After that intense round of lovemaking, the newlyweds were cuddled together, their eyes both fixed on Nicholas phone screen, watching a movie. By the time Nicholas was through with her and they were sated, it was already too late to go boat sailing, so they decided to bide their time by watching a movie.They were currently watching "Addiction," a movie with a lot of erotica scenes, and Mary had been giddy since the movie started. "Oh my." She gasped, shielding her eyes with her palms. Nicholas chuckled as he saw her reaction, amused by her squirming."What is wrong?" Nicholas asked, teasing. He looked down at Mary and saw that she was looking at the screen from the space between her eyes."Is this actually possible?" Mary asked, her voice soft and curious and a little excited."What exactly is possible?" Nicholas teased, raising his eyebrows at her in question. He knew exactly what she was referring to, but he needed her to say it with her mouth."What he is doing to her—he has his f
The young couple neared the fireplace, and there were already people gathered there, enjoying the warmth from the fire and laughing loudly, until "Nicholas Harrington." Nicholas heard a man call him, and he grimaced as he saw who it was.A balding old man with food in his mouth was the one who had called; he had been chewing loudly and had a chicken bit stuck in his mouth. "Hey Nicky boy." He hailed again, and Nicholas frowned. He had heard him the first time; there was no need to call him. And the worst thing was that he insisted on calling him by that dreadful nickname."It’s Nicholas." He told him bluntly, but the balding man waved him off, the barbecue sauce from his fingers flying around. Now that he noticed, there was a lady beside him, young enough to be his daughter. No doubt, this beautiful blond was his arm candy."Tomato, tomato. Nicholas and Nicky mean the same thing." The man replied before proceeding to lick his fingers clean of the chicken sauce. Nicholas released a si
"Nicholas?" Mary softly called to her husband, who had been engrossed in his talk. The men had dived into a session of critiquing their faulty government, and like all talks that had to do with condemning, their voices could be heard a mile away."Yes?" Nicholas turned his entire body to face his wife, his eyes watching her intently."I would like to follow her on a stroll." Mary gestured to Alice, who was adjusting her too-short dress. Nicholas took a look with an upward sweep at Alice; his eyes cast a judging gaze on her, and he shrugged."Sure, you can go ahead." Alice didn't seem threatening or look like a bad influence. Apart from the badly dyed hair that was already showing her brown roots, she was okay. And Mary does seem like she needed a female companion."Thank you." Mary politely replied, and she stood up."Care to join us on a stroll, ladies?" Alice asked the other girl sitting, but they both declined."I think I will wait this out." Tasha spoke, her arms tightly wrapped a
"Nothing much; just the men as usual, being loud and obnoxious." Tasha provided, taking a swig of her champagne, and they all laughed."Hey, are you also referring to me?" Noah teased, looking at his wife like she was the center of his world."Including you." Tasha confirmed, her lips tugging upwards in a grin, and again the group broke into laughter, while Noah leaned closer and gave his wife a sweet peck on her cheek, which got everyone swooning."Awww," Alice cooed, but her facial muscles were quite the opposite of her words. She wasn’t the biggest fan of PDA. In fact, she hated it because it reminded her of all the things she couldn’t have. PDA was just an opportunity for couples to show that they were in love, rubbing the fact on everyone’s faces, and it didn’t sit well with her.But she couldn’t complain. Her job sometimes required her to practice this very thing she hated, and she had no choice.Nicholas leaned toward Mary and whispered in her ears. "How was the stroll?" His wi
The items that Nicholas had ordered had been delivered, and he busied himself trying to arrange them before Mary woke up. He had also ordered a new bag and was currently folding the new items into it. If he had his way, he would have thrown away her former bag, along with all the clothes in it. But he let it go, wanting to give her the choice.Nicholas had laid up some of the new clothing he had gotten for her on the bed next to where she was sleeping. He looked at his wrist; the Apple Watch Ultra had the short hand at 10 and the long one at 8. He looked at Mary, a little worried. She had to wake up on time to enjoy all that he had planned for the day.The telephone rang shortly, and he hurried to pick it up before it would wake up his wife. Nicholas answered the phone, replying in rushed tones. But it was still loud enough to wake Mary up from her deep slumber, and she stirred on the bed."Nicholas?" Mary turned to face him, squinting her eyes as they failed to focus on the princely
Mary followed suit, and they went inside. This time around, they went to have a proper bath. Mary went in first, wrapping the towel around her frame as she went into the bathroom."May I join in?" She heard Nicholas ask her, and she froze like a deer caught in a trap, her eyes widening with each millisecond."Uhmm.." Mary contemplated, the idea twirling in her head. She then remembered all that sister Martha had told her about being submissive to her husband, and she nodded demurely.Nicholas took one look at her, and that was all he needed to do before he burst into laughter. "Oh god, you are so easy to amuse. I was joking, okay? You can go and take your bath; I will take one after you."Mary heaved a deep sigh of relief, happy to know that he wasn't going to carry out his threat, and she hurried into the bathroom, taking a quick bath in case he changed his mind.Nicholas followed suit after having his bath, and he came out wearing only a pair of shorts. He laid on the bed and tapped
