ETHANI know I can be a cynic sometimes. I don’t try to do it on purpose, but it just happens. Even when I’m not trying to think about the worst things that could possibly happen, I find myself going through them like a list sometimes, wondering how everything could get destroyed. With Liv, I tried so hard not to dwell on these thoughts. Things were going great after all. We talked every single day, and we saw each other almost as frequently. Every spare moment I could manage was spent with her, and I loved it that way. We would go for walks in Central Park, or I’d swing by her office at lunch and we would just sit together and talk. Being with her made me feel happy. It pushed all the demons in my head away and made me feel whole again. I wasn’t about to give that up for anything. But a single thought lingered in my head, making me question if this was actually going to work out. I knew I liked her, and I knew I was slowly falling for her. But that interaction with her father had f
“Holy shit! You look like a princess!”I couldn’t stop giggling like a lunatic as I twirled around the living room, showing off the dress. I felt so pretty, and it was such a nice feeling to unwind after such a hectic day. Rachel and I didn’t leave the office until it started to get dark. Normally I would have gotten back, taken a very cold shower and curled up in the nicest duvet until sunrise the next day. But then we got back and found the dress Ethan has sent, and I couldn’t stop smiling. Just looking at it made my stomach explode with butterflies. I kept imagining what he must have been thinking about when he decided to get it, knowing that I was going to wear it. The thought of that only broadened my grin. “Do you think it’s appropriate for the gala?” I asked. “Honey, it’s more than appropriate,” she said. “You look stunning.”“You too,” I replied, and we stared at our reflections in the mirror by the door. Rachel’s dress was black as well, except the neckline was way deeper
I don't remember how long I stood there, staring at Marcus in disbelief while a wave of shock washed over me. I felt like someone was playing some sort of sick joke on me, and I didn't find it funny at all. My gaze shifted back to Ethan who had taken off his mask and was staring down at us in disbelief. Marcus, meanwhile, look thoroughly pleased with himself. He looked like he could start levitating at any moment, and the triumphant look on his face was sickening. I wanted to punch him right in the face, or wrap my fingers around his neck and squeeze the life out of him. I wanted to make him suffer, and have him beg for my forgiveness. Instead, I ran up towards Ethan, who was still frozen like a statue. "Ethan," I gasped, finally reaching him and taking his hands in mine. "It's not what you think. I promise you it isn't. I saw the mask and I thought it was you. I promise you I wasn't trying to kiss him. I thought...""I know," he said quietly, causing me to stop mid-sentence. "Wha
ETHANI’m not much of a drinker. In truth, I despise alcohol. But there are few moments in a man’s life where the only thing that can make him feel whole again is the cold sting of vodka sliding down the back of his throat. After my fifteenth shot, I felt slightly easier and the knot in my chest loosened a little bit. Maybe it was truly the alcohol doing its work. Or maybe my body just realised that if I kept dwelling on things, I was going to have a heart attack. I shouldn’t have asked her to leave. I regretted it the moment I did. But I just couldn’t bear the thought of looking at her and knowing the truth about her and Marcus. It was the worst betrayal I’d ever experienced, and the most painful part was the fact that this wasn’t the first time I was experiencing something like this. I downed another shot and squeezed my eyes shut at the burn, as I forced the image of Veronica out of my mind. Thankfully the vodka helped a little bit, though it didn’t completely wipe her out of m
I always knew things were going to be bad once Ethan found out the truth about my marriage to Marcus, and I always knew that it was probably going to take some time before I would be able to fix things. But I never knew that it would completely ruin our relationship. Even after a month since the incident, he was still avoiding me. He wouldn't answer my calls or my texts, and the few times I went to his office to try and see him, his assistant informed me that he didn't wish to be disturbed. I felt so stupid, hanging around and desperately waiting for a sign from him. I just wanted him to give me a chance, so we could try to work something out and see if we could move past this. "If he doesn't want to talk to you, then stop bothering him," Rachel snapped when she walked into the kitchen and found me trying to dial his number again. "Liv, he made it clear that he wants his space. The more you persist, the more he's just going to continue ignoring you.""I know," I sighed, setting th
MARCUSIf there’s one thing I pride myself in, it’s my ability to read people. One look at you, and I can pretty much instantly tell exactly what you want. And once you know what someone wants, you have them in the palm of your hand.Take Olivia, for example. From the moment she walked into that conference room seven years ago with the most dazzling smile I’d ever seen in my life, I knew exactly what she wanted. I knew that this was someone who wanted to be loved. You could see it in the way she tried so hard to impress us, the way she would nod eagerly before answering any question and how bright and attentive she seemed. I could see through this act however. Underneath the confidence, I could sense a crushing need to be loved and appreciated. I could tell that she cared a lot about what others would think about her. I could see it in her eyes, and when it was time for me to make her fall for me, it didn’t take long to make her realize that I was the only one who could give her exac
