She stiffened beneath his touch, and it was more than enough indication to let Chase know she wasn't okay. Mackenzie raised her head and turned sharply to look at him. She found him there, his blue suit jacket was off, and his white sleeves were rolled all the way up to his elbows, she caught sight of the cast on his right hand. His lips glittered with oil, and she could tell he had eaten more than enough. Who would have thought a man with a broken hand could eat to his full? She tried to smile at the thought, but it didn't happen, not with the burden in her heart.Chase saw the tears in her eyes before her brave attempt to wipe it away like it was nothing. He squinted his brows at her and looked over her. "What's going on, Mackenzie?" He reached for her right cheek and brushed it gently. Mackenzie stood stiff once more. It was the same place Eleanor had touched her before threatening her life. Mackenzie's eyes darted from the floor, up to his face. Chase Axford. His piercing s
The hours rolled by, and the 12th sneaked up on them, both father and son. Richard Axford was dressed in a bright skyblue hospital dress with the words "Axford Medical" printed in dark blue upper case letters on the stomach region. Chase Axford stood beside him. His hands in his pocket - now that his right hand had almost healed - as he watched the bright blue sky from his father's window. "So, if I do not make it today, I'll be dying the same day as the love of my life." Chase's ears jerked up. He turned sharply in his father's direction and frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean, dad?" He was waiting for the doctors to come in, and every second they spent away left him with nothing but crippling anxiety. "I'm sorry son, but I can't help it." Chase watched his old mean lean into bed, and lock his hands together. "If anything happens today, you'll be the only one who'll truly mourn me. I mean, all these years on Earth, and there is no big family left behind. It just ma
He could remember when Mackenzie dragged the phone from his hands. This was the exact picture on the screen, her daughter! Chase's heart and mind raced with a speed that made it impossible for him to think straight, or breathe. He needed an explanation, and he needed it immediately. As if the one image he saw had not done more than enough damage, he got a notification. Nora had sent in three more. Chase didn't want to look at them. Once he saw the photos, he wasn't sure what he will find, but his curiosity got the better of him. He swiped on his screen and continued to go through the rest of the images. They were DNA tests. Chase squinted his brows and pulled his phone closer to his eyes. He clicked on the first image. Cameron Torsney and Chase Axford. Result…99.9% match {MATCHED}Cameron…Torsney…what…?! With his heart in his other hand, he scrolled and found the second image. Calista Torsney and Chase Axford.Result…99.9% match. {MATCHED} SUSPECTED RELATIONSHIP: FATHER AND
Chase Axford felt the children fight to free themselves from his grip. His eyes opened, and he looked down at their heads, it was only then he realized he would crush their bones if he didn't let them be. He allowed them wriggle free, and Calista, his daughter, staggered backwards. Her gaze rested on his and Chase saw the fear in her eyes. She didn't know him, she didn't want him to hug her. Her brother grabbed his sister's hand and planted himself in front of her. He glared at Chase, sending him a warning; don't touch her, or us, or I'll scream. Chase could see it in his eyes. He was their father, but they didn't know him. They were…scared of him. Calista turned to look at Richard. She narrowed her eyes on the elderly man, before pointing at Chase. "Sir, why does this man look a lot like my brother?" Richard could not deny he was puzzled by the question. Even as little as she was, she was able to note the striking resemblance between them. He swallowed hard and looked up at
He tried to stop his fingers from trembling, tried to stop himself from tapping away on his legs, tried to hide the flames that spread from his mind and poisoned every part of him, but it was impossible to. His children had been asking of him for years, missed him for years, even after they had returned to Greenville. Yet she kept him away from them. How dare she? What could have possibly given her the audacity to do that to him?! After everything…everything?The more Chase thought about it, the less sense it made. And the less sense it made, the more his heart broke. He was stunned and irritated by her audacity. To think that she had somehow believed she could hide his children away from him forever, in his own city. Why? How did they get here? She cut of communication with everyone in Greenville after leaving for North Dakota, which he completely understood. But after she was back, they would have never met - she would have never come look for him - if he had not found her and l
Chase returned to the tree he had left his father and the children, but they were nowhere to be found. Heaving a sigh, he reached for his phone and dialed his father's number. Richard picked up at the first ring, and Chase found himself relaxing his shoulders. "Where are you, father?" "We had to get some ice cream, son. Where are you? You know we have to head to the hospital to prepare for the surgery." A small smile formed on Chase's face, it had to. He slid his phone back into his pocket and started to make his way to the ice cream truck, searching for his father. He was happy to see that his father who felt as though the world was going to crumble into shards light up with happiness all of a sudden. Chase tilted his neck to watch three children run around a ferrous wheel. He could feel the happiness that followed having kids around, now that he knew he had kids of his own. He could tell his father was feeling it too. His father was now willing to have the surgery, and would
