Chapter 67: Light in the DarknessBrandon’s P.O.V“Why?” I asked her, as the doors slammed shut after everyone had left and we were once again alone in the room, a dull hum surrounding the room as the chaos from outside subsided.I had no doubts in my mind that someone was still listening from outside, trying to figure out what was going to happen next. So I remembered to keep my voice low. As for Julia? I could only hope that she would have enough sense in her to not make this issue any bigger than it already was.“We fucked right there…on that counter.” She pointed behind me, an odd smile on her face as she looked me in the eyes. “It was the first day that bitch showed up…and she saw us fucking, remember?”I stayed quiet, not knowing where she wanted to lead this conversation.I kept my temper in check with teeth-gritting patience. Constantly having t
Chapter 68: Meeting the FamilyFaith’s P.O.V“Holy shit! Why does my leg look so…thin?” Brandon’s eyes were wide as a child’s as he turned his leg around, looking at it from all possible directions while still sitting on top of the hospital bed. “And…do I have dandruff? On my freaking leg?”“Yes, Mr. Wolfram, those are indeed, dead skin cells, but I wouldn’t call them dandruff.”The doctor looked completely done with Brandon as he gave him a look of utter displeasure from the corner of his eyes. I was barely holding onto my laugh as Brandon continued to examine his leg with something akin to…excitement?“Take these medications, daily for the next month and then once every week for two more months and you should be as good as new.” The doctor handed me the prescription instead of him. “And please…do apply some moisturizer for his leg. And nothing exciting for the next four months, if he doesn’t want to end up back here again.”“Yes, doctor.” I offered him a small smile as he let out yet
Chapter 69: Going DownhillDebby’s P.O.VI got dressed with Nik’s help while waiting for my mother to finish up the discharge process. If I had known that I’d be discharged tonight, I would’ve told Faith to call me over for dinner as well.After all, this was probably the first time in his life that Brandon was going over to his girlfriend’s house, to meet her guardians.“What’s with the smirk?” Nik asked curiously as she folded up my hospital clothes. It’s not like she actually wanted to do this stuff, but she was just being nervous that I was getting discharged today.According to her, I should’ve stayed here longer, at least until my ribs were completely healed.“You think we should crash Faith and Brandon’s little part?” I grinned, already liking the sound of it. “I want to see the look on Brandon’s face when George asks him all kinds of awkward questions.”“You know babe…for someone who claims to hate her cousin’s guts, you sure are good at looking out for Brandon.” Nik shook her
Chapter 70: The Whole Story Faith’s P.O.V “It’s time you learn about the real reason behind your parent’s death.” Confusion and hurt clashed like opposing forces, leaving me suspended in a state of turmoil. What was my aunt even talking about? The real reason for my parent’s death? They died in a car accident…didn’t they? I saw their bodies…I saw their broken, tattered remains…I saw the blood… But the last few moments had tilted my whole world on its axis, and my aunt wants to tells me this isn’t over? That…whatever just happened now…wasn’t over yet? Brandon’s sudden departure was still stuck in my head, like a broken tape recorder on repeat. We were supposed to have a good time today. He had finally gotten his cast off and he was supposed to meet my aunt and we were supposed to enjoy dinner together…but everything had changed in a blink of an eye, and I was left with nothing but fear and confusion as my mind tried to make sense of it all. I hugged my arms around myself, as if
Chapter 71: Revelations Part 1Brandon’s P.O.VMy knuckles turned white as my fists tightened on the steering wheel, my eyes narrow with the intensity of my thoughts. I found myself grappling with a whirlwind of emotions, struggling to make sense of the chaos that just descended upon my life.“How the hell could this have happened?” I muttered to myself, my words heavy with confusion and frustration.I drove aimlessly, one seemingly unfamiliar street after another, as I navigated through my mind, consumed by thoughts of the past I so desperately wanted nothing to do with. I felt anger course through me, something that burned away at any reason and logic. A bitter laugh escaped my lips as I remembered the woman who had become both the source of my affection and the catalyst for this catastrophe.Her family had shattered my own, and they left behind scars that continued to haunt me to this day.“What kind of sick fucking karma is this?”A bitter kind of anger consumed me, its intensity
Chapter 72: Revelations Part 2Brandon’s P.O.V “Let’s hear it, then,” I said, unable to hold back my impatience. “I’m ready for all of it as long as it’s the truth.”When the words left my mouth, I began to realize that the opportunity in front of me wasn’t just an opportunity to know and learn the truth, but an opportunity to really hear my father’s side of the story–something I failed to do time and time again before.This was something Faith had told me about when I told her the truth–a truth that I’ve never told anyone else before, not even two of my best friends, Coal and Sagar.Faith, from the beginning, understood the intricacy of my relationship with my father. And somehow, I understood her intentions even better now. She had always pushed me in the direction where there was a possibility of my father and I reconciling.Her approach had been one of understanding and empathy. She never judged me about anything I told her. She never, not once, questioned any of the decisions I
