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The awakening
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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Oh my God, Sebastian! I’m so sorry.” Carol said, placing a hand over her mouth in shock. All this while, she had never thought about something like that. All she had been thinking of was what would happen when Jessica came out of her coma.
“Yeah. He was just advising me about it and whatnot, but it got me thinking about a lot of things, which I’ve been trying really hard not to think about before. Jessica put me as her power of attorney, something I did not know before now. She also left instructions that if it so happened that she was in a coma for more than a month, the life support should be unplugged after a month and three weeks. Carol, this is the end of the second week. If she does not come out of the coma before then, I’d have to give my consent for her to be taken off life support. I don't think I can do it." He finished, his face strained and unshed tears in his eyes.
“Jeez! That’s scary. I hate that you have to bear such a burden, especially as it i
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Sebastian sat frozen, as did Carol while they digested this surprising, but oh so welcome news. The bodyguard was still talking excitedly on the phone, explaining things, but the two of them were not listening. They were staring at each other in shock and happiness. Without saying anything, Sebastian came over to where Carol was and gave her a big long hug.“She’s waking up, Sebastian. Thank God.”“I’m so happy and relieved. You were right, Carol. You’re such a blessing.” He said, pulling back and looking at her in something akin to awe and reverence.“I’m sure that it wasn’t me or what I said that did it, but I’ll take the credit regardless.” Carol joked, happy to see him smiling once more. Suddenly, he looked much better. All the worries of the past month and even all the time since she knew him had dropped away from his face. Her gaze dropped to his luscious-looking, full lower lip. It was all she could do not to take it in between her own lips.
The Substitute Bride Saga Suspicious persistence
That night, Carol slept in Sebastian’s room and in his arms. After he got back from Sacramento, he had told her everything about his visit there and how Jessica was. According to what he told her, Jessica was not really aware of her surroundings, but she seemed to recognize people that she knew before, and that was a good sign. The doctor was hopeful that she would go on to make a full recovery and even identify her attackers in no time.“Oh, that reminds me, I was thinking of going to visit her. I don’t think that it speaks well of me that she has been in the hospital for the length of time that she has and I’ve not yet gone to see her.” Carol told him, not mentioning that it was Melissa who had brought this to her notice.“That’s nice. I’ll inform the guards to let you see her. I left express instructions with the guards that no one was to be allowed access to her unless I gave express permission.”“Isn’t that a little extreme?”“No, it’s not, actually. I have managed to keep the new
The Substitute Bride Saga Unexpected guests
“Look, I don’t know why you seem so eager to see Mr. James, but I don’t think it’s wise to take you along with me. I mean, the man is recovering from a sickness and he doesn’t know you. It would seem rude for me to just bring a stranger to visit him without even informing him about it.” An exasperated Carol protested finally, hoping that Melissa would see reason with her and get down from the vehicle to go back to wherever she had come from. Melissa was nodding her head as though she was listening and could understand Carol’s point perfectly well, but she made no move to get down from the vehicle. Carol’s driver left the car idling, looking from woman to woman as he waited for them to make a decision. “It’s not your fault, you sallow-faced nincompoop. By right, I should be closer to that bastard than you could ever think of being.” Charlotte wanted to say, but of course, she didn’t. Instead, she turned and faced the driver. “What are you waiting for, young man? Let’s get going.” She t
The Substitute Bride Saga The meeting
Within minutes, the driver delivered Carol and Charlotte to Mr. James’s residence, and then drove back to the house, after Carol told him to go, that she would give him a call when she was ready to leave. She was still not sure about bringing this Melissa lady along with her, especially as she had not informed Mr. James that she was doing so first, but they were already here and even if she wanted to change her mind, it was already too late. Carol glanced at Melissa, wondering at how strangely she was acting all of a sudden. She had a strange look on her face and was quiet … very quiet, especially for someone who was always talking.“Hey… Are you okay?” Carol asked, pausing and turning to face Melissa, who stopped and faced her too, staring at her blankly. They were standing between the lush lawns that led to the house itself.“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Charlotte asked, visibly shaking herself out of whatever stupor she had been in.“I don’t know. You were looking strange j
The Substitute Bride Saga Surprising Charlotte
“Um, uncle. I think it is best that she goes with me so that you can rest a little while we’re away.”“Oh, nonsense. All I ever do is rest nowadays. I’ll like to sit and chat with a lovely lady if that will not be too much trouble.” Mr. James said, waving away her concern.“Melissa, you don’t mind then?”“Of course not. I don’t mind one bit.” Charlotte replied, her heart beating rapidly. What she had longed for all her life was finally going to happen.“Oh, and while at it, kindly get me some flowers. I’ll send them over to Jessica with a driver. I heard that she’s starting to wake up.”“What?” Charlotte exclaimed loudly in shock and dismay, forgetting herself momentarily. Mr. James and Carol looked at her in surprise.“I mean, that’s really great. The poor thing has suffered a lot. I'm just happy that she’s finally waking up after such a long time. Has she said anything yet, about her captors or anything like that? I mean, that has to be one of the first things she'll talk about, righ
