_________________________...The bright light of the early morning sun filtered into the room through my curtains.I moaned as I tried to get my hands on the string that would close those blinds but my movements were restricted by strong arms. Again.What?I wriggled in his arms, dread filling the pit of my stomach.Did we do it again?"Relax. We did not have sex." He murmured not opening his eyes."You sure?" I asked, just to be safe.All I got in return was a chuckle. He pulled me closer to himself and placed his lips on the side of my head."Just sleep.""What time is it?" I asked."Why does it matter?" He asked finally opening his eyes."We need to go to work.""Honey, we are the bosses. We determine the time of our work."My face heated up immediately. Honey?"Yeah honey, what else am I supposed to call my wife?" Did I say that out loud?"You don't have to say it out loud for me to know what you are thinking." He replied to that as well. I squirmed under his arms, trying to
____________________________..."Rowan?""Rowan!""ROWAN!!"I let out a deep breath of exasperation as I watched the worker Rowan was talking to point in my direction, telling him that I was calling him. But Rowan paid no heed and continued to pretend I had not called him.I tried to calm myself as I walked over to him."So yeah, that will be all." I heard him say to the worker and he walked away."Rowan!" I called again, from five feet away and he still did not pay heed.I let out another breath before looking around and saying, "Cupcake?""Yes, honey?" He turned to me with a triumphant smile on his face."You are such a man-child!" I groaned."Only for you." He winked at me.I rolled my eyes though inside, I felt something flutter in my stomach.No!Bad, Aurora, bad!This is so bad. What do I do with myself?"Can you oversee the catering?" I asked. "I need to go look at the decorations on the deck."The cruise event started this evening. It had been a week of crazy planning and p
_______________________________...Rory stepped out of the bedroom in a beige bodycon and a sparkling purse. And she looked so ethereally beautiful that I had my breath stuck in my throat. I was wearing just a black tuxedo - I was never brave enough to experiment with my style, despite all the courage and grit people usually associate me with. You look as beautiful as the first time I set my eyes on you. That's what I wanted to tell her. But I knew I would end up with a broken nose for sure this time if I went as corny as that."You look absolutely gorgeous." I went with it instead. I expected a blush, a glare, or at least a flat look. But all I got in return was a murmured "Thank you." Did something happen again? "Honey?" I called out to her. "We are running late." She said, not meeting my eyes. "As I said, we are the bosses. We-""If you plan to be late, then I will take my car." She cut me off and it did not look like she was joking around."Did I do something?" I asked.
_______________________________...I felt restless and fidgety the whole night. Shannon, Ashton and Rowan were watching me like hawks. As if they knew that I was upto something. I just hoped that Rowan didn't know that Gabriella was coming back home."I hope you have a great week with us." I shook the hand of Mr. Davidson before finally excusing myself for the night.It had been a long day.It had been a long two months.Gabriella had been distraught so I had no choice but to make her come back. But my prior worries still remained and I did not know what to do about the situation when Rowan would get to know that Gabriella was back.Would he again try to get a upper hand on me and make me dance to his tunes or would he still continue to try to make this marriage work like he had been trying to make me believe all these days?My mind told me he would do the former but my treacherous heart wished with all its might that he would do the latter."Aurora!"I turned to the source of the
______________________________..."And you believe him? Rory, don't be so naive!" Eric said on the phone.I stood at the deck watching the sun rise. It was a peaceful and beautiful morning and no one was up after yesterday's celebrations. So I had the deck all to myself.I knew the peace would not last for long because the morning event was supposed to take place at the deck so the organizing team would be here in a few more minutes."I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, Eric. After all, he too has a lot to lose here.""You think it's worth the risk?" He asked solemnly.I loved how protective he was of my younger sister. It made me feel at ease."We did not have any plans to begin with, Eric. Obviously we will not let our guard down but yeah, I think we can at least be at a bit of ease right now. He seems to be preoccupied with other things."He seems to be preoccupied with me. I wanted to say this. Especially after last night. We had had sex twice before but both tim
______________________________..."Rory!" Gabby started wailing as soon as she saw me.My mom also got up from where she was seated."Oh my god, I missed you!" I hugged her and rocked our bodies sideways."Rowan didn't come?" Mom asked.Gabby went rigid immediately.I rubbed her arms and whispered, "Don't worry. He will not do anything. I promise.""Rowan is exhausted from the cruise, Momma. He said he will come over for dinner tomorrow.""He is?" My mother clapped excitedly. "That's great. My son in law never comes for dinner. I should ask the staff to prepare everything to his taste. What all does he like?""Just make whatever mother. He is not a picky eater." I shrugged as I pulled