Novel-novel oleh Sapphire Austin

My eyes locked onto Nick immediately and I saw him ready to cry. Elio stood next to him patting him on the back. My gaze fixed on Nick, and I smiled at him gently. I took a place in front of him and passed my bouquet to Claire with a kiss on the cheek. He held my hands and kept my gaze. I could feel him shaking more than I was. “You, ok?” I mouthed. He nodded wiping away a tear from his cheek. The celebrant started the service. I had never been happier than I was in that moment. We got to the part for the vows. “Leila Clarke never had I believed in love at first sight until I saw you. You had my heart even before you knew it. I have loved you from the second you stepped out of the car at the charity ball, and I will love you until my last breath and maybe even long after. We have been through some tough times but at every turn you have shown me what true strength is. Over the last few years, you have shown me what it means to be a man and when I think I cannot love you anymore y

Nick grabbed my thigh so tight it almost hurt. I gripped his hand, and he released me quickly. “Sorry,” he mouthed at me. I was in shock. This time Dan walked out with the guards without a fuss. The drive home was silent. I collapsed into Nick’s arms when we got back to the apartment. “It’s over,” I said. “It’s over.” He confirmed. “What now?” I asked. “We live our life. We look to our future.” He nuzzled my nose. “I kind of have a surprise and I hope you’re not going to be mad.” “Uh-oh.” He pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “Keys?” “I bought a house in the countryside. One just like what you wanted.” “You’re kidding!” He shook his head. I couldn’t believe it. I jumped into his arms and crashed my lips onto his. “When can we go?” “Now.” He smiled. The house was exactly like the one I described to him. Within a week we moved out of the apartment and into the house. I officially joined Thorn cider and helped Nick with running a branch of the compan

“Madam, fore woman, have you reached a verdict?” “We have your honor.” She replied as she stood to face the judge. “On the charge of kidnapping, how do you find the defendant?” “Guilty.” “On the charge of rape, how do you find the defendant?” “Guilty.” “On the charge of attempted murder, how do you find the defendant?” “Guilty.” I breathed a massive sigh of relief and tears quickly followed as I collapsed my face into my hands. Nick wrapped himself around me. I could feel him shaking as badly as I was. “Thank you, jurors, for your service. Mr. Daniel Smithe you are remanded until sentencing on Friday.” I felt Nick shaking hands with people all around, but I was still in a state of shock. He placed a hand on my back and tried to break my hands from my face. I couldn’t stop shaking. atje chaos around sounded so quiet all I could hear was Nick and my own pounding heart. I lifted my head slowly through blurry eyes filled with tears and I saw him smiling over to someon

Dan carried on shouting and as my mind flashed back to memories, my stomach bubbled, and I threw up over the stand. The judge called a break, and the courtroom was cleared. I headed to the bathroom to clean up before heading back in and retaking the stand. “Leila, can you tell me why you were sick?” “The memories, the thought of him touching me,” I paused and shook my head as I remembered him near me, “It makes me feel sick. I was sick several times during that time.” “Nothing further.” My lawyer sat back down, and I was excused from the stand. As soon as I took the seat next to Nick, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into him. He wrapped an arm around my waist and held my hand with his free one. I thought he’d be mad about me not telling him about calling Dan, but he was just happy for me to be there. He stroked my knuckles softly as we sat, and the next few witnesses were called. Day 5, 6 and 7 were similar to the first few days. Lots of witnesses, evidence and testimonies.

“Miss Clarke, can you confirm you had a relationship with Mr. Smithe.” “Yes but...” I was cut off. “And is it fair to say that your relationship was a good relationship.” “It was okay but...” Again, I was cut off. “Is it fair to say that Mr. Thorn was the only reason your relationship with Mr. Smithe ended.” “Yes but...” “So, if Mr. Thorn had not forced you to leave Mr. Smithe you would still be together now?” “No!” Anger was building inside me. I tried to look back at Nick in the hope just looking at him would calm me but the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. My adrenaline started pumping as I clenched my fists into my lap. “Are you sure because we have testimony from Mr. Smithe’s sister, who I believe was your housemate at the time, that you were happy with Dan until Mr. Thorn forced your hand.” “No, it’s not true!” I looked at Dan and saw a sadistic smile creep onto his face.I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into the palms of my hands and left ma

No one argued with me and we were guided through the courthouse and into the courtroom. We took a seat near the front with members of the public. There was an area at the back reserved for selected reporters. I held my hands tight in my lap and fidgeted trying to find a comfortable position, but I couldn’t. Nick placed his hand over mine. I gave him a small smile. He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “We can leave at any point; just squeeze my hand and we will leave.” I nodded. The doors opened and in came the lawyers, followed by Dan. My breath caught in my throat, and I stiffened as he looked at me and smiled. It felt sinister somehow. Nick squeezed my hand, and I shook my head. I watched them take Dan into the glass box at the side and he settled into his seat casually like he was at home while the lawyers took to their tables, moments later in came the prosecution lawyers we had been speaking with. The judge was next to follow and then the jury. The judge confirmed with the jur

