All Chapters of Shadows of Us: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Hereshire had a few rainstorms a few days ago, causing a drop in temperature. The cold snap brought about four to five degrees Celsius at night. Gritting his teeth, Roy swam to the side of the pool and looked up at Willow. “I checked the surveillance footage the other day. You didn’t push her. I was wrong. I admit that it was my mistake. “I’m putting the choice in your hands today. I’ll get out of the water if you accept my apology. If you can’t, I’ll stay here until you do.” Piecing the situation together, the crowd was relieved. During the last incident at the pool, Roy had made Willow apologize, and now he was making things up to her. Knowing that Roy was not the type to back down, especially to a woman, the crowd started looking at Willow differently. Adrian smiled. “You’re going easy on yourself by giving the power to Willow. She wouldn’t let you freeze your butt off.” Roy stayed silent, his eyes fixating on Willow. Willow, who kept her silence thus far, just walke

Three years was a lifetime to some but a blink of an eye to others. Willow kept her hair, long and straight. Regardless of the weather, she made sure her dress was over her knees. She always carried a smile, never losing her temper with anyone. That was the image of Melanie that remained in Roy’s memory. Willow familiarized herself with the recipe of short ribs since it was the dish Melanie had made for Roy. Her birthday was not on October 19th, but Roy celebrated her birthday on that day anyway. Roy had seen her library card. Had he paid a little attention, he would have noticed that the date printed on the card was just the issuance date, not her birthday. However, he was just delusional enough to celebrate her birthday on that day because it was Melanie’s birthdate. For three years, Willow put up with his every whim while keeping a smile on her face. Despite that, there were good times too. Roy once carried Willow on his shoulders while squeezing through the crowd to watch

Despite not knowing who Roy was, the people in the private lounge assumed he was someone important from the way Cameron spoke to him and how he carried himself. The cheering in the lounge grew louder, but Willow kept her head still, avoiding any eye contact with Roy. As the uproar escalated, Willow braced herself and hooked Cameron’s arm. “Here’s to you, Mr. Shuttle.” When she threw her head back to gulp down the strong liquor, the door to the lounge slammed shut with a bang. Roy was gone. Putting down his wine glass, Cameron felt something amiss. He looked to the door and asked hesitantly, “Do you know Roy Chester?” Willow kept her head down. “No.” Cameron was not surprised with her answer since Willow was just a junior employee of a small trading firm. Perhaps he had read too much in the situation. Willow was lightweight when it came to drinks, and the effects of alcohol got to her halfway through the party. Her supervisor quietly suggested that she should step outsid

Roy rushed over to Willow stumbling to the ground, her palms marred with bloody scrapes. The woman kicked the cake afar and pointed at Willow menacingly. “You think you can get out of this with just a hundred thousand dollars? Think again! You have to atone for your father’s sins, and that means taking care of me until I die and setting Ian up for life! You’re not getting out of this.”“What are you yelling about?” Roy pushed the woman away before she could grab Willow’s hair again, then pulled Willow up from the ground and shielded her behind him. The woman had no qualms about taking her anger out on Willow. However, she backed down, intimidated by Roy’s towering figure and furious glare. She murmured, “Do you think you’re hot stuff to snag a man? Why don’t you get him to pay off your debts? While you’re still young, you should get with more guys.” “What the hell are you on about?” Enraged, Roy motioned to hit her. However, the woman cowered and covered her head in fright,

Six months ago, Roy and Willow had the biggest fight. Roy was not one to avoid confrontation, but he conveniently forgot about the argument, blocking out the details from his mind. As he pieced together the fragments, he could see the distinct divide between him and Willow. Two months into Sierra’s time in Hereshire, she proposed a trip to a little church on the mountaintop to pray for her sister in heaven. While Roy was not particularly religious, he could not refuse a request tied to Melanie. When Roy picked Sierra up from school, he found Willow with her friends laughing infectiously, and her eyes were sparkling with joy. As she leaned forward, her long hair cascaded around her, wild and free. Roy had seen that side of her before when he was under her in bed. It was a far cry from the sweet and docile woman he knew during the day.He had often been fascinated by that side of her, believing it was a secret shared only between them. Yet now, Willow gave off the same energy fo