shoves them aside and keeps dragging me along.The couple stumbles out of the way, shooting us confused, irritated looks, but Caden doesn’t even glance at them. His hand is lik
[Vivienne]“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I couldn’t hold back the anger bubbling inside me.This man. God, this despicable man. I hate him so much. So damn much.Who does he think he is? Dragging me around like this, cuffing me to him as if I’ll be fine with it.Well, I’m not fine with it. I’m absolutely against it—aggressively so.Asshole.I try to tug my wrist free, but it’s a battle I can’t win, not without the damn key.“Listen to me very carefully, Caden Lawrence. If you don’t let me go this second, I’m going to make your life a living hell. You hear me? I’ll make you regret this so hard, you’ll cry tears of blood.”I mean every word, but for some reason, Caden doesn’t take me seriously. How do I know? Because instead of responding like a real man, he simply rolls his eyes and chuckles softly.My eyebrows shoot up. “You think this is funny? What the—are you crazy? Are you on drugs? Or have you finally lost your damn mind?”“Tone it down!” he snaps, tugging at his ear
[Vivienne]“You’re insane!” I tell him, shoving his hand off my face.He shrugs. “I’m just telling you the truth.”“You’re talking nonsense.”“Well, that’s not for you to decide.”I want to scream so bad. God! I knew he was arrogant and aloof and zombie-serious, but I didn’t expect him to be such an…such an…asshole!“You think I can only fall in love with you?” If that’s what he thinks, he’s damn wrong. “Well, then, I guess you’re in for a huge disappointment. Because I’m no longer in love with you. It was my biggest mistake in the first place, but twice? Please. I’m not that stupid.”He sits down next to me and takes out his phone, completely ignoring me.He calls someone. “Yes. What’s the status of the plane?”I can hear the voice from the other end, not clearly but enough to make out the person is talking something about the weather.I glance out the window and notice it’s raining.“Alright. Let me know when they give us the go,” he says, then hangs up.“Looks like we’re stuck here
[Sasha]I can’t believe I’m back here.After everything this family has done to ignore me, to ensure I never received a single penny from them, I’m still here, hoping for some help.Never in my life did I think I’d be in a position where I’d have to beg for my next meal. But here I am, and it’s the only option I have left. After selling the company and using half of the money to pay off the loan shark, and the other half to cover Dad’s hospital bills and pay the overdue salaries of employees we’d kept waiting for years, it wasn’t surprising that I was left with absolutely nothing.It doesn’t help that my idiot brother, Arthur, is nowhere to be found. Ever since he was released from the hospital and learned what I had to do to get rid of the jerk he borrowed from, he’s completely disappeared.Damn it. If I see him next time, I swear to God, I’m going to kill him.“How long is this going to take?” I ask, standing up from the couch as I spot one of the maids of the Lawrence residence pas
[Vivienne]“Where are you? You were supposed to be here hours ago,” I say over the phone, carefully walking down the stairs per the doctor’s instructions during my last visit.“On my way, I swear. Just got caught up in a call and couldn’t put it off,” Rosita says huffing, and not at all sounding as if she’s in a car.I reach the end of the stairs, frowning. “Have you even left? Please be honest with me.”“Of course,” she says as a matter of fact, but then right after a moment, she blurts out. “Actually, no.”Before I even respond to that, she rushes to explain. “Before you get mad, just hear me out. I swear I was leaving, I was almost ready to leave the house, get into my car, and reach you, but then…then someone came over and it seemed like urgent. And I could have told you all about that but…but…but…”“Hey, hey, hey,” I laugh. “Calm down, Ro. You’re making me sound like some tyrannical friend or something. It’s fine, really. The only reason I asked you to come over is because you sa
[Caden]Since our last meeting at the courthouse, I decided to keep my distance from Vivienne.A few weeks have passed now, and I think it’s enough time and space she might have needed to get used to the new reality of our lives—the kind of reality where she sees me around more often. The kind of reality where she allows me to be there for her and our child.“Excuse me, sir,” Betty Adams—my assistant—pulls me out of my thoughts.I look up to find her standing at the door. “The meeting starts in five.”The meeting. Of course. My last task of the day. After this, I’ll be free to visit Vivienne.Speaking of which—I get up from my chair, reaching for my suit jacket. “Did you find Vivienne’s new address?”I hear footsteps behind me. “About that…”When it feels like she’s going to leave it at that, I turn around, frowning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”“I mean, I tried, sir.”She must be out of her mind. “Well, clearly, you haven’t tried hard enough.”“But, sir—”“Leave it.”I walk past
[Vivienne]I can’t believe he’s here.But why?“Hey,” I manage, even though his unexpected appearance has completely thrown me off. “Long time no see.”“You don’t say,” he replies, placing the glass of water on the table in front of me when I make no move to take it. I might have zoned out for a second there. “So, how have you been? And may I just add—you’re a very hard person to find.”I smile faintly. That’s exactly what I’ve been aiming for since moving to my grandparents’ home in the hills. “Maybe that’s the point. I like my life quieter these days, away from all the chaos.”“I get it,” he says with a soft chuckle, his expression neither offended nor prying. “For a while, I thought it was me who chased you away, you know—with all those talks about faking an engagement and everything.”Oh. Right. I almost forgot about that. The proposal he made—the arrangement he thought would make his mother happy.Too bad I had far more pressing problems to deal with at the time.“Trust me, it wa
[Vivienne]“Are you sure you want to attend this event?” Harvey asks as I walk into my walk-in wardrobe, trying to pick an appropriate evening gown for the night.“Of course, I’m sure. I wouldn’t have asked you to accompany me if I wasn’t,” I shrug, leaning towards a stunning black dress but quickly getting distracted by a shimmery white gown with a sexy slit.“That, I understand. But considering your health…”“I’m fine, Harvey,” I roll my eyes. It’s been two months since that night when I rushed myself to the hospital after spotting blood on my sheets. “According to my doctor, I’m well past the risk phase, and I can start getting back to my daily routine.”“But still,” he says, sounding as if he still has doubts.Look, I know he cares. He’s my big brother, after all. I’ve known about his possessiveness for a very long time. But the reason I don’t want to spend my days sitting like a duck at home is that I’ve started to get terribly bored.Besides, tonight’s event is kind of special.