I spent the entire night stressing over what to say when I finally saw Ethan again. The calm was so abrupt that I didn't know what to expect, and I half expected him to just start yelling at me once I got there. But I didn't care. Mostly because I knew he would never do that, but also because I was just glad that we would finally get a chance to talk about things. I could finally get him to listen to me, and think about the relationship we would be throwing away because of this. I did find it strange that he would ask me to meet him in a random apartment building in the Bronx. Why couldn't we meet at a restaurant or a bar? He could have even suggested Central Park. But the location seemed strange to me. I checked it out on Google maps, and it was a very old building which looked like it had been standing since the dawn of time. Most of the windows were broken, the painting was chipped in several places, and there were piles of trash all over the sidewalk. Why would Ethan ask me to
MARCUSI couldn’t stop thinking about Olivia the entire day. The prospect of seeing her again was like a shot of cocaine straight to my brain, and I couldn’t focus on anything else. I imagined her standing in front of me again, my fingers in her hair, my lips on her neck, while she sighed and moaned in my ear the way she always used to. Time just couldn’t move fast enough. Maybe it was just the fact that I hadn’t been with her in so long. Even when we were married, I couldn’t deny that the sex was good. It was the only part of our relationship that didn’t completely go to hell. Now that I’d been away from her for so long, I wanted that back. And no matter what, I was going to get it today. I spent most of the day pacing around the penthouse, playing video games and looking at old photos of Olivia. Everything was in place for that evening. I would get to the apartment before her and lie in wait. Once she got there, I could find a way to convince her that we were meant to be togethe
Ever since I got to my offices, I couldn’t stop staring at the digital clock on my desk. I checked it again for the thousandth time, feeling a sliver of nervousness as I saw that it was still 10:42 AM.Nate will be here in eighteen minutes.I folded my hands together to stop them from shaking. I wasn’t afraid of him, but I felt like a rubber band which was stretched to its limit. I'd set up the meeting myself, because I needed to be done with this shit once and for all. I needed to clear my head, and I couldn’t continue like this after what happened yesterday while he got to go scotfree. He had no right to do what he did, and I had to make sure he understood that. But right now, with the silence of my office pressing down on me, I couldn't stop the way my pulse quickened at the thought of facing him again, or the thought of having to bring up the issue. I kept thinking about what I would say, how I would say it, and what to do if he didn’t take this seriously. In my moments of horro
For a moment, I stared at Richard like he'd grown a second head. We sat there in silence, staring at each other as I tried to wrap my head around what he'd just said. Surely it had to be a lie. Because how on earth could he be serious right now?"You're quiet," he said. "I just... I don't know what to say," I whispered, shaking my head. "This is unbelievable.""I know how it sounds," he said quietly. "And I wish it wasn't true, but it is."No matter how hard I tried to wrap my head around what I'd just heard, it just didn't make any sense. How could he be their father? And after all these years? It just didn't seem possible. "So you're telling me you're Ethan and Marcus's father?" I asked.""Biologically, yes," he said. "But in every official sense, Michael Reynard was their father.""How is that even possible?" I asked. Richard sighed as he leaned forward, and he seemed so old and tired as he raked his fingers through hos hair, in much the same way that Ethan used to. "It started
For a long time after I left the office, I still couldn’t believe what happened. Even as I sat down at our new dining table and silently poked at my steak, it did nothing to stop the wave of nausea that was raging in my stomach. Ethan was talking beside me, but I was barely paying him any attention. He was saying something about knocking down the wall between the pantry and the laundry room, but all I could do was smile and nod when he looked up. All I could think about was Nate’s hand and his voice. I kept thinking about the way he looked at me like I was a piece of meat he owned, and that made me want to cry when I remembered it. I had replayed the scene over and over again on the drive home, trying to decide what was the right thing to do. Should I tell Ethan about it, knowing that he was going to lose his mind over it? Or should I talk to Joanna and tell her I couldn’t work with Nate again? A million other thoughts floated around in my head, but I just couldn’t figure out what