The honeymoon was over, and the couples were out of the hotel the next morning as soon as the sun rose. The staff had helped transport all their luggage to the boat that had set sail for the onshore reception.Mary looked back at the suite longingly. She would miss all the times she had spent here on the island, but it was time to face the real world.Mary looked up at Nicholas, his firm hand gently leading her down to where the car was packed. His strong jaw was set in place, and his eyes were hardened as they marched down."Like what you see?" Nicholas teased her, and she flushed, quickly looking down."Yea." Mary whispered so low that no one could hear her. The private jet was already in place, and when it opened, the air hostess that had welcomed them the last time came to them."How was the honeymoon, Mr. Harrington?" She asked cheerfully, but no matter how she tried, Nicholas could still hear the grudge in her voice."It was beyond wonderful; we had a swell time, right, baby?" N
Mary stood in the foyer for a while after Nicholas had left for his room. The harsh reality that this was going to be her new life slowly dawned on her, but she was having a hard time believing that this was the same Nicholas who was doting on her during her stay on the island.He must be tired and hungry. Mary tried to justify his action, or maybe she was just the one who was reading meaning into it.She took in an empty living room, a little too dull for her liking. She had grown up surrounded by people, and there was hardly any time there was peace and quiet, so it was a bit startling.Mary's eyes flitted around the room, taking note of every single detail, her mind making comparisons with the convent. The flat screen took up a sizable portion of the wall, and looking around, there was artwork arranged strategically.Mary skidded to the first artwork, drawn to it like a moth to a flame. She stood in front of it, her fingers reaching for it, but she stopped herself on time.She had
Mary didn’t end up getting a divorce.No matter how she tried, Nicholas refused to sign the papers. But they got separated.She had moved out of the mansion to get her own accommodations in a bid to find herself. She had gotten a new apartment away from the hustle and bustle of New York City.She was willing to start afresh, and she hoped that the new environment would help.His friends have been against it, especially Helena, seeing she had moved there in search of her and was given a job by Nicholas.But Mary had reassured her that there was no need for all that. Helena had no issue with Nicholas, so there was no need to try to quit her job.But Mary had refused Nicholas help; I mean, there was no need to when she had his credit card and did whatever she wanted with it.But she had chosen to spend it wisely.She had gotten a job as a model for a small clothing line that deals with curvy ladies, and Mary liked every bit of it. She got free clothes every now and then, so it was an adde
The next day, Mary was no better; no matter how much Nicholas had tried to seek an audience with her, she always found a way to escape. Gone are the days when she was the one begging for his attention.She didn’t have such time; instead, she had taken to exploring—a harmless one, though.It began when Nicholas had come back from work rather early, unlike his usual self, and he found a strange lady sitting in his living room and his son playing around the house.Nicholas was alarmed, and he entered quietly in order not to startle the lady while his hands reached for his phone to call 911."Oh, you are back. Good evening, Mr. Harrington. I will be taking my leave now." The lady stood up to go, but Nicholas prevented her."Who are you, and why are you in my house?" Nicholas asked; he still had the police on speed dial and was ready to call them if necessary."I am the babysitter your wife hired. Here." She stood up and handed him something that seemed to be a card. Nicholas eyed the card
"Oh fuck." Mary cursed as she saw the doctor approaching her. The only time she decided to unwind and let loose was when he decided to be here.She sighed, lifting her eyes to the sky; only there was a ceiling preventing her. Why was the universe out to get her?"Well hello? Mary, is it?""Oh hi. Lewis." Mary greeted him cheerfully, still slightly tipsy from all the drinks. "Fancy seeing you here?"Lewis chuckled, finding her assuming. "I should be asking you that. I live here, and I am familiar with some people here. You are the one that is sort of a stranger here.""Yea. I live.." She gestured outside the door and frowned. Where exactly did she live again?"Let me pour you a drink." The bartender said to Lewis, already reaching for a bottle of wine on the shelf."There is no need for that. I am not staying long." He refused the drink."Oh, that is alright. You can pour me his share; I would take it." Mary offered and swerved to grab the glass. But a firm hand stopped her."I don’t t
