A bit short but stay tuned...
"Then why are you here?" She asks, using the kitchen island as a barrier between us. I wanted to see you, it's as simple as that. "I wanted to say thank you... for Sebastian. He told me he accepted to see the doctor again, thanks to you." She leans slightly against the counter, crossing her arms, but it doesn’t feel closed off. "You dont need to thank me, that's why I'm there, after all, to help him." Is that really all you are after? Is there anything else that you may desire along the way? "I should be thanking you." Love says and my eyebrow shoots up in suprise. "Why?" I ask. "Please, Christian. I know you did something to help us get this apartment." My heart skips a beat at her words. I wasn’t sure how she knew about my involvement, but the realization that she does make everything feel... exposed. I take a slow breath, steadying myself before speaking. "I dont need you to acknowledge it or anything... I just wanted to say thank you and that you will be lowering my payche
Love's POV"What did we just walk into? Were you... was he about to kiss you?" Tamara asks, still frozen in the same spot as she was standing when Christian left."That is exactly what we walked into," Mira says as she walks towards the kitchen, leaning on the island she looks at the orchid. "So are you... what are you doing?" Tamara asks confused. "I thought you said.." "It's complicated." I cut her off, forcing myself to meet her eyes. "It getting harder and harder to resist him, but it's also getting harder to lie, to avoid his eyes... Everything is just a mess." Tamara’s eyes narrow slightly, trying to make sense of what I’ve said, but she doesn’t press me for more, not yet. She crosses her arms, a protective stance."Any idea on how you plan to get out of this mess... or at least when you plan to get out?" Tamara asks as Mira smirks and I look at her, eyebrows raised."Sorry... it's just... The only way out, where there is for good or bad... is the truth. Otherwise, he is not l
I had no idea how was I going to face Christian today after what happened... well what almost happened yesterday. He was so close to kissing me, and I was so close to letting him. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies that were wreaking havoc in my stomach. The way he had looked at me yesterday, with his gaze intense, his touch was inviting, scent intoxicating... I had many weak spots but he was without a doubt the most sensible of them all. And now? Now, I was faced with the daunting prospect of seeing him again and trying to act like nothing had changed, even though I knew everything had. I now knew that I had no more willpower to resist him and that my time was running out... I won't be able to pretend for much longer. Yesterday was a silent confirmation in itself. "Miss Bennett?" The driver pulled me out of my thoughts at the same time as the fresh breeze caressed my cheek while he held the door open for me. "We are here." "Yes, sorry," I say as I slowly get out of
"Actually Carlos, take us to "Quake" first. I suddenly have a desire for their pear dessert." Grace says, her tone light yet her posture seems ten. This sudden detour seems odd to say the least. "I thought you needed to pick up your dress," I ask as an uneasy feeling sets in my chest. Something was happening, I just didn't know what. "We will, you just need to try one of Summers' desserts, it's difficult to catch her in the kitchen after she gave birth to her son so an opportunity like this one can't be missed. Her husband is the grandson of an old family friend, Anthony, a great chef." I've heard of "Quake" before, it wasn't soon after it opened that it became the place to eat yet I've never managed to get a reservation. A Callahan however didn't have that problem. The tension in the car is palpable, though Grace’s casual demeanor does nothing to alleviate it. She’s still looking out the window, fingers tapping lightly against her knee. "Grace..." I start, unsure of how to voice
The air around me seems to thicken, every word she speaks driving deeper into the pit of my stomach. I want to react, to defend myself, but the weight of her knowledge keeps me frozen in place. The fact that she already knows everything about my past, about my deception feels like a crushing blow. "I was in a tight spot, I had everything to lose, and when the opportunity came... I took it. So yes, I admit it... I used you... but I also helped. Everything that I did... I did with the intention of helping Sebastian, not once did I mean to hurt him or you." My heart races as I try to hold her gaze, bracing myself for whatever comes next. Grace leans back in her chair as she looks at me. Her expression softens slightly, but there’s still that underlying steel in her gaze. "I know, Love. Amongst all the things I've learned about you I know that you are a good person, otherwise, I would have never let you stay with my family, and I would have never hidden the things I found out about you
The words echo in my mind, a jumbled mess of confusion, desire, and fear. Grace’s offer, so carefully presented, seems both like an escape and a trap, a solution, and a deception. I look at her, trying to read the sincerity in her eyes, but it’s hard to see anything but the quiet certainty she radiates. "Do you really think I have any chance of building a future that would be based on lies? Such foundations are destined to fall apart."Grace doesn’t flinch at my words, somehow I feel like she reflects on my words."You would be surprised... some walls can only be held up by a lie... I would know." Grace, who had always seemed like the polished matriarch, suddenly seems more fragile, for lack of a better word, more human."You said Christain would never forgive a lie, so why would you risk joining in on one." I still couldn't believe I was having this conversation... looking her directly in the eyes for the first time."You said it yourself, it's a risk... one that I'm glad to take bec
"What are you doing home?" Mira asked me as she stepped down from the ladder where she was hanging up Christmas lights, her eyes landed on the bags I had just set down on the floor leaving a loud thud. "What are those?" "The dresses Grace wants us to wear to the party." Along with the expensive accessories and beautiful masks. Hopefully, it will be enough to cover the dread on my face. I walked past Mira and sat down on the couch... it looked more like if I let myself fall down onto it like a sack of potatoes before placing my head in my cold palms. "Love, are you ok?" No, absolutely not. "She knows, Mira," I say before slightly lifting my heavy head. "Grace knows that I lied... she knows I'm not blind." Mira froze for a moment, then she placed the ladder against the wall, the Christmas lights now forgotten in her hands. "How? How did she find out?" Her voice dropped, low and careful, as if she was afraid of what came next. I leaned back into the couch, trying to steady myself.