Chapter 73: House of LiesBrandon’s POVBoth me and my father turned our attention towards the TV. “I knew you’d come for answers. I thought you would want to see the footage, too, so I had it prepared,” he explained before grabbing the remote and turning the screen on.The screen flickered to life before us, my gaze fixed on the scene unfolding in front of me. A shiver rolled down my spine when I saw my mother on screen, and for a minute, I had to remind myself that she was long gone, that this was nothing but an old piece of footage.As the scene played out, my father’s words replayed in my head. Everything he said was right. The woman on the screen was my mother alright, but she wasn’t at all the woman I thought I knew. Her voice burst through the speakers, her anger echoing through the house as if she were actually here. The way she spoke, the way she acted clashed with the image of the loving mother in my memories.“I don’t…” I trailed off, not knowing what to say.“I know, it’s
Chapter 74: Coming HomeFaith’s POVThe night stretched on as I lay in bed after twisting and turning for what felt like hours with nothing but darkness all around me. The seconds ticked by as I struggled to find sleep, the weight of what I had learned and the weight of the truth that I knew clashed in my head, and apparently, it wasn’t planning on letting me sleep.The pain of their betrayal, especially my father, was like a knife through my heart. Everything I knew about my parents, about their values and teachings, now seemed like an illusion that had been mercilessly torn apart. The ideals that they bestowed upon me, and lessons they carefully imparted, were nothing but a set of carefully crafted lies that they couldn’t even withhold themselves. My home had been built on nothing but lies and deceit.Sometime in the middle of the night, my mind returned to Brandon. I thought about him and his struggles, his battle with his own demons, and the darkness he had fought to overcome. Fea
Chapter 101: Happy Ever AfterFaith’s P.O.V7 Years Later…“And the award for the best male in a leading role goes to…”I waited as the camera flashed to all the actors in the lineup that were nominated in the award ceremony, my anticipation at a fever pitch as I was literally at the edge of my seat, waiting for the results.But just as the host was about to announce the name of the actor…the TV screen went blank.“What the…?”I turned around to search for the remote, but even when I tried to turn it on, it didn’t work.It was only when someone cleared their throat, quite loudly, in the room, that my attention finally snapped towards the door and I found Aunt Kathy standing there with the cable in her hands and her other hand on her hip as she gave me a narrow eyes glare.“Faith…” Her voice was dead serious as she fixed me with her ‘look’.“Yes?” I grinned sheepishly.“What day is it today?” She tapped her heeled foot on the tiled floor, her light pink gown reaching her knees, the ski
Chapter 100: To the FutureFaith’s P.O.VInstead of answering me right away, he took the pendant from the trey and went behind me to place it around my neck, securing the clasp behind my back. The cool metal fell around my neck easily, and a sense of nostalgia overwhelmed me as I remembered my mother wearing it all the time.But I wasn’t allowed to dwell on the nostalgia for long since I felt his warm breath fanning my skin before I felt him lean down and place a tender kiss on my shoulder.“I didn’t want to give back the pendant…because when you weren’t with me, when we weren’t together, this was the only thing that connected me to you.” He whispered against my ear, his arms coming around me to wrap around my middle. “I threw it away once…when I thought you were too good to be with me, that I didn’t want to taint you with my darkness…and it was right here, at this very beach. But the waves gave it back to me; almost like it was fate…they didn’t want me to lose the only good thing in
Chapter 99: The PendantFaith’s P.O.VI felt my breath leave my lungs temporarily as I descended down the stairs and there he was…dressed in a black shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbow and black dress pants that fit him like a glove.In his hands was a humongous bouquet of red roses that looked bright and luscious, their fragrance filling the air with sweetness that felt almost like a scene out of a movie.I watched his eyes widen slightly as they landed on me, his lips parting in a small gasp, and his eyes, when they met mine, held promises that made my insides quiver with excitement and my heart almost skip a beat.In all honesty…we hadn't been intimate for a long time now, considering how we had both been through so much…but now, looking at him today, I found myself anticipating the end of the night more than the date itself.Maybe we can just forget about the date and just head to his apartment already?Brandon’s lips tilted up in a small smile and it felt like he knew e
