Chapter 43:
Tatiana’s P.O.V
Grace’s father arrived on the scene right when the finishing touches were being done on our makeup. Grace was all set and nervous as Hell, while Ken seemed too impatient to get back to her hubby.
Newlyweds!
My hair was tied in a stylish knot at the back of my head with a small tiara on top of my head, similar to the one Ken was wearing. The hairdresser has let two small strands of hair hand from the side of my ears and she’d also given me a side parting with some of my hair falling on my forehead. It changed my appearance a bit and made me look like a different person, but I quite liked it this way.
I was also dressed in a floor length peach coloured gown with no sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. And Ken and I were both holding bouquets of white roses while Grace was holding a large bouquet of peach and light yellow coloured buttercup flowers.
“Alright gir
Chapter 44:Tatiana’s P.O.VI never quite understood why weddings made people bawl their eyes out, until this moment.As the doors opened for the bride and her father, I had gasped along with the rest of the guest when I’d seen Grace in her veil. She’d looked marvellous, almost too dreamy to be real. And then her father had handed her over to Daniel and just like any other man madly in love, he’d whispered ‘you’re beautiful’ in her ears and held on to her hands tight, like he never intended to let go.And then they had said their vows, the words that defined their relationship and how they felt for each other and then the waterworks had begun. It was a beautiful speech and I’m glad they left out the raunchy parts or Mrs. Summers would’ve fainted from shock.I could still remember that day clearly in my mind."You know what; I have the perfect solution
Chapter 45: Tatiana’s P.O.V I never thought I’d be doing this. Hooking up with the best man, who was also my best friend’s husband’s older brother, that too at my best friend’s wedding. I never thought I had the guts to do such a thing. But the thought of being caught, the proximity of having Damien so close to my body and the danger of it all was making me moist with want and causing my heart to hammer against my ribcage, threatening to break free. It’s better to get the bitterness out of the system than let my best friends find out exactly how much I hated being here. At least that’s what I told myself. “No strings.” Damien whispered harshly in my ears as he lifted me up and placed me down on the counter. “No strings.” I repeated as my hands found his belt and I began to unfasten his pants. Damien’s mouth came back on mine and once again, I felt the breath leave my lungs when his velvet soft lips tou
Chapter 46:Damien’s P.O.V“Shit!” I pressed down on my temples with my fingers and grit my teeth.Things weren’t supposed to get this out of hand but watching my younger brother get married, watching him so happy and radiant and then having to stand next to him through it all? It was slowly driving me insane.And what had just happened with Tatiana? It was something too intense for a meaningless little quickie. I had wanted to leave as soon as I was done with her, but when I saw her leaning against the mirror numbly, nearly naked and vulnerable, I just couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t leave her like that...like I’d just used and discarded her.And the sex? I couldn’t even find words to define what I felt about that. But one thing I knew for sure was that once hadn’t been enough.I could still feel it in my veins, the essence she left behind. My heart was
Chapter 47:Tatiana’s P.O.V:Hawaii? And that too for two whole weeks!It would’ve been a dream come true...if Damien Romano hadn’t been part of the deal as well. How was I going to even bear looking at him again as if nothing had ever happened between us?Quickie? Fuck, it didn’t even come close to what a meaningless one-night stand feels like. There had been more to the casual sex that we’d shared in that washroom, much more than I could handle right now and it would be better for me if I never saw him, ever again.But the worst part was, I didn’t think just once had been enough for us, at least not for me. The fire it had ignited inside me was nowhere near sated and I didn’t think it would be sated until we’ve been together again...and this time, not just a meaningless quickie but real sex with all the necessary components included. However, Damien didn’t str
Chapter 48:Damien’s P.O.VWhat was I doing? Following Tatiana home in the middle of the night and then waiting outside for an hour, debating if I should just knock or get my ass back to the hotel so I could think properly before I acted. But the irrational side of me had won and I had indeed pressed her doorbell before even realizing what I was doing.And now, here I was, standing in her kitchen with my hands cupped around her cheek and my lips on hers, tasting the sweetness of insanity. Her skin was soft under my hands and her hair was damp, meaning that she had taken a shower. And I could not help but imagine how she would have looked under the spray of water. How the tiny droplets would have trickled down her soft, creamy skin before disappearing into places that I wanted to explore.Tatiana moaned under my lips and I took the opportunity to dart my tongue into her mouth and taste every nook and corner. She tast
