"Are you okay if I go now?" I asked Addy, feeling bad. "Hey, it's fine, really, the event will be over soon too." Addy rubbed my arm comfortingly. "You should go. River needs you.” Addy said her last sentence while deliberately glancing at Evan.I sighed, knowing she was right. "Alright, thanks.” As if remembering something, I reached into my bag quickly, took out the car keys and handed them to Addy. "Here, drive my car. I'll text you when I get there." I gave her a quick hug and turned to leave after glancing at Cailin who had not only been silent since earlier, as if she was not part of us, as if she was trying to make herself invisible.I made my way out of the gallery and towards Evan's car, feeling conflicted about our sudden reunion. Wait, I didn't know he had a car. Arrgh.Trying to get out of the awkward situation, I started to ask, "What exactly happened? Is she okay?”"Sharon's condition is stable," Evan replied, his voice tense. "But she needs constant care, and River's
As we arrived at Sharon’s house, I could see River standing outside, his shoulders slumped in worry.When Evan finally stopped the car, River walked over. His face looked very tired.I hurriedly unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the car. River was ready to catch me when I walked quickly and threw myself into his arms. I felt my heart skip a beat when I smelled his scent, and the way his arms hugged my waist tightly... oh dear, my stomach felt like it was being tickled."I miss you," I said, intentionally a little loud as Evan passed us and went straight into the house without saying anything.River gently pushed me away, looking me over with concern. "Come on in, you must be cold." He wrapped an arm around my back and led me into the house. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice gentle and understanding.I nodded, managing a small smile. "Yeah," I replied, brushing my hair behind my ear. "Just a little overwhelmed, that's all."River nodded, understanding my situation. He saw the pai
Although I tried to close my eyes, drowsiness did not come to me. River's breathing was also irregular, I'm sure she was also still awake despite not making a sound since a few minutes ago. Since then, we've been silent in the darkness, hugging each other and pretending to each other that everything is fine.As the silence lingered between us, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. I knew that avoiding the conversation was only delaying the inevitable. I turned my head slightly to look at River, his face illuminated by the dim light coming from the kitchen. His eyes were closed, but I could see the lines on his forehead that I knew were a sign of worry."River..." I began, my voice almost a whisper. "I can't take this anymore, I have to tell you something."River's eyes flicked open, his gaze immediately searching mine. "What is it?" he asked, his voice softer than I'd ever heard it before.I took a deep breath, my chest tightening with each inhale. "The girl I saw with Evan at t
"How about we just get married?" he said very suddenly, and my brain was instantly unable to think.My eyes were wide open. “What?”My heart ached a little when I realized River had just opened his eyes and looked at me. Regardless of how he affected me by what he said earlier, I knew he didn't mean every word of it. River said it very casually, without any burden at all, just like asking if I had eaten or not. And what really bothered me was the fact that he said it without looking at me, he said it while closing his eyes and leaning back on the couch.My heart broke even more when he shook his head. “Forget it,” he said softly.I let out a soft sigh, my eyes searching his for any clues about what he was thinking.He looked at me, a sad smile on his lips, and then he said, ”I just...I don't know.” River looked at me closely, his eyes full of concern. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just... it’s complicated.” He trailed off, lost in thought.As usual, I wanted to try to u
I had no idea how long I had been curled up in the blanket, but my eyes could never feel sleepy. As the night stretched on, the weight of Evan's words lingered heavily in my mind.“No matter how hard you or he tries, you won't be able to replace my mom's space in his heart.”The darkness of the room seemed to press in on me, matching the suffocating feeling in my chest. I couldn't shake the doubt that crept in, poisoning my thoughts about River and our relationship. Was Evan right? Was I just a pawn in some twisted game of emotions?I tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position as my mind raced with conflicting thoughts. The memory of River's casual proposal haunted me, intertwined with Evan's warning like a tangled web. It felt like I was standing at a crossroad, unsure of which path to take.With a heavy heart and exhausted body, I finally succumbed to sleep, though it offered little solace from the turmoil swirling within me.***As consciousness began to find me again
