[Cordelia]
After rocking Jasper to sleep and saying goodnight to my mother, I went about preparing for my evening. I never had wedding jitters, Atlas made it quite clear that first night that he would not be touching me and that he never had plans to consummate our union. He hated me for reasons we have since realized were foolish.
But tonight I have jitters. 6 years later, ironically enough, on the same night as our original wedding. I had been a spring bride. April showers bring May flowers and the world was abloom. It was supposed to be romantic. Unfortunately, those same April showers also brought disaster.
It isn't raining tonight. The sky is clear except for a few clouds glowing in the moonlight over the ocean. This is a beautiful location. Jaxon Steele picked a paradise to build his home on and raise his family. Hopefully, if things go well, Jasper will live and we'll raise our family here as he would have.
With Atlas by my side, we'll
[Sydney]"Alright, Ms. Sydney," Stelly, our security guard comes up to remind me it is time to go for the evening. "You are the last one left in the building. Again.""Oh dear," I look around pretending that I hadn't noticed. "I guess I did it again. I guess I'll have to continue my work at home." Picking up a stack of manila folders and my notebook, I jam them into my leather bag."You work too hard," he comments, shaking his head. He's a big teddy bear of a man, 6'2" and as wide as he is tall.I know he finds me beautiful, so I let him think I might be interested when he helps me open the door. It never hurts to have a person like him in my back pocket."Thank you," I bend over to pick something up, knowing that he can't help but watch. "I do appreciate how you make such an effort to care for me."His face is the perfect shade of cherub pink as I wave to him on my way out to my car.I need a drink. It's been
[Cordelia]Atlas has come to me every night since he revealed he is hiding here living in the walls like a voyeuristic specter, watching our day-to-day life. That is when he isn't haunting Steele Industries, making sure that Clark doesn't accidentally run the business into the ground. Until we gather enough evidence to prove our case, Atlas needs to remain in the shadows.In the meantime, we need to make the best of our situation. Every night we make love, reaffirming our commitment to one another. And every morning as the first rays of the sun appear on the horizon, he leaves me alone in a cooling bed, the scent of him on my skin. With my mother still in the house, we cannot risk her finding us and discovering Atlas' secret.Too many people already know he is still alive for it to be safe. In some ways, the police were right when they recommended we stay apart. Now that we are back together, I can't keep a goofy smile off my face. If someone is watching m
[Cordelia]"I don't trust this, and I don't trust him," Tilly tells me over breakfast as we make the last few plans for her shower. "There is something about him that just seems a little bit...off." Thinking about how Henri has been acting over the last few weeks, I can't disagree. Ever since he started insisting that I date him as a push to get me to consider marrying him, he has been acting a bit bizarre. Posessive. He went from being a close friend to someone I don't feel entirely safe around.Which is a shame. He was a good friend. "He says he has something he needs to speak with me about, but what could be so important that he'd make a fuss about it?" I wonder aloud. Tilly shrugs. With everything else going on, we have enough things to worry about. We have decided to have the baby/wedding shower at Steele Industries on the Design floor since it has a wide-open space for gatherings and many of the people who love Tilly work there every day. Rather than ask for gifts, Tilly reall
[Atlas]They all look like they are having a wonderful time. Even Cordelia is laughing. My son woke up happy today, his cheeks rosy and his eyes bright. He looks so much like his mother that my heart hurts every time I see his smile knowing that he may not have much longer in this world. My beautiful baby boy. Our little miracle may have been made by mistake but he was created with love, even if at the time we didn't realize it yet. Fate can be cruel. How did my son come in contact with the one strain of virus that could have triggered the genetic abnormality? What were the odds of him inheriting that abnormality in the first place?Cordelia is shining brightly as she makes her way through the room, greeting guests. She almost seems to glow with joy. I have missed her so much, and now that we are reunited, it has become even harder to stay away. I wish I could spend every moment we have left as a little family holding them both.Jasper might be well right now, but who knows what to
[Cordelia]"Stop this madness," I scream in Henri's face. "I do not love you. I will never love you. My heart belongs to..."The sting of his hand on my face knocks me over. I wrap my arms around my son protectively, shielding him from the fall, and keeping him from further harm. He is balling uncontrollably now, confused and scared. The red mark on his leg has started to bleed. The door slams open and Atlas charges forth like a raging bull, slamming his fist into Henri's face, knocking loose one of his perfect teeth. The two men fall to the floor, Atlas' fists striking him over and over again. "Atlas stop! You'll kill him," I beg. But Atlas doesn't listen. Enraged, he is more like a beast than a man, unable to turn off whatever primal instinct made him reach out and protect his family by force. Clark rushes into the room along with Tilly, whose eyes are as wide as saucers. Seeing me on the floor, she drops her knees and pulls me into her arms as her fiance grabs his brother's arms
[Atlas]I've been stuck in this interrogation room for two hours, unable to speak with anyone except for the detectives who have come in and out of the room for wasting the millions of dollars in taxpayer money I've wasted by revealing my secret, stealing the opportunity to catch Magnus and those associated with him."If you just stayed out of sight, we wouldn't be in this mess. But not only could you NOT do that," the detective fumed, "You had to assault a Canadian citizen who was visiting to support a friend--your ex-wife." "He was assaulting her!" I try not to scream, but I'm tired of all this back-and-forth nonsense. "What was I supposed to do? Let him beat my wife while I watch and stay safe?""Well frankly," the officer raised his eyebrow, "Yes. For the sake of the investigation." "I couldn't let him hurt her," my hands ache from squeezing the sides of the table as I try to contain my rage. "As for your investigation, I don't give a fuck about it anymore. If you had just let me
[Atlas]The police lead me to an observation room. On the other end of a two-way mirror sits Sydney Bryant in a pretty pink suit, her blonde hair sitting up on her head in a neat updo. She looks more irritated than afraid as she stares up a the officer."Ms. Bryant, you have been connected to a very serious crime. Accessory to attempted murder of an infant. Murder, if the child dies," the officer bends forward, bringing himself to eye-level with Sydney. "That's a prison sentence of at least 25 years. Considering the victim is so young, and the death so gruesome, you may be looking at life in prison." Sydney stares back at him unphased. "I don't know what you are talking about officer," she squits and looks at his badge. "Davies, but I'm going to report you to your supervisor for poor conduct. You have no grounds to hold me here. Say goodbye to your badge." "Don't be so sure, Ms. Bryant," the officer's tone becomes deeper, more intense. "Your friend, Henri St. Croix was more than h
[Cordelia]In just a few short hours, I watched as Jasper went from bad to worse. The doctors are baffled. While we were able to determine that he has indeed been injected with some kind of accelerant for the virus, we aren't sure how it is attacking his lungs so precisely, or why it is accelerating his illness. The best theory we have is that the family curse was always potentially a problem, that the tumors may have already been there, but that whatever he had been injected with took the situation from mild to severe. "So are you saying that if there had not been any interference, he might have still gotten sick?""Yes," the doctor confirmed. "But it would have been much later. He might have reached adolescence before it became an issue, and by then he'd have been much stronger and more likely to survive treatment." He then goes on to explain that the virus was the cause of his initial cold and that based on their tests, there is evidence to show that the sickness was enhanced sev