MIKE“I know nothing about what you’re saying. Yesterday morning I was in my house, in my living room, and in the evening I was here. Olivia packed my bag. I personally don’t even know what’s in it.”“Well, you need nothing. Everything you need is here. She had me furnish the house with everything you need. I even hired a fashion designer to make you a bunch of fancy outfits. But you’ve also got regular, casual clothes. You find everything you need in the dressing room.” “And who paid for all this?”“POOF! I don’t know, honestly. You know what sponsor you have!” I found myself speaking out loud, but in my mind I already knew who I meant. “Kevin, from Dad’s work, of course!”“Don’t be a jerk! You know nothing about me to dare insinuate such things!” she yelled at me. I honestly should have restrained myself, but I couldn’t. It was eating me up to think that my brother was making a mockery of our father’s work, but in the end, he left him at the helm of the firm.Filled with nerves she
EMILYAfter Mike left, I retired to my office to see the new piece of equipment Olivia had gifted me with. It was a brand new laptop. A brand recognized as the best. I’ve been wanting a computer like that for a long time. I could write my novels with it, but I could also set up my covers, my advertising materials. Any new novel needed a bit of promotion. A brief story about the subject of the book, set up spectacularly, attracted thousands of readers. I loved doing everything on my own and not depending on others. At first, I was working with a graphic designer, but we never got along. Either I didn’t know how to explain or he found it hard to understand the feelings my work was supposed to express. I sat down at the computer with a mad desire to write. When I saw myself in front of it, alone, my mind froze, giving place to a great emptiness, as if someone had come in and wiped out all the ideas I’d had a moment before. I sat hoping that I had still got out at least a few ideas th
MIKEI was glad to think that Emily wanted that understanding between us. It was in my best interest to be friends with her to find out the truth that was nagging me. Plus, an entire year of us getting along like cat and mouse was beyond me. I wasn’t willing to have put up with all the fuss, even though I had an interest and a moral duty to Olivia. I couldn’t understand why Olivia asked me to keep an eye on her as long as I could. What business was it of mine, and why should I have played babysitter? She seemed more normal to me than I was. I still had that nightmare that I couldn’t sleep or live peacefully. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get over it. I knew I should have listened to my friends and forgiven myself, but I was still convinced it was my fault. If I’d listened to what she said and stayed home, I’d only suffer like a fool. Clearly, it was my fault and now I was bearing the consequences. I still wished I could have gotten rid of those nightmares that were drying
MIKE She no longer had the strength to answer me, so she nodded. I lifted her in my arms, pressing her body to mine. She had a lovely perfume on her face, and at the touch of our bodies a strong electric shock jolted all my senses as if lightning had struck me. The scent of her skin was lovely. She was light as a doll and exquisite as a flower. I walked as lightly as I could out of a desire to hold her in my arms as long as possible. I didn’t know what was happening to me. Since Mary died, I’ve never felt this way about any woman. There was something stronger than my reason, screaming and scolding me for those feelings and that thrill that pushed me more and more to kiss and ravish her, trying to remind me of my mad desire for revenge. It was no use trying to remind myself that the woman in my arms was my enemy, for my heart acted on its own and clung more and more to the gentleness Emily had shown since we first met. If I told anyone that this wonderful woman had once left me on
MIKEAfter all this time, I felt the desire to spend hours talking to a woman again. Until now, I had found various reasons to stay away from them and now the one I considered an enemy came and confused me, as she knew best. Look how I was looking for various reasons to stay around her as long as possible. We discussed more and more interesting things. One never got bored talking to her, as she wasn’t the type to stray from the subject. She didn’t brag that she knew it all, and she didn’t just talk crap to brag that she was smart. She told me she didn’t trust people anymore because they betrayed her in the ugliest way possible, but she couldn’t tell me the details. Although she tried, she couldn’t. Each time it bathed her face in tears and sobs prevented her from speaking. This woman managed in one month what those around me have not managed in two years. With her help, I forgot I was sitting talking to the enemy I wished I had taken revenge on. With her charms, she made me have
EMILYI didn’t believe for a second that after all that suffering, and after I had driven away any attempt to continue my life under the most normal of conditions, I was going out to a restaurant with a man I had only known for a short time. Except that there was something about that man that confused my mind. When I was around him, I couldn’t think about what was in the past. The long hours of sitting and talking proved to me he was such a soulful man. I could tell that he was beautiful on the outside and the inside. Though I refused at first out of courtesy, his insistence flattered me. I felt so important, as I haven’t felt in a long time. After all, I owed him. I was alive because of him. He was right when he said that. I really couldn’t refuse him tonight. Dinner at a restaurant meant elegant, sophisticated attire, which was a little beyond me. I usually spent time indoors, out of sight. According to Kevin, we didn’t even go out shopping together. He said he couldn’t stand t
