JULIAN's P O V‘‘Good morning!’’ When Cynthia entered the dining room, she was surprised to see her mother and father, as well as Arnold and Celestine. Her eyes grew wide when she realized that her family was complete. ‘‘Oh my God! You’re all back! Well… it's great to see you all!’’‘‘Hey, sweetheart… why don't you join us?’’ Uncle William gave her daughter a longing smile, and motioned for her to give him a hug, and the young woman obliged, and even gave his dad a kiss on the cheek. ‘‘How are things going for you while we're gone?’’‘‘I’m good!’’ she answered, taking a seat next to me. ‘‘Hi, Leina…’’She had Celestine confused with Leina, and Arnold did not rectify her mistake. Everyone in this room, with the exception of Arnold and me, was under the impression that she was Leina.Celestine could only muster a tentative nod in her direction before returning her focus to her dinner.‘‘How about your studies?’’ Arnold inquired, and I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye that sh
CYNTHIA's P O V‘‘Hello, Melanie. It’s a pleasure to meet you…’’ Melanie's cheeks became flushed in response to Oliver's friendly smile toward her. Before shifting his attention back to me, he quipped, ‘‘I can steal your best friend after you two are done with the project, can't I?’’‘‘Cynthia!’’ The sound of Julian's voice jarred me awake from my musings. ‘‘We're here...’’When I peeked out the window, I saw that the car had already come to a stop in front of the gate to my university. ‘‘Bye, Julian...’’ I muttered as I clutched the handle of the car door and eased it open with my shaking hands before stepping out of the car.‘‘I’ll see you later…’’ Julian said, but I wasn’t able to respond to him anymore since I had already turned around and headed my way towards the entrance of the school.Why did I think of that particular moment when I was introducing Oliver and Melanie to each other for the very first time?It served simply to bring to my mind how foolish I really was. I should’
CYNTHIA's P O VSchool had just ended, and while I was packing my books, I saw Alex walking out of the classroom, but he stopped in front of the doorway. I knew he was waiting for me, but I needed to avoid him. I didn’t want to talk to him any longer.I didn’t require another dramatic situation at this institution, and neither did anyone else around me. Stef bid goodbye to me after asking if I was okay for the second time, and I nodded as I watched her and Jace leave the room.I used the back door to exit, so my attempt to escape away from Alex was a success, and I thought that communicating with each other through the phone to end what we had started was the smartest plan.I blew a heavy sigh, slinging my backpack across my shoulders as I trudged out of the classroom. Once I was in the hallway, I checked my phone, wondering why Julian hasn’t texted me yet. It’s already five o’clock, and he ought to be on his way to pick me up right about now. I can't wait to tell him that I aced the
CYNTHIA's P O VAs the couple strolled towards us, the waiter came back with our ice cream and I gasped in delight, ignoring Julian’s intent gaze towards me. My banana split looked mouth-watering. The three scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream on it were my favorites.‘‘Guys, this is Tori…’’ Julian introduced the woman to us, but I didn’t even take a single glance in their direction as I took a spoonful of my ice cream and closed my eyes, enjoying the taste. ‘‘Tori, this is Arnold, and Cynthia. They are siblings, and they are my cousins…’’Cousins…‘‘Hi, it’s nice to meet you both…’’ I heard Tori’s sweet voice, and she grinned widely, extending her hand to Arnold for a handshake before she shifted her attention to me. ‘‘Hi, Cynthia… You look so beautiful, baby girl…’’Her smile was so pretty, so very pretty that I was dazed.I gave her a small smile, and stared at her hand in front of me for a few seconds before I reached out to take it. ‘‘Thanks… But you’re more bea
CYNTHIA's P O VThe waiter handed Arnold the first-aid kit box, before cleaning the shattered glass on the floor. Arnold opened the box, and handed a strip of band-aid to Julian.Throughout the time that Tori was watching Julian assist me, and until now that he was applying the strip to my finger, I could feel her irritated glare.‘‘Does it still hurt?’’ Julian asked, looking up at me.‘‘Just a little...’’ I whispered as I slowly withdrew my hand, and I couldn't help but feel excited about how well he had been treating me. ‘‘Thanks…’’A sudden ring of phone from Arnold’s pocket interrupted us. ‘‘I’m sorry, but I have to take this…’’ my brother said as he stood up from his seat. ‘‘Are you feeling okay now, Cynthia?’’I nodded. ‘‘Yeah…’’He gave my shoulder a gentle pat before he walked out of the room, and answered his phone which was still ringing loudly on his way out.Julian was already sitting next to me when he reached for the table napkin and then abruptly wiped the stain from my
CYNTHIA’s P O VThey have abandoned me.That was the first thing that sprang into my head as I looked around the restaurant, and I couldn’t find them anywhere.My shoulders sagged, and tears started to pool in my eyes as I made my way out of the restaurant. I stood at the entryway, still holding out hope that either Julian or Arnold would be waiting for me outside. Then again, the fact that I couldn't even see even their shadows made the disappointment I already felt even worse.I heaved a heavy sigh as I headed in the direction of the parking lot while dialing Arnold’s number. I looked around to see if I could spot the car that belonged to my brother, pressing the phone to my ear, praying that he would pick up my call.‘‘The number you have dialed is either unattended or out of coverage area, please try again later…’’Shit!This time, I decided to dial Julian's number, but just like Arnold, he wasn’t answering. Perhaps he was busy running after his fiancee!I scoffed, balling my fist