away from my sister.Mom gave me a flat look but then excused herself to give us sisters some space."He is not a picky eater huh?" Gabriella asked, her face neutral."That's not what I meant. I-" I didn't want to lie to her. Because of what was at stake for her, I needed to tread carefully through th
_____________________________...When I reached back to the apartment that night, my legs were asleep. The emotional stress that I was in was wearing me completely out. It didn't help that the cruise that ended just yesterday had did its bit to my muscles and bones.I was just too tired.The whole house was dimly lit.What was Rowan up to now?A part of me told me he was doing something romantic and the pathetic part of me wished he was doing something romantic."You are home." Home. Was this my home?Rowan walked over to me, taking small tentative steps. He had a washcloth over his left shoulder and a sprinkle of flour on his hair. "Were you cooking?" I asked him. I did know he could cook in the last two months but I did not think that I would ever see the day when I came home to him welcoming me like this. "Homemade pizza. With Mexican toppings, your favorite." My weak legs did not have the power in them to hold me up when he said something like that. I almost stumbled and h
_________________________________...I stepped out of the bath and changed into a lavender set of pajamas, not bothering to blow dry my hair. I knew good food was waiting for me and I didn't want it to keep waiting for me. I hurried out of the room and stopped when I heard Rowan on the phone. "I don't know what else I am supposed to do. She won't take the bait." I felt my entire body go cold. Take the bait?"What else am I supposed to do? Lick her shoes? Do you know how hard it is to pretend to like someone you loathe? But I need her on my side so I have to do this shit!" He was pacing around the living room so I hid myself away from his field of view. I felt the unshed tears sting at the edges of my eyes but I was not going to cry. He had already made a fool out of me. I was not going to let him make me a pathetic fool. "Ashton, you don't understand. She is disgusting! She is so annoying. I can't. You know I would rather spend my time with someone else." Disgusting? Annoyin
_____________________...~~THREE YEARS LATER~~."Can you stay still?" I screamed at my hysterical sister as I fixed her veil. "All the daisies are going to fall off at this rate!""Who invented wedding gowns?" Gabby screeched as she tugged at the tulle of her wedding gown."Oh, the first documented wedding gown was worn in fourteen-o-six by-""No thanks, Miranda." I cut the overenthusiastic wedding planner off.Gabby rolled her eyes. "You know too much." She told the oblivious lady who just grinned as if it was a compliment. It probably is."You okay?" I whispered to her as I fixed the last daisy.Gabby took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just... nervous.""You're going to marry the love of your life," I said, smiling at her through the mirror. "What's not to be happy about?"Gabby took a deep breath. "It's just... everything is happening so fast. And what if it's not enough?""What do you mean?" I asked, my hand on her shoulder. "You dated him three years before you are marr
____________________..."Oh well, I won't say I didn't see it coming," I murmured as I watched Gabby come out of Eric's room. She froze, trying to run back into the room and bumping into Eric's broad chest in the process. "but I also didn't think the day would come this fast.""What can I say?" Eric laughed as he wrapped his arms around my sister. "I know to woo my woman right.""Well, in my defense, it takes a lifetime of groveling to make up for the kind of mistakes I made." I shrugged, laughing even though I felt a pang in my chest. I had fucked up so bad.Gabby's eyes searched mine. "I know you're sorry.""But is that enough?" I asked, my voice low.Gabby looked at me, understanding in her eyes. "You know she loves you, right?"I nodded. "I know." But love was a fickle thing, and I had learned that the hard way. "But I hurt her, Gabby. Deeply.""And you're going to have to prove it to her," she said, her tone gentle but firm. "Every day. With every action, every word. You need
____________________...I was fixing myself a sandwich after putting Ki to bed when the doorbell rang.Rowan's mom was in the living room, watching TV. "I've got it," I called out as I made my way to the door.Opening it, I was surprised to find Eric standing outside. "What's going on?" I asked, my heart racing.He looked serious, his eyes darting around the hallway before he stepped inside. "We need to talk," he said, his voice low and urgent.Beth looked up from the TV, curiosity piqued. "Everything okay?""I'll handle it," I told her, guiding Eric into the kitchen. "What's going on?"He leaned against the counter, his eyes searching mine. "I found something out about Derek," he began, his tone serious. "It's... it's not good."My heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"Eric took a deep breath. "Derek isn't just obsessed with Rory. He's got a history of stalking and harassment. I found some old police reports."My stomach dropped. "What kind of history?""It goes back years," Eric sa
___________________________..."I still can't believe you didn't tell me about Eric being there in the UK all those weeks!" Gabby was ranting as she did my hair. She repeated the same tale of my betrayal at least once a day. Especially when she wanted something from me."Spit it out." I rolled my eyes. "What do you want from me?"Gabby took a