EMILYI didn’t get to ask him anything else because he disappeared. I was still enjoying this seafood cooked simply deliciously. No matter how hard I tried at home, it would never turn out like theirs. I couldn’t find the secret to cooking them like that myself. I cooked whatever I wanted in my spare time, and this dish was my favorite. I was so happy when I saw this restaurant had a band. The music, the wine and the food made everything special. I just hoped Mike loved dancing and would invite me, as I loved dancing. My chances with Kevin were slim because he hated music, or so I thought.“It’s not the place for painful memories,” I scolded myself in my thoughts.I tasted the cold wine the waiter brought us even though Mike had left for a little while. As I sipped from the glass, I heard the strains of a love song. My mouth got caressed by a sweet taste and a special music spoiled my hearing. The wine and that melody blended perfectly, transporting me to a world I had never seen
MIKEWhen I walked into the restaurant, everyone was giving me positive signs. Everyone was smiling and was happy for me. I went to the place where I was playing with the band. I was the second guitarist in a band that had been established for a couple of years. The lead singer of the band was a professional with years of experience behind him. He started his band after the previous one broke up. With the help of their manager, they turned out a great band. The vocalist saw great potential in me, but they couldn’t accept me as a full member. I never knew the reasons, but I always suspected it was because of their manager.When the band was absent, I was the one to fill in for them, under the orders of the restaurant manager. He was a soulful man who was always there when I needed him. He told me I was like a child to him. When the accident happened, he felt that only music was going to keep me alive after my wife died. He kept me with him and helped me get into this band. When I wa
EMILYI still couldn’t believe everything we had experienced on the last day. It was all worth writing. I was sure it would make a wonderful book. A novel to write about my life story.It was unbelievable. Susan ruined my life, and she saved it. I was home because of her. Why had she sacrificed her life for us?“Why did you do that?” I finally asked her.“What did I do?” she asked me defiantly.“Why did you save me? You know you won’t have a quiet life with Kevin now.”“I won’t have a quiet life, anyway. My parents don’t want to see me and he’s with Carla. He’s sick of me. Besides, Carla’s willing to sacrifice even more than I have. She broke into the house of Kevin’s worst enemy just to get information for him,” she told me. “I also have pictures of her, Luke and other rivals of Kevin’s in various compromising situations and poses. When Kevin was fighting between life and death, she was partying with the rich guys and I was nursing him. But as soon as she came to her senses, she turn
MIKEI rushed over and pulled Eddy’s body off Emily. She was terrified! The crying and panic was preventing her from breathing normally. Her heart was pounding like crazy. She grabbed her torn dress and clutched it to her chest. She didn’t realize it was me next to her and not someone else. What had that bastard done to her?I tried to pick her up, but she pulled away. She was still in shock. She couldn’t realize I was there.“Baby, it’s me, Mike. You’re safe now.”She looked at me with wide eyes. When she realized I was indeed beside her, she released the wellspring of tears and threw herself into my arms.“We have to hurry. If Kevin comes back, it won’t be good for us,” Susan said from the doorway of the room.I picked Emily up and followed Susan. She knew how to sneak out of sight of Kevin’s bodyguards. The house was empty, so we went through quickly. We went down to the garage and got into a roomy station wagon. Susan was in front of the wheel and Emily and I climbed into the trun
EMILY“Maybe? Have you checked to see if we’re siblings?” I asked in a nonchalant tone. I wanted to be stronger than Kevin could have ever imagined.I didn’t want to continue the conversation. I ran for the door, wanting to leave the room, but Kevin grabbed my arm and pulled me back. Eddy quickly came up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. He glared at him, then turned back to me.“Stay here until I finish everything I have to say. Don’t you ever dare let me speak alone again. Besides, you’re not going anywhere. Here you’ll rot. This will be your grave,” he screamed.“I...” I was more afraid than ever, but not for myself but for what he was about to say.“I always thought you were his daughter. I took a DNA test to confirm it and that’s when I relieved myself.”“Then what do you want from me? I’m not the fruit of sin. I’m not your sister.”“You are not the fruit of sin, but you are the fruit of my childhood torment. I swore I would make you mine and give you the life I lived be
