The following days were actually quite good, given that it was a new year, signifying in short a renewing change in our lives.So, after returning on Sunday from the foster home – and solemnly swearing that I would return the following month on the last weekend – Nia agreed to return to the apartment without any problem. After all, Cody, knowing that she was now happily in a relationship with Ryan, which my mother approved of without much hesitation, left her alone, and they returned to being the two normal friends they had always been.Everything seemed to be going wonderfully, even though I could sense my old friend's heart shattered into pieces, but I knew that it would soon pass when he found something to distract himself with or even a new love.Things were perfectly in place, nothing transcendental was happening in my life, until Tuesday arrived.I was walking towards the café where I used to buy coffee on those mornings when I knew I would need extra energy.It was a great day,
I raised my chin, forgetting the pain that stung my heart."I know, and you know what?" I huffed, crossing my arms, pretending indifference to his vile way of treating me. "I couldn't care less, Jack."I had to admit that inside, I was devastated, with my heart in pieces, but I had to carry on with my act."Now you live off the money of a thief, you pursued a career with the money you asked from my mother, and on top of that, you bother to work in my hospital. Aren't you satisfied yet?" he murmured, his face contorted in anger. "I had to endure three years, seeing you every single day while you ignored me or played dumb every time you saw me. Weren't you capable of facing up, after all the damage you caused?""You have no idea!" I shouted, unable to bear it any longer. Feeling everyone's gaze on my tomato-red face. "You don't know anything at all! And believe me, anyone would have gotten tired of an idiot like you. I got tired of you. Did you really think I could ever love you? I just
I wanted to strangle him, hit him, and slap him tirelessly, but my muscles wouldn't respond. I was practically having the position I had fought so hard for ripped away from me."Aren't you happy?""You!" I spat, looking at him with more hatred than I had ever felt towards a person. "You're the worst I've ever known! I truly despise you with all my soul!" And in the grip of anger, I let out something I sincerely regretted, but thankfully, he didn't take it seriously. "I wish you were dead, just like I thought!"Jack arched one of his eyebrows, not losing that joyous look despite my distress.Seeing he was only mocking my anger, I slammed his desk one last time before turning around, ready to resign myself to what was left for me.However, his cynical voice stopped me."Hey, Lucy.""What?!" I yelled, giving him a look filled with irritation."You start today; your patients will be assigned to other doctors.""Do whatever you want!"I stormed out of there, slamming the door violently, st
When he had calmed down seconds later, he stared at me fixedly, making my skin crawl, causing my heart to race wildly when he brought his face close to mine, leaving it just inches away, and then tousled my hair with one of his hands, as if I were a little girl."You're still a mess at lying, Lucy.""And you're still a nuisance," I muttered, moving away uncomfortably. "Now leave me alone!"I turned around, ready to continue walking towards the hospital.Fortunately, Jack stopped his harassment for the moment and didn't reappear in front of me until hours later. Chasing after me was like a ritual for him; he had to do it, or maybe he couldn't sleep at night.I walked exhausted through the corridors towards the juice vending machine, where I decided to buy one, massaging my neck, exhausted from so much work on my shoulders.I stuck the straw into the pack and took a sip before turning to go back the way I came. However, when I saw Jack walking in my direction, I startled, choking on the
When he requested the presidential suite at the reception from a receptionist younger than I remembered.The young receptionist greeted his boss cordially. Of course, that place was part of Jack's inheritance, the only one who hadn't deduced that until a few days ago was me.He dragged me to the elevator where he pressed the button for the 36th floor upon entering. I took a deep breath, feeling my legs tremble with every floor we ascended.As the doors opened, despite my protests, he forced me into that apartment. I felt my heartbeat pause for a second as I stepped into that spacious place.It was as if I had gone back in time eight years ago; effortlessly, everything was in its place just as it had been the night of the accident.The kitchen was immaculate, the outside garden just as beautiful as in my memories, the bed with the same sheet, absolutely everything was immaculate."Do you remember?" he asked thoughtfully, observing every corner just like me."Yes...""It all seems to be
Jack bit his lips. He looked nervous.He ran one of his hands through his hair and swallowed saliva.Finally, after debating for a few seconds, he stripped off his clothes with his trembling hands, firmly grabbed my ankles to force my legs open in all their glory, letting him see parts of me he probably knew by heart.He settled in very close to my intimacy, brushing the tip of his pen'e against it, making me shudder at what he was about to do.I swallowed saliva and became wet enough to allow his manhood passage, so my vagina welcomed him even though I had thought his initial idea far-fetched, moaning sonorously at his touch.However, I remembered that he was married with a daughter, which made me stir desperately beneath him, hoping he would stop if I asked him to.“I don't want to! No!" I shrieked, feeling him slowly working his way deeper and deeper inside me. “Stop doing this, Jack! Get away from me!”“Then stop lying to me!” he muttered angrily.I could feel his tip break throug
