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Chapter 29
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Christine stepped into the shower, turning the taps to full blast and letting the warm water wash away the blood and grime. She lifted her face to the spray, eyes closed. Her emotions overwhelmed her like a flash flood, sweeping away all other feelings aside. She crumbled to the floor, soundless sobs racking her body.
The plane crash, the dead flight attendant, the pirates capturing them, everything played before her eyes like a silent movie, the worst was seeing Imran staring up at her while his life’s blood sprayed into her face. That image played on repeat.
“Christine?” Gabrielle knocked on the bathroom door. Angelica had asked her to come investigate because Christine was very quiet.
No answer. Gabrielle opened the door.
“Sorry, I’m coming in,” she said, “Oh God! Christine, are you alright?”
The young girl rushed to Christine’s side, kneeling next to her in the shower, not caring that she wa
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Alexander wasn’t prepared for the media that accosted them as soon as they got through customs. They were besieged with a horde of reporters shoving microphones and cameras in their faces.Chase who was being pushed on a wheelchair by one of the flight attendants, let loose a string of profanity at the sight before him.“Dad, what the fuck? Who let these vultures know we were coming back?” Chase scowled at them, holding his hand in front of his eyes when a flash went off right in his face. He had no patience with reporters, he was hurting and tired and wanted to go home.Christine lay a calming hand on his shoulder. The attendant asked if she should call security to remove them.“No, it’s alright. I will handle them. Please just get my son, Ms. Morrison and her parents to my limo.” Alexander took his wife’s hand and they went to the barrier to speak to the reporters.“Right away, Mr. Ward.” Said
Surviving My Love Chapter 31
Alexander drove Chase and Christine to the hospital where Chase was admitted for surgery. Christine hated hospitals, but she said nothing to Chase. Memories came flooding back as they walked down the passages to Chase’s private room. She remembered the pain of her torn flesh, her broken bones and the smell of antiseptic. But most of all she remembered her mother’s cries when she heard of her eldest daughter’s death.“You look pale, Sweetheart. Are you alright?” Chase’s concerned voice broke in on her thoughts.She turned to him on the bed and gave him her best smile, squeezing his hand. “Here you are worried about me when you are the one going in for surgery.” She laughed halfheartedly. “I’m fine.”Chase lifted one eyebrow, giving her a look of disbelief. “Stop stressing. Everything will be fine. And once I’m better, you and I will go dancing the night away.”“I’d like that very much,” she said.The nurse came in to prep Chase for surgery and Christine felt a wave of nausea threatenin
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When Christine kissed Chase goodbye, he didn’t respond like he usually does. His lips were pressed together and cold. She shrugged it off as an after effect of the anesthetic. But in the back of her mind, she knew he thought about Amanda and the flowers Mason sent.Alexander saw the bouquet in the trash bin but said nothing. At the Ward’s home dinner was waiting for them. The twins were talking non-stop about school and girls until Alexander told them to shut up.“Finish your dinners and go help in the kitchen. You’d better make sure all your homework is done. I don’t want any problems with your teachers. Not again.” Alexander fixed the twins with his icy stare.Although they had servants, Alexander believed his children needed to do chores and not depend on other people to do serve them hand and foot. That made lazy people and he had no time for laziness.“No, Dad, we’re good.” Ethan said.“Yep, promise.” Replied Nathan.“They are so cute.” Claire remarked when the boys left the tabl
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Claire pushed Christine into the bedroom they occupied in the Ward’s home.“Chrissie, are you pregnant?” she asked in a hushed voice.So like her mother to come directly to the point, Christine thought. She had wanted to talk to her mother about it, but it never seemed like the right time.“I don’t know, Mom. And for God’s sake, don’t tell Dad or Chase for that matter.”“Christine Morrison!” her mother scolded. “Why haven’t you gone to the doctor or at least taken a pregnancy test.”“Keep your voice down.” Christine hissed, looking at the closed door as if it had grown ears. “I just haven’t had the chance what with Chase being in hospital.”Her mother inspected her up and down, hands on her slender hips. “Well then, he is home now. It’s been three days already. So what’s stopping you, young lady?”“Ugh.” There we go, when her mother calls her ‘young lady’, Christine knew she was in trouble. “I’m scared, Mom. What if I am not ready to be a mother? What if Chase doesn’t want a child? Wh