The Substitute Bride Saga Trying to make peace
There was a tense silence in the room for some more minutes as the man and lady stared at each other. Charlotte stared at him without saying anything, not that there was anything that she could have said. It wasn’t every day that she was at a loss for words. Mr. James stared back at her, waiting her out, until she finally became uncomfortable with the silence and the staring competition, and just had to say something … anything.“How do you know who I am?” She asked him finally, her voice hard. If he thought that he could outsmart her, then he had better think again. She had come here on a mission, and she must fulfill it before she left.“What are you doing here?” He asked in turn, annoying her greatly.“No, no. We’re not going to do that. That is not how this is going to play out at all. I’ll tell you how it’s going to play out, though. I’ll ask the questions, and you’ll answer them. Got that?”“If you say so. Can you please stop being so loud, though? I’m getting a se
The Substitute Bride Saga Explanation
“Charlotte, dear. Do you mind if I explained my side of things? I don’t want you to keep going through life thinking that I purposely abandoned you and your brother. I would never do that.” Mr. James asked. “There’s no point. Carol will be back soon.” Charlotte replied tensely. All she wanted was for this to be all over and by all over, that meant that she should have dealt with Jessica too. Only then would she be happy and then she could disappear without anyone suspecting her of anything, after which she would reappear when it was time to claim her inheritance. Once she claimed it, she would ride off into the sunset to enjoy her newfound wealth and no one would be the wiser. She smiled happily to herself, just able to visualize the pleasing scenario, especially the ending part. Mr. James watched her quietly. There was something wrong with this lady. It was as clear as day. She did not look very stable. In the short time that he had interacted with her, he could see it clearly, alth
The Substitute Bride Saga A scary confession and an abominable murder
"I was the one who kidnapped and tortured Jessica,” Charlotte said, watching him closely and mischieously to see his reaction. He looked shell-shocked at first and then she saw doubt and pity creep into his eyes. He thought that she was crazy. Fuck him! She did not need his pity! “Excuse me?” “You heard me. I kidnapped and tortured Jessica, after which I lied to her that you were the one who asked me to do it and she, in turn, told Sebastian about it.” “Charlotte, why would you do that to poor Jessica?” Mr. James asked, beginning to realize just how much of a maniac this person was. It did not matter that she was related to him. She was a stranger and an evil one at that. “Why do you think? To get revenge against you, of course, and I can see that it’s working very well. To think that Sebastian caused you to have the heart attack that worsened your condition is really the best thing to happen to me in a long while. Oh, don’t look so surprised. Carol i
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The sun was shining brightly this morning, and Carol was in lively spirits. It was her vow renewal day. She and Sebastian had opted to just renew their vows, and this time, make them with more meaning. Her joy knew no bounds, and her face radiated with it, as Mrs. James noted with pleasure. “You look very happy, my dear.” Mrs. James stated, cradling a three-month-old baby James in her arms, her face taking on the radiant look that many-a-grandmother had when they had the pleasure of holding their grandkids. “I can say the same about you, aunty. You’re really glowing.” Carol complimented in turn, taking care not to ruin the work of the lady who was doing her makeup. “I know, right? Baby James here has brought such sparkle into our lives. I’m more than thankful that I live close to you guys. I will be able to see as much of this handsome little face as I want.” Mrs. James said, looking down at the baby she carried in her arms. He stared back at her and babbled some meaningless baby wo
The Substitute Bride Saga Booting out the enemy
The weeks after Sebastian came to plead with Carol to come back into his life were the sweetest ones of Carol’s life. She had thought that Sebastian was attentive and sweet to her before, but now, she knew that that was an understatement. He treated her like a fragile egg that could break at any time, and Carol was happily soaking up all the attention and affection. She still hadn’t gotten used to the way he just seemed to throw money around, but was more than grateful and touched, when he bought two flashy cars and a huge mansion not too far from them for her father, whom she could tell was very lonely.“I know that you’ll love to be close to your grandchild once he’s born." Sebastian had said as though it was nothing, waving away Donald’s thanks when the latter had broken down in tears, telling him that he did not deserve it. Now, Carol could easily hang out with her father anytime she wanted, and she was so happy about it.Sebastian didn’t work as hard as he did before any longer,
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“Carol.” It was just one word, but that one word was enough to break the stupor she had been in as soon as she saw him.“Sebastian.” She said in turn, standing up to go bring another chair for him to sit down, but in essence, she was trying to buy herself some time to get her breathing under control. He looked so good and smelled so nice that it was all she could do not to throw herself straight into his arms and breathe in his essence as though her very life depended on it. She saw Sebastian’s eyes widen at the small bump under her loose gown, and her hand went to hold it selfconsciously.“It’s growing.” She told him needlessly and then slammed her mouth shut. She sort of felt nervous being in Sebastian’s presence and wished that she had worn a more flattering dress than the one that she had on now, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Sebastian collected the chair from her and brought it over to place it i