Mary stormed to her room, bolting the door as she got in and headed straight for the sofa. She dumped herself on it and continued eating from her bowl of fruit, but she was seething inside.The audacity he had. How dare he come back home after so long? The only thing he could say was, "Hey, I got your message."Mary was seething in her seat. Has he always been this nonchalant and uncaring, or has she just been ignoring it all this time? She couldn’t help but wonder.Well, it didn’t matter what the answer was because it ends today. She was done being the doormat he could just toss aside. Starting today, it was a new Mary.She stilled as she heard footsteps coming close to her door, and her ears perked as they listened for movements. But the footsteps stopped just in front of her door, and there was silence.The footsteps resumed, but this time away from her, and Mary sighed in frustration.He was such a coward.If she could have her way, she would have spent the rest of her day in her
The surgery was successful, and they removed her appendix, but Mary was required to stay in the hospital for monitoring for another day. It was to be for two days, but she had refused, threatening to leave on the same day, so they came to a compromise, and it was for an extra day.She had been away from her son for so long—the first of a kind—and she was starting to get worried. She could imagine he would be crying his tiny lungs out, and she couldn't bear to think of that.She had woken up from the surgery with a foggy head and tenderness in her abdomen, and as usual, she was alone. She didn’t bother checking up on her phone for any messages from Nicholas because it was already obvious he didn’t care.He had yet to reply to her message from two days ago, so there was no way he would be here.With nothing to do, her mind began to wander to different places, but most especially to Nicholas, or rather, her unfortunate relationship with Nicholas.After minutes of deliberating about the a
The kind doctor, whose name Mary hadn’t bothered to learn, had taken an interest in her, and he had been helping her run the hospital stuff.He was lucky enough to be able to fix an operation for her with the surgeon the next day, so she had to be hospitalized.Mary spent most of the day sleeping in; the drug they had given her was making her feel drowsy, so she didn’t know when time passed by.But the young doctor had taken it upon himself to look into her case, especially when he found out she had no one with her.He had taken it upon himself to always check in on her when he wasn’t so busy, making sure she was well covered and the pillow was comfortable for her, and Mary appreciated the gestures.Her head had been fuzzy from all the drugs they had been pumping into her, and she was slippy in and out of consciousness.She had woken up later in the evening to see her phone swimming in a sea of messages and calls. All from Amy. Mary didn’t hesitate to call her, and she waited as the c
The mini-get-together ended on a high note, and it was safe to say that the three had become best friends, and Mary couldn’t be happier.It was easy since Helena and Amy had similar characteristics and were able to get along easily. She was happy that she had two females she could rely on, and Cole had two aunties who loved him dearly and would spoil him rotten.Everything was slowly looking up for her; even her academics have been going well. It wasn't as easy as it felt, but with time it had gotten easier for her, and she dare say she was enjoying the classes.But one thing was still stagnant. She and Nicholas were yet to make any headway.In fact, it had become so bad that she couldn’t remember the last time she and her husband saw eye-to-eye. It was Cole who had been keeping her company; otherwise, the house would become too suffocating for her.At least she had Netflix, and there was always food around, so she used that to comfort herself.Mary has been feeling some pain in her s
While Helena may not be living with them, the girls were still communicating as Helena was able to get a new phone and they had gotten really close.Mary had been the happiest since Amy came back, and she was happy to have her friend close by. Everything seems to be looking up for her.It was just to introduce her friends to each other that was left. Amy had no idea how Helena looked, and neither did Helena. Although Mary has mentioned them to each other, she has been planning how to bring them closer so it would be a sisterhood.It was the weekend, and that means Nicholas was out of town for a meeting. I mean, when is he never out? Mary barely sees him nowadays, so she arranged the meeting at her house.She was preparing the meal that they were going to have, all while praying that they liked each other. It would make her life easier if it were so. At least Cole would have two aunts, and he could be taking turns passing the night at their house.She had put the last batch of muffins
Helena is here.The words were something Mary thought she would never hear, and it was as if they weren’t true, but her childhood friend turned sister was in the living room, sitting and waiting for her, and Mary didn’t know how to act."Get your act together, Mary; it is just Helena." She said to herself as she stood in front of the mirror.It had all begun when Cameron called her that one Helena was in his home and wanted to see her. She hadn’t believed it at first and thought he was playing a fast one on her, so she had asked him to bring her over.And it turned out he wasn’t lying. Helena was actually heard.But she saw them as they were getting out of the car, and she panicked and ran to her bedroom."It will be fine. It is just Helena." She said to the reflection of the mirror, and she heard Cole huff as if in agreement with her.She went towards her son, who was attempting to stand on his own, and she picked him up. He let out a cry, angry that he was disturbed. But Mary ruffl