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“Move your head slightly to the right,” Raven said, frowning lightly. “No, wait.” He approached Christine where she sat leaning against the armrest of the chaise lounge Raven had brought into the sunroom. He wanted her to pose there for him because the lighting was just perfect according to him.The burgundy color and curvature of the Avaleni chaise lounge complemented Christine’s skin tone and hair, he thought as he studied her.Christine couldn’t help but stare into the blue depths of his eyes. She found them mesmerizing.“Hmm. Lift your leg just a little.” He mused.“Which one?” Christine laughed.“Okay, no…” he touched her ankle, she was barefoot and dressed in a wispy, charcoal dress. He positioned her leg like he wanted, draping the soft fabric so it revealed part of her thigh.Christine had to bite her lip to keep her from gasping at his featherlight touch.What the heck is wrong with me? This is so wrong on so many levels.Hormones, she thought. Pregnancy hormones. Ugh, her mo
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Mason opened the envelope at his apartment, skimming over the contents. He grunted in approval. Yes, this would do nicely, he thought. He grinned this would make a nice story for the gossip rags. He placed the medical records back into the envelope. Chase’s drug addiction when he was a wild teenager is going to bite him in the ass. Soon.But he has another nice surprise waiting for him. Mason perused the photos one more time. Uncanny how much this woman looks like Amanda. They could have been sisters. Now just to convince her to work for him.“Shouldn’t be too hard,” he said out loud. Seeing as little miss Amanda look-alike has gotten herself into some serious trouble. “Mason to the rescue.”*** Chase poured himself a brandy at the cabinet in his study. He stroked his knee absentmindedly. It’s been a week since the cast came off and he hasn’t gotten used to the feeling of freedom. He still has a slight limp, but the doctor is optimistic for a full recovery.It has been bliss living i
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Late Sunday evening Chase opened his laptop and sat staring without reading the content of his emails, his thoughts were interrupted when Christine placed her hands on his shoulders.“Can’t sleep?” Her hair fell across his cheek and he inhaled the sweet scent of her shampoo.“Reading through some emails. Sort of.” He swiveled the chair around and pulled her onto his lap.She stroked the frown between his brows. “Seems like you have a lot on your mind. What’s bothering you?”“Nothing much, Babe. Hope I still have clients left after our ‘holiday’.” He knew Mason took most of his clients over. Alexander told him. At the time he said nothing to his father, but it angered him. So like the opportunistic weasel Mason is. But maybe he would have done the same thing.And then there was the other thing. That woman he saw at the club. It worried him to no end. Was he having hallucinations? Waking nightmares? She was a dead ringer for Amanda. When they got outside the club, the woman was nowhere
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One week later:Christine was on her way to the break room to get herself and Chase some muffins and coffee when Mason grabbed her arm and pushed her into the filing room.“Hey! What the hell, Mason?” She pulled her arm free of his grasp and shoved him away from her.He locked the door from inside.“Mason?” Christine backed away from him, her back against one of the cabinets. Trying her best to remain calm, she folded her arms across her tummy.“I need to speak to you. Sorry if I scared you, but this is the only way I could get you alone.” He spoke in a low tone, his eyes darting from her to the door.Christine rubbed the goosebumps that appeared on her arms. Being trapped in a enclosed space with a man stirred her anxiety and she tried her best to steady her breathing. “What do you want, Mason?”“Don’t be like that, Darlin’. What poison has Chase been feeding you? Before you went with him on that awful day, we had a connection. You can’t deny it, can you?” Mason came closer to her, s
