LEXIE’S POV I groaned at the multiple ads that kept playing over and over on this website I stumbled on… “Are you having bad breath? Do you need a quick solution…” the voice over said God know, and of course I don’t a need new freaking toothpaste. What was it with website and ads? First they tell you accept all cookies, which I did because I had no idea what they were talking about, but if they could literally shove their ads into your throat then they would. I had been up all night, as I scrolled mindlessly through the job listings on my phone. It wasn’t like I couldn’t get a laptop now that I had little money, but use it for what? The past few days had left me reeling, and I needed to find a way out-away from Damian, away from Victoria, away from all the drama and just back to the normal life I knew before. But if I was going to leave, I had to secure a job first. How else would I take care of my mother? Or get a roofs over our heads? Jenny wouldn’t mind housing my m
LEXIE’S POV “It fucking hurts, a whole lot. That’s the reason I don’t need anyone’s help, including yours. His words pierced through me; I could see the pain in his eyes and how he wrestled with his own emotions, ones he understood and ones he didn't. “Is that it? Is that what you want to hear?” He snapped, and then he let out a long exhale; The smoke from the cigarette escaped from his mouth. “Then talk to me; don’t just push me away. Everyone can’t be the same; just this one time, try me and see. I won’t betray you; I won’t hurt you.” My chest rose and fell at my desperate attempt to get him to see that he deserved better. “And why should I tell you anything? What do you know about pain?” He scoffed. I paused my persuasion for a bit as I allowed his words to sink in. What did I know about pain? He couldn’t imagine it if I told him. Was it the countless times that my mother and I slept without food? Or the numerous times we both worked at restaurants just becaus
CONTD: HI GUYS! QUICK NOTE: FROM THIS CHAPTER WOULD BE LEXIE’S LIFE WITHOUT DAMIAN. BUT I WOULD BE SURE TO ADD GLIMPSES FROM DAMIAN’S PERSPECTIVE TOO. ENJOY! I boarded the bus to Jenny’s place; I found a seat by the window. As the bus rumbled down the street, I leaned my head against the cold glass. My heart was heavy with the weight of the decision I made. I didn’t want to leave, but Damian didn’t care about me. He never showed me respect, but rather just saw me as a means to fulfil his needs. Why was I even complaining? It was clearly stated in the contract that I would satisfy him sexually, and it wasn’t like I signed it with a gun to my head anyways, and I enjoyed it too. Despite my intentions to be more than just a contract wife, he wanted nothing to do with me. I had made him so irritated that he tore up our contract; never in my life had I imagined that this would happen. Damian would let me go? I would have laughed in the face of anyone who told me that. I ex
*************** The next day, I hurried out of my room as I tried to pack my hair into a messy but not so messy bun, while I paced around in circles in the living room, looking for things. I was totally disorganised because I had forgotten that I had to show up somewhere today. Well, it wasn’t my fault, since my presence was almost never requested anywhere in my life; I had never even been invited to something so little as a birthday party. I also hadn’t even searched the location of where I was heading; life without a phone could be pretty hard; I didn’t think that through. I could have sold the phone he bought me and gotten something else. Dumb Lexie! “Jenny, can I use your phone, please?” I asked Jenny, who was looking all crusty and rough as she had just woken up. Her hair was dishevelled, the baggy shirt she wore wasn’t even sitting on her properly, and the minute she stretched, I could see that she had no underwear on. Typical Jenny “Erm. Sure,” she answ
DAMIAN’S POV I stood in the middle of the room, a glass of cognac in my hand. This was where she used to sleep, where I could hear her giggling at God knows what, how I’d peep in to check on her when she was fast asleep, the usual way she wraps herself in the blanket and curl almost into a ball like a baby. Lexie, I tried to inhale her scent one last time, because I didn’t think I was going to go look for her; it wasn’t my thing. I don’t run to women; they run to me. at least, she used to. I could clearly see the admiration in her eyes anytime she looked at me, with those pretty eyes and small smile that seemed wide enough to make everything feel better. But what could I have done then? Having noticed those things. Her scent was gone; the daily cleaners had come through, scrubbing away every trace of her presence, which was actually on my orders. Now, the room smelt of expensive soap wash and air freshener, a constant and sterile reminder of her absence. I squeezed m
LEXIE’S POV I don’t know if y’all remember when I asked that I didn’t know what to do—was I to take the job, or maybe I should have just taken a run for it and left New York? But here I was, finally resuming work after so much contemplation. And I needed this for my mom, but it was mostly an achievement on my part. I moved from one night stripping to working in a top publishing house without qualifications. Maybe God was finally seeing that I didn’t choose this life and I could at least be allowed to live in it fairly. Plus, if Damian should finally come, then I could just hide or walk past him. There wasn’t anything going on between us anymore; he made that clear. So why should I be bothered? And I forced Jenny to take that pregnancy test, but it came out negative. She just had stomach flu. I inhaled deeply as I walked into the building, my head held high as I moved directly towards my desk. “Morning, Gracie” I greeted the secretary, “Lovely to see you, Ms. Sinclai