I found myself submerged in absolute darkness.It was like a kind of sea, where the more I tried to swim to the surface, the more I sank, gradually running out of oxygen.I tried to reach the light above the waters, but it didn't happen. Slowly, I began descending into the depths, completely drowning at the moment I abruptly opened my eyes, finding myself in a room that definitely wasn't mine.Everything was white, filled with the scent of medications.I looked around, realizing it was daytime. The slightly open window allowed me to see the city from a height. It seemed I was at Jackson University Hospital.I slowly sat up, freeing myself from Nia's grip. She had fallen asleep, uncomfortably sitting on the edge of my bed, our hands intertwined.As I made my abrupt movement, she began to wake up, lazily.I observed her disdainfully as she smiled happily to have me back. She explained that I had fainted from exhaustion, and Jack had immediately taken me to the emergency room.I glared a
After hearing my request, she left me completely alone, watching as the stars emerged from the thick clouds and the full moon rose high, shining as always.I took a deep breath, trying to control the urge to curl up on the floor and cry inconsolably at everything happening in my life.However, when tears began to overflow from the corners of my eyes, the nurse arrived, indicating that I should eat something.I just nodded, and she left the food tray on the table next to the bed."You need to eat, Doctor Wolfang, you know it well," she spoke sternly.I returned to lie on the pillow, turning away from the stack of papers at my feet, even ignoring the food with its exquisite smell that invaded my nostrils.Unable to continue my bitterness and starving myself with that absurd strike that only affected me, I sat in the middle of the bed to review what Nia had left me, a bit skeptical of what I would find.I took a bite of sweet bread while perusing those pages with my medical history, symp
We were a vast family, and no matter where in the universe we found ourselves, we would always return to our cozy home.However, we never imagined that one day Aisha would show up and that it would unleash a little hell as far as Lucila is concerned, Jack, and why not… myself."Mom?" Jack's incredulous tone and his words made me jump. I was feeding little Sara, my 5-month-old baby, when someone knocked on the door, thus revealing the face of my husband's mother.I preferred to go elsewhere and let them talk, while I had to swallow the displeasure of having that harpy back in our midst."Hello, Lucy," I was petrified halfway to my room, and my head almost spun like the girl from The Exorcist, astonished and speechless at the sudden greeting and the changed face of the perpetrator. "That must be your baby…"Her tone faded away, and I was still standing in the middle of the living room, with Jack looking at us like a circus spectacle and the little one starting to cry restlessly in my ar
Being by Jack's side, everything unfolded so quickly that those eight years living as a married couple passed fleetingly before my eyes, leaving me astounded at how swiftly time sometimes flew around us without us even realizing it.Together, we experienced many things, both good and bad. We learned to deal with adversities and be happy even when the world outside was falling apart.We rarely argued, perhaps because we worked long hours each day. However, among those hours, we always found at least a little time to see each other, to share romantic gestures, to share with each other, or simply to love each other.We had bought a beautiful house on the outskirts of Atlanta, where we had everything we needed. There, there was no worry other than enjoying our daily lives intensely, seizing each moment by doing whatever we fancied without any fear.We had all changed quite a bit; we were no longer as young. Each of us had taken our respective paths and had encountered different situations
"Was it necessary to go naked?" I asked, crossing my arms."Yes, I didn't want to ruin my clothes, and besides, if I want to make love to you, I have to be naked, right?" he replied."I'm not going to play along. No way!""Come on, you'll like it," he pleaded, winking at me mischievously. I scrutinized him with skeptical eyes, not entirely convinced by his words. I didn't want to end up freezing or spending the rest of our honeymoon with a cold."Trust me..." he urged.I took a deep breath, part of me fearing that someone would see us. However, it was too late for the hotel guests to still be awake, and everything was shrouded in darkness, with only the moon barely illuminating the place.Uneasy like never before, I began to take off my dress, feeling Jack's appreciative gaze on my skin. I descended step by step until my feet touched the warm water, letting out a relieved sigh. I immediately immersed myself completely, approaching Jack under the same conditions."I don't understand wh