Christian's POVI stood by the window watching the car drive in and sit in park just waiting to see Love step out... our conversation was short and I didn't have the chance to tell her everything that had rested on my mind since yesterday. She agreed to go to the party with me and for a second there I thought that was just about the first yes I was going to hear from her... but yet again she retracted from me. I could feel my heart beat in my chest as the car's engine finally cut off. I watched closely, hoping to see her make her way toward the door with that grace of hers, the one that always seemed to leave me breathless, even when it wasn't intentional. But as the door opened only my mother stepped out and made her way to the house alone."What are you doing glued to the window?" Mom asked as she entered the house, our driver left her shopping bags on the side table and left. "Love won't be returning today." She says as she leaves her bag aside. "Why? Did something happen?" Did s
Bridget smiled wider now, clearly enjoying the reveal. “Oh good, he still talks about me. How sweet.”Grace took a sharp step forward. “You don’t belong here, Bridget. You never did.”Bridget’s gaze didn’t flinch. “Funny. That’s not what your husband used to say.”Christian’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. “That’s enough.”"Grace is right," I say. "You have no business here." Showing her face here after all this time, after all the harm she did to Sebastian really showed she had no shame."You dont get a say in this." She directs herself at me. "Who are you to tell me what to do." Grace stepped closer again, now standing fully at my side. “She's is a Callahan, a part of our family something you will never be. So unless you want security to escort you out, I suggest you remember your place, Bridget.”“I am in my place,” Bridget said, her voice suddenly cooler, more calculating. “You all just forgot that this empire wasn’t built by Callahans alone. My father was one of the
A white sheet of paper and an artist's pen were somehow all I needed to feel free in the world. A dream I once had of making something beautiful that others would want, admire, and desire, was finally happening. Even if Christian may think this is a punishment for me, it was the opposite. I was designing jewelry again, I was telling a story, and this time, the story was mine. Each line I drew on the paper shimmered in my mind like gold catching sunlight. I sketched the delicate curve of a pendant, the kind that rests right over the heart, something soft, but powerful. The design was bold and unapologetic. Perhaps because I was starting to feel like there wasn't much I needed to apologize for. Maybe it is the Mira part in me, the one that tells me that my lie wasn't all that bad, that my lie in fact did a lot of good to a person who was at one point lost.I looked back down at the pendant. It had wings now, faint outlines spreading from the heart of the design. I didn’t remember adding
"Are you nervous?" Bash asked me as he sat down next to me. "I'm excited," I say. It was the truth, I couldn't be more excited to take these damn bandages off my eyes and finally be free. Well, as free as Christian allows it. "How are you feeling, the surgery is tomorrow?" I ask.I could feel him shrug beside me, but the sound of his fingers tapping restlessly on his knee told me more than his words ever could."I'm good," he said finally, eyes fixed straight ahead. "I mean, it's weird, right? We've talked about this for so long, and now it's actually happening.""Yeah," I murmured, tilting my head toward him, even though I couldn’t see him yet. "It feels like we’ve been dreaming about this forever. And now it's real.""This condition made me lose so much of my future, my position, the woman who I at the time thought was the love of my life... it took a big piece of my soul, yet now I can't stop thinking about all the things I got. It gave me a new perspective of life and myself... it
He didn’t respond. Then, footsteps. Slow, deliberate. He moved closer, and my breath hitched in my throat even though I tried not to let it show. I turned my face slightly toward where I thought he was standing, listening for the soft rustle of his suit, the shift in the air. I didn't need my eyes to feel the gravity of him near me. "You wore a mask, every single day. Lied, to our faces... and you say it was for our own good. You are no better than the bastard I had for a father." His voice was closer now, a whisper laced with venom. "But I am not him." "Perhaps you are even worse. He at least didn't pretend to love us, at least not in the end." Christian says, anger blooming inside of him. "I love you, Christian. More than I ever thought was possible." I say trying to reach him but he pushes back at me, my back against the wall. "Shut up, you lie so well I might believe you for a second." “If I wanted to keep lying, I wouldn’t have told you the truth, I wouldn't still be here