The Substitute Bride Saga Meeting at last
It was a warm, sunny, and bright day, but it was also a slow one. Carol sat in the tiny bookshop in which she had gotten a job the very day she got here, waiting for customers to come in and fighting sleep. She was the only one in the shop, as the owner had dashed off to prepare for her birthday party, leaving Carol all alone in the shop.“Don’t worry. You’ll be able to handle it. Price tags are on every book, so you don’t need to worry about not knowing the prices. If you need anything, my number is pasted on the wall over there, so you can call me. Bye now.” The middle-aged woman had said, sailing out the door before Carol could even say anything else, so here she was, bored beyond measure and counting the seconds as the time ticked slowly by. She had managed to sell two books, but it seemed that the shop did not get any customers, because, for the remainder of the time, she just sat there alone, staring into space … and missing Sebastian,
The Substitute Bride Saga The search
Sebastian fought the urge to retch as he observed his surroundings and the woman in front of him. If this was where Carol was staying, then he would drag her home with him today, even if he had to drag her kicking and screaming. He would not have her stay with this woman who did not like her and was clearly very irresponsible.“Hello, Belinda. Sorry to disturb you, but we’re looking for Carol. Is she here?” Mrs. James asked.“How the fuck am I supposed to know where she is, huh? Anyway, what is it to you? Is the contract not supposed to be over? Why are you still looking for her?” Belinda asked suspiciously, and he could see that she was also high on drugs.“Well, um, we had a little altercation, and I haven’t seen her since then, so I was wondering if she was here. Do you perchance, have her number? Her dad is also not answering his calls.”“Look, I don’t have any business
The Substitute Bride Saga Finding Carol
It was raining cats and dogs once again, exactly as it had been raining on that fateful day when Carol had left him till now. Sebastian was sitting in his aunt’s house, sipping a mug of hot coffee and ignoring everything that she was currently saying. He looked like a shadow of himself, which was not a surprise, considering the fact that most times, all he did was drink and have to deal with a nagging Jessica, who was still in his house, even though he had taken her name off the deed to the house. Because of her, he was hardly ever in his house again, but preferred to stay here at his aunt’s for a better part of the time he was not working himself to death … literally. “Are you even listening to anything I’m saying, Sebastian?” Mrs. James asked, shaking him a little to get his attention.“No, aunt. I can’t say that I am. I’m sorry, but I think I zoned out a little there. What were you saying?” He asked finally. Mrs. James shook her head, reminding him of when he was still a recalcitra
The Substitute Bride Saga The threat
“Wh…what does he mean by this?” Donald asked at last, after scanning the text message. “Your guess is as good as mine,” Carol replied, rubbing at her face, hardly able to believe the level to which Sebastian was willing to stoop to be cruel to her. If he thought that she was going to just lay low, act like a sheep and allow him to ride all over her, then he had another thing coming. She just couldn’t get the image of that text out of her head. Good morning, Donald. How are you doing? So, have you heard from your daughter yet? I just wanted to let you know that she’s with something of mine. Something invaluable. I don’t know if she told you about it or not, but she’s pregnant with my child and according to the contract that she signed, if such a thing were to happen, then I’ll have full custody of the child. Tell her to come out of wherever
The Substitute Bride Saga Crippling loneliness
“I don’t think that what you are doing makes any sense at all, Carol,” Donald said worriedly, looking at his daughter, who averted her gaze and tried in vain to stop the tears welling up in her expressive blue eyes.“Why do you say that, dad?” Carol asked him, wiping away her tears.“Well, maybe because you’re pregnant and you choose to slave away at doing a regular job instead of taking proper care of yourself.”“A lot of pregnant women work at regular jobs, dad.”“I know that, but not a lot of them have huge lumps of money lying in their bank accounts untouched while they look malnourished. Why are you punishing yourself this way, my dear? I mean, it’s only been one month since you left Sebastian. In that one month, you’ve become almost as thin as that girl Jessica., whom we do not like at all.”At this, Carol burst out laughing despite herself. Her father was acting like a
The Substitute Bride Saga Nowhere to be found
It was with a growing sense of urgency that Sebastian drove away from the hospital, Jessica's insults and curses trailing after him until he could no longer hear them. It was a sad thing indeed that she was now the way she was, but there was nothing that he could do about it. He had offered to help her, but she kept turning down his help at every turn, so there was nothing he could do for her anymore. He could not do the very thing that she wanted, which was to be with her, as he did not love her anymore. He stopped by a flower shop on his way back to the house to get some flowers for Carol, knowing that women loved things like that. Hopefully, she would forgive him, and even if she did not, he would keep trying until she did. He still did not know how she managed to wind up pregnant, if she was taking her pills like she had claimed, but he knew that sometimes, those things were not foolproof, especially if the lady who was taking them fell sick during the period. He remembered that C
