Tarquin was taken aback by her boldness, it didn't seem like she was joking. There was this seriousness and coldness in her tone that he had never heard before. "What did you just say?" Tarquin pretended like had misheard her words. "You heard properly, I'm not interested in this marriage that only causes sorrow. I'm done with it and I've had enough of being treated like a slave by you!" Ivy yelled and couldn't stop her tears from dropping. "I will never give you a divorce till one year is over," Tarquin said firmly. He couldn't divorce Ivy because without her, he would lose ownership of his company and all his hard work would be for nothing. "I don't care about what you say, haven't you hurt me enough? What exactly have I done to you? It was Emma who cheated on you and you could do nothing but cry like a baby over her" Ivy sobbed louder. Tarquin squeezed her arm tightly and brought his face so close to hers, that the edge of their noses were almost touching. "Do you remember wh
Emelia and Ivy were friends from high school but their choices of universities made them part ways.Emelia had gotten a scholarship in London and she had to leave, moreover, her parents were there, and living with her aunt wasn't that comfortable. Her Aunt was sick at that time and she seemed like a burden to her. It prompted her schooling in London to return to her parents. Ivy wanted to go to school in California and that led to their separation. They lost contact with each other years ago and they had been too busy with each other lives to even think of chatting on social media. The problem was that Emelia wasn't much of a social media person, she didn't even have a F******k account. She was only available on W******p and nothing more, she didn't like the attention of others in her life or criticizing her looks. She wasn't ugly but She hated the attention. Ivy was the only friend who understood her the most. Emelia flipped through the pages of her dusty diary and she saw Ivy's
Ivy woke up the next morning and was unwilling to stand up from the bed. She stared into space feeling more heartbroken than ever.She wondered how she slept because Tarquin had sex with her till he grew tired and that was for hours even when she was weak and she begged him to stop. He continued.She sniffed and wiped her tears, she tried moving her legs but in between was so sore and It hurt badly.Ivy slowly turned to face him but he was still asleep. She stared at him with disdain in her gaze, this was pure hatred.Whatever affection she was developing for him had completely disappeared. She was too angry inside to even see him as a victim of circumstances.She knew he was hurt or something terrible must hand happened in his past but that didn't give him the right to rape her. She was his wife even though it was simply on paper but she didn't want him to fuck her while he was drunk.He wouldn't be able to even remember their time together.She also didn't want him to hurt her, consi
Her words made him feel horrible. He understood her anger and there was nothing he could say or do to justify his actions."Ivy," Tarquin muttered. "I know you're angry because of how much I've hurt you but please open the door, I just want to know if you're alright."Ivy gazed at the door and frowned, if he had said those words days ago then it would have meant a lot to her but now, she refused to believe any word that came out of his mouth.He was nothing but an aggressive, uncontrollable, and pathetic liar. He had pretended to dote on her when they went out, he acted so charming but it was all deceit to trick others."Ivy!""I said leave me alone or are you here to rape me again? After what you did last night, you're still trying to show your disgusting face in front of me?" Ivy yelled as tears streamed down her face.She was still weak but had to muster her strength and call off his bluff. She was tired of his hypocrisy.Ivy went further to imagine that he had planned it. He couldn
Ivy trembled in fear. She didn't mean to harm him but neither did she want him to touch her.The memories were still fresh in her mind and he left a scar that would take a while to heal."Tarquin" Ivy called, her voice cracking.The tears in her eyes couldn't be held back anymore, they slipped down her cheeks.Ivy slowly went on her knees and crawled to his side. She placed her pale and shaky hands on his body, shaking him, but there was no response."Wake up" Ivy urged, she shook him vehemently but there was still no reply.This made her more afraid, she smacked his arm repeatedly but he wasn't moving. She placed her ear close to his chest and there was a heartbeat.She heaved a sigh of relief but the loss of blood from his head was alarming. She never planned to hit him that hard."Oh my God" Ivy swallowed hard, she went to her wardrobe, her legs were feeling wobbly and weak.She opened her wardrobe, brought out one of her dresses from it, and went to him. She pressed it against the
Ivy understood that her friend wanted the best for her but sending Tarquin to jail was going too far.Though he had taken advantage of her maybe, if was in his right senses and a lot more romantic and gentle then things wouldn't have turned out that way.She wasn't trying to make excuses for him but she couldn't bear seeing him in prison and guilt would consume her because of Mrs Caroline.Mrs Caroline was one of the nicest people she had ever met. She acted like the mother she never had. Mrs Caroline would be completely heartbroken when she learns that her son could go to jail.Mrs Caroline wanted the best for Tarquin and that was why she met her. It's mostly because of her that Ivy endured everything, Mrs Caroline even left the house more frequently than before to give them time alone.She was making an effort and so was Ivy, it was quite a pity that their efforts were for nothing. Tarquin never appreciated it neither did he even attempt to change his ways, at least for his mother.M