JULIAN's P O VIt was hard for me to accept that Cynthia had just done that to Tori. Her innocent look was really deceiving. I couldn't help but shake my head as I made my way back to our table, only to discover that nobody was there.Where did they disappear to?I just came back from talking to Tori, and she said that she needed time to think about our relationship, and the wedding. She’s currently staying in the house with my mom, and she informed me that she would be spending the night in a hotel because of what happened earlier.‘‘Is she the reason why you chose to stay at Maxwell villa instead at your own house with your mom?’’ I remembered her asking me as we waited for a cab to arrive. She declined my offer to drive her to the hotel.‘‘God, Tori… I already told you. I’m Arnold's business partner in this resort venture, so I am needed to stay there. Cynthia is a relative of mine. It's not necessary for you to feel envious of her...’’ I tried to soothe her, but deep down I knew t
CYNTHIA' s P O V‘‘His mom recently remarried, and her new husband has a daughter...’’ Stef explained, raising her gaze to me.‘‘What? If that’s the case, then they are not related by blood!’’‘‘Still, she’s his stepsister…’’ she said, and I rolled my eyes. ‘‘I tried to call him a few times but he didn’t want to pick up his phone!’’‘‘Maybe he’s guilty…’’ I scoffed, downing the rest of the wine.‘‘Jace would never do that to me…’’“He already did, Stef! Not only once, not only twice, but many times!’’ I hissed, throwing my hand dramatically.‘‘You’re making things worse, Cynthia…’’ She made a cute little pout. ‘‘You’re not really helping at all…’’‘‘What do you want me to do then? Jace always cheats on you. You know I never wanted him for you in the first place, but because I love you---’’‘‘Oh… that’s so sweet of you…’’ she said, scooting closer to me, and I scrunched my nose at her smell. Stef noticed it, and she hastily moved away. ‘‘Sorry… I had been drinking since this afternoon…
JULIAN’s P O VAunt Olivia insisted that Cynthia must first complete her education, and give birth to our child before she allowed us to get married. And I felt worried about Cynthia because I was aware that she was waiting for this moment. Even though she wasn’t voicing it out, I could sense that she was expecting me to propose to her, for us to build our own family, but Auntie asked me not to let Cynthia know about our agreement.After seven months, Cynthia gave birth to a healthy baby boy who she gave the name Mark Julian. And while I was occupied with the expansion of the business that Arnold had requested me to handle, Cynthia continued her studies.Finally, Cynthia graduated and I’ve never been so proud of her. I believed that as a result of all of the things she went through, she got more matured. She never complained about the fact that I did not offer her marriage.When it was time for Cynthia to get her graduation present from me---it’s not exactly a graduation present, but
CYNTHIA's P O VAt this moment, tears were beginning to run down my face. I couldn’t keep them at bay. Now that it was almost certain that I’m losing this baby.I may not know a lot about pregnancy, but I knew that bleeding was a bad sign.As soon as we entered the emergency room, an array of questions and answers ensued, and I answered them to the best of my ability, while my parents and Julian were listening attentively. Julian refused to let go of my hand even when I was wheeled back toward a room and directed to strip for an ultrasound.The nurse stopped Julian when he was about to enter the changing room, insisting that he wanted to help me change into a hospital gown. ‘‘I can help her, Sir. Just stay with her parents outside…’’Julian did not immediately follow the nurse after initially hesitating, but he did so eventually. Soon after, he began to loosen his grip on my hand before leaving completely.My parents sat in a chair along the far right wall, and Julian stood a few feet
CYNTHIA's P O VTWO MONTHS LATERI groaned as I sat up in bed and stretched my arms. A quick look at the clock that was sitting on my nightstand revealed to me that nightfall would arrive sooner. How long have I been dozing off?These past few days, my normal pattern of sleeping has been thrown off. Simply put, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point where I lost track of time because of it. Even though my parents, Arnold, and Celestine regularly checked on me every once in a while, one of the harmful things I'd been doing was spending most of my time alone in my room. This was another habit I'd gotten into.They have been monitoring the media, calling people and giving them orders, as well as discussing the situation with the authorities. They would act wary every time I descended the stairs, as if they didn't want me to hear about those fucked up news again.I never heard from Julian again after that day. I was aware that his wedding took place last month, but none of
