I stopped walking and looked at the person sitting in front of my parents' tombstone. I could feel my blood boiling with anger. Even after all these years, I still couldn’t deny that I recognized every detail of Lucas—his build, his movements. I could tell, and I could prove that it was him sitting there. After all the years we were together, I had memorized his posture. I just didn’t expect that we’d meet today, and in this exact place. How could he have the nerve to sit right in front of my parents' tombstone when he’s the very reason they’re buried beneath the ground? As much as I could, I calmed myself while walking closer. I wanted to hurl insults at him, I wanted to hurt him, but out of respect for my parents' resting place, I didn’t. I was alone; Noah was with Bernadette, and my children were with Noah’s parents. Bernadette wanted to bring the kids along, but Uncle had already taken the twins out for a walk. "Do you ever think that maybe it should’ve been you who died?"
"I said I’d go with you, but you didn’t call me," Noah complained when I arrived at their house. Luna and Liam were already asleep upstairs which help me to feel relief. My planned was to bring them with me but it was such a good choice that Uncle and Auntie Gia get them. I don't know what to do if Lucas ever trapped us in that field. I sighed and hurriedly washed the dishes. I didn’t stay long there earlier. Technically, I should have stayed and seize my time to be with my parents but because of what he said... he leave me without any choice. Everything still felt so fresh, like I was back in the living room watching the incident with my parents unfold. The memory of being in the CCTV room, watching Lucas’s barrage of bullets, came flooding back. Even now, I can’t accept the reality that he could actually destroy my life. I can’t accept that someone my parents trusted so much was the one who ended their lives. I had believed that his threats were just words but now that..
"Are you okay?" Noah asked. He was looking at me intently. I could feel his gaze earlier, and I was trying to keep myself together in front of him, despite being troubled by the fact that Lucas was also here at the resort. What a fucking small world. "You seem restless. You keep wandering your eyes. What’s wrong?" he worriedly asked. I shook my head. "I’m just feeling a bit suffocated," I explained. His eyes narrowed as if trying to read my mind. I sighed and turned to Liam, who was busy eating seafood in front of me. "Auntie Gia, you should eat too. I’ll take care of them," I said since she was the one constantly looking after my kids. "No, it’s okay. I’m done anyway." I was about to speak when I felt Noah’s hand on mine, resting on my lap. "You’re making me worried," he said almost in a whisper. "Tell me what’s bothering you, please." "Noah, I’m really okay. You don’t have to worry—" "Is it because you don’t see anyone else here?" My eyebrows furrowed, and I glanced arou
I stood in a daze on the veranda. Even now, it feels like my mind still hasn’t processed what just happened. What the hell just happened? I agreed to go with Noah to the resort to avoid upsetting the kids, but I never expected that by the time we left this resort, I would be engaged to my one and only best friend. I sighed and looked down below. I don’t know where this decision will lead me, but one thing is for sure, Noah won’t let me down. Noah is a good man, but if I’m being honest, I don’t really see him as my husband or life partner. Yet, I don’t want to hurt his feelings over and over again. All of this even feels wrong. It feels like marrying the guy you treat as your closest sibling. Damn it. This feels incest. I grabbed at my hair in frustration. They were all asleep, and I was the only one awake. I couldn't bring myself to sleep because of what happened earlier. I barely spoke to them when we got back here because I honestly didn't expect things to turn out that way. I
I stood up quietly. At this moment, all I wanted was to get away from him. "You can't even walk straight for at least four steps. I bet that even if the sun rises, you still won’t be back in your room," he chattered. “Can you just leave me alone? I don’t need you here.” Even though I wanted to look at him, I couldn’t. I was drunk, but still sane enough. If I weren’t in my right mind right now, I don’t know what I’d do to this man. I didn’t even understand why I was talking to him, and even more, I didn’t know where I get the courage to talk to him after the sunny afternoon in cemetery. I tried again to walk straighter to prove him wrong, but in the end, I was the one who failed. I was still behind the large rock, as if I hadn’t walked at all despite walking for so long. “Lucas, don’t wait for me to make a something that I will regret. Just stay away, please,” I said as he sat down next to me. “Do it,” he replied in a low tone. I let out a slight laugh. “Where do you get the
“Miss me?” he asked, which made me stop. That familiar voice seemed to jolt my drunken senses awake. I took a deep breath before looking at him. It was Haze. He was smiling at me and appeared to be waiting patiently for me to see him. I scanned around, trying to find someone to ask for help, but there was no one. Lucas was gone as well. My heart pounded hard as I looked at him. The grin on his face was terrifying. He held a cigarette in one hand and a gun in the other. “Dare to shout, Aurora. I swear, that will be your last word,” he threatened. “Haze,” I said, almost stuttering with fear. He shook his head. “How soft my name sounds when it’s you who says it.” My head was forced to follow him as he yanked my hair. I could see a mix of emotions in his eyes—rage, anger, pleasure, and more that I couldn’t name. If you looked at him now, Haze was far more frightening than before. He was much skinnier, and the dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced. If I didn’t know him
I woke up feeling like I was running out of air. I struggled to free myself from Haze’s tight grip around my neck. My hands were tied, so no matter how much I wanted to remove his hands from my throat, I couldn’t. My feet were also bound to the chair. I coughed as he released my neck. “I’ve been trying to wake you up for a while now,” he said angrily. I looked at him with sharp eyes. Armed men surrounded me. My situation was the same as when I first fell into Haze’s hands. They were smiling at me like demons who was ready to kill. I groaned in pain when Haze kicked the chair I was sitting in, causing me to fall to the cement floor. "Eat," he ordered, kicking the slop of what looked like pig food in front of me. The placement was haphazard, and even the container was dirty. "I'd rather die than eat the food you're giving me—" Before I could finish, he pointed his gun at me. I swallowed hard in fear and lowered my head. "Go ahead, pull the trigger. It won’t make a differ
Luna and Liam's eyes widened in shock, just like mine, as they witnessed me without any clothes on. I couldn’t stop myself from crying anymore. "You’re such a monster, Haze!" I screamed. My children ran towards me, but they were quickly blocked by the men guarding the area. He walked closer to me with a smirk on his face. I wanted to sever his hands as he laid them on my skin. It wasn’t enough for him; he even pinched my breast. "Nice body. No wonder everyone seemed to enjoy themselves." I breathed heavily as his hand traced a path towards my most sensitive area, but before he could touch it, I quickly gathered my saliva and spat it in his face. My head quickly turned as Haze struck my head with the gun he was holding. Things happened so fast, and the next thing I knew, I was staring into his dark eyes, gasping for air because of his tight grip around my neck. "Mommy!" Liam cried out. I heard Luna's little sob. I tried my best to plaster a smile on my face to make her feel at