The dinner was lovely and tasted fantastic. I could see Damian was distracted throughout, but I didn’t push him to talk about it. I began to clear away the plates and was about to get ready to wash them when Damian’s hand settled over mine. “Take a walk with me?” He asked. His hand was shaking in mine, and I could see how nervous he was with the look on his face. I nodded and took his hand without another word. He grabbed my cardigan and held it out for me to place back on. We walked hand in hand down to the beach. His hand was shaking slightly in mine, even though he was trying his best to hide it. The sun was setting in the sky, and it was casting an orange glow over the beach cove. Damian put me in front of him so that he was hugging me from behind. I leaned my head back against his chest and drank in the moment. The sun setting, the waves lapping over the sand, his arms holding me softly. It was a moment that I wanted to bottle up and hold forever. I could hear his heart ham

We were heading back when my stomach crumbled. “Can we grab some food?” I asked.“We can but I have a special meal planned for tonight so don’t eat too much.”“A special meal? Is that part of the surprise?”“Yup. So, no spoiling it.” He requested.“Ok, so a snack then?” Damian nodded and pulled some options from the fridge. I grabbed a couple of small things and nibbled through them. “I do need to ask a favour of you though.” Damian stated nervously.I tilted my head intrigued.“Any chance you could make yourself scarce while I prep the meal?”I laughed, “And where would you like me to go?”“I was hoping you might want to take a walk on the beach or maybe hide away in the bedroom?” He asked a little shakily.“A walk on the beach could work. I guess it depends on how long you need me to be gone for?”“Hmm, maybe an hour or a little longer.”“Ok. I guess let me know when you want to kick me out.” I joked.He pulled me into a hug, “I never want to kick you out.” The reassurance I

The rest of the night was settled. I couldn’t help but wonder what had triggered the nightmare during the night, but I was just glad that Damian was there to comfort me. We slept in a little on Saturday morning. I think Damian wanted to let me rest as much as I could. I could tell with the way he was holding me that it shook him seeing me like that. I wriggled out of his hold as I needed the toilet. He was awake waiting for me to climb back in bed once I returned. “You are looking extra dashing this morning Mr. Blackwood.” I smiled.There was something about his position of casually lying there with one hand behind his head watching me, with a small smile on his face. It just made me appreciate him. “Are you bringing that cute butt back to bed?”“I thought you wanted to go out today though? We can’t stay in bed all day.”“Well, we could but you are right we have places to see.” He threw the covers off and came around to kiss me before heading to the bathroom. I grabbed my clot

On Friday night, Damian cooked up a storm for us. He had brought so much food at the local store in the village that I had to wonder whether we would actually manage to eat it all over the weekend or not. We sat and ate in the dining room due to a cool brisk wind. Damian put the fire on and found a film for us to watch on TV. As the adverts hit, he disappeared into the kitchen and came back with cake for both of us. “That looks delicious. But I don’t know if I am going to be able to manage it.” “How about we share one piece and save the other for tomorrow then?” He offered.I accepted the offer and let Damian feed me between his bites of the cake. It wasn’t long before the heat and coziness of the room and my full stomach that I was falling asleep in Damian’s arms. He nudged me as the film came to an end as he needed to get up to go to the toilet. I settled back onto the sofa and drifted back off to sleep.“Hey, sleepy head.” He rocked me gently. I grunted; I didn’t want to mov

Damian crept up behind me while I was lost in the peacefulness of the surroundings. “What do you think.” I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a deep kiss. “It’s perfect.” I smiled. There were a couple of other houses that were visible on the little cove. I rested in Damian’s arms while taking in the view. “Do we get to just stay here and do nothing else?” I laughed a little. “Well, I didn’t officially book anything. So, if you do want to hide away here all weekend then we can do.” “It seems a shame to waste it.” I smiled. “We do need to find a local shop so we can get some food in, unless you want to starve and dehydrate for the weekend.” He laughed lightly. I pouted at him, which only made him laugh louder. “How about I find the shop while you explore the beach?”“Are you sure?” I asked.“Yes, go.” He nodded after nuzzling my nose.I beamed at him and grabbed my bag from the boot of the car. It made sense then why he had got me to pack a mix of

Finally sleep took hold of me and I drifted into a dream. Only to be awakened a few moments later by the sound of Damian’s alarm. I grunted, rolled over, and pulled the covers over my head. “Come on,” he kissed my cheek before rolling out of bed.I grunted and closed my eyes pretending it was not happening. “You can sleep in the car. It’s a 5-hour drive anyway.”I threw the covers off and looked at him. That was the first real bit of information that he had shared. He smiled and walked away to get dressed. I quickly tried doing the calculations in my head. Where from us would be around a 5 hours' drive away. 5 hours was a lot of distance to cover. I could only think of Scotland or Cornwall. Because we were based in the midlands, most places were accessible within 3 hours, maybe 4 hours at a push. This spurred me to get up and dressed. I was dressed and ready before Damian was done. I perched on the edge of the bed as I stretched and rubbed sleep from my eyes. Damian smiled, know

