༺RAYNE༻ Home... We get home in literally no time. It's like the car flew from Damien's driveway to our doorstep. Liam angrily goes out of the car while I'm glued to seat, arms crossed, legs deadlocked, like I'm rooted to the spot. I'm glaring through the windshield, my mind still stuck in a whirlwind of what-the-hecks. Liam swiftly turns around to open the door for me. “Get out,” he grits out, giving me his infamous death stare. I humph and shoot him a side eye before sliding out. But I do it slowly, taking my sweet time, just to piss him off even more. I'm so mad at him for shutting me up the way he did. What's his deal anyway? He has no right to even get all butt-hurt when he's the one who caused all this mess. If he wasn't acting like a complete asshole to me and if he didn't ruin our almost-perfect relationship, I never would've felt the need to go see Damien. And if he didn't act like a caveman, barging in and bringing the cops, Damien wouldn't have gotten under his skin. I
༺RAYNE༻ “My goodness! Your sugar levels are spiking again, dear. We need to adjust your insulin dose,” Kim informs me, setting down the glucometer. She's already preparing the insulin pump to give me a correction dose. “Have you been feeling any unusual symptoms today? Dizziness, nausea or excessive thirst?” But I don't give her an answer. All I'm thinking about is the absurdity of this whole messed-up situation with Liam. Who does he even think he is? I never in a million years thought that it would ever come to this. He didn't just keep me locked up in the house—he locked me in this damn bedroom! I've been stuck inside these four walls for a whole week. As if that wasn't enough, he took away my phone and my laptop, cutting me off from the outside world. The jerk was even kind enough to leave me with a huge pile of books and magazines. Yeah, because reading about other people's lives is going to somehow make me forget that I'm basically his prisoner. Am I seriously going to be
༺RAYNE༻ Sabrina really did it! That woman is crazy! She came up with a plan where I had to act like I was unconscious. Then she frantically alerted the guards that I'd suddenly collapsed from a diabetic episode and needed immediate medical attention. Even Kim was fully bought into the act, panicking and demanding the guards get me to the hospital ASAP. It was only after we got into Sabrina's car that she realized she'd been duped. Sabrina and I ditched the hospital detour and headed straight to her friend's party. As soon as she zoomed out of the estate and lost the tail of Liam's bodyguards chasing us in SUVs, she burst into a hearty laugh. And I joined in. It was the first time I had a genuine belly laugh in weeks, feeling carefree for the first time in forever. I laughed hard until my sides hurt. Sabrina stopped at a store to get me a sexy party dress and a pair of high heels which I changed into. I could only imagine what Liam would do when he found out that I ditched his pr
༺LIAM༻ “What the fuck do you mean by my wife escaped?! Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I bark into the phone, barely keeping myself from throwing it against the wall. Like my day at work isn't shitty enough, with that idiot Carter, our so-called 'trusted' business partner, under trial for fraud. His illegal dealings are all over the news, dragging Everhart Energy’s name through the mud. And I’ve spent all day trying to clean up the mess. So the last thing I expected to hear was that my wife had somehow managed to outsmart her security detail and is now who-knows-where, doing God-knows-fucking-what! “Answer me, you incompetent fuck!” I yell again, gritting my teeth. Horatio heaves a loud deep breath on the other end of the line. He's the bodyguard I assigned to watch Rayne 24/7 since Max is yet to fully recover from Vesper's attack. And he came highly recommended. Highly recommended, my foot. Might as well have hired a goddamn security guard from the local mall. “Sir, she…
༺RAYNE༻ The walls... Different. My head... Banging. What the hell happened? How did I pass out? My eyes slowly flutter open and I struggle to sit up but my brain protests, spinning and throbbing so hard. I'm so dizzy, I feel nauseous too. The discomfort forces me to lie back on the bed. I squint and take in the view of the bedroom. Where am I? Whose place is this? How did I get here? My memories are hazy, my mind's all messed up. I'm trying to recall just what the freaking hell happened to me and why I feel like absolute crap. I remember Charlotte shamelessly fantasizing about Liam, Sabrina splayed open for another man and then... Damien. His face, his arms, his scent... Those were the last things my brain registered before everything got dark. My heart clenches and falls to my stomach as I remember Damien's last words: “Don't worry, princess. I'll take care of you.” I cringe and sit back up, ignoring the ache in my head and the sharp dizziness that hits me. I clutch my chest
༺RAYNE༻Liam didn't come back. I waited and waited for him, way more than the 10 minutes he told me to wait. Every passing minute was torture, felt like an eternity and my anxiety spiked with every milisecond.Even when the shouts had died down and there wasn't a single gunshot to be heard, I was still suffocated with dread. The silence only freaked me out more. I was losing my mind, imagining only the worst.But I did what I was told. I wouldn't want to jeopardize Liam's plans, whatever it was. Or make him have one more thing to worry about, like I wasn't already a liability. And I certainly didn't want to go against his wishes, even if my sanity depended on it.So I called 'Raider'.It was a gravelly, deep voice that answered. I told him about the shootout, Liam's instructions and how he hadn't returned yet. All he said was “Okay” and then he hung up. He didn't bother asking about my location or if I was safe, which only added to my anxiety.Help arrived in less than 20 minutes, whi
༺RAYNE༻ "We are gathered here today to witness the union of Henry Campbell and Rayne Sullivan in holy matrimony," the priest booms throughout the church hall, a small smile planted on his lips. This is it! I clutch my bouquet, my eyes locked on Henry's eyes as he gently reaches for my hand. I'm finally getting married to the man of my dreams! What could possibly go wrong? "And now, before we proceed, I must ask, is there anyone here who thinks these two should not be wed? Speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest continues, looking around the room. Oh, the formalities! I want to laugh. Like anyone would actually burst in through those doors right now and object to our wedding. Stuff like that only happens in— "Whoa, hold up, people!" A loud voice cuts through my train of thoughts and I turn back, along with every single person in the church to see a dark-skinned woman stomping in. "This whole damn wedding ain't happening on my watch!" She yells again, coming over t
༺RAYNE༻ I freeze on my seat, my entire body goes stiff. But my heart lurches and a wave of heat washes through me. I find myself leaning further into the kiss and breathing in the delicious scent of the stranger. He smells so good, so tasteful and so perfect. His lips, my God, his lips are heavenly, warm and delightful. This is so wrong. Why do I feel good about being kissed by a strange man? He pulls away from me and I want to whimper from disappointment. The man locks gazes with me as if he's searching for something in my eyes. His mouth parts slightly open, letting a ragged gasp escape and caress my face. I shudder at the touch of his hot breath and feel my legs weaken. He's gorgeous—I want to say out loud. Dreamy grey eyes, beautiful, soft yet masculine features and lips that call my name without uttering a word. His powerful scent, his aura, everything about him is drawing me in. It's either that or the cocktail is taking a toll on me. "I've missed you, my little vixen,