Mackenzie tore her eyes away from Chase and Calista. She also found herself twirling her son's hair with her index finger. She stared outside the window, trying to keep all her thoughts in one place, but it was almost of no use. "Would the kids be going to school tomorrow?" It was Chase's voice that snapped her out of her reverie, the voice had always been strong enough to do many things to her. She sniffed in and shook her head. "No. They are…uhmm, actually on a break throughout this week." "I see. I have to be in the office tomorrow, and I will also need to go to the hospital for my father's surgery." Chase replied. He did not sound furious or ice cold anymore, but Mackenzie knew better than to make any assumptions. "Should I bring them to the hospital tomorrow?" Chase looked down at sleeping Calista. His heart danced to the rhythm of her slow breaths. "You don't need to do that. I would like for them to be away from the public eye for now. They might be in danger, with how
Mackenzie pulled the duvet over her daughter's body and leaned in to kiss her forehead. She found herself squeezing the part of the wooden bed her hands could touch. Chase was just behind her, and she could feel his stare burn through the skin of her neck. She had felt as though she had been walking on eggshells since he arrived, yet there was a part of her overjoyed to have him there, to have him with her kids, and with her. She turned to look at him and found him staring at her, his hands tucked into his pocket. He did not wear a smile on his face, but there was something relaxed about him, an air of joy she had not sensed before. "There, they are both asleep." She spoke, a nervous chuckle escaped her lips, and he smiled as he watched them. Heavens! He was so…charming. "Yeah, they both needed it. It's been a long day." Mackenzie nodded, saying nothing. The next thirty seconds was spent in silence. Mackenzie locked her fingers together behind her back. She was suddenly aware o
EPILOGUECameron felt nostalgic, sitting down in the same seat he had been sitting—six months ago—when he met the woman of his dreams. She had walked on the stage with a grace only a swan could possess and she had captivated his attention and stolen his heart not long after. But compared to Cameron's first visit to the bar, he noticed how empty the bar was. It was heavily decorated—surprisingly—but also unoccupied. Cameron's eyes swept over the room, taking in every decoration that seemed to have been done with precision. Balloons, ribbons, candles, everything felt strangely comforting.He was still sweeping over the area with his eyes when the lights suddenly went out, leaving him in the dark. "Hey, is anyone here?!" He called out into the darkness, hoping someone would hear and come to his aid. It was odd that he heard no noise at all but what felt even more odd to him was the fact that he had agreed to go over to the bar in the first place.Calista had caller earlier and said some
"Don't you think it would be better to just ask her stuff about them? We know them individually but Liza knows them personally." Emily said to her knucklehead sister, knowing she had just found a solution to their six hour long problem but another one was secretly embedded in Calista seeing her suggestion as a good approach to things or if she wouldn't. Luckily for both of them, Calista bought the idea. "Why didn't I think of that sooner?" She asked no one in particular as she flashed a huge smile at her little sister, wondering how their parents had given birth to such a brilliant child. It wasn't like Calista and her twin brother, Cameron, were a disaster, it was just that, Emily was, well, better.But smart or not, Calista was in the middle of planning for the best proposal ever and she wanted everything to be perfect. Cameron had—unsurprisingly—entrusted her with the task of making sure everything went well with his proposal to Liza and Emily had just given Calista a stepping sto
Turns out reconciliation wasn't as hard as Chad had assumed it to be. It was just surprising how easily his family had accepted him back, as if he had not walked out on them over ten years ago. How could they be so loving after everything he had put them through? Chad couldn't wrap his head around the whole situation at all. But that wasn't all he was battling in as he stood at the balcony of his new apartment, looking down at the street just opposite his place. From where he was, Chad could see different people moving around in pairs and some, even in groups.Anyone could clearly see how different they all were, occupied in their little worlds, without any knowledge of what was to come next for any of them. But still, they kept moving, defying the odds over and over again and just basically living life the way they pleased. It was scary but very admirable. The strangers reminded him so much of Calista, the artist that had woven her way into his heart as unexpectedly as the rain wou
"I don't think we should be doing this every morning, Annie. I will be late for work and Calista wouldn't like you coming in late either. Do you want to upset your coach? I thought you adored her, it seems like I was wrong." Liza knew the best way to get her eight year old out of the house was by emotional blackmailing and at the moment, it was working perfectly.In no time, Annie raced down the stairs, carrying her carrier along with her. Liza found herself staring at her daughter and thinking about how things had changed so much in just two months. It felt surreal but then, change had always been a scary thing for her, this time wasn't an exception. "Are you ready, mum?" Annie asked with an accusing glare fixed on her face. Liza felt she was ready but according to Annie's standards of being ready, she was far from it. Her hair wasn't yet in its usual ponytail and Liza's bag was somewhere in the apartment, instead of her arm. But how could she get her bag as quickly as Annie wanted?