Logan’s birthday morning came around. I was at the office early setting the presents on his desk. I logged into my laptop at my desk and did my morning rounds. I was in the morning meeting with Jack and several other lawyers, in the middle of taking notes and instructions for the team when Logan burst through the door. I saw the look on his face. He had opened the presents. “Logan, what are you doing in here?” Jack asked. “Seriously,” he said excitedly. I nodded and smiled. He rushed around the table lifting me out of my seat into his arms, cheering. The room was confused by what was going on until Logan held the scan picture out to his father as he sat me down. I watched as Jack realised what the picture was. His face softened, “Congratulations to the both of you.” I blushed as there was a chorus of cheers from the other lawyers. “Happy birthday, babe.” I kissed his cheek. Logan excused himself from the meeting and normality resumed. After we finished work, he rushed

My birthday was the next celebration to arrive. Logan made a point of making a big deal out of it after how bad my last one was. He booked a fancy restaurant, followed by a night in with my favourite dessert and movie, topped off with a video call to family. Over the next few weeks, I started to plan a birthday surprise for Logan for just the two of us. On the lead up to his birthday and during my secret planning sessions I had started feeling off and I had thrown up a few times. It was only when I slowed down and took some time to myself, I felt the worst. When I was rushing around and busy with other things the sickness, although there, was not at the forefront of my mind. I decided to book a doctor's appointment. It was unusual for me to be sick so I thought it would be best. I didn’t want to bother Logan with it as he was busy on an important case. I managed to get into the doctors the following afternoon. I mentioned the appointment to Jack as it would mean I would have to l

The next few months went by in a blur. Work was great, life with Logan was great, family was great. The one-year anniversary of what happened to me had arrived. Logan did a fantastic job of making a bad time into something good. I thought I would have nightmares but Logan managed to distract me at every turn. We booked the day off work and he took me to a zoo. We had a picnic lunch in the zoo gardens and he took me to a restaurant for tea. We finished the night with a movie and popcorn, cuddled up on the sofa. That night Logan never let go of me in bed. If I wriggled out of his hold, he would maneuver so that his arms were still around me in one way or another. Over the next few months, we found one reason after another to celebrate and live life to the fullest together. From weekends away on mini vacations to nights in watching movies and cooking dinner. I didn’t think life could get any better. One morning when I arrived at work, I had already been sent a meeting request by J

Monday morning felt strange getting ready to go to work with Logan. I was a bundle of nerves so he offered to drive. Arriving was surreal, after checking in at reception I was handed my lanyard with my badge on to get me through the building. Julie met me a few moments later to start my induction. Logan wished me luck and kissed me goodbye. I went through my induction and was given an office. As Logan thought my office was on the same floor as his. Julie started to set everything up for me and started my training. Julie headed out for lunch and gave me the option of exploring, staying at my desk or heading out for the hour. I chose to stay and messaged Logan. ‘Are you busy, do you fancy grabbing some lunch together?’ Just as I was about to hit the send button there was a gentle knock on the door. I looked up to see Logan leaning against the door, smiling. “Don’t let Julie catch you on your phone.” He chuckled. “I was just about to text you to see if you wanted to grab lunch

Three hours later, I arrived at the house. The traffic on the motorway was horrendous. There had been an accident that had closed one lane off. Because of this I managed to catch the removals truck up and arrive with it to the house. Logan rushed out to meet me. Taking a box from my hands and putting it down. He scooped me into his arms kissing me. “I can’t believe we are doing this.” I spoke. “I can. I can’t wait to make a life with you.” “I know what you mean.” He placed me down and picked the box back up. Once the movers were complete, we looked at the house covered in boxes and furniture. We set to work in the kitchen first and unpacked a few boxes before getting distracted with each other. Logan had not unpacked much of his own things and now mine were on top there was a lot to do. I banished him to another room to try and get things done quicker. We had the weekend to try and unpack and set up as much of the house as we could before I started work on the Monday. Someho

Once I was home, I headed straight over to my parents and asked Abigail to meet me there. I broke the news to them. They were all happy and excited for me, just a little sad to see me go. That week flew by, because I was out of work and I was excited for the upcoming move, I found myself packing up as much as I could. I headed out to the local supermarket to grab some boxes. It was a tiring week and I was on the phone more than ever to Logan. It seemed like accepting the offer to move in, made him miss me even more, but I knew the feeling well as I couldn’t wait to start our life together. Over the next few weeks things started to move quickly. Logan signed all the paperwork for the house while I finished packing my house up. I ended up leaving a lot of things behind and choosing only what I needed and wanted to take. Each weekend I took as many boxes as I could with me at a time, to Logan’s apartment. It was going to be a lot cheaper move from his than from mine otherwise. It di