Cindy is back

Chapter 1: Cindy is awake 

  "Shane, ahhh"

  Alissa felt her entire body grow hotter with each touch around her curves. His lips melted into hers in an all-consuming kiss that made her toes curl. 

    They both fell onto the king-size bed, pulling at each other's clothes in a frenzy, desperate to ravish one another. The two bodies intertwined in so much raw passion.

    In the dead of night, their moans and groans kept the villa alive with passion.

    If someone had told Alissa five years ago that she would be in this moment, she would have been skeptical. The man in question was Shane Randall, her husband for the past five years.

    Alissa had become a stand-in wife for Shane when her foster sister, Cindy Randall, suffered a major car accident and slipped into a coma. A coma which had been in for five years. The mere thought was heartbreaking for Alissa. 

    For Shane, it was a marriage of convenience; Alissa was merely a stand-in for his true love, Cindy Randall. But for Alissa, Shane was the boy she had fallen in love with back in middle school.

    As they were lost in endless pleasure, memories flooded Alissa's mind, taking her back to the first time they met—the day her crush blossomed into love.

    "Fat Alissa! You're so fat, that’s why your parents left you! Cindy’s parents just pitied you and adopted you. You are just adopted!" The taunts of her classmates ripped through her like daggers.

    Alissa stood there with her ponytail swaying, wearing a wrinkled, torn, and old school uniform. The girls had pushed her into the mud, laughing all the while.

    Tears filled her eyes as she sobbed endlessly. The bullying intensified when she returned to school after a summer plagued by chickenpox. To make matters worse, Cindy, her foster sister, had shared the news of her adoption, which only fueled the torment.

    As tears streamed down her face, Alissa glanced at the bruise on her arm from when she fell. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she spotted Cindy among the bullies, laughing the hardest, her blonde hair flowing freely and wearing lipstick despite their parents' rules.

    Cindy was their illegitimate daughter, seemingly getting whatever she wanted while Alissa was stuck managing Cindy's hand-me-downs, despite being the one who needed new clothes more desperately.

    “Stop!” a voice thundered nearby. Alissa turned to see a boy, at least three years older, advancing toward her. His hazel eyes sparkled, and his thick blonde hair almost brushed his shoulders. As he approached, she stepped back cautiously, stumbling into more mud, eliciting another round of laughter from the girls.

    But instead of joining in, the boy took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. His eyes narrowed at the girls. “Alissa is my friend! If any of you ever bully her again, you will be done for.”

    The girls trembled at his words; he commanded respect even at such a young age. Alissa was shocked that he knew her name. The boy extended his hand to help her up, and she grabbed it, feeling a spark of kindness.

    He brushed the hair from her face and smiled, making him even more handsome. “I’m Shane Randall. Nice to meet you!”

    “Shane Randall?” Alissa repeated the name in her mind, savoring the sound before introducing herself.

    Cindy rushed over, her face a mask of feigned concern. She examined Alissa with tears in her eyes. “Sister, who did this to you? Tell me, and I’ll hurt them!”

    Alissa wanted to laugh at the hypocrisy. She shook her head; Cindy was a vicious pretender.

    “Those mean girls did. Is she your sister?” Shane asked Cindy, their eyes locking. Alissa could see the conflict in his gaze, and her heart raced.

    Cindy blushed, biting her lip before nodding. “Yes. Can you come over for dinner at our house as a thank you?”

    Just like that, Alissa faded into the background, always in the shadow of her sister. Shane became her good friend, but for him, Alissa was his first love and girlfriend.

    On what was supposed to be their engagement night, Cindy had a car accident that left her in a five-year coma.

    In Shane’s arms, Alissa lifted her gaze to meet his. He smiled back, leaning in to kiss her lips. Alissa felt as if her heart might explode with tenderness.

    Initially, Shane had avoided her, and they felt more like strangers than a married couple. But after years together, he began to accept her love and presence in his life.

    Some nights, Alissa felt like she might have actually won his heart. Closing her eyes, she drifted to sleep with a smile.

    Tomorrow was their fifth wedding anniversary, and she planned to prepare a special dinner to celebrate.

    The next day, Alissa woke up with a smile, excited to prepare breakfast and lay out Shane's clothes. When Shane stepped out wearing the blue shirt she had bought for him last week, she felt a rush of joy.

    “Good morning!” she sang, beaming.

    A strange emotion flickered in Shane’s eyes as he approached and kissed her briefly. Alissa was pleasantly surprised and smiled wider when he pulled out a chair for her at the breakfast table. They shared a quiet meal together. She asked about his work and he told her about the new project they were about to venture in.

    Baby steps, she reminded herself.

    Later, Alissa returned home with bags of groceries for their anniversary celebration.

    “Ma’am, where should I put the rest of the bags?” Peter, her bodyguard and driver, asked, holding five bags filled with treats. He had been a recent hire but very helpful. Alissa often got carried away shopping, especially for Shane.

    Craning her neck from the red velvet cake she was making, Alissa pointed to the counter. “Over there.”

    “Yes, ma’am,” Peter replied with a military salute that made her chuckle.

    He helped her with the decorations and unpacking the groceries.

    As the moon rose high in the sky, Alissa, clad in a red beautiful body-hugging dress, admired her reflection in the mirror. She had done her makeup professionally for the first time since their wedding, marveling at her curves. Her brown eyes sparkled back at her, and she had cut her brown hair short because Shane preferred it that way.

    “Alissa Randall, your husband won’t be able to keep his hands to himself tonight,” she teased, laughing at her own excitement.

    Hours passed with no sign of Shane. Alissa stared at the food, frustration mounting as she heated it for the third time. The cake had been placed back in the fridge, thawing and waiting for its moment.

    Picking up her phone, she checked the last message from Shane.

    Shane: I will be there.

    Alissa’s shoulders slumped as she glanced at the time on her phone—it was almost midnight.

    “Where are you, Shane?”

    Once again, she called his number, listening as it rang. No answer. Then again. No answer. Then again.

    In anger, she set the phone back on the table when her screen lit up with several new messages.

     Shane: How could you be so wicked?

    Shane: You actually did that to her? You make me sick.

    Stunned, Alissa hovered over the chat to confirm it was indeed her husband. Why was he saying such mean things? Nothing made sense.

    In that moment, she decided to call him again, but another message pinged.

    Shane: Cindy is awake. I will stay with her tonight. She told me you cut the brakes on her car. You are so evil, Alissa. I can’t believe I—don’t be home when I return.

 Cindy is awake?