Hey guys, so this is a time jump to... Two years later. LEXIE’S POV I paced back and forth in the living room, in the house that I shared with Landon. I still couldn’t believe that a year had passed and I was now a mother. My arms cradled my baby as he wailed into my shoulder; he had woken up a little cranky this morning. I had rushed to carry him from his crib when I heard him crying; his little bonnet I used to protect his hair was lying on the floor; he had thrown it. I remembered when I took him to see my mother; she couldn’t contain her excitement. Despite how she was gradually getting her strength back, she still wouldn’t allow anyone to hold him except her. My back ached from carrying him all morning, but I couldn’t put him down. He refused to stay in his crib, and every time I tried, his cries would only grow louder, more desperate. And I guess all mothers could relate to how piercing a baby’s screams could be. I was running out of ways to calm him down; I just f
DAMIEN’S POV Time had flown by so fast, I wondered where it was running. Two years, and all I did was focus on work. I had put all my might into the company, so much that I got home late at night and still woke up early in the morning to drink whisky instead of coffee. I fell sick actually, and I was down bad. But I still got out of bed when I wasn’t supposed to; I couldn’t be contained in one particular space. The nurse assigned to me had been so stressed, Valerie had to move in for a while. Only she could partially handle my tantrums and disobedience of doctors orders. I didn’t attend a lot of parties; I attended more business-related events. But Dante came back to stay permanently in New York, and he made sure he dragged me down to the club on most nights. So having mindless sex was also included in my two years. But they were never good; none of the girls could be as good as Lexie. The soft chime of the bell above the door greeted us as Valerie and I walked into the
WARNING ⚠️⚠️ This chapter contains explicit descriptions of mental illness, drugs and depression VICTORIA’S POV It’s been two years, but nothing has changed. Two years, but all I remembered was being trapped in the jail my brother had set for me. Two years, and I had been totally disconnected from Damian. He wouldn’t take my calls, he wouldn’t reply to my texts, he didn’t even want to me, and every gift I send to him ends up back on my doorstep. The way my heels echoed against the marble floors was the only sound that filled the expanse of the office building, a place that symbolised my jail and everything I never wanted. The cold and harsh walls of the company I was forced to run seemed to mock me with each step I took; maybe it knew I had no mind of my own; I wasn’t my own person; I was my brother’s. I hated it here; I hated it so much. I hated how the walls, the interior, the people—how everything looked so perfect, so normal. It was a constant reminder of everythi
LEXIE’S POV It’s been two days since I saw him, the father of my child, the man who once had such a hold on me, Damian Valour. And I couldn’t get my mind off him; I even dreamt about him. Seeing him again made me realise that the saying was true—that the past could never be truly buried. But what if I could still change how things turned out? All I had to do was avoid him, right? It was easy. Anyway, I had woken up quite early because of Cam; he was the only one who had enough sleep after he succeeded in keeping me awake most of the night. “Cam, baby, you’re the one pulling your own hair,” I murmured softly in frustration as I watched my son’s tiny fingers digging into his curly locks, tugging at them with strength I never knew he had. His face scrunched up in frustration, and tears threatened to fall from his cheeks. Why was he always so cranky in the morning? “Oh, Cam,” I exhaled, before I gently removed his little chubby fingers away from his hair. It wasn’t easy—his grip
“Thank you, Ms. Sinclair. I’m quiet…” Before Roman could say anything more, another voice cut through the conversation with a smooth and commanding tone. “It’s quite a beautiful place you have here, congratulations.” I froze, The voice couldn’t be mistaken—the kind that had once sent shivers down my spine and it made my heart race—the voice that once made every fibre of my being fall at his command. Every fibre of my being screamed at me to stay calm and not to react. Fuckkk! I didn’t think he was going to be here; how could I face him? Without thinking, I just turned away and walked towards the nearest bathroom to escape. I didn’t even bother to excuse myself, and I was sure that Landon was startled, but I just needed to get away. My heart pounded in my chest as I pushed open the door and slipped inside. As soon as I closed the door, I could barely hear the noise of the event, and it was a relief. I needed to breathe; why wouldn’t the universe just leave me alone? Why bring
******************** I noticed that on our ride back home yesterday, Landon was quiet different. In fact, he was giving a totally different vibe all night, and I didn’t want to ask him what was wrong. Because if I was being totally honest, a part of me knew what was going on. But I couldn’t ask, because even I myself was feeling some type of way about last night either. Jenny did a good job babysitting Cam; they were both fast asleep when we came in yesterday. I checked his bottles I kept in the fridge; he had drunk most of them. Jenny fed him well too. Earlier this morning, Landon had suggested we take Cam to a children’s park. The idea of taking Cam out of the house didn’t sit quietly with me, since now that I was aware that Damian could be anywhere, on second thoughts I just gave in. The park was filled with sounds of laughter and play. As children ran around with boundless energy, their carefree joy just lit up my mood. How I wish I was a kid again, with not one wor
VICTORIA’S POV It’s been two days since my last severe episode. If Aiden hadn’t come on time to pull me out of the pain and delusional state I was in, then I could have overdosed and died right there, alone in the center of my own living room. If anyone had told me I would be losing my mind, with the probability of being confined to a psychiatric home forever in my twenties, then I could have bet my future that it wouldn’t be possible. Everything was worse for me; right after my brother was born, I should have known that my problems just skyrocketed by 100 percent. I mean, how didn’t I see it coming? My father had claimed that my brother was his first child, and I was three freaking years older than he was. That was the first red flag I ignored, and it was costing me my life. Aiden had been with me for two days, never leaving my side, sleeping right beside me on the floor in the living room, and holding my hand because I couldn’t sleep in my room. How could I? The walls were t
DAY TWO LEXIE’S POV I paced around in the hotel room as I cradled Cam in my hands and allowed the brush in my hand to pass through his hair smoothly as he slept. The sun was still trying to penetrate through the hotel curtains. It was too late to head home yesterday, so we decided to lodge in a hotel close to the stadium. The memory of yesterday’s excitement still lingered; it filled me with such an energy that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Day one of the sports event has been incredible. I really wish mom was able to attend, but the place would be too rowdy for her. Even little Cam felt the stress; he had been strapped to my chest all through yesterday, his small body pressed against mine as we cheered for Landon. Normally he would have been cranky at night, but he was so exhausted that he fell asleep almost instantly. I had to wake him up to breastfeed because he barely ate too. I kissed the top of his head, inhaling his baby scent. He looked so peaceful and utterly rel