Susanna
I was still lost in my daydreams of what I would do to the server when the car slowed to a stop and the driver glanced back at me. “We’re here, ma’am.”
I looked up from my laps and looked out the window. A multi-storey building rose before me, all chipped paint and faded brick, like it had been built decades ago and then forgotten by time. No shine, no polish, no class. I sneered. So this is where he lives?
What an absolute joke. The sheer nerve of that man to lay a hand on me, when the ring on my finger could pay his rent for five years and furnish the entire building. Yet he’d acted like a vigilante, like he had the right to involve himself in a matter that didn’t concern him. Like I wasn’t the Susanna Remington.
SusannaAbigail hit me in the side of the head again, even harder this time, and I almost blacked out. As I struggled to stay upright, I was vaguely aware of her dragging me, and tightening something around my wrist. By the time I got my bearings, she had knotted a rope around my wrists, and tied one end to somewhere behind the couch she had dragged me to.She slammed a stack of documents on the small table in front of me, and the moment she did, something in my chest twisted. She gestured for me to pick them. I tried not to flinch and tried to play it cool, but my fingers felt a little numb as I reached for them. It was difficult with the way she had tied my wrists together, but I managed it. She was too calm, too damn confident, even in the way she held herself and I didn’t like it, not one bit. And the way she just stood there in that shapeless h
AbigailThe sound of a car woke me up, and I realized I had fallen asleep amidst a pile of documents. Lately, I’ve been getting sleepier and sleepier, probably because of the chaos at home. I’ve been busy taking over the burdens Conrad, my husband, has been carrying, hoping he’ll stop looking so troubled all the time.Looking out the window, I saw Conrad's car pull up. After getting out from the driver’s seat, he bent down to open the door for the passenger side. A woman stepped out and walked into the house. I couldn’t see the woman’s face from the window as it was hidden by her hat. Filled with curiosity, I went downstairs to greet them.As I came down to the bottom and moved toward the foyer, I couldn’t see who it was at first, only Conrad by the doorway, his head bent as he spoke to the woman just beyond my view. I couldn’t make out her words, but the voice was familiar. He was smiling—a smile so wide and bright it made me pause. I took a step closer, and that’s when she came into
AbigailAs I sat there on the examination table, the sharp antiseptic scent in the hospital room pricked at my senses. The doctor asked me seriously, "Are you here alone?""Yes, my family, they’re all busy," I instinctively made an excuse for Conrad. Though the truth was, he and the family doctor were at home, tending to Susanna, who wasn’t even injured but wouldn’t stop crying. Their actions today hurt me more deeply than any shattered fragments. It made me feel that instead of staying there hoping for help, I might as well come to the hospital alone to take care of my wounds.The doctor glanced up, his brows knitting together as he took in my pale face and trembling hands. He’d been treating me in silence for a few minutes now, but I could sense his growing concern. He held my gaze with patience, waiting for me to take a breath and settle myself. “Are you all right?” His voice was soft as if he knew that just the act of being in the same room as this open wound was almost too much f
Abigail “What are you doing in here?” I asked sharply, my voice cutting through the quiet. Susanna held up one of my scarves against her arm, admiring it. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” she said, waving a hand. “I’m just getting settled. I’ll be staying in this room.” I blinked, the words taking a moment to sink in. “Excuse me?” Her grey eyes sparkled with amusement. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? You and Conrad need to be close if I need anything, and my room is so far down the hall. It’s just more convenient for everyone if I stay here.” My pulse quickened, anger rising swiftly. “This is our room. I and Conrad’s. You don’t just decide to move in without even asking.” Susanna smirked, unfazed by the heat in my voice. “I wasn’t asking. Conrad said I could stay here.” “Did he?” I said, my tone ice-cold. “I find that hard to believe.” Our voices rose, each word louder than the last, until the door creaked open behind us. Conrad entered the room, his expression wary as he took in the