[Sasha]“What the hell is this place?” Dad fumes, glancing around the cramped, one-room apartment I brought him to straight from the hospital.“It’s…” I glance around myself, wrinkling my nose at the awful smell wafting in from the nearby window. “…something.”“Sasha,” Mom calls out, drawing my attention. Her voice holds a mix of confusion and concern. “What is this? Why aren’t we home?”“Mom, there’s something you should know,” I begin, feeling beads of sweat forming on my forehead and trickling down my back. I turn to Dad, bracing myself. “Remember the loan Arthur took from that loan shark?”“Of course, I do. How could I forget the biggest disappointment of my life?” he huffs, walking over to the old, sagging couch in the corner. He pauses before sitting down, noticing the thick layer of dust covering it, and chooses to stand instead. “What I don’t understand is—what are we doing here? Didn’t you hear what the doctor said? I need rest. I need to be home. And this place is far from i
[Caden]“Congratulations, Mr. Lawrence. You got what you wanted.” My advocate—Atlas Norman—extends his hand for a handshake. “Despite my better judgment, of course.”I return the handshake, albeit a little reluctantly. “You say that as if I ruined your fun.”“Well, you did. Especially since I enjoy a good challenge. But either way, my client’s satisfaction is what matters most. So, I’m glad I could be of service.”I have a strong urge to roll my eyes but manage to keep my composure. “Thanks for your efforts.”“All my pleasure. Now that the restraining order has been lifted, you need to be very careful with how you conduct yourself, Mr. Lawrence. As the judge mentioned, all eyes will be on you, and if you mistreat your ex-wife or the unborn child in any way, the order could be reinstated. From this point on, it’s about walking on eggshells. I hope you’ll remember that.”Of course, I do. That’s all I can think about—how not to screw this up.I might not have been the best husband a woma
[Vivienne]I answer the call—it’s Elijah.“Hey,” I say, watching Theo get up and resume pacing back and forth across the room.“Hey. How are you now?”“Much better. In fact, I’m just waiting for my discharge papers.”“That’s good to hear, Vivienne. I’ll come by to visit as soon as I can.”“Sure.” But something about his tone feels off. “Is everything okay? You sound… serious.”Elijah exhales, his tone growing heavier. “I won’t lie to you. I just got word from your ex-husband’s attorney.”The mention of Caden makes my throat go dry. Why is he suddenly everywhere today? Why can’t he just leave me alone?I shake my head, trying to dispel the rising anxiety. “What the hell is he up to now?”“Nothing good, if I’m being honest.”“Just tell me already.”“They’re preparing to file a motion to contest the restraining order.”“He’s doing what?” Did I just hear that right? Is Caden out of his mind? Why would he fight something he never cared about in the first place? What’s his goal here? A sudde
[Vivienne]“Ms. Sinclair?”I snap back into focus, realizing I’ve zoned out again.Damn it. Why am I thinking about him again? What is there to even think about? He broke my heart, shattered my life, and yet, here I am—wondering what else I could’ve said, what more I could’ve done, just to get some reaction out of him.I shake my head, trying to pull myself out of this vicious spiral. It’s the same toxic loop I always fell into when we were married—constantly questioning myself. What could I have done differently? What could I have said better? Anything that might’ve made him stay a little longer, look at me with more than passing interest, spend more than just a fleeting part of his day with me. Anything that might’ve made him care for me like a real husband, like someone who actually loved his wife.But no. I can’t let myself fall back into that labyrinth of false hope and endless what-ifs. Not again.Taking a steadying breath, I force a smile for the doctor, doing my best to seem c