KATHERINE “Katherine…” Katherine instantly froze the second she heard Damien call out her name. She could recognize his voice even in her sleep, and she knew without a doubt that he was the one calling. The shotgun in her hand trembled, and she swallowed heavily, her whole body turning slowly, and her jaw dropped open when she locked gazes with him. He was not the only one present, and her heart slammed hard in her chest when she saw that police officers were wholly surrounded everywhere, alongside some other men who were heavily dressed and armed with weapons. From what she could see, she was already outnumbered, and her men were no match for these men. Her worst nightmare was coming to pass, and a swear escaping her lips, she wondered just how they had come to know of her whereabouts. How come? Who had given them some intel? Slowly, she turned her face and stared at her men one by one, trying to see if she could catch the traitor, but they all looked scared and shocked as s
It was over. That word kept repeating itself endlessly inside Madison’s head as she laid motionless on the sandy ground, Damien’s still form on top of her, and the feeling of blood gushing too. Her dress was getting wet, and as she blinked twice, trying to note what had just happened, she tried to move a bit, and the second she did that, Damien fell to the side, his arms outstretched and his eyes closed tight. “No… no…” Madison began to panic, wiggling her tied body, her eyes going to her legs as she searched for any sign of injury or bullet wound on herself, but she saw nothing. “No…” She mumbled to herself, her eyes straying away from her body to the one beside it, and that’s when she saw her worst nightmare in front of her. Damien’s bloodied body laid on the ground, his mouth slacking open, and he wasn’t making a move at all. Blood gushed from the side of his chest, and Madison tried to scramble to her feet, wanting to get to him, but she couldn’t. She was still tied, and th
“I have to see him, Mason. I have to….” These were the words that Madison kept on repeating all through the ride from the beach to the nearby hospital. The second the car stopped, just behind the ambulance that had conveyed Damien’s still unconscious body, Madison fumbled with the now freed car locks and hurriedly stepping out of the car, she rushed towards the nurses and doctors cluttered around the emergency vehicle. Mason was right behind her, calling out to her and begging her to slow her pace and calm down, but she wasn’t listening at all. Nothing he was saying made any sense. Nothing anybody said made sense. She just had to see Damien. She had to see him by all means, even if her whole body ached, and she could feel the pain of her battered body racking through her. “Madison, please stop. Don’t go there….” Mason shouted from far behind, but she didn’t stop walking until she was standing with the doctors. She watched as the medical team brought a stretcher and placed Damien
A WEEK LATER KATHERINE Stepping into the prison visiting room, chained and in tatters, Katherine scrunched her face in disgust when she saw her father sitting with someone by his side. It was his lawyer, and she almost let out a hiss the second she spotted the elderly man. She’d told her father countless times over the phone not to bring anyone when coming to visit her, but he had done what he deemed right already, and now there was nothing she could do. Nothing she could say too, except sit opposite them and listen to what they had come to say. “You can leave me now. I’m fine.” She spat out rudely at the officer leading her to her seat, and shoulder sagging, she began to walk towards them. The second she approached, the two men stood up, and with a smile plastered on her father’s face, he walked forward, arms outstretched, wanting to hug her. “Father, please…” Katherine mumbled, rolling her eyes as he took her in his arms and hugged her tightly. “Oh… I saw you two days ago,
A tear strayed down Madison’s cheeks as she glanced at Damien’s still form on the bed. She had her hands clasped in his left hand, and she brought his palm up, placing a soft kiss on his knuckles, pecking gently. Her tears streaming freely now, she sniffed as she broke into sobs holding his hand tightly. So tight that she didn’t want to let go at all. She never wanted to leave him. Her fingers tightening, she muttered a lengthy apology over and over again, wishing that it would be able to convey how sorry she was, but she knew her efforts were fruitless. Oh, how she wished she could take everything back. She wished she’d never tried to leave the country, and instead, she would have given him a chance. At least then, they would be together, and they would know how to solve Katherine, who was a menace to their relationship. If she’d stayed, maybe all these wouldn’t have happened, and she wouldn’t be in a hospital, by his bedside day and night, praying for him to wake up and loo
THE NEXT DAY The next day came by so fast that, for a moment, Madison feared the worst. Every second, she tried to blink, wanting to check if everything happening was real, and it was. Damien had woken up from his coma. The doctors had checked up on him and deemed him okay miraculously. When the doctors had marveled over his condition, wondering how he seemed to have fought over the gunshot wound, Madison tried to seamlessly stop herself from shedding tears every second, but all her efforts were useless. She’d tried so much, but she couldn’t stop the tears and giving up after she’d cried her heart out. She couldn’t even talk to Damien again because she was scared.What if all this was a dream, one she was currently having? This was a nightmare, probably, and she would be awake soon, but it wasn’t. She’d pinched herself so much that the fleshy skin of her wrists was filled with welts and marks, but still, she didn’t stop. She kept digging her sharp fingernails into her skin, t
As Madison’s lips merged with Damien’s, stray tears flowed down her cheeks, but she didn’t stop kissing him. Hell, she couldn’t stop! She’d been waiting her whole life for this moment. They'd kissed a few days back... She'd felt his lips on hers when they'd let their carnal instincts take over during their angry spat and the argument that had brewed but remained unconnected that day... Today's kiss was unique. It was unique, and she enjoyed it. She yearned for it. She cherished it and had even started it. Madison could only sigh in pleasure and happiness as Damien wrapped his bandaged hands around her softly, his grip tightening as the kiss deepened.Damn! He made her complete. He filled her. She was one and whole with him. Just like when they’d been young, carefree, and just in love, this moment felt like it, and she didn’t want it to end. With all the weight and burden from her shoulders lifting, her body relaxed into him. Her soul sang along with his, and she gave a soft, muf
KATHERINEHead held high, wrists and feets clasped in handcuffs; still, Katherine slowly walked into the visiting room with two police officers leading her in. Today was another visiting day, and her father had come yet again with another man, this time dressed in white lab coats, and she could already deduce who he was. A medical practitioner. Maybe he’d come to give her the results of the tests they’d carried out on her some days ago, and at the painful reminder, she looked back up at her father, who was already standing up from his seat. She tried to gauge his facial expression wanting to note if they had good or bad news, but the way he stared blankly at her gave nothing away. Instantly a chill ran down her spine, and she forced herself to swallow huge chunks of saliva. Never in her life had she felt scared like this. The constant headaches that plagued her day and night, the thorough body ache she got whenever she did a little strenuous activity, and the way her vision got