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Paramedics were rushed forward to assist the wounded. Christine left the rest of the Ward family and stumbled right up to the tape barrier to get a better view. They could do nothing but wait as gurneys pushed past them. Waiting for a sign that Chase was still alive. To Christine it felt as if everything was sharper, sounds, colors, the smells, even her own breathing seemed harsher to her ears. But the people seemed to move in slow motion when she spotted him over the heads of the crowd. She wanted to scream out his name, but there was no sound coming through. Christine managed to hold up her hand. He turned his head and then he saw her, started making his way through the crowd. The first thing she noticed was the blood spatter on his face and all over his white shirt. But he was alive! And pushing through the crowd until… “Chrissie!” He was right there in front of her. “Sir, sir! You need to see a doctor.” A police officer tried to detain him, but he ignored the man. He only had
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To say it was a media circus would have been an understatement. Chase was beset with reporters from all sides as he stepped out of his car to get into the court building.“Mr. Ward, are you associating yourself with the Mafia now?” One reporter screamed at him.“How does it feel to be back in court after your time in jail, Mr. Ward?”Then there were the protesters waving placards and screaming protest slogans in support of the families that suffered at the hands of the crime boss.Chase muttered curses under his breath. So much for wanting to keep a low profile. He expected there to be some media presence, but this was outrageous. He ran up the steps of the court building, narrowly missed being hit in the face by a camera wielding television reporter.The security officers at the door ushered him through and kept the hounds at bay. He walked briskly down the broad corridor to where Carlucci’s bail hearing was to be held.***He spent the next two hours arguing Carlucci’s case before t
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“I would advise against it.” Alexander told Chase over the phone. Not that there was anything he could do to stop Chase from getting his hands on the footage if he was on a mission to do so. “Dad, I need to see it. It’s affecting my relationship with Christine.” He paused, “Please.” Alexander ruffled a hand through his hair. Does it ever stop? “Alright. I have it here.” “I’ll be right over.” Chase ended the call. For a long time, Alexander sat staring out at the window, watching the snow fall, swirling specks blown about by the ice wind. Just like us, Alexander thought, were all just specks being blown in all directions by an ill wind. He heard Erica and the twins come back, but he stayed in his office, not having the courage to face Erica and ask, no, beg her forgiveness for accusing her of seeing Justin Hunter. He should have known better. Erica wasn’t that kind of woman. After all these years he still felt inferior to Hunter. He, Alexander didn’t deserve a woman like Erica, but
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“Hey, Bro! I brought the painting I promised.” Raven was the first to react, acting as if he just didn’t kiss Christine.“Fuck! Chase is going to kill me,” Raven thought to himself.Christine froze. How long has he been standing there, watching them. She didn’t mean to kiss Raven back; it was a spontaneous reaction. It’s not like it meant anything. But Chase wouldn’t see it that way.Chase stalked towards them his face expressionless. “Did I interrupt something?” His eyes flitted to the painting of Christine. Raven captured her beautifully. The likeness was so striking it seemed as if she could just walk out of that canvas.“No, of course not.” Christine found her voice. She went to Chase and kissed him. His lips were cold.Chase looked at her flushed face and then at Raven who couldn’t look him in the eyes.“I kissed Christine.” Raven blurted out. He’d rather have Chase smash his face in than look at them the way he was now, as if they’d betrayed him. “Just a peck. It wasn’t her faul
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“Hey, Bro! I brought the painting I promised.” Raven was the first to react, acting as if he just didn’t kiss Christine.“Fuck! Chase is going to kill me,” Raven thought to himself.Christine froze. How long has he been standing there, watching them. She didn’t mean to kiss Raven back; it was a spontaneous reaction. It’s not like it meant anything. But Chase wouldn’t see it that way.Chase stalked towards them his face expressionless. “Did I interrupt something?” His eyes flitted to the painting of Christine. Raven captured her beautifully. The likeness was so striking it seemed as if she could just walk out of that canvas.“No, of course not.” Christine found her voice. She went to Chase and kissed him. His lips were cold.Chase looked at her flushed face and then at Raven who couldn’t look him in the eyes.“I kissed Christine.” Raven blurted out. He’d rather have Chase smash his face in than look at them the way he was now, as if they’d betrayed him. “Just a peck. It wasn’t her faul