Chapter 49:Tatiana’s P.O.VIf there was one thing I hated more than caramel latte, it would be flying in an aeroplane. They make me sick to the bone, not the nauseas kind of sick, but the ‘I-might-fall-to-my-death’ kind of sick.But still, I found myself dressing up for the flight.No strings.I didn’t need a reminder for the deal I’ve made with the devil, yet, the hopeless romantic in me found myself hoping for a fairy tale ending for the nightmare I’d brought upon myself.No strings? I could already feel my heart beat a little faster every time Damien turned his icy blue eyes on me. Maybe it was the sexual tension? I can’t tell. All I know is that whatever fire we have ignited is far from getting extinguished. And I just might end up getting hurt once again by the time this is over between us.I was nearly done getting ready, I had worn a long dark red halt
Chapter 50:Tatiana’s P.O.VThe plane ride to Hawaii had been Hell. Thankfully, I had been seated next to Ken and Grace because I wouldn’t have been able to stand the embarrassment of Damien finding out that I was scared of flights. But nevertheless, Ken and Grace had embarrassed me enough to last a life time.To distract myself when the plane took off, I kept remembering the nickname that Damien had given me. Our little secret.Tia.The way the name had rolled off of his tongue had been perfect. My mom and dad usually preferred sweetheart or just Tatiana and both my best friends and my brother called me Ty. Some idiotic, hormonal, over sexualized boys in high school had liked to call me Tits. But this name? This was special, sweet and very thoughtful.No strings.As if I needed a reminder of that little deal. Damien didn’t need complications in his life and neither did I. I should b
Chapter 51:Grace’s P.O.V“Good morning, my love,” Daniel kissed the curve of my neck and I sunk into him in welcome.“Morning,” I whispered hoarsely, sprawled lazily in bed next to him, wildly sated and naked. I did not want to get out of bed.Daniel smiled down at me, his electric blue eyes soft on mine and his dark hair sprawled across his forehead. I twisted my arms through his hair and brought down his face to mine for a good morning kiss that blew my mind and nearly stopped my heart.“So, how are you liking Hawaii so far?” He asked once we parted.“It’s beautiful.” I told him, stretching out like a cat before I nuzzled into to chest for a morning cuddle. “I’m glad we came here and I’m glad our friends are here with us. Thank you.”“Anything for you love,” Daniel wrapped his arms around me before settl
EpilogueTatiana’s P.O.V5 Years later...“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to Diana, Tony and Abigail! Happy birthday to you!”As all of us clapped, our three precious girls, all four years old, Diana and Abigail with their father’s dark hair and Tony with her mother’s blonde locks, blew out the candles to the humongous cake we had ordered and dived right into it without offering us any.“Girls!” Grace’s stern voice was heard over the infectious giggles. “What happened to staying clean until dinner?”“Sorry, aunty!” Those came from Diana and Tony.“Sorry, mummy!”That came from Abigail.All three spoke at the same time in between little giggles before diving back into the cake and stuffing their chubby little cheeks with chocolate frosting. Even at four,
Chapter 65:Tatiana’s P.O.VA constant beeping noise cut through the haziness in my mind and woke me up from my peaceful slumber.I tried to open my eyes but they wouldn’t budge and my throat felt raw and itchy. I needed water. Where was I? It was so blissfully quiet in here. I didn’t want to wake up. I wanted to stay right here, forever.Scream! Scream louder, you whore!My eyes snapped open as everything that happened came back to me. Connor! He had hurt me! He had tried to kill me! Then why wasn't I dead? Where was I? Why was everything so hazy and white?Tia!Damien! He had been there! He had come for me! Is that why I was still alive? Was I in a hospital?“Nurse! She’s awake!” Someone yelled from next to me, making me wince. The sound was too loud.And just like that, the quiet was gone and everything around me buzzed into activity. The next thing
Chapter 64:Damien’s P.O.VAs soon as we reached the hospital, Tia was immediately rushed to the operating theatre. Daniel and Victor went on to fill all the necessary documents while I waited outside with Grace and Kendra and watched as the lights turned red and several doctors and nurses entered the theatre, ready to operate on Tia.“It’s going to be okay, Grace,” I heard Kendra assure her as the two women huddled together at one corner. “Ty’s strong; she’s always been a fighter. She’ll pull through. She has to.”“I know. She’ll make it. I know...” Grace spoke before she broke down in Kendra’s arms.I collapsed on the chair opposite to them, too exhausted and emotionally drained to comfort either women. But thankfully, their husbands returned on time and took them into their arms, whispering sweet nothings into their ears as they held t