*************** “Congratulations! You’re four weeks pregnant!” Jenny read aloud from the paper, and she paused in shock; her eyes darted to where I sat on the couch. My hands shook. Landon was beside me, and he was torn between confusion and concerns. He had been the one I fell into his arms at the coffee shop; I was lucky to have bumped into him again. He had saved me twice now, the club and the coffee shop. I should have known the morning sickness, the nausea, and little spotting I found on my underwear. They all pointed to the truth, but I never in a lifetime even imagined being pregnant for him. The words felt like I was being sentenced to death; they sounded heavy and suffocating. “This is bad, Lexie.” Jenny finally found the words to say; her voice was filled with uttermost worry. She was scared, but I wanted her to open and swallow me whole. “You think I don’t know that?” I snapped; the panic in my voice was clear. How could this happen? I mean, I knew how it happene
VICTORIA’S POV “Ms. Hayes…” A voice called out, but I was deeply lost in my own thoughts; everything replayed over and over in my mind. Lexie said she had broken off things with Damian, but that was so suspicious to me. It was too easy? I expected her to put up a more challenging fight, although I didn’t know if she truly loved him or was just after his money. She did seem really bitter that I broke his heart; I wish I could tell him the truth. And what she said about Damian not caring enough to let me know they weren’t together? It stung more than I wanted to admit. “Ms. Hayes?” The voice repeated, and I snapped back to the reality of the familiar voice. I blinked, finally focussing on the figure opposite where I sat—my doctor, Parrish. “Sorry, Doctor Parrish,” I murmured, feeling a bit embarrassed for zoning out like that. ‘That’s alright,” he said gently, but his eyes were sharp as he studied me. “Quick questions: have you been taking your pills consistently?” I didn’t
LEXIE’S POV “I can’t believe you want to move back in with him,” Jenny said, her voice laced with disbelief. “Just like that?” I stood by the bed in silence as I folded Cameron’s tiny clothes into neat piles while Jenny sat on the armchair and bounced him gently on her lap. I could feel Jenny’s eyes on me the entire time, but I kept my head down to avoid her stare. “You’re seriously not ignoring me right now, are you?” I paused; my hands froze over one of Cam’s little shirts. I didn’t know how to explain it to her. Not in a way that would make me sound ridiculous, and not in a way that wouldn’t sound like I was giving in. Because a part of me wanted this, wanted Damian, wanted the family we could have had. I wanted to believe he had changed. “Jenny, it’s…it’s complicated right now.” I dropped the pile of clothes onto the bed with more force than I intended and turned to face her. “I mean, can’t you see? Landon won’t even talk to me. He hates Damian’s guts, and I can’t keep
LEXIE’S POV “I’m done for, Jenny.” My voice cracked as I curled up tighter on the couch, knees pulled to my chest. Tears blurred my vision, but I blink them back. I couldn’t bring myself to leave the house. How could I? I was still trying to grasp how everything crumbled before me so easily. Damian had made it clear—he was going to marry Victoria. It was a simple truth that made my stomach churn. I had no place here anymore, but for some reason, I still couldn’t leave. “Ms. Valour, are you ready for breakfast?” Mary, the house cook, her gentle voice cut through my many thoughts. “I’m fin—“ Before I could finish, I was interrupted by the sound of sharp footsteps. “There can only be one Ms. Valour, Mary.” My heart dropped, and I turned sharply. It was her—Victoria; she stood firmly at the entrance like she owned the place. Her eyes were dark, covered with smoky eye shadow that only seemed to enhance the wickedness in her gaze. I shot up from the couch and stood so fast I felt
LEXIE’S POV“I’m done for, Jenny.” My voice cracked as I curled up tighter on the couch, knees pulled to my chest. Tears blurred my vision, but I blink them back.I couldn’t bring myself to leave the house. How could I? I was still trying to grasp how everything crumbled before me so easily.Damian had made it clear—he was going to marry Victoria. It was a simple truth that made my stomach churn. I had no place here anymore, but for some reason, I still couldn’t leave.“Ms. Valour, are you ready for breakfast?” Mary, the house cook, her gentle voice cut through my many thoughts.“I’m fin—“ Before I could finish, I was interrupted by the sound of sharp footsteps.“There can only be one Ms. Valour, Mary.”My heart dropped, and I turned sharply. It was her—Victoria; she stood firmly at the entrance like she owned the place. Her eyes were dark, covered with smoky eye shadow that only seemed to enhance the wickedness in her gaze.I shot up from the couch and stood so fast I felt dizzy, li