AbigailMy stomach dropped. “What?” “Susanna fainted,” he said, his voice rising. “The doctors think it could be something she ate. She said it started after breakfast.” “You think I did something to her?” I snapped, my frustration boiling over. “I’m not accusing you,” he said, though his tone didn’t fully match his words. “I just need to know if there was anything unusual in the food. Susanna’s health—”“Was fine when I left the house,” I interrupted sharply. “I made her an omelette. Eggs, cheese, a pinch of salt. Nothing unusual. The same thing I’ve made a hundred times before.” He sighed on the other end of the line, and I could almost picture him pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m not accusing you of anything, Abigail. I just—” “Just what?” I interrupted. “I’m here at the hospital, dealing with my own recovery, and now I have to defend myself because Susanna fainted? You think I’d harm her?” There was a long pause, and for a moment, I thought he’d hung up. Finally, he sai
AbigailHis voice held a hint of tension, and I felt a rush of apprehension.“I—uh, I heard the phone ringing.” I said, my mind racing to think of how to play this off. I couldn’t let him know I’d seen my surprise. “It was so loud, and I thought the call might be important.” His eyes narrowed slightly, and I could see the tension in his posture. He stepped into the room, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. “You shouldn’t have come in here, Abigail. You know how I feel about people being in this room without my permission.” He replied, his tone sharper than I expected.“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be a problem,” I replied. “You weren’t around, and it sounded urgent. It was about Alexander. I took the call. They have some leads, and I gave my permission for them to proceed.”The tension between us was thick as I stood there, waiting for Conrad’s response. His brow furrowed as if trying to choose the right words. But when he finally spoke, I felt my frustration boil over a
AbigailA surge of doubt and fear almost made me faint. What if the person in this painting was Susanna? We do look quite alike, but I’m sure the person in the painting is me. It’s identical to the poster from my first role, the one my mother keeps, and I see it every time I go home. But if it’s my painting, why would it be given to Susanna?Susanna’s tears fell in perfect little drops, and her voice trembled with just enough emotion to be convincing.“Every year, Alexander would do something special for my birthday,” she sniffled, clutching the bouquet like a lifeline. “Thank you, Conrad. I never thought... I never thought anyone could make me feel like that again. This makes me feel like he’s still with me.”My husband placed the roses into Susanna’s hands with a smile so warm, it burned. “Happy birthday, Susanna. I hope this reminds you of Alexander—of how much you’re loved.”She burst into delicate sobs, burying her face into the roses as if overcome with emotion. It was a picture-
AbigailMaybe it was because I had just heard his reasonable explanation and trusted him, or maybe I had a feeling there would be more reasons waiting for me. Either way, for the sake of the baby, my sleep was more important than where Conrad went. So, I turned and went straight to bed, deciding to leave the problem for tomorrow.By the time I got up, Conrad was already getting ready to leave.“Good morning,” Conrad stood by the mirror, adjusting his tie with practiced ease. His dark suit was crisp and perfectly tailored, the kind of sharpness that made it immediately obvious he was a man from a powerful family.“Morning,” I replied briefly, leaning against the doorframe, masking my unease with casual conversation. “Where were you last night?” I asked, my voice steady.His hands froze for the briefest second before he recovered quickly, smoothing the tie knot. “Working,” he said simply. “In the study.”I raised a brow, waiting for him to say more, but he didn’t. Instead, as if to steer
SusannaAbigail hit me in the side of the head again, even harder this time, and I almost blacked out. As I struggled to stay upright, I was vaguely aware of her dragging me, and tightening something around my wrist. By the time I got my bearings, she had knotted a rope around my wrists, and tied one end to somewhere behind the couch she had dragged me to.She slammed a stack of documents on the small table in front of me, and the moment she did, something in my chest twisted. She gestured for me to pick them. I tried not to flinch and tried to play it cool, but my fingers felt a little numb as I reached for them. It was difficult with the way she had tied my wrists together, but I managed it. She was too calm, too damn confident, even in the way she held herself and I didn’t like it, not one bit. And the way she just stood there in that shapeless h
SusannaI was still lost in my daydreams of what I would do to the server when the car slowed to a stop and the driver glanced back at me. “We’re here, ma’am.”I looked up from my laps and looked out the window. A multi-storey building rose before me, all chipped paint and faded brick, like it had been built decades ago and then forgotten by time. No shine, no polish, no class. I sneered. So this is where he lives?What an absolute joke. The sheer nerve of that man to lay a hand on me, when the ring on my finger could pay his rent for five years and furnish the entire building. Yet he’d acted like a vigilante, like he had the right to involve himself in a matter that didn’t concern him. Like I wasn’t the Susanna Remington.