Chapter 63:Damien’s P.O.V“Tia!”I’d heard the strangled cry for help just a second ago and it momentarily frozen me on the spot. She was hurt and I had no doubt that her ex was in there with her, torturing her as I stood and wasted my time ringing the doorbell. I couldn’t see anyone else in the apartment next to hers and I didn’t have time to call for help. I looked around the door, trying to find a rational place where the spare key might be since it wasn't under the welcome mat, but my mind wasn't working properly. So I did the only thing I could, I took a few steps back and ran into the door with all my strength.The door jerked but it was strong, it came back to its original position and wouldn’t budge. So I tried again, and again. Fear and anger had gripped me in a chocking hold at the fact that while I was wasting time trying to break down the door, something bad was happe
Chapter 62:Tatiana’s P.O.VI was woken up from my nightmare by someone throwing ice cold water on my face.I blinked and opened my eyes but my vision was blurred. What was wrong? Why was my head hurting so much? Why couldn’t I reach for my head? My hands felt like they were tied behind my back in an uncomfortable position.The pounding in my head increased with every breath I took until it was almost unbearable. Something must be wrong! Why couldn’t I see properly? All I saw was through a red haze.And then, almost like a lightning bolt had hit me, I remembered exactly what had happened. Connor, my ex-boyfriend and abuser was here in my apartment and he had been waiting for me to show up. I’d tried to run as soon as I’d seen him sitting on my bed with a knife in his hand, but he had been faster and he’d caught hold of my hair and given me a hard shove where I’d fallen face
Chapter 61:Tatiana’s P.O.VThe cab dropped me off at my doorstep and I collected my baggage and entered my apartment building. But as soon as I stepped into the elevator, an unknown fear clutched at my stomach.I shook it off, thinking that it might be a post break-up trauma kind of thing. Then again, I was never Damien’s girlfriend to begin with. How could it be a post-breakup trauma if I wasn’t even in a relationship?Swallowing the lump in my throat, I exited the elevator and took out my apartment keys from my pocket and unlocked the door, but as soon as I stepped into my apartment, something felt off.Deciding not to take any chances, I stepped out of the door and reached my hand up to the 204 sign above my door. Not many people knew but it was my secret place to hide my spare key. I carefully unscrewed the bottom nail with my fingers and since it was a designer nail, it came out easily. Ther
Chapter 60:Tatiana’s P.O.VI closed my eyes and rested my head against the seat, relieved that the dreadful flight was over and to be finally away from Damien.But my relief was short-lived as the cab came to a stop a couple feet away from the airport terminus and none other than Damien Romano climbed into the back seat with me.“The cab’s taken.” I told him curtly before I closed my eyes again, trying to avoid the sting of tears.“I just want to talk.” He told be before telling the cab his location and settling back into the seat.I stayed quiet and turned my head towards the window to avoid his gaze that was burning holes in me. There were a thousand things that came to my mind but I couldn’t transform them into words. What was I supposed to say? I’m sorry I fell in love with you? I’d rather cut my tongue first. I couldn’t-wouldn’t beg for
Chapter 59:Tatiana’s P.O.V:The ride to the airport was quiet and tense. It was clear that the others felt it too since Grace and Ken voluntarily decided to sit beside me instead of with their husbands. Damien and I didn’t talk but Grace and Ken tried to make small talk so that the silence doesn’t become constricting.I caught Ken giving Daniel a ‘What did your brother do?’ look from the corner of my eyes. I also watched Daniel give a small shrug in return. But I think they already knew the truth, at least my friends did. It wasn't Damien who was at fault, it was me. Me and my stupid feelings. Damien had warned me right from the start that we'd have nothing more than physical intimacy between us. Anything more and he'd be gone.I hadn’t planned on him finding out either. But he had and now I feel like I'd tricked him into something he never wanted to be a part of. And it wasn’t h
Chapter 58:Damien’s P.O.VI love you, Damien.NO!It can’t be! This is exactly what I had been trying to avoid, haven’t I? I had told Tia specifically that I couldn’t do feelings, that I couldn’t trust another woman with my heart after what Marian did! I even told her my story. Even my family, even Daniel didn’t know all the details but I’d told Tia...Why did I tell her all that? Especially when I had sworn off relationships for good. Maybe it really was my fault? Had I gotten involved without even wanting to? Had I given her the wrong message all along? But what had I done than any other man wouldn’t have?Was it the gifts I’d given her? But I’d given gifts to everyone, to Daniel and his new bride and even to Victor and his wife.*“Oh! Damien, these look wonderful!” Tia looked at me with her wide green eyes filled with