He stood there next to me at the bar, charmingly attending to a group of girls who swooned over his spectacular appearance.I had to admit it, Rhys was the most handsome guy I had met in the past week... well, the only good-looking one who had ever set foot in that stupid and secluded bar.Yes, since I had entered that place, everyone I once thought was attractive suddenly lost their charm. Rhys, if that was indeed his real name – I still had my doubts – had turned my life upside down in just seven days.Unbelievable, right?Not only was his appearance striking – a bit taller than me, with reddish-brown hair and caramel-colored eyes – but his personality was a whirlwind of surprises. He was always smiling despite the difficulties he had mentioned days ago, difficulties I no longer bothered to remember.He was a cheerful guy, as far as I could see, talkative like no other, and a womanizer, a complete charmer.Those were the three things I had observed about him in the past few days, an
"Didn't you say you weren't curious?" he purred, and in my silence, he drank the remaining liquid in the glass."I'm just playing along, you're already too drunk.""Of course not!" he muttered very convincingly. "I have nowhere to stay. I've been kicked out of my house, can't practice for various reasons, and I'm practically living on the streets.""It doesn't seem like it.""Well, it's only been a day since my family threw me out.""They must be looking for you, and they'll probably find you soon.""I don't think so. They live far from here.""Where are you from?""I was born kilometers away from this country, so much so that it would surprise you.""So, you come to a decrepit town to pour out your sorrows to a stranger over a disagreement with your family?""A bit, it's nice," he admitted, clumsily taking the new concoction of drinks I offered. "Since we'll never see each other again.""That's for sure."Supposedly, that's how it should have happened, but all the misfortune descende
It was the only day off I had after a long month of work, and what I had most wished for during this awaited day was to stay in my bed sleeping.Perhaps on the couch, watching the bad movies on television, or simply doing anything that came to mind. However, it had to be something far from the annoying happiness that emanated from Rhys's aura.Unfortunately, to my dismay, I couldn't do any of what I longed for internally, not even in the slightest. An inventive brown-haired guy with a dazzling smile had woken me up very early to tell me about the plans he had for both of us that day."We're going on a double date," he announced while washing dishes next to me, drying them with a cloth to leave them shining in their respective places."What do you mean 'we'?" I chuckled nervously. "That sounds like a herd to me.""Come on, Lucy!" he muttered with a quite serious expression, leaving me petrified in my place with his sudden change of attitude. "One girl is for me, and she'll bring a frie
I immediately turned my face in another direction, quite uncomfortable with his breath."Let her go!" shouted an unruly Rhys, landing a punch before I could defend myself."Bastard!" growled a violent voice behind me, and I heard a dull thud that forced me to turn around, finding a man practically unconscious at my feet.What my eyes witnessed was impressive—Rhys threw punches and kicks left and right at the three friends of the thief.For a moment, I thought he would emerge victorious from this monumental battle. However, seeing them slowly cornering him with their strength, leaving him exhausted and defenseless, I couldn't stay still, especially knowing they would seriously hurt him in a matter of seconds.Without even enough time to hesitate about whether I should help him or not, I jumped onto the fattest of them and bit his shoulder, making him scream in pain.Rhys smiled at me satisfied before immediately continuing his fight, while I kept hurting the chubby one beneath me, who
His eyes sought something I couldn't even comprehend; he wanted answers I couldn't give him because, at that moment, I didn't even know them myself."Why not?""I couldn't.""It's none of my business what you do or don't do with your life, Jack.""But you seem very angry, Lucy," he said, crestfallen, indicating that he hadn't achieved his goal due to my emotional state."I always am," I sighed, rolling my eyes."If you're jealous, you can tell me.”"Good night!" I murmured amidst laughter.That last thing I had said seemed so silly at the time, but if I thought about it more deeply and tied up all the loose ends, maybe it was a bit true, but I didn't even understand it.I couldn't decipher my emotions because my mind was a sea of tangles I preferred not to give much importance to since they weren't useful to me at any moment.That night I dreamt the same thing over and over again. His hands roamed my body despite my pleas; his lips invaded mine even when I pushed him far away from me.
I waited, what felt like an eternity, amid thick tears, while the noises grew louder around me. The branches rustled with the wind, accompanying their movement with distant, raucous laughter and those voices that slowly merged into one—his cursed voice.I felt a piercing pain in my leg, but I didn't bother checking if I had hurt myself in the fall. I desperately wanted to protect myself, as I only feared him, and Jack wasn't there to save me from that nightmare. So, I curled up, embracing my trembling body, as if doing so would be of any use.I whispered thousands of nonsensical things; I wanted him to leave, but the more I wished, the closer his voice seemed to approach.He was there behind me; I could sense him without needing to turn around. I didn't want him to touch me, but he would, he would do everything I didn't want because he would force me to, because that's who he was."Lucy!" Jack called, standing in front of me, illuminating me from head to toe with his flashlight. "Wh
Jack looked at me utterly lost, his face full of questions, as I gazed at him fixedly.Without knowing exactly what to invent, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, a bit embarrassed that he caught me so quickly:"Why did you study medicine?""I like helping people," he replied with a bright smile before jumping to his feet, ready to wash his plate."You can help in other ways.""Well, it was my destiny to be a doctor. Whether I wanted to or not, I was going to be one. Therefore, I had to learn to love what I do, kicking and screaming.""You wouldn't study something else?" I muttered, giving intense thought to what he said so calmly."I couldn't even if I wanted to.""Your life is so complicated," I whispered, walking to the kitchen. It was my turn to wash the dishes, so we continued chatting while I finished."That's why you should love what you do. Besides, being a doctor isn't so bad.""If you say so," I mumbled, shrugging indifferently. Anyway, it was his life, and I co
"Yes?" I muttered, shifting my gaze from the bar door to find myself face to face with that tall guy with whom we had that intense fight to retrieve Jack's wallet, the leader of that stupid gang. "What are you doing here?""Is the entrance to this place prohibited for me only?" he commented with irritation in his tone. I rolled my eyes; I couldn't kick him out even if I wanted to; after all, he was a customer. "What do you want to drink?""I've been telling you for almost ten minutes to give me a beer," he said irritably. I glared at him before going to the fridge to get what he had asked for. I handed it to him along with a napkin and continued with my tasks. "Where's your bodyguard?""Jack?" I grumbled, feeling an emptiness inside when mentioning his name. The guy with jet-black hair nodded with a sardonic smile. "He had to go back to his city.""So he abandoned you?”"We were never together; we're just friends.""And can I be your friend too?" he inquired, leaning slightly over the
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