SusannaI leaned back in the plush reclining chair, sighing as the warm water bubbled around my feet. The spa always smelled like lavender and citrus, and that familiarity made it soothing. A soft towel was draped over my legs, and the nail technician was diligently filing the nails on my left hand while my right held my phone just above the water. I was watching a video of some influencer's vacation in the Maldives, my eyes half-lidded in relaxation.Then my phone vibrated in my hand. It was a call from an unsaved number. I didn't recognize it, and I didn’t care to. Without hesitation, I hit decline and went back to the video, rolling my eyes.The phone buzzed again almost immediately; it was the same unsaved number. I frowned.Twice in a row? What kind of idiot… My finger hovered over the decline button again when a thought struck me. Was it Harry’s father?He used to do this sometimes, calling me from random numbers, burner phones, maybe. He hadn’t done it in a while, but I also ha
Liliana I stared down at my lunch, the delicate aroma rising from the bowl doing nothing to stir my appetite. It was my favorite meal, carefully prepared and beautifully plated but today it tasted like nothing more than ash in my mouth, bitter and dry. I set my spoon down with a loud clatter, the sharp sound slicing through the silence of the room. Harry was out playing baseball with his friends, so I was all at home today, which made my annoyance even worse. My chest felt tight, suffocated by a fury I was barely managing to keep contained. How could I eat happily? How could I pretend everything was fine when it wasn’t? I let out a harsh loud breath, pushing my plate aside so forcefully it nearly toppled over the edge of the table. Enough. It had been months of enduring this slow descent into chaos. I had been an angel to tolerate it for this long. What other woman could have withstood the humiliation and the pressure of everything that had been thrown my way lately? First, ther
AbigailI meant to wait until later to tell Alexander about the meeting. I had every intention of acting cool, composed, someone who didn’t need to rush and blurt everything out like an overeager intern.But the second I promised to see Mr. Hayes back at the office and stepped into the elevator and the doors slid shut behind me, all my resolve crumbled. My fingers itched for my phone, and before I knew it, I was pulling it out of my pocket, rapidly typing out a message. I crushed it, I wrote, my heart beating a little too fast. Conrad’s project is dead. You should have seen his face, Alexander. It was glorious.I stared at the screen, grinning like a fool. And then, reality caught up with me.I was being ridiculous. Maybe even downright immature. This wasn’t the dynamic we had. I was supposed to be professional and reliable, not someone who acted like they were texting a secret crush after acing a test. Groaning quietly under my breath, I erased the entire message and typed a much s
AbigailI froze mid-sentence, lifting my head slowly to look at him. He was still at the front of the room, but now his arms were crossed loosely over his chest, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.“And here I thought,” he added, dripping with false politeness, “that only those formally invited had something to contribute.”A few people shifted in their seats. A few glanced at me. I could feel the weight of their eyes, the tension coiling in the air.Conrad was trying to embarrass me and put me back in my place.I leaned forward, pressing the button on the microphone in front of me. My voice was cool. “I have nothing to say to you, Mr. Remington.”I started t
AbigailInternally, I whooped and punched the air in victory. But outwardly, I gave Mr. Hayes a serene, practiced smile, the kind that said I'm glad to be here, not desperate to be here. “Thank you again,” I said politely, then stepped out of his office before my excitement bubbled too far to contain.Ten o’clock was only forty minutes away. Not enough time to start anything new, but just enough to make myself useful. I returned to my office, where Elle was already tidying up the documents on my desk.“Anything urgent?” I asked as I approached.She handed me a printed memo and gave me a quick update on a postponed meeting. “Only thing worth noting is
AbigailThe smell of the food filled the entire room, and something about the presence of Alexander beside me dulled the tightness I’d been carrying all day. The tension behind my eyes had started to fade as I picked at the grilled fish, letting the flavors roll across my tongue, my limbs slowly unknotting with every bite.“I’ve been getting calls from Liam,” I said, my voice tired but audible. I didn’t know why I chose now to bring it up; maybe because I finally felt safe enough to say it out loud.Alexander’s hand stilled mid-motion, his chopsticks hovering above the container of scallops. “Liam?” His eyes flicked to mine, sharp. “How long?”I nodded and swallowed. “It’s been a few times now. He says he’s changed and keeps asking to see me.”His brows drew together, and I could see him piecing something together. “He’s been coming to me too and asking to see you.” He paused. “He’s not been released from Ridgewell officially, but this is part of the treatment program; they release so
Abigail I didn’t know where I was going, I just kept driving. One street turned into another and headlights flashed past me in a blur. The city was quietly winding down while something restless stirred in my chest. My fingers were clenched so tight around the steering wheel, they ached. I told myself I would find a hotel. Or maybe I would go to Roxy’s, even though it was too late and she’d worry. But the truth was, I wasn’t thinking clearly at all. I wasn’t thinking at all.I just didn’t want to go home.And somehow, without meaning to, I ended up here. The car rolled to a slow stop in front of the tall, glittering building before I fully realized where I was. I blinked up at it, dazed and slightly breathless, my stomach twisting into an uncomfortable knot. I knew this place; it was the high rise I had met Alexander before we went to Ridgewell to see Liam. The lights shimmered against the glass like stars in a city that forgot what the real ones looked like. But I wasn’t looking at