CYNTHIA's P O VNothing could have prepared me for the crushing agony I experienced when my mom told me that Julian had departed without even alerting me, or even bidding farewell to me before he flew back to France. Nor could anything have prepared me for the profound sense of loss that caused my heart to tighten, leading me to believe that it was going to cease beating altogether.Even though I was aware, on some level, that he was meant to return and marry her, the fact that he did still hurt. How could he? How, after making love to me? After I had already given him everything? After stroking my hair until I fell asleep? After spending so much time gazing at me with that breathtaking smile? How could he love her and marry her still?There was a painful lump that was lodged in my throat, and it was making it difficult for me to even breathe. In addition to this, I had to fight against my tear ducts in order to keep from crying in front of my family because of him. In total honesty,
CYNTHIA's P O VThe moment the door to the Maxwell villa opened, I was met with a resounding slap across the face from my irate mother.‘‘Aunt Olivia…’’ When she raised her hand to slap me again, Julian attempted to stop her, but she instead hit Julian which caused my eyes to widen in shock.‘‘Don't address me like that, you have no connection to any of us anymore!’’ she said through gritted teeth, a threatening tone was used as she glared at him.It appeared as though everything around me had come to a stop. I blinked back the tears that was on the verge of falling down my cheek. ‘‘Mom…’’Did Arnold tell her about us?‘‘What are your intentions with regard to my daughter?’’ She asked Julian while completely ignoring me. ‘‘Do you intend to take him as your mistress?’’‘‘No, I…’’‘‘There is no future for the two of you, and even if you leave the woman who will soon become your wife, I won't let you have my daughter!’’ And she smacked his face once more, which prompted me to push her aw
CYNTHIA’s P O VJulian grabbed the shower head, turning on the water. He pointed it at me and he made sure to let it pour all over my body, until every inch of me was soaked. ‘‘I’ll take it that it will make you behave…’’‘‘Uhmmm…’’ I agreed mindlessly, not really listening to a single word he uttered, for I was too busy gawking at his dripping wet physique. I could feel my lids becoming heavy, my veins burning under my skin as pure sexual desire course through them.Unwittingly, without even noticing it, I kneeled in front of him, coming face to face with his semi-hard shaft, but before I could even touch it, he grabbed my shoulders firmly. ‘‘Get up before I fuck you again…’’‘‘But I want you to fuck me again…’’ I protested with a pout, still resting on my knees.He chuckled amusedly, lightly shaking his head. ‘‘Come on, Cynthia, we’ve got to go…’’But I didn’t listen, I remained still.Julian decided to bring his arm under my armpits and pick me up against my will, laying small kiss
CYNTHIA’s P O V‘‘Do you think that somebody was listening to us?’’ I inquired anxiously as fear began to course through my veins.Julian gave a dismissive shake of his head before rising to his feet and reaching for the bathrobe that was still hanging on the door of the bathroom. ‘‘No, the rooms are soundproofed. You stay here...’’ he covered himself and left the room.But I couldn’t mind my business in a situation like this. I rolled out of bed and took a fluffy bath towel, wrapping it around my body before following him towards the living area.From the other side of the slightly open door, I could hear a feminine voice. ‘‘Uhmm, Hi… I mean, good morning. I was wondering if you saw Cynthia---’’I rudely pushed Julian out of the way and came face to face with Stef, who let out a sigh of relief upon seeing me.‘‘Oh, Cynthia… I was worried about you!’’I smiled at her and placed a kiss on her cheek. ‘‘Well, as you can see, I’m good…’’ I then stepped closer to her so that she would be a
CYNTHIA’s P O VI completely let myself go, carelessly giving up on trying to hold myself up and completely leaning against his tall, manly frame. ‘‘Oh, fuck…’’ I moaned as I gripped his hair and pulled on it, moving his head and craning my neck so that our lips would touch. I immediately opened my mouth, allowing his tongue to slip inside.Julian added a second finger into my tight canal, starting to thrust harder. ‘‘You’re such a sexy little thing, aren’t you...?’’ he pulled his hand away and brought his fingers which were coated in my juices, to his mouth, sucking them clean before he picked me up and walked back to the bedroom, letting me fall onto the bed, and then followed me immediately.I pushed him down onto the sheets and got on top of him, hovering over his rock hard member. ‘‘Do you want me…?’’ I inquired in a hushed tone as I took both of his hands in mine and placed them on my waist.He nodded with his mouth agape, looking up at me with full of desire and appreciation.‘
JULIAN’s P O VThere was something unbelievably intimate about waking up next to someone, especially when that someone was the one you love.Strips of golden sunlight shone into the room and Cynthia managed to wrap herself around most of my thin sheets.I woke up with my arm lay across her stomach and her head was tucked into my bare chest. We hadn’t bothered dressing ourselves after last night’s events, as we had already seen every inch of each other.Also we were exhausted, that we had drifted to sleep after another heated kiss.Cynthia stirred slightly, which brought me back from recalling what brought us here, and buried her head further into my chest while placing a hand onto my torso.But all of this felt so wrong, since everyone around see us as cousins, and in addition to that, I am already getting married.But then, why did last night feel so right? And why did her touch alone light my body on fire?I knew that my old self would think otherwise, but Cynthia and I couldn’t hap