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Crystal OduwaA/N: Eiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Thoughtssssss?(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
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A VOW TO HATE 67
LAYLA 52/60MONDAYDid I text the man who covered me that night? Nope. Did I discuss the topic when Penelope, Bella, and I met up? Not a chance. I’m delusional. I comforted myself that it was a dream. God knows how I wound up in my bed, shoes off, duvet wrapped, definitely not Aiden Smith.It was simpler that way since I also had to bring up what transpired in the back of Quentin’s car. I assumed I was quiet. The girls didn't bother me, thankfully. Having to justify to Bella that I wasn’t evading him as I promised was enough. However, telling Penelope everything would leave me in a coma. Two days without him were nice. No contact if you must. Two texts came together. One broke said no contact, and the other was intriguing. My father and Aiden Smith. I opened the former first, believing it was less risky.Related. “You and the Smith boy had them married? Do you realize what you’ve done?”Hold. I held my keys in the air. I just drove home from the office, and this is my greeting.
A VOW TO HATE 68
LAYLA52/60MONDAY“Are we set?”We swapped items. My phone for a juice pack.“Ouch.”I grieved in pain, observing the mark on my palm. Her finger grazed mine while collecting it.“Sorry. I guess my nails are too sharp.”I smiled weakly, noticing what she was holding in her other hand. Cellphone.“Uh, it’s okay. Just a scratch."I soothed the spot with my fingers. Her gaze loomed over me as I did. She smiled, but it felt strange. Like how she twitched the edge of her lips instead of pressing in a straight line, as always.Am I overthinking? Most likely. She scraped me when we passed stuff around. It happened. Not like she would try to hurt me on purpose.“Can I use the charger in your room?”I nodded a few times, and she turned away.I filled the table with snacks and inserted a random movie to watch.Sipping my juice on the couch, I took deep breaths, unable to shake the feeling off my chest. The kind you get when you eat bad sushi. Nauseating. As though you could toss your entire bel
A VOW TO HATE 69
LAYLA 56/60FRIDAY “Is it hot here?"“You’re wearing my jacket.”“Right. We should get back. Just in case they look. We also have that thing back at Bella's.”He popped the final cherry, lifting himself off the chair while keeping a steady glance at me. I clutched the material to stop my fingers from trembling. “Let’s go, love.”His love. He called me his love. That tingling happy dance in my belly? Yeah, that’s not okay. ***“Did you have to sneak out?”Bella joked, pouring wine into each glass. “My parents wanted us to sit around a fireplace and talk about the alliance's future."Quentin responded, grabbing a glass. “On the eve of your wedding?”“I know.”Penelope snorted, resting her head on his. Drew and Bella were snuggling on the couch, and that left me and the green-eyed man whose hands whirled my thigh. He does that a lot. Unconsciously too. It’s gentle yet soothes me inside. I like it. A lot more than it should.“Man, I can’t wait to get drunk tonight and see you walk
A VOW TO HATE 70
LAYLA 58/60 SATURDAY Does this count as day 1 out of the seven days or day 58th, which is the second stage of the wedding? Yesterday was a church reception with drinks and dancing until everyone was exhausted. Bella kept tugging my arms on the dance floor, but I lost willpower after the news. She pried the information out on the Uber back to her place, where I spent the night, too agitated to plan a trip home. I doubt my spewed thoughts stayed in her mind. She was tipsy, whispering all the things she and Drew would do alone. I used earplugs. The next morning, today, I booked a cab back to my place. They were both asleep when I slipped out. The venue was a rooftop, just friends, no business partners or middle-aged men and women. This one was for Pen and Quentin. No, I haven’t seen or heard from him. I wandered back to the entrance, hopeful he would be there. The place was empty. Everyone was inside. I checked with so many people on the dance floor. I would have notice
A VOW TO HATE 71
AIDEN6/7THURSDAYIt's the eve of the deadline. The previous few days went calmly. My father presented keynotes with his signature quote, “I can’t leave this entirely up to you, or you might screw it up.”He’s right. Never assumed I’d say it, but I might blow this thing up. Not for the reasons you think. I could, if I wanted to, destroy her. Come against all their shortcomings.Use our strengths to commandeer. But I didn’t want those. I wished to defend myself as she tilted against her car, pointed out that I was there for her. That I saw her. All of her that night, but I left because I was trying to find a solution. It flopped.Harold demanded nothing. He felt outraged that I walked out mid-conversation and insisted that I focus on winning instead of undoing anything.I tried. I unboxed my father’s notes, but they were brutal. Speaking against their HR policy and the lawsuits filed against them. That was just the beginning. I couldn’t do it.I kept all the files back in the box, paus
A VOW TO HATE 72
LAYLA FRIDAY 7/7 His touch is greedy, his restraint on my waist is indigent. Fingers burrow into my skin as he delicately slips a hand away to cup the back of my head. He angles it to meet his mouth. I gasped, and his tongue drove into mine, deepening the kiss further. “God, what are you doing to me?” His other hand leaves my waist, head ducked as he buries it in my bared cleavages. He teases first, then sucks until he reaches my nipples. “Aiden. Your father might come in. Someone could see.” He jerked away, his grunt filling the room. He glanced around, our eyes meeting the camera. “There’s a camera there. We’re going..." He flipped his finger over my lips. I went mute. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. His finger rested against my lips, and I sighed. “Hey, could you kill the conference room footage for the next hour and delete the recordings for the last ten minutes? Thanks." He wavered for feedback, then d
A VOW TO HATE 73
LAYLA7/7FRIDAY“It’s a little late. Don’t you think we should get going?"He pried around, checking the table where my phone was still seated, then the entire room. His hands slid on each side of my shoulders, and he squeezed. The weight lifted off my shoulders is surprising.In the meantime, let's pretend the world out there isn't constantly fighting to end each other. Let’s assume it’s just the two of us, and no one exists.”“Mmm”I swept my eyes, reaching into his hair and sinking my fingers into them.“This is nice.”****“You’re taking Harold’s proposal.”He buttons his shirt, flattening the sleeve lines toremove wrinkles.“We don’t know if he’ll say yes. Best case, he called your father, and they made an arrangement.”“We talk about my father a lot. Do you have a crush on him, love?”I cringed as the words left his mouth, flipping him the finger shortly after.“Stop worrying about my father and consider this new opportunity. Works schedule and all.”“How will you handle him? I
A VOW TO HATE 74
LAYLAMONDAYSomeone pushed the front door twenty minutes after we ended the call. What happened to knocking these days?I jiggle underneath the covers, goosebumps surging. I changed my work clothes just now.I puckered my eyes as I thought about whether to check on the person in shorts and a baggy shirt.It's Aiden. It had to be him."Layla."He bawls, footsteps approaching. I hold on to the sheets."Layla."His tone is softer near my bedroom door. I recoiled, moving my lips, but no words came out."My love."He taps twice."Can I come in?"I nod my head, knowing he isn't able to see inside."I can wait here. Just let me know you're okay."I stretch and pull my cell towards myself."It's open."I text, and the door creaks immediately.I clutch the cell, covering my eyes, as a whiff of his scent startles me."What's wrong?"Silence."Cramps?"He murmured. I jerked my head."Where do you need me?"Everywhere. It's a terrifying thought.Sighing, I hear his shoes hit the ground, the bed r
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