Two months later.Ivy was presently in Emelia's kitchen cooking. It had been so much fun for her since the time she started living with Emelia.Two months felt like yesterday because they had been keeping each other company, going on outings during the weekends, and having a one-week vacation during her leave.It was one of the best moments in Ivy's life. She looked much better than the time she stayed with Tarquin. She had also added some weight and it made her look more amazing."I can smell that chicken soup and I love it," Emelia yelled from the sitting room.She was working.Ivy wanted to find a job as well but Emelia insisted that she stay at least six months without working. She had to recover emotionally and mentally from all the torture that Tarquin put her through.Emelia was glad that Ivy had completely cut off from him. She threw the phone he got her away and transferred all the numbers in the sim card into the phone that Emelia got her before tossing the sim again.Emelia
Tarquin's mansion.Morgan was in her room, playing a game on her phone. Though she was old enough to find a job, she was unwilling to.Her family had a lot of money and there was no need to work herself up over seeking a job, just a few connections and she would acquire a job whenever she wanted.As she was playing the game, a call came through. It was John calling her.A smile appeared on her lips, she couldn't hide her smile anymore. For the past two months, they had met a few times but recently she had been trying to avoid him. It seemed like their relationship was becoming much too serious for her liking.Nothing could change the fact that he was still a regular assistant to her brother. He wasn't wealthy and had nothing special going on in his life.He had this uniqueness that she hadn't seen in other men and that very trait was making her happy. He always made her feel happy and shy but never uncomfortable.Feeling that way with him made her self-conscious.She had been keeping h
FOUR YEARS LATER.Time flew by faster than anyone could expect. Four years ago was Morgan's wedding with John but now, they are parents of a three-year-old child, Khloe who was a friend of Tessa. They were present with Ivy in her orphanage, she began the orphanage three years ago and she named it after Ivan. The orphanage had children in it, they were well-fed and always happy. They loved Ivy so much because she always brought gifts anytime she left her office to see them. Ivy had people supervising the kids and their education. She also owned a school that one of Morgan's friends was running. The school was where children in the orphanage went to and it was also close to them. Ivy had given many children to parents who were willing to adopt and she made sure to do proper investigations before giving a child to any parent. She still tried to visit the child in those parent's houses to see how the child was faring, and if the kid was being mistreated or not. Just in three years, t
Months later.John and Morgan had suspended their wedding for a long while because of Ivan's death. They wanted Ivy to be in her right mind when everything was planned.It was the day of the wedding and Ivy was with a makeup artist who was dolling Morgan up.Morgan was already wearing her wedding dress and it was really beautiful. Ivy had helped her choose it and she was also chosen as her bride's maid."The makeup is turning out so beautiful." Ivy smiled, looking at Morgan who was truly gorgeous.Everything made her glow, from her dress to her hair and makeup, Morgan was perfect."Ivy, where is Tessa?" Morgan asked and opened their lips a little for the red lipstick to be added."She's with your mom who has been more than excited about everything," Ivy replied."I don't even know who's getting married between her and me," Morgan said, causing them to laugh."Stay still." The make-up artist instructed after laughing."Yeah, your mom is so sweet. When Tarquin and I decided to redo our
Tarquin was rushed to the hospital and so were the kids. Ivy refused to be admitted, so they only ran some checkups on her and treated her burns.After the treatment, she went to the waiting room and cried, being concerned about her husband and children.Ivy's hands were on her chest, she was feeling so scared and agitated. Tarquin was in danger as well as the twins, she was afraid of losing any of them."Please survive for my sake, please don't leave me." Ivy cried and her hands transferred to her face. "I love you all so much, don't leave me. I won't be able to bear it.""Please, don't leave me." Ivy cried and coughed boisterously.She grew up without a family, she thought her life was perfect till she met Tarquin who turned her world upside down. The arrogant and cold imbecile who became the most wonderful person in her life.The kids he gave her were the only reason why she didn't kill herself, why she didn't stop striving to stay alive. They were the reason why she wanted to meet