I still couldn’t believe that Ethan had bought the mansion just like that. He made it seem like it was a pair of shoes or a painting he liked. It all happened so fast, and I just couldn’t believe it. The first week was entirely chaotic. We spent our evenings shopping for furniture, arguing about the best fabric for the couch and whether a vintage record player was essential or rubbish (I won that round of arguing). I spent most days over at the house, telling the delivery men where to put things, and helping out where I could. Ethan suggested hiring an interior designer to handle everything, but there was something so cozy and comforting about doing it myself that I just wasn’t ready to give up. Besides, it wasn’t difficult at all. But the hardest part came the night Rachel flew back from her trip, and I had to tell her that I was moving out.From the moment she walked into our apartment and dropped her bags at the door, her face fell when she saw the boxes in the living room.There
MARCUSI didn't want to do it initially. He didn't deserve a quick death, after all. But sometimes, when someone pisses you off too much, you just have to take care of things. And when you find out that the bastard who tried to harm the woman you love was only going to a mental institution instead of the jail he deserved, you just have to take care of things yourself. I stood on the balcony and stared down at the city sparkling beneath me while a cold breeze swept past. The sun had already set, but Manhattan was still as loud as ever, with horns blaring down below, people yelling constantly , and the wailing of a siren in the distance. No one would notice me up here, staring down at them and savoring my latest victory. I took a slow sip of my whiskey, letting the warmth roll down the back of my throat as I leaned on the cold steel railing. The evening was perfect, and I couldn’t have been happier after getting the call. Chris was dead, just like I intended. The report said he’d be
From the moment we pulled up in front of the mansion, my mouth fell open and it stayed like that permanently. The house looked like something out of a movie. It was so huge, and my eyes nearly rolled back into my skull as we walked in. There was a grand staircase which swept upward like it belonged in a castle, and sunlight streamed in through the large windows which made everything look so bright and golden."You've got to be kidding me," I whispered, taking in the beauty of the house. "This is actually insane.""Wait til you see the kitchen," Ethan said as he walked up behind me and took my hand in his. "You could set up a football game in it"When we walked into the kitchen, I knew he wasn't exaggerating. There were two kitchen islands which were so far apart that you probably couldn't even smell what someone was cooking from across the kitchen. There were so many shelves and drawers that it looked more like a convenience store than a home kitchen. Every room we walked into fel
Ethan was discharged the very next day, and I took him back to my apartment. Rachel had traveled down to Miami for a conference, so it was just the two of us in the house. After he’d taken a shower and eaten the lunch I prepared, he immediately sat down to call a real estate agent. “Is that really necessary?” I asked as I packed up the plates from the dining table. “Shouldn’t you be getting some rest?”“I’ll rest once we have our new home,” he said. “Buying a house usually takes a very long time to process, and I don’t have the time nor the patience to wait too long. The sooner we get started, the quicker we can be done with this.”I left him to his phone call, while I washed up in the kitchen. I could hear him talking in a sharp tone, using his CEO voice where he made it obvious that things were going to go his way, no matter what. I could have sat down and stared at him for hours when he talked like that, but I had other things to do. Like calling Richard Jones and telling him wha
I'd thought about seeing Marcus face to face again for a very long time now. I'd imagined standing across from him, looking dead into his eyes and showing him that I wasn't afraid of him anymore. I'd thought about how I was going to stand my ground, and not let him see the fear he'd once inflicted upon me. But standing right there in front of him, looking into those malicious eyes that had tormented me for years, I just couldn't do it. My knees began to shake, and I almost buckled to the ground in terror as the world fell away and it was just the two of us.And then he started to walk towards me. It took every bit of strength in me to not turn around and flee. I visibly shrank the closer he got, and a wave of panic washed over me as I realized that I had nowhere to go. If I turned and ran now, then I would be running for the rest of my life. And that was the last thing I wanted. So I stood my ground, stuck out my chin defiantly, and looked him dead in the eye. I took a deep breath
For a while, I just sat there and stared at Nate. I couldn't process the fact that he was here, and as my brain slowly booted up again, I felt Ethan tense beside me. "Nate, what are you doing here?" I asked. "Offering my condolences," he said. "I heard about the accident, and I just knew I had to come here as soon as I returned."He was more tanned than the last time I'd seen him, and his hair was a little bit longer. He looked like he'd come straight from the beach, in his plain white shirt and khaki pants. It was so different from the man in the tailored suit who strutted about like he owned the building. And yet, even now, there was an air of confidence about him as he stood in the middle of the room and stared at us. “Why the long faces?” he asked. “Did someone die?”“What the fuck are you doing here?” Ethan asked, attempting to stand up before I held him down. “I heard you were sick,” Nate said. “Oh, I mean shot. It’s all over the news. I just got back from Paris, so I though