“Did you have your breakfast?” Sharon asked, her voice trailing off as she turned her attention to the tray of food beside her bed.I shook my head, smiling softly. “I will wait for River.”“He had just been upstairs to sleep an hour ago. Don’t wait for him.”I nodded in understanding, actually a little surprised by what I heard. “Ok then, I'm going to the kitchen.”I then left Sharon's room. While in the kitchen, I saw Katie preparing breakfast with a focused expression on her face. She noticed me entering and greeted me with a warm smile. “I hope you want bacon and eggs,” she said, her voice tinged with a hint of amusement."That sounds perfect, thank you," I replied, taking a seat at the kitchen island. The aroma of sizzling bacon filled the air, making my stomach growl in anticipation.As she plated the food and set it down in front of me, I couldn't help but feel grateful for her kindness. “Thank you, Katie. You really didn’t have to do this.”She waved her hand in the air. “No n
After all this time, I finally realized that Evan actually didn't dare to act much towards me if River was around. Starting from the incident in front of my apartment that night where Evan immediately gave up when he was threatened by River; then at Sharon's house for the first time, he just bluffed like a child, and even remained silent when I was openly being intimate with River.After that, I almost never saw Evan again until last night at the art exhibition. And all the nonsense he said, it all happened when River wasn't around. He even secretly came to my room to talk, knowing that River wasn't with me.River may be right. Although Evan openly harbors hatred for him, Evan is not actually that brave to go all out against him.However, things were quite different at lunchtime."Evan, honey, are you getting along with Mia?" Sharon asked sotfly.Evan swallowed his food before answering, "Yeah, something like that, remembering we actually knew each other before."I glared, stopping ch
Arriving in Manhattan, River went straight to the office, picked up by Richard at the airport. He then arranged for a driver to take me home.“I'm sorry to leave you on a Sunday like this. I'll be back tonight," he said and then gave me a peck on the lips, one more time (a little longer this time) because he himself felt it wasn't enough."It's okay, I can understand," I replied. He would not have earned much money if he could always relax on the weekends, right?After getting in the car, I told the driver to take me to my apartment building instead of River's penthouse. I have sent a message to Addy that I want to stop by.As the car weaved through the familiar streets of Manhattan, I found myself lost in thought. Evan's cryptic behavior at lunch nagged at me, his words lingering like a dark cloud overhead.Upon reaching my apartment building, the driver bid me farewell, and I made my way upstairs, the weight of unanswered questions bearing down on me.Without further ado, I immediat
Hi everyone!I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all of you who have read Revenge in Silk up to this point! I know that some (or many) of you may think that this book is too short, but I did that on purpose to keep the main plot going. I hope you don't mind and will still love this book. I welcome all your love, criticism, and feedback. So, feel free to write what you think in the comment section! I have one more announcement for you guys, that I am planning to make a book series called Revenge Series. I plan to make it consist of three books with the theme "Revenge" with different characters in each book. However, I will still try to include the interconnectedness of all the characters, even though it will only be a little visible. Once again, I would like to thank you all for your support! You have no idea how much I love you guys! With love, Anne Joyce
Looking in the mirror in the bridal room in my wedding dress, I repeatedly exhaled in nervously. I was a picture of pure joy, my cheeks flushed with a rosy glow and my eyes sparkling with love. I couldn't help but smile at my reflection, knowing that in a few hours, I would stand before River and make a promise to love him for the rest of my life. Addy entered the room, her eyes wide with excitement. "Are you ready?" she asked, helping me fasten the remaining buttons of my dress. I took a deep breath and nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be." The anticipation of the ceremony was all-consuming, yet I knew that everything was going to be perfect. As we walked down the aisle, there were sounds of people gasping and rejoicing. My little girl and Danielle (Emma's daughter) walked as the flower girl, I couldn't help but feel warmth in my chest when I remembered how excited Shannon was when she heard that I was going to marry River. She was beaming with joy, her tiny hands holding the bouq
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching until a voice broke through my ear. "Hello, love," he whispered as his arms wrapped around my stomach. "River ...." My voice was a sigh when I felt his lips kissing my neck. "Let's continue where we left off, shall we?" he teased me, his hands reaching into my pajamas. I leaned back into his embrace, feeling the warmth of his body against mine. The desire that had simmered between us earlier reignited with a fierce intensity, sending sparks flying through my veins. His touch was electric, igniting a fire within me that threatened to consume everything in its path. I turned in his arms, capturing his lips with mine in a passionate kiss that spoke volumes of unspoken promises and longing. As we kissed, the warmth of his hands traveled down to the waistband of my pajamas. He pulled it aside slowly, his fingers tracing the curve of my hip. I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin, sending shivers down my spine.