Waking up didn't seem as tiresome as it used to be anymore for Chad, infact, the start of a new day excited him–especially this day. It was the day he was finally going back home but that wasn't what was exciting to him. Just the thought of introducing a woman like Calista Axford to his family was thrilling. There was a chance that his enthusiasm would be shared but Chad was past caring. Calista was his and that was all that mattered to him. His father had always been a critically judgemental man and if anyone could thaw his ice cold heart, Chad was sure Calista was the perfect candidate for the job. Wasn't he proof enough of her skills?Chad couldn't believe he had walked into a random gallery and had met tye woman or his dreams. It was even more dreamy because he had never envisioned the kind of life he was now getting accustomed to. In his case, seeing really was believing. Calista's love was something he had to experience to believe it could happen to him. Standing up with a sm
“Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you to the hospital? It does'nt seem like thats the only place you'd be visiting today, though.” Emily spoke under her breath, watching her sister turn the wardrobe in and out, looking for an outfit to wear to her doctor's appointment. No, it wasn't weird at all that Calista suddenly wanted to put an effort into her choice of clothing. Weird was not the word, surprising was. Emily felt something was going on with her sister but she wanted Calista to spill the beans herself. It didn't make waiting for the reveal an easy task.Calista could barely see her sister's suspicious stare, her head had been in the wardrobe for what seemed like an eternity. Pulling herself out for a second, she shot Emily a blank stare, “What do you mean by that?” her question was as confused as the look she had plastered on her face.“I am not a child, Cali,” Emily retorted, moving towards the wardrobe. “I know something is up with you, something sweet and most like
Driving to Liza's place, Cameron found himself entertaining the same thoughts as Chad. Forever didn't look bad at all but how was he going to get there? How was he going to show this defensive single mother that he was ready to lend her a helping hand for a long time?Cameron was brainstorming when his phone started ringing, snatching his attention back to the present. He quickly turned off the radio—that no one was actually listening to—and picked up the call. Stephanie's voice echoed in the car, claiming even Annie's attention.“Good day, Sir,” she greeted politely, “I wanted to let you know that the contract has been drawn out for the deal but it requires your signature, sir.” there was urgency in her voice, it made Cameron feel uneasy. Usually, deals of this magnitude didn't require much stress.“Didn't we already do that in the meeting?” he inquired flatly, flashing Annie a quick smile. For some unknown reason, he felt she could sense his unease. “Alright then,” he said in resign
Chad's first thought was to kill Jason for going behind his back and selling off the painting but when he had been told who the purchaser was, he had wanted to kill himself instead. There was no other way around it, he just had to get to Calista first.As Chad rode his bike to the gallery, he realized he had no idea what to say to her. His initial plan had been to show her the portrait at the exhibition and then have her take it home as a present. But that would have been after Chad had revealed his identity as her anonymous artist.It was a simple plan, it should have worked. Only that it didn't work at all. Infact, it had gone terribly wrong. They had been too occupied—kissing in the balcony—and Calista had ended up leaving without seeing the portrait. Then, the potrait had ended up in Cameron's possession.I will just have to let her know that I am Hell's Demon and apologize for not telling her sooner, Chad concluded in his head as he pulled into the street that led to the gallery.
Motherhood, they say, always came with some exciting changes but to Liza, they were more terrifying than fun. She couldn't deny the fact that she used to enjoy it but with Annie growing older with each passing day, Liza found herself questioning her sanity, along with a good number of things.“Mum, you know the bus leaves in ten minutes, right?!” Annie called out to her mum as she hurriedly packed up her paintings. They never went early to anything at all and even though Liza detested tardiness, she had unconsciously become an ambassador of it.Breathlessly, Liza rushed into the living room, hauling her purse along with Annie's art equipments. That was the name for Annie's art supplies because she felt 'supplies' was a mundane word. The eight year old had put up quite a lengthy explanation —afterwards—and Liza had been forced to go along with it.Ignoring her very sweaty mother, Annie quickly grabbed the materials from Liza and started stuffing them into her carrier. The school had od