deep breath, her hands stilling in my hair. "I want you to promise me that you'll always tell me the truth, no matter what."I looked at her weirdly in the mirror. "Okay.""And that you will get me an electric blue Porsche." She grinned in the mirror.I snorted. "That sounded like my sister.""You are taking over Dad's position soon. You will have money of your own then. Get with that." I told her as she twisted my hair into an elegant knot."But what about you, Rory?" Gabby's voice turned serious. "What do you want?"I took a deep breath. "I want peace," I said finally. "For all of us."Gabby nodded, her expression thoughtful. "That's all I w
_______________________..."This sucks!" I exclaimed as I watched the expressionless face of Eric Rogers.He looked at me with a glare. "Seriously, dude?""What? It's the truth!" I shot back, pacing the tiny cell. "I've never been in jail before! And now, because of Stacy and Charles, I'm going to have a record!""Charles has said that he will drop the charges." Eric said but I knew there was more to that story."Why?" I asked. "I am sure he would not have done it for free."Charles was never a good person. He was just amazing for me. And as someone who didn't really deserve a good person, I had decided to settle with him. But the dude had cheated even before the relationship had even started. That's what got on my nerves."Does it matter?" Eric sighed. "The procedures will be completed in a few moments and then we can leave."The door to the cell opened, and a female police officer stepped in. She was tall, with stern eyes that scanned me up and down. "Gabriella Lewis, you are fre
_____________________...I fell asleep in Rowan's arms. That much I remember.But when I opened my eyes, I was back in the van.Derek's crazed face loomed over me, the gun pointed directly at my forehead. "You shouldn't have done that, Rory," he whispered, his voice a chilling echo in the confined space.I jolted awake, my heart racing and my breath coming in shallow gasps. The room was dark, the only light coming from the night lamp, casting eerie shadows across the floor. I was in my own bed, in my own apartment, with Rowan sleeping peacefully beside me. But the fear lingered, clinging to me like a second skin.It was just a nightmare, I told myself, over and over again. But the cold sweat on my forehead and the pounding in my chest said otherwise. The image of Derek's furious face, the gun pointed at me, the sound of the shot ringing in my ears—it all felt too real.Rowan stirred beside me, his hand moving to rest on my back. "Rory, you okay?""It was just a bad dream," I whispe
________________________...I scrambled to my feet as soon as I heard the shot.Was it Ophelia? Was she shot trying to save me?I had to save Ophelia if she was still alive.Ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I rushed to open the van.I peeked inside. Derek was on the floor, his hand slack around the gun. Ophelia was kneeling beside him, her hands shaking as she tried to stem the flow of blood from his leg."Oh my God, Derek! Is he okay?" I rushed to Ophelia's side."He fainted on impact." Ophelia was crying. "Quick. My phone is in my car outside. Call 9-1-1."I nodded, the shock slowly wearing off. I rushed to the car and got in, using the phone I found in her purse to call the police and ambulance. I gave them Rowan's name and address for them to contact him as well because the phone was locked. When I got back to the van, Derek was regaining consciousness. "Aurora, I think it's better for you to leave now. Give me my phone and get in my car and leave before he wakes up." I sh
_____________________..."Derek?" I was still stumped by the revelation. "Derek, why are you doing this? Is this because of Ophelia?"Derek stepped into the light, his expression cold and unrecognizable. "This isn't about Ophelia, Rory. This is about what you took from me."I stared at him, confusion and fear mingling. "What are you talking about?""You. You took away yourself from me. I had the perfect life planned out for the both of us but you kept going back to that bastard who had the least respect for you.""What are you talking about, Derek? I never even knew you felt like that." I was more stumped by the latest revelation."How would you know?" He let out a humorless chuckle. "You were too wrapped up around Rowan Keller to actually notice other people's feelings.""I'm sorry," I whispered, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice. "But this isn't the way to deal with it. Let me go, and we can talk about this."Derek's eyes narrowed. "You don't get to tell me what to do an
__________________________..."I have a bad feeling about this!" Jake murmured as I tried Rory's number for the nth time."I'm going to the park. Something's off." I told him, my heart racing."Let's go together," Jake offered, his eyes sharp.I nodded, and we sprinted down the escalator of the mall. We had been looking for Ki and Mary here."What if they are not there?" I panted, my legs burning from the run."Then we widen the search," Jake said grimly.We dashed out of the mall into the blinding sunlight, our eyes scanning the bustling street. The park was only a few minutes away, and the tension grew with every second that ticked by."What could have happened?" I whispered to myself, fear for Ki gnawing at my insides. Now Rory was also not picking up the phone.I had a bad feeling about all of this.The park was eerily quiet, not a soul in sight.We reached the parking lot. Something glinting on the ground caught my sight.A phone.Rory's phone.My heart sank. "Jake, look." I p