Four weeks later...The last night in the dark...I am on the edge.I can't take this darkness anymore. I keep telling myself it's soon going to be over, that at least I will be able to act freely, even walk into the world alone free of pretenses. I want my parents to see that the lie is over, and I want Bash to get over everything soon, even if that means that whatever this is I have with Christian comes to an end.We have been living in this penthouse for three weeks now, and every second for me has been hell. His indifference at times is worse than his hate, at least hating me meant he still had me somewhere in his soul, in silence alongside this darkness that was eating at me.If it weren't for Mira I would be completely alone, she is the only good thing here. She told me to take off the bandages while Christian was at work but I just couldn't. He was far too unpredictable, popping in and out at different times as if trying to surprise me by doing something wrong and I didn't feel
Hearing the voices of people I love around me made me feel peace, so much so that I never wanted them to leave. In front of them, Christian was the man, the husband I always thought he would be. He was loving, kind, and caring. I never wanted it to end.But all that is good has its end, so did this.My friends were about to leave, at least Grace and Bash would be around. At least not until Christian makes us move again.Tamara and Bash were aside, talking. It is nice to hear that the friendship between them is blooming, hopefully into something bigger and better. Grace pulled Christian away to the office for a moment leaving me alone with Mira."Love, call me crazy but something here doesn't feel right. Are you sure you are as happy as you say you are?" I knew she would sense something, and despite promising Christian I would say anything I needed to let go with someone, and who better than Mira? I need someone on my side, someone to stand in my corner... make me feel less alone."Mira
"People are still talking about the wedding. It's the talk of every event since." Grace says as we sit at the table. Christian is right next to me, holding my hand, his thumb tracing the side of my knuckle. It feels nice. Too nice. "And no one thinks you are pregnant anymore, so now they believe it's true love." Bash comments. "Good, because it is. As true as it gets," Christian says as he kisses my cheek. I smile. It is so hard to be in this darkness. The voices around me keep surprising me. Every movement strikes a nerve within me, and I have to pretend to be relaxed. "Why didn't you tell us about doing the surgery?" Bash asks. "We wanted you to see firsthand that the surgery you will go under would work because she will be taking off the bandages just before you go under. That will give you all the training you need to go there without a doubt in your mind that this will work." Christian’s words are calm like he’s presenting a plan instead of revealing something deeply personal.
Love's POVI think I understand Bash now better than ever. Being trapped in the dark was horrible. No wonder he felt the way he did. Even when I knew well that this would last only four weeks, walking around with my eyes bandaged up was hard. even harder than I imagined it would be.But one thing was good... as long as I couldn't see I wouldn't have to look at the hatred that grew inside Christian's eyes. This situation goes from bad to worse. The silence between us felt like it was splitting me in two. I could feel Christian beside me, his presence so tense, so tightly wound. I couldn’t see his face, but I didn’t need to. I could feel the sharp edge of his anger cutting through the air between us. The hatred I’d seen in his eyes before, that dark, simmering look, now felt like a constant companion. He didn’t even have to say anything. I could feel it in the way he handled me, the way he spoke, the way he didn’t speak.But I liked the fact we were back home. Perhaps that way I won't fe
"How long is this going to take? We have a plane to catch." That's not true. It's not like my private plane would go somewhere without me, but I wanted out of this doctor's office as soon as possible."I thought you were returning in a month. If it's supposed we just did the surgery she wouldn't be recovered by now. The world won't believe it." The good doctor says as Love glances up at me."Plans change. Tell her what to do to fake it, she's good at that." I was on edge. Playing nice was so hard and I needed all the willpower I had to do this charade infront of my family, not him."We would need to bandage her eyes... keep her like that for about three to four weeks. And even after that she would need to use sunglasses outside for a period of time... pretend to adjust." Somehow that sounded perfect in my head. She would, even for a short four weeks be forced to walk around blind. She would get to taste her lie on her own skin. "She can do it," I say as I glance at her. "In fact, wrap