A few months later, River brought Shannon and me back to Manhattan. Meanwhile, Addy stayed in Chicago. She said she wanted to take her relationship with Shawn more seriously. And after I left with Shannon, Addy invited Shawn to live in the house with her. I gave my half of the rights to the house to Addy for free, more or less as a token of my gratitude for what she had sacrificed for me. I knew it couldn't make up for her help, but at least I felt like my burden was lessened. Shawn was not a typical man, but still he was very kind and considerate. I knew Addy would be safe with him. The thought of my best friend starting a new chapter in her life brought a smile to my face as I watched her wave goodbye to us from the porch. As for River, the past few months had been a whirlwind of emotions and adjustments as he stepped into his role as a father. Watching him bond with Shannon filled my heart with a warmth I hadn't felt in years. It was like witnessing a piece of my past come to lif
His arms enveloped me in a tight embrace, the familiar scent of his cologne bringing back a flood of memories. We clung to each other, seeking solace in the comfort of each other’s presence after all these years apart. The carnival noises faded into the background as we held onto each other, two souls reunited by fate and the passage of time.“Mia, maybe it's too late,” he said softly in my shoulder, “and I'm very sorry for never saying it, but believe me; whether it was then, when you disappeared, until this moment; believe me that I never stopped loving you.”As River's words lingered in the air, a sense of peace washed over me. The tumult of emotions that had consumed me for years seemed to quiet down in that moment. His confession, filled with regret and love, reached deep into my heart, stirring feelings I had long thought buried. I gazed into his eyes, seeing the sincerity and vulnerability laid bare before me.Those words, the words that I wanted to hear three years ago, that R
"River ...." My voice trembled at the mention of that name, a name I still sometimes say in my unconscious.I couldn't think straight, my gaze shifted to the distance, Addy was standing there frozen. Both of her hands were holding the popcorn bucket.And just as my words were about to come out of my mouth, a voice from below broke our focus. "Mommy, why are you crying?"Shannon's innocent question pierced through the tension in the air, grounding me back to reality. I quickly wiped away my tears and crouched down to her eye level, forcing a smile on my face."It's nothing, sweetheart. Mommy's just really happy to see you safe," I replied, my voice quivering slightly as I gathered her in my arms once more.Addy finally snapped out of her daze and came over to where we were, her eyes flitting between Shannon, River, and me with a mixture of confusion and realization."River Lynch," Addy breathed out his name in disbelief, her gaze narrowing as she took in the scene before her. "What are
Hearing Addy's words, for some reason I was reminded of what happened three years ago.**About a week into my stay in Chicago, I was walking home after a cooking class. I saw a stand on the side of the road selling various magazines. There was something in me that drove me to pull up to that stand, maybe I would find something I was looking for. And when I saw a few stacks of magazines with PAMELA written on them with covers I'd never seen before. Without thinking, I bought them right away.When I got home, I couldn't wait to open it, turning the pages one by one, unconsciously shedding tears because of my longing for some of the names written there: Rory Burnett, Emma Freud, Lukas Cheadle, Cody Vargaz, and even my own name that was still written there as Editor of the Feature Section. And there was one more name that I secretly missed, a name printed quite large on one of the special pages: River Lynch and His Beloved Woman! That's what it says.And I opened that special page, eight
"Who's ready to ride the merry-go-round tonight?!" Addy exclaimed excitedly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she clapped her hands together. I couldn't help but smile at her infectious energy, knowing that she was just as excited as Shannon for our evening plans.The carnival had rolled into town, its vibrant lights illuminating the night sky. We had been waiting for this day for weeks, and now it was finally here.My daughter's eyes widened with excitement as she clapped her hands, her face lighting up at the mention of the merry-go-round. "Me! Me!" she squealed, bouncing up and down in my arms.I chuckled at her eagerness, feeling a warmth in my chest at the sight of her joy. Setting her down gently, I took her hand in mine as we followed Addy towards the carnival grounds.The carnival grounds were alive with the sounds of laughter and music, the air filled with the scent of cotton candy and popcorn. The colorful lights from the rides danced across Shannon's face, highlighti
Three years later …The sound of laughter filled the air as Addy played peek-a-boo with my daughter in the living room. I smiled from the kitchen at the sound of their voices. A week after moving to Chicago, I decided to sign up for a cooking class for the good of the three of us, considering Addy and the kitchen were also eternal enemies. Other than that, my other goal was to find something to do, so that I wouldn't dwell in sadness for too long.As I dried my hands on a towel, I took a moment to look around our new home. It was a cozy, three-bedroom house with a small backyard, perfect for us. I couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia, thinking about the life we had left behind. Yet, I knew that this was the path we had chosen, and I wanted to make sure that it was the best one possible for my daughter.I really had left everything behind. I changed all my contacts that I could reach, changed my job, and left friends behind to start a whole new life. But one thing remained consta