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Chase called Christine’s parents from the office.“I really think you should come. Christine needs you now.” Chase spoke to Lance.“We really cannot afford…” Lance began, but Chase interrupted him.“I’ve emailed you the plane tickets. Please accept them.” Chase pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t think Christine would appreciate him turning to her parents for help, but what other choice did he have. “I want to marry your daughter, Mr. Morrison. We need to plan our wedding and would like to have you involved.”Silence on the other end of the line.“Are you there, Mr. Morrison?”“Yes. Is that the only reason, Chase? You sound stressed.” Lance and Claire were both worried about Christine and what the effects of her kidnapping would lead to. And now Chase was asking them to come. “Is she alright?”“Depending how you look at it.” Chase sat back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. “She’s not talking about it.”“The baby?” Lance thought about how devastated they were when they fou
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“You look very handsome today, Mr. Ward.” Christine straightened Chase’s dark grey tie. “Are you going to court so soon?”“No, I’m going to the prison. A client of mine has his parole hearing next week. I need to consult with him before we take it to the judge.” Chase replied, smiling and kissing her temple. “Wish me luck.” Chase wasn’t looking forward to it. If it were up to him, he never wanted to sit foot in that goddamn place ever again. But a promise was a promise, and his word was his bond.“Don’t you need me to assist?” Christine was reluctant to stay at home alone and she missed feeling useful. “I am your secretary, after all.”Chase stroked her belly lovingly. “Nope. I can handle this. You look after this.”A message on his cell phone alerted him to the driver waiting for him outside. He pecked a kiss on Christine’s lips and breezed out of the door before she could say another word.Christine hurriedly locked the door behind him. She leaned against the door and sighed. The ap
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“I thought we would never get out of there.” Chase lifted Christine in his arms, carrying her to the bedroom.“Your family missed you terribly.” Christine laid her head on his shoulder. “I missed you so, so much.”“I know. I missed them too and I love them. But I need you.”She looked up into his stormy grey eyes. “You just need me?” she couldn’t help but tease him.He smirked, “Of course, I just need you for sex. What did you think?” he teased her back. But then his face turned serious. He placed her onto the bed and went onto his knees before her.“What are you doing?” Christine asked alarmed.“Christine Morrison, would you take this broken man to be your husband?” he laid his hands on her knees.“Oh, Chase…” Christine looked at the handsome man before her through misty eyes. She took his face in both her hands. There were extra lines on his handsome face that weren’t there a few months ago, but that made her love him more. “You’re not broken. I love you. I wouldn’t want to be anyon
Surviving My Love Chapter 73
Christmas was unlike any other the Ward family had celebrated. In fact, it was the most dismal day, they all agreed. There was no exchanging of gifts that year, no shouting Merry Christmas or kissing under the mistletoe for them.While other guests enjoyed the festivities at the hotel they were staying at, indulging in the lavish food and drink, laughing and chatting, as Christmas music played in the background, the five of them congregated in Christine’s room. Alexander and Chase were being transported back to New York.“I’m afraid the media is going to be all over this. We won’t have a moment’s peace. You’ll have to be ready for it.” Erica sighed. She held Christine’s cold hands in hers. As if they haven’t been through enough already, but the press didn’t care. It was sensation they craved, like vampires craved blood.“I’ve seen the news on the television.” Raven turned away from the window where he watched the road below. “At least they haven’t sniffed us out yet.”“Will Dad and C