Chapter 98: The First DateFaith’s P.O.V“Finally! Exams are over!” Nik threw her hands up in the air as she did a little ‘happy dance’ before turning to Debby and me. “Let’s go out this evening!”“Go out? Where?” I asked, raising my eyebrows skeptically.Usually, Nik’s idea of going out wasn’t the best of plans. The last time we went out together, not only did she get the wrong address, but we were thrown out of the club since none of us had fake IDs and we weren’t allowed in unless we were twenty one.Now, I watched as Debby nodded enthusiastically to Nik’s proposal, ever the supportive girlfriend…even though I was starting to worry about what trouble they were going to get into this time.“Leave me out.” I sighed, walking down the stairs to join them at the courtyard. “I’ll be heading home first.”“Why? Do you have plans already?” Debby smirked with a knowing look in her eyes.“I do.” I nodded, laughing at her expression. “Brandon asked me out on a date.”“Oh! Really!” Nik looked a
Chapter 97: A New BeginningFaith’s P.O.V“Good morning!”Startled, I looked towards the door to see Ethan poking his head in with a wide grin on his face. “How have you been?”“Ethan!” I smiled at his presence, glad to see him. “It’s good to see you. I’m getting discharged today.”“Yup. Just heard the reception discussing that.” He came forwards to stand beside the bed, where I sat already dressed in casual clothing, ready for the nurses to take me out as soon as Brandon was done with the paperwork. “How are you? Bran told me everything…about what happened yesterday.”I nodded, sad that everything had to come to this. “I’m glad everything is over now.” I told him. “And I can start over from scratch. It’s all a new beginning for all of us.”Ethan gave me a look that said that even though it was a new beginning for some of us…there were still lingering feelings left.“At least I still get to be friends with you.” He finally said with a sigh. “But if Brandon treats you bad again…I will
Chapter 96: ForgivenessFaith’s P.O.VBrandon and I faced Julia alone, Scott deciding to wait outside for the time being.Even though I wanted Brandon beside me, I didn’t show it. Neither did I tell him. Instead, I watched him take a seat on one of the couches on the opposite side of the room, far from me and Julia.I knew he was giving us space, letting me and her settle our differences. It was what was most important. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but miss his presence, his support.No matter how brave of a front I put up…I was still worried about what had transpired between him and Julia at her house.“Thank you…” Julia told me now, her eyes appearing haunted as she looked up at me tiredly. “For not complaining against me…even after everything I did…”I saw tears well up in her eyes as she swallowed hard, her emotions clearly all over the place. “Why? Why did you help me? I’ve been the shittiest person to you…I’ve bullied you, spoke badly about you…tried to steal Brandon aw
Chapter 95: Don’t Want TroubleFaith’s P.O.VI didn’t particularly like this feeling of helplessness…not at all. And I wasn’t even worried about myself at the moment.The cops stayed in the room, keeping their watchful eyes on me as if I was going to get up and jump out the window to escape them. Well…unfortunately, this wasn’t some kind of survival episode and I was definitely not into Fast and Furious. Besides, I just had a surgery!How did they expect me to escape when I was barely able to move without support?I kept looking at the clock on the wall, waiting desperately for someone, anyone, to arrive! Debby waited patiently by my side, her hand in mine a kind of reassurance that everything was going to be alright and that help was on its way.However, even though the clock seemed to tick at a snail’s pace and a minute felt like an eternity, I didn’t actually have to wait long before people started pouring into my room.First came my aunt and George, their worried faces instantly l
Chapter 94: Calling a TruceBrandon’s P.O.VThe weight of every revelation that Scott had just reveled to me came crashing down on me.How had I not noticed any of this?Julia’s parent’s getting a divorce? Julia’s mother turning into an alcoholic? Scott taking up the void that I had left in her life?How had I been so ignorant all this time?What made it worse was the fact that I didn’t remember anything from that time. The whole year, from the time my mother died, to the time that woman, my father’s secretary seduced me into sleeping with her…to the point where I was driven by my irrational hate and anger towards the rest of the world…all of it was one big blacked out blur and I could hardly remember any of it.I tried to remember the times when I had ignored Julia. When I had ignored Scott and Cole and Sagar…But all of it was a blur. N
Chapter 93: Unexpected Confrontations Brandon’s P.O.V The plain white walls of the six storied apartment building brought on a bittersweet avalanche of memories as I got out of the elevator on the second floor and walked down the almost familiar hallways before coming to a stop in front of the same door where I had stood in front of countless times before. Memories from the past came rushing back in waves, making me recall all the times I had stood in front of this very door, sometimes with an expensive bouquet of roses in my hand and sometimes with takeout from a fine dining restaurant. How many times had we slammed these very doors? Sometimes in passion, sometimes in anger and sometimes in dejection? Time was indeed a funny thing, wasn’t it? Because once, when these same emotions had threatened to engulf me in agony…now they were like fleeting images at the back of my mind, hardly evoking even a quarter of the same emotions that I had once felt for the woman who lived behind the