"See my hand." Kara extended her arm, there were tiny bruises on it. Like finger marks. "He dared to force me to come with him, saying if he took me away, you would come to him. Shit! I was forced to sacrifice one of our precious chairs. I hit him on the head but that lunatic was too strong."It even led to a fight?Hailey held her chest to control her suddenly thumping heart. Was he crazy? How dare he go to the diner and attack her friend?"Mum." Hailey hurried up to her mother. "He didn't harm you, right? Are you alright?" "No, Dear. He didn't do anything to me," her mother answered. "He mostly argued with Kara. He told me that you guys are married and I should bring you out.""That boy is dangerous, Dear." Her mother held her shoulders. "You need to be careful, please. He only left when I threatened to call the police. I think he's going to come back. He believes we're hiding you.""Don't worry, Mum. He can't do anything to me. Kara–" She turned to Kara and said, "– I'm so sorry
...Hailey slept that night, hoping only for those happy times to come to her dream. Those happy memories with Kendrick. They'd become her comfort and her assurance that he cared about her. He still cared for her, and they were going to clear the misunderstandings. Hailey left the bed and when she walked out to the living room, she saw Kara and her mother about to leave for the diner. Last night, the two had planned to hire securities around the diner in case Rob came back again. And although they looked worried and told her, again and again, to be careful out there, it seemed to weigh heavily on them to ask her not to go out. After bidding them goodbye, Hailey sat at the dining table and ate her food. Her mother's phone was still with her, and her eyes never left that address on the screen. When she was done eating, she did the dishes and washed up quickly before changing into a dress.She picked up a bag and put the phone inside with the money Kara had given her. Then she put o
Also, she didn't want to return to that house. She hated the sight of that man. He didn't waste time believing Chloe's lies. He even said he was disappointed in her. Well, Chloe was right about one thing. Her father didn't like her. But Hailey didn't see only hate in his eyes. She also saw greediness. Her mind went back to the phone and she sighed for the umpteenth time. The phone wasn't even hers. How was she going to explain this to her mother? And that recording... Urgh! She should have backed it up in Kara's phone. She should have done that last night, or maybe she should have gone straight to the police with it. But she'd been anxious when her father spoke about Kendrick's plan to take a new wife. Also, she couldn't just go to the police like that. She needed to see Kendrick first. Hailey rubbed her temples, dreading the upcoming headache. She shut down the noises in her head and focused on those happy memories instead. Since she admitted that those hallucinations were, in
Hailey glared at them even though the guns were still in their hands.Damn! Her nerves were wrecking inside."But I must see your Boss now whether I like it or not. I must ask him to compensate for the emotional damage. After all, he didn't train you well!""You are not allowed to speak ill of Boss." One of the bodyguards stepped forward and warned. "One more insult, and we will throw you out."Throw her out? She'd be damned to let that happen.His gun was closer than the others' and she swallowed."Ahhh." Hailey fell down and held her ankle. "You're so mean, you big bully! How dare you hit me? You have no respect for your Boss. As his bodyguard, you have no right to hit me! Shit! Even your Boss never hit me, Kendrick cherished me like an egg. I can't wait to tell him how unprofessional you are by hitting a woman!"The guy stood in front of her awkwardly and the other bodyguards dropped their guns. "I didn't hit her." He turned around and explained to the rest. "No! You hit me!" Ha
That girl also told her about more servants and a Butler, but no one seemed to reside here apart from Kendrick, and his bodyguards of course. Hailey could not sense anyone. Not even the sound of the guards' voices outside. The atmosphere was stale as if the time had stopped. Hailey's eyes wandered to the stairs and she dropped her bag on the couch. Despite having the urge to explore the house more, she must meet Kendrick. He must be upstairs.That was where the bedroom should be located. One of the bodyguards had said something about him taking a rest. Her feet moved her toward the stairs while her eyes kept wandering around the living room. From a corner, her eyes caught a swimming pool behind the glass wall.The pool was at the back of the house. Suddenly, the scene changed. Hailey found herself staring back at something similar all of a sudden. From a screen, she was staring at the swimming pool. In fact, she was staring at the whole layout of the house, and it couldn't have l
She touched his perfectly trimmed full eyebrows. They were straight as if carved by the most perfect artist. Her fingers traveled down to his straight nose, and when she touched his lips, she gulped. And she couldn't help but ask again if she wasn't dreaming and if she hadn't stumbled into the wrong man.He was just perfect beyond perfection, not even the photo on the billboard could compare. "Ken," she breathed out. "How could I ever have thought of leaving you."Her whispers were barely audible to even her. Her chest right now was clogged up with different kinds of emotions. Happiness, sadness, and grief. She didn't know which to focus on. Rob, that devil. How could he take her away from him? How could he make her believe that he was her husband while this was where she belonged? Hailey knew that from the beginning, and the rapid beating of her heart at the moment as she sat in front of him confirmed it more. This was where she belonged. The rightful place her heart should be.
Then he felt something. Something soft was pressed into his body. An even softer one was wrapped around his neck, tightly.Warm breaths caressed his chest, his bare chest. And a wave of black hair spread across the pillow and some portion rested on his arm.Also resting on that arm was something soft. A soft flesh, a warm one. His throat went dry at that moment. He should still be in the nightmare. But his eyes were now opened and he could see his surroundings. His other hand moved and he found it holding on to something small, her waist. Then she snuggled into him, burying deep in his embrace. And that was when he realized something. She was clothless and so was he. Except for the sheet, not a fabric of clothing was on their body. Everything stilled, his heart stopped beating. Her face appeared in his view and he was thrown into confusion as well as speechlessness and more dread, a bigger dread. 'Hailey.' Was he seeing things?As if scorched and burned at once, he jerked up and
Hell, he didn't need to be asking that. Her answer would only confirm his thoughts of her. Was she fed up with her marriage again? Did she switch men that easily?"Hailey!" He grabbed her arm and hauled her against him. Hell! He should have thought twice before doing that. "You claimed I initiated this contact." And he couldn't refute that. "For that, I will let you go. Now get out of my sight and find other men to be frivolous with.""But Ken—""I haven't forgotten your baseless accusations in the washroom, and I won't go back on my vow to get back at you. I am giving you the chance to leave, Hailey. Get out of this place, now."Hailey's brows furrowed and her hands came up to hold his. "The washroom incident was a misunderstanding, Ken. I– I swear I wasn't in my right mind. Rob, that idiot brainwashed me."Right. His assumption was right. She was fed up with her marriage already. And true, she wasn't in her right mind. Even now, she wasn't. "Believe me please, Ken." She gave him