The Jones' home.Tarquin had called Ivy when he stayed a while in the office. It was unusual for her to not answer his calls. He called her a few more times but then he got no response, he ran like a madman to the house.Reaching there, he beeped his car horn numerous times for the gates to be opened but nothing happened.Tarquin got out of his car and went to the gate. To his horror, as he pushed it, it opened without much effort.He went inside and saw the guards on the floor, dead. His heart pounded greatly in his chest and it felt like his world was going to crumble before his face.Quickly, he ran into the house but there was no one. He saw the drops of blood and panicked the more."Shit, I shouldn't have left them alone!" Tarquin cried out and gripped his hair in regret.He wanted to stay back with his family, at least one more day before resuming work but he listened to Ivy. He thought that she was feeling a bit suffocated around him, that's why she told him to leave.He respec
Warehouse.Annabel took them to an abandoned warehouse that used to belong to her family. She tied Ivy up in that place and placed the twins on the bare and cold floor.Ivy didn't try defending herself too much because she was scared that Annabel would do something terrible to her children.The twins were crying on the floor and Annabel was annoyed with their cries."Oh shut up! Little brats." She spat bitterly. "It's because of you and these fools that I wasn't able to complete my mission."Ivy wanted to speak but her mouth was sealed, so she made muffled sounds."You wanna talk? What do you want to say, do you desire to beg me for your life or say your last prayer, which one?" Annabel asked with a smirk.Ivy nodded disorientedly, she had to say something, anything that could save her life and that of her children. She loved her kids so much and she preferred dying than seeing them get hurt.Annabel decided to fulfill her wish and make fun of her. She sauntered to Ivy who was tied to
The Jones' home.It was early in the morning and Ivy woke up early to make breakfast for Tarquin and herself but to her surprise, Tarquin was already in the kitchen making breakfast."That smells yummy." Ivy grinned and walked to him."Thank you, I'm making it with lots of love," Tarquin said, affectionately.Ivy smiled and pecked him on the cheek. He gave her a boyish smile and continued cooking."This is going to be delicious and you're going to lick your fingers once you dig in," Tarquin said."You mean that I would lick my plate till there's not even a single drop of sauce on it?" She raised an eyebrow, waiting for his reply."Yeah, there will also be a certain urge to even eat the plate too." Tarquin teased her.Ivy laughed and smacked his back playfully."Stop exaggerating."Tarquin chuckled and leaned closer to kiss her lips. Finally reaching her, he pressed his lips on hers and they both smiled."Are you feeling comfortable with that thing in you?" Tarquin asked, referring to
California.John and Morgan were walking on the side of the road, their hands were locked and they were talking.Morgan had been working for more than a week in the bank and it wasn't easy but he was already getting used to it."I hope no one mistreats you there, they have the right to hurt my baby," John said, feeling a little worried about her.Morgan smiled at him and swung his hands."They treat me well, especially my colleagues. Although I've met some impatient customers, everything has been fine. One of the colleagues collected my number and added me to a WhatsApp group, it's been so much fun.""I'm glad that you're enjoying it there. '' John beamed.They hadn't seen each other since she started working, so he hadn't had the chance to properly ask about her work experience."Morgan, if anyone harasses you there. Just tell me and I will dash there to bash their faces." John said and she laughed."I trust you. I know the lengths you can go for me and I can assure you that I've not
Italy~ Florence.Emma was eating with Fredrick, he had been a constant visitor to majorly satisfy her urge but he liked her.He had not related his feelings to her but he planned to."I don't feel like eating anymore, I don't have an appetite." Emma sighed and dropped her spoon.Since she found out about Ivy being alive, She had not been happy since then. It made her sad that her enemy was alive, she hated Ivy so much because she had ruined her plans from the beginning.It was because of Ivy that Tarquin became a little distant. It was also because of Ivy that she went to prison. If she hadn't intervened then Tarquin would have been paying for her crimes."Damn her!" Emma shrieked and banged her fists on the table, she had this anger surfing in her every time.She was like a volcano that kept erupting without warning."Damn who? What are you talking about?" Fredrick asked.He knew exactly what she, speaking about he only feigned ignorance."It's none of your business, I just need you,
Annabel, who was behind a tree, looked away from where Ivy was."You have guards, that was a clever move from Tarquin, a really smart one." her smirk slowly changed into a frown.It wouldn't be wise for her to contact anyone other than Emma. It was only Emma that she contacted when she escaped from the police.Annabel had overheard Morgan panicking about the coffee, this made her incredibly suspicious about their knowledge of her deeds.To be safe, she decided to leave the house, a night before the wedding.She didn't call Emma at that time but waited for the next day to see what would happen. She entered a cab and told the driver to stay a little bit far from her house.It was surprising to see the cops at the house and John with them. She had made a good decision by running away.Shelodged into a hotel, wore a disguise, and also used a fake identity.After a while, she started monitoring Tarquin and to her shock, she saw Ivy.Ivy was alive. She never expected it to turn out like tha