EMILY“You lied to me?” I screamed.“How else would I get my hands on you?” he asked me mockingly.“Kevin, you don’t get to play with people’s lives the way you want. Why don’t you mind your own life and let us live ours? I promise I’ll talk Olivia into destroying your file,” I tried to convince him, hoping I could talk him down.“And you want me to believe you?” He asked harshly.“I’m not like you! I don’t lie!” I replied curtly.“Emily, you’re mine and you’re mine forever, whether you like it,” he continued in a calm tone.“You can do whatever you want with me, but leave them alone. Don’t touch them, they don’t answer to me,” I replied just as dryly.“Wow! Little princess claws out! My dear, you are in no position to negotiate or threaten. I remind you that you are in my territory. One command and you’re dead,” he replied sadistically.“Kevin, I’m not scared of you and you know it,” I said fiercely.“You really don’t know how to lie. You’re more afraid than you’ve ever felt. I can r
EMILYI was afraid, more afraid than ever. Kevin was so unpredictable. He proved to be more dangerous than anyone else. He came back from the dead and was ready to destroy us all. I didn’t know what would happen to me there.In the end, it didn’t matter what happened to me. All I cared about was the safety of the people I loved. He promised Mike’s release if I stood by him. I wanted peace for everyone. My life was meaningless without Mike.The closer I got to the meeting place, the harder my heart pounded. I could feel it not in my chest where it belonged, but it was rising into my throat in a big, painful lump that was sapping my strength.In front of Menfail Park, a black car with tinted windows waited for me, just as the message had said. I looked around before opening the back door and seeing that there were no familiar eyes, I quickly got in.To my surprise, there was only a driver in the car who didn’t even say hello. As soon as I got in, I got another text message:“This phone
MIKECouldn’t believe that this bastard has so many lives, like a damn cat. I hated him. I even came to hate him more than anything else in the world. What had I done wrong to want him to see me destroyed?He kidnapped my wife and my unborn child, even though I left and withdrew from his life. I left him everything, but it still wasn’t right. What else did he want? Emily was mine. I wouldn’t leave her to anyone. I was fighting for her, as I wasn’t willing to lose her, too. Mary caused me enough pain. Then, when I saw Emily lifeless, it was cruel.I knew for sure where he was hiding, and I wasn’t afraid of him or his goons. Rather than live a panic-stricken life, then fight with my life. I was doing it for the woman I loved and for myself. I owed myself, Mary, and Emily.I raced at top speed toward the house where the bastard was holed up. I felt my blood boiling and my heart pounding with the rage I felt.When I got there, I burst through the gate, oblivious to the guards running afte
EmilyAs I stepped into the driveway in front of the house, my emotions overwhelmed me. I felt like I saw Kevin in front of me with every step. I even felt like I heard him.“I should have taken Olivia up on her offer to stay at Frank’s,” I thought angrily to myself.At Olivia’s wedding, I felt like all that wound had healed, but I realized there was still a flame smoldering in the depths of my heart.Mike got to know me very well and realized right away that the past broke my peace. I feared for a second that I might be overcome with jealousy, but I soon realized that Mike was not that kind of man. To my relief, Mike realized he was the only one I loved, but that the wounds of the past still hurt. Still, he knew, or at least I hoped he knew, that no one and nothing had any place between us. I only wanted him in my life!I opened the door carefully, as I had the wedding night scene in my eyes and in my ears. I could hear, like a melody on repeat, Kevin’s words that I had heard when I
KEVINI wish I could have seen my idiot brother’s face when Eddy shot his girlfriend. Actually, his mistress was because she was still my wife.“Honey, please don’t get up. You’re still in a delicate state.” I hated being nagged, especially by Susan. She’d always been a nag who thought by throwing herself on my bed she’d have me in her clutches like a puppy. Except her plans didn’t coincide with mine, so I quickly chased her away. “You must be cautious, as you’re still weak. You’ve had a very serious accident and you haven’t fully recovered,” she continued, rousing me from my reverie.“Leave me! Get lost!” I yelled at her.“But ....” she tried to apologize in a trembling voice. I honestly had more important things to do than listen to her.“What don’t you get? I said leave!” I yelled at her again.“Kevin!” she said and walked closer to me. She tried to stroke my cheek, but I got so annoyed that I hit her across the face with all my strength. She looked at me with wide, questioning eye
Emily“Thanks for everything, baby. I loved the concert so much and especially the dedication you gave me,” I told her flushed.“What? Were you still in a coma?” he asked, surprised.“I don’t know how to explain, but I could hear everything. I wanted to wake up, but something was drawing me into a distant, pure world, something dreamlike. It felt so good there, but I was sad about your suffering. I don’t know if it was all real or just dreams, but I felt present in two totally different worlds,” I tried to explain.Mike smiled gently. He struck my cheek, then lifted my left hand and kissed it. The engagement ring gleamed beautifully in the beating sunlight that streamed nonchalantly in through the large parlor window.“Never mind what it was. You’re here with me now and that’s the most important thing right now. I love you infinitely wonderful woman!” he told me.His daily care helped me recover faster than the doctors expected. They always said that love works wonders, and that I was