LEXIE’S POV“I can’t believe you want to move back in with him,” Jenny said, her voice laced with disbelief. “Just like that?”I stood by the bed in silence as I folded Cameron’s tiny clothes into neat piles while Jenny sat on the armchair and bounced him gently on her lap. I could feel Jenny’s eyes on me the entire time, but I kept my head down to avoid her stare.“You’re seriously not ignoring me right now, are you?”I paused; my hands froze over one of Cam’s little shirts. I didn’t know how to explain it to her. Not in a way that would make me sound ridiculous, and not in a way that wouldn’t sound like I was giving in.Because a part of me wanted this, wanted Damian, wanted the family we could have had. I wanted to believe he had changed.“Jenny, it’s…it’s complicated right now.” I dropped the pile of clothes onto the bed with more force than I intended and turned to face her.“I mean, can’t you see? Landon won’t even talk to me. He hates Damian’s guts, and I can’t keep living he
DAMIAN’S POV I stood by the transparent office window as I watched the cityscape while I spoke into my phone. The call was with Anthony Gates, a loyal investor who had been with me for over a decade.“My personal assistant was supposed to help me reach out to you, but I insisted on making the call myself,” I said, while my tone remained professional.“My schedule is tight, and I wouldn’t be able to attend. But I hope a $20 million donation isn’t too little. I would do more as my contributions soon, but pardon my absence.”Anthony was about to launch his new airline, and his event was important for the press coverage. I wanted to support him, even if I couldn’t be there in person.“Not at-“ I continued, but I was abruptly cut off when my office door flung open and slammed into the wall. That would be $20million in damage if anything happened to it.I turned, my gaze shifted from the cityscape to the chaos that erupted behind me, Victoria.She stormed in; her heels clicked aggressive
VIEWERS DISCRETION It glinted under the dim light from the alley, sharp and small, but yet deadly. I had no idea what I was doing or what I was about to do. But at that moment, what went on in my mind was... “Take care of your problem, Victoria,” words that my brother had implanted in my head. “Let’s make this more fun, because no one threatens the Hayes family and gets away with it. I will make sure that you won’t live to blackmail anyone ever again.” I said, my voice soft and filled with joy. Then I began, the knife slid into him so easily, like cutting through warm butter. This was the knife I had planned to use to kill myself every time, but I regained my senses each time and I never failed to leave it unsharpened. I stabbed him, over and over, the blade sank into his flesh as I giggled, blood splattered all over my face, hot and sticky, but I didn’t care. I was having fun. He stopped moving after a while, his body went limp beneath me, but I kept going. I wasn’t done yet, n
“Lex, listen to me,” he pleaded as he took another step toward me, his hands raised in a calming gesture in an attempt to hold me. I watched as he fought himself mentally about where to place his hands, but then he held my shoulders and caressed them softly, and I knew how awkward it was for him He went from pounding me mercilessly to wondering where he could touch that wouldn’t offend me. “That would never happen. I won’t allow any harm to come to our son. I can be a competent father; I just need you to trust me. Our son. The way he said it, like we were a thing or couple of some sort. It made my stomach jump, but I didn’t want to feel that hope again—that maybe we could be a family and Cam would grow up with his father and live like heirs lived. I couldn’t let myself get sucked into that fantasy... “My son is everything to me right now, and he’s all I care about. I don’t need your lover giving me a hard time because of him,” I said. My voice was sharp, “I don’t care about Gen
I blinked back confusedly, “His shadow? Mom-Wh-where are you getting all these from? I literally have my own company to look after.” How would I ever be in Damian’s shadow? We don’t intrude in each other’s affairs except I needed his help and he needed mine But mother just gave me this sarcastic and pitiful look that me feel more uncomfortable than ever. “Two sons both bearing a powerful name, and yet one thrives powerfully above the other,” she said, as she dabbed her lips with a napkin as if we were discussing something so serious. “Normally, I would say what one is doing is worth doing well, but no..” Why was she suddenly talking like that? Damian never for once talked down on me, or acted in a way that made me feel like he was superior. Besides, I wasn’t even in New York to begin with…. How in the world would I even be in his shadow if I was in a totally different place entirely. I wasn’t in a competition with Damian, and I never had been. My work, my life- it was m
AIDEN’S POV I had been spending more time with Victoria for the past few days. It wasn’t in the ways I had imagined, neither was it under the circumstances I’d have chosen, but at least she was beginning to see me, to let me in Her illness was the reason we were staring to bond, something I wish she didn’t have to endure. Something I wished that I could take away from her, I hated that I didn’t know about it. The fact that she was going through all that pain by herself made my heart break, she needed someone to be there for her and I wasn’t, neither was Damian. But a part of me was selfishly glad that it had given me an excuse to be around her, to watch over her. A few years had gone by, and I finally got be so close to her physically, I had hope. But trust that no love story ever started over easy, and it would always be unfair to one person. That person was me, every time I was near her, it killed me to watch her obsess over Damian, the way her eyes lit up at the