He stood before the expectant crowd, giving me a smile that I instantly returned.He held a champagne glass in his hands, and suppressing the urge to burst into tears, he took a long sip of the liquid, controlling his emotions with it."Sometimes when I see them, I think destiny exists, because believe me when I say that it never crossed my mind that because of a simple robbery, you two would one day marry and start a home," muttered the dark-haired man without taking his eyes off us, bringing to our minds that moment years ago when by chance, we ended up living together in my old apartment. "And I truly feel proud to have done it because otherwise, neither I nor any of you could be here standing, witnessing a deep marital union. I think I would never have been able to do so many good things in my life, and probably our paths would be very different now if it weren't for that. However, I am grateful in the past for being a complete fool to steal from you, Jack, because that small acti
Several months after planning everything meticulously, from choosing the location to what we would wear and even what we would eat, we traveled by private jet to Bora Bora, a small island in French Polynesia that was truly magnificent.Jack had the idea that he would be the one to perform our wedding ceremony, and I, a little excited, agreed, as the photos I had seen online of every corner were splendid.The sea was so clear that I could see the fish swimming in it, the warm breeze on my face quickened my heart, and the white sand beneath my feet were simply the best sensations in the universe.I had to admit that getting there had not been easy at all, as we had had a lot of setbacks in organizing our wedding. The invitations didn't turn out as I had hoped, and even delivering them was quite a ordeal. Jack's suit was almost not ready for the date we had indicated, let alone my dress, booking the hotel and restaurant for so many people was almost impossible.We had definitely gone thr
Jack’s POVThere is a memory that Lucy does not have in her memories, and it's not like I've ever mentioned it to her, because I know she won't be able to remember it no matter how much I explain and describe it to her.I know she has erased all that pain from her childhood, and that memory that I have always possessed is no longer in her brain, although I wish she could remember it.She thinks the first time we met was in Ellijay, at a horrible dive bar, however, I know that's not entirely true, because the first time we met she was just a 5-year-old girl, lost in the midst of that crazy fair in Atlanta.She was celebrating the last day of that year like everyone else there, but she wasn't happy; she was crying inconsolably in a corner, searching with her eyes for something that didn't seem to arrive no matter how much she waited."Are you okay?" I asked her, crouching down in front of her to be at her eye level. She had very light blond hair, almost ashen.The little girl remained s
I adjusted the ribbon on my dress for the tenth time that cold November morning, and once satisfied that it was in place, I paced back and forth, anxious that the fool wouldn't be smart enough to realize that I would be there.Anyway, Hall and Black would give him more clues in case he didn't figure it out at first, but with each tick of the clock, my heart sank with terror.Nervously, I bit my lower lip and let my gaze wander around the room, trying to distract myself from the tension coursing through my veins.My mother was in the kitchen preparing the final dishes, Lucila was playing on the floor with Brooke and Blake, who happily lent her their toys.Ryan and Nia were setting the table amidst jokes, Carl and Paul were double-checking the song they would play with their guitars, Katia and Lauren were inflating balloons with laughter, while the twins outside kept watch for Jack, who was taking too long to arrive.Cody was sitting on the couch after placing the sign in its rightful p
"Black has told me about the results, congratulations, Miss Wolfang," he murmured sensually in my ear, sending shivers down my spine where his sweet breath brushed against me."Thank you, Mr. Thierry," I mumbled, letting out a wide smile. "If it weren't for you, I don't know what I would be now."The taller man stared at me absorbed in his thoughts, perhaps internally debating whether to ask me something that I was unaware of. I observed him in total silence, waiting for him to finally open his mouth.I stayed comfortable in his arms, entranced by the sensation that ran down my back every time he mesmerized me with those eyes, captivated by every gesture that emanated from his face, which accelerated my heart greatly."Lucy...""Yes?""Do you really not intend to tell me?" he inquired, with that puppy-eyed look and pouting that drove me crazy, and then, I understood everything.As always, that stupid boy had it all well planned out; he was looking for a way to coax out the information
“How long will it take Nia?”“I don't know, damn it!” spat the tallest one, enraged by what was happening. “If we don't calm her down, she could have a fit.”“Let me go, you damn bastards!,” I pleaded hysterically, from there I could hear that familiar beep that I had heard so many times in other people, but now it belonged to the machine of the person I loved.“Lucy, I'm really sorry, but we promised it to Jack,” Cody whispered in my ear, leaving me petrified with his words.“What do you mean you promised it to him?,” I murmured, feeling all the color drain from my face.That's why everyone was so prepared, except me.The only idiot who had the slightest hope that that stupid man would live to be by my side forever was me. He lied to me again, Jack knew there was no chance, and I knew it beforehand, but I wanted to believe that maybe there was a small exception.I had deluded myself into thinking something that sadly would never come true.“Jack's brother asked each of us that if som