AdrianDate night was the happiest I’d felt in a while. Well—ever since Astrid moved out and signed those damn divorce papers.She shook her head as she took a bite of her pizza—because she’d decided, last minute, that she wanted one. I was all in for giving her what she wanted. Anything. I’d brought her to the new restaurant that just opened downtown. Someone had said they made the best dishes. So I thought, why not give it a try?She stared at me.“This is really good. Do you want a slice? You should try it,” she said, offering one toward me. I was going to say no.I wasn’t a fan of appetizers—or whatever those things were called. I usually got straight to the good part. But I could tell she really wanted me to try it. I saw it in her eyes.I leaned forward and took a bite from the slice she had in her hand. I raised a brow, leaned back into my seat, and watched her watch me.I chewed, swallowed, and pursed my lips.“Okay. This doesn’t taste like crap,” I muttered.She smiled and
AstridThree weeks later“Ms. Blythe, how are you feeling today?” Dr. Kate asked as she walked into the office. I flashed her a smile, nodded, and intertwined my fingers.She sat in the chair opposite mine, the desk between us. Kate was my therapist. I’d been seeing her since I left Adrian’s house three weeks ago because I needed to. There was a lot I had to move on from, a lot to heal, and I needed to talk about it without feeling horrified or ashamed.There was progress—small, but it mattered.“I’m good,” I muttered. She grabbed her little book and placed it on the desk, then stared at me. She smiled warmly, her eyes brightening.“You look good. Really,” she said, and I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks. Oh, to be complimented by a woman—it always hits differently.“So, anything you want to talk about today?” she asked, and I nodded, dropping my gaze to my hands. There was something I needed to talk about. And for the first time since meeting her, it had nothing to do with my tra
AdrianWe stayed in the hospital for an extra week to be fully sure neither Astrid nor the baby was in danger. Luckily, they were fine.Because my hands were full looking after Astrid, I hadn’t really followed up on Gary. And, well—the police got him and locked him up.I planned to visit him once I was sure my family was safe. I’d asked Axel to turn Denzel over too—there was really no point keeping him locked up and tortured.Yeah, my men had kind of dealt with him. He should serve his punishment, just like Gary.Astrid stepped into the house and looked around, a small sigh escaping her as I carried the bags inside and shut the door.I glanced at her.“Are you okay?” I asked.She turned to me and gave a small nod.“Yeah. I just… I never thought I’d come back here,” she muttered, eyes dropping to her feet. She gave a small shrug.“And even if I was to return, it was to pack my stuff.”A muscle in my jaw twitched. Yeah, of course.We had been in the process of getting a divorce. I didn’
AstridIt felt like the world was wrapped in a haze. I couldn’t hear anything, but I could see and think. It didn’t help matters that my ears were ringing, either.A picture was etched in my mind. My dad’s.I finally saw him again after ten? Eleven years? He definitely looked younger, and I was willing to sacrifice it all to go with him. I didn’t think about anyone else but me at the time.How it’d hurt my family. Freya? She’d lose her big sister—and God, that made me feel like a bad person. Seeing my situation made Adrian call the doctor, because a man in a white coat was suddenly in the room.I was made to lie back on the bed, and my eyes and everything else were checked. I stopped crying and just stared blankly at nothing. It was then the haze slowly shattered, and I could make out some words that were being said.“Is everything okay with her?” Adrian asked, his tone concerned and worried. The doctor pursed his lips.“She looks fine. But we’d have to run some tests on her to confir
AstridIt was nothingness. Not black, not white. Not dark or light—just nothing. I could feel my body somehow, and I remembered everything, but at the same time, I was confused.Was this the afterlife? If it was, it sucked.We were made to believe there’s a whole new world out there after death, some peaceful realm or great beyond. So why, then, was I here? Why was there only emptiness?I sat down, pulling my knees to my chest. I felt light. Lighter than I’ve been since I could think for myself. Was it that I wasn’t there yet? That I was in between life and death? Where was Adrian? Where was everyone?I’ve always wanted to be alone—but this alone? This kind of silence? It was terrifying. I no longer wanted to be alone.I wanted to be loved, to be surrounded by family and friends. To hear people laughing, see their smiles, and just… live. This wasn’t it. This wasn’t life, and it didn’t feel like death either.It was so quiet here.I had no idea how long I sat there—wherever “there”
AdrianShe had been unconscious for days. The doctor battled to save both her life and the baby’s.It was one of the hardest periods of my life. It turned out that my men had caught Gary trying to swim away. That made me realize—maybe they didn’t try to drown her.Maybe she was escaping—and she made it just far enough to collapse on land. If she’d given up in the water… well, this would’ve been a different story.I took her pale hand in mine, watching the monitors beep steadily. Her eyes stayed closed—I hadn’t seen them open in two days, and it was driving me crazy. But I kept holding onto hope. Holding onto the belief that one day soon, she would open them.I reached out and gently brushed her hair.“When are you coming back to me, wife?” I whispered, then gave a soft chuckle at how absurd it all looked.She was going to leave me—that was the plan, so she could protect her sister. And now? She was the one lying in a hospital bed.“Do you know?” I asked quietly, swallowing hard. “Do y