UH OH! What do you think happened?
10 - Drunk? Cillian I called my son, hearing it ring for a few seconds before I heard his slurred voice. “What’s up?” I paused, looking at the screen, and sighed. “Where are you?” “Who’s this?” “Caleb—” I nodded at the hotel staff wearing a mask to cover their features and continued, “You called me earlier. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.” I patted my suit to grab my key fob and froze. I didn’t have my ring with me. Where the fuck was it? “It’s okay, Cillian,” he hissed out the words and laughed, his friends calling him. “I can take care of myself.” Pinching the bridge of my nose, I kept my phone away and checked my pockets, but I couldn’t find the ring. It was my wedding band and I couldn’t lose it. Because if I lost it, then it would mean… No. I didn’t have time for those thoughts. I must have dropped it in the room—shit. A curse flew out of me as I kept pressing the button to my suite in the private elevator. If Emma found the ring, she’d think I was cheating on
11 - Not Black Enough Emma Before The day my mom died was one of the happiest days of eighteen years of my life. Oops, nineteen. It was my birthday, after all. It started with me waking up to Caleb’s phone call, demanding me to open the curtain of my bedroom window and looking over the vast backyard towards his parked Jeep. My boyfriend was waving at me with white balloons and shouting, ‘Happy Birthday, Emma fucking Moore!’ Despite how it could have angered mother (when one of her maids updated about my life) I was grinning. I was happy. “Miss Moore, are you listening to me?” the sweet voice of Mrs Karen cranked through the phone, making me snap out of my head and shiver. I looked around at the dinner table, Mia and Summer laughing at Caleb’s dad’s joke. My head felt heavy and tongue felt like lead. “Can you hear me, Miss Moore?” “Yes.” I stood up, briskly walking out of the restaurant and breathing in a lung full of crisp night air. It was such a good weather. “I can hear you
12 - A PresentEmmaBefore“What the fuck?” I didn’t know if I uttered those words, or if Caleb or Aaron did. I blinked. Confused, hurt, sad, and raw. I felt like I was split open from my heart. Well, at least Caleb had succeeded in giving me what I needed. He had officially distracted me from my mother’s funeral. I turned, ready to leave—“Em, wait!” I glared at him, not caring that he was doing his zip up. “If either of you ruined my Egyptian cotton sheets, I’ll sue you. Clean up your own mess and get out.” I left the room and locked myself in the nearest washroom. My knuckles turned white at how hard I was clutching the sink. I ignored the pleading voice of Caleb, squeezing my eyes shut and lowering on the floor, covering my face. This wasn’t how my mom’s funeral was supposed to go. This wasn’t perfect. I should’ve been able to give a speech about how sweet, nice and caring she was, lying with my tears and fake smile. Nod prettily and accept the handkerchief from creepy ol
13 - She Needs Your Help Cillian “So, whose party was it?” I asked, changing the gear and taking a turn while Caleb kept looking out of the window. I could smell the weed and beer on him. His eyes were bloodshot, hair ruffled, and he was still wearing the suit he had worn that morning. “Don’t know.” He shrugged, not sparing me a glance. “I just went there to get high.” My jaw clenched. “And where’s your car?” “At E—” He stopped whatever he was saying and straightened up. “It’s safe. I’ll pick it up tomorrow.” God, how fucking hard is it to have a conversation with my own son? “Where were you?” he asked, flickering his eyes at me for a moment. “You shaved and dressed up. Date?” “No,” I scoffed, tugging at the collar of my shirt. “I was at a club. I’m too old to date someone.” Definitely too old for someone like Emma. I thought bitterly. He stayed quiet for a moment, staring at his lap before whispering, “Mom would’ve liked you to be happy.” My hand loosened on the steering
Part Two “Why did my ex’s dad have to be so hot?” 14 - Mister Cillian Emma I didn’t expect to see the handsome man again. In my house out of all places. My eyes drifted from his thick hair to the exposed skin of his neck. I could see a hint of more tattoos. The suit he was wearing was different from before. It was much darker and fitted his large frame perfectly. He extended his hand, introducing himself. “I’m Cillian. Nice to see you again, Emma.” Cillian. My throat felt a bit sore from screaming his name all night. “Damon Grant,” my brother said, shaking his hand while I was still processing that Cillian was in front of me. “You met at the club?” “Y-yes,” I muttered, pulling the blanket closer and glancing at Cillian, looking away when his deep eyes were still on me. They made me wary and nervous. I shivered, for a completely different reason, and continued, “He saved me. Twice.” Meeting his eyes, I whispered, “Thank you, Cillian.” He nodded at me and looked at Damon. “W
15 - I’ll StayCillian“Why do you have a blanket?” I asked Emma, following her to the guest room and eyeing the way her manicured black nails were clutching the damn thing so tightly. I had known her for a few hours and in that time, I knew she wasn’t the type to get scared easily. My hand tightened into a fist, seeing her let out a small sigh of relief when we walked out of her room.She looked over her shoulder, a wavy lock of blonde hair brushing her cheekbone. “I might be traumatized. This is just a precaution.” My lips twitched. “Of course.” Her brother was reluctant to leave me alone with his sister, which I understood. If I was in his shoes, I wouldn’t let any man close to her. My jaw clenched remembering the white release on her pink underwear. Someone was either playing a sick joke or it was something much more serious. Unfortunately, my guess was the latter.The text, the writing on her mirror, the spilling on her underwear, giving her a present, and all that time, dire
16 - Meet the ExEmma“Stay. You’ll get cold. I’ll go get them,” Cillian bit out, pulling me back and not looking at me as he opened the door. “Which drawer or… closet?” My cheeks scorched with embarrassment as I crossed my arms. “Just some pajamas in the second closet and… there are undergarments in the drawers.” Color coded, I added mentally. He didn’t spare me a glance and left to fetch my clothes. I shivered from the cold and caught my reflection in the mirror.I looked red. My cheeks, ears and neck were blushing red. I jumped when there was a sharp knock on the door. “Y-yes?” Instead of answering, the door opened and I stared at the broad chest in dark shirt that belonged to Cillian. I took my clothes in a hurry when he handed them to me and the door closed on my face before I could thank him.I was a mess. I was never a mess. But I was becoming a mess just because of him. Sighing, I let go of my towel and glanced at the clothes he had picked out for me. I pursed my lips se
17 - What did I miss?CillianThere have been a few times in forty years of life that I wished I wasn’t present in a particular situation and instead lock myself in a room, bury myself in huge blankets, and never ever meet another person again. Most of the time, it was during a life-threatening situation where I had to save a comrade who had been shot, when Olivia went into labor, and when I found her dead. Apparently, standing in the guest room of my son’s ex-girlfriend, whose damp hair was wetting her tee shirt, was one of those situations. Mostly because I was the one between her soft thighs last entire night.Jesus Christ. Did I fucking sleep with…“Dad? What the fuck are you doing here?” My eyes twitched—which was never a good sign—looking at Caleb and Emma. He looked like he was ready for school in his very rumpled uniform and tousled hair.“This is work,” I said, trying to keep my voice emotionless. Because I had slept with my son’s ex. Emma. “I thought you were Emma Grant,”