LOGINMaybe there was no room left for Carl. And if Emily was already emotionally attached to Nicole, perhaps Carl had no chance at all. For a moment, Carl nearly accepted that conclusion. He almost allowed himself to believe that Emily was gone forever and he would probably never get over leaving the most important woman in the world.That he had lost her. That whatever feelings she once had for him had been replaced.But before he could completely resign himself to that thought, another possibility occurred to him.What if he was wrong? What if he didn't actually know anything about Nicole?Carl frowned. He realized something important.He had been making assumptions. He knew nothing about the man who was suddenly standing between him and the woman he wanted back. If Carl wanted any chance of winning Emily back, he needed to know exactly who he was dealing with.Carl Begins His Research. Carl stepped away from the window and returned briefly to his room. He picked up his phone. For a mome
The morning had been calm, and Carl had been walking near the window of his room, his attention divided between whatever was on his screen and the activity outside as his eyes flipped over.From his position, he had a clear view of the driveway. That was how he noticed Nicole, Emily, and Leslie preparing to leave. Carl initially paid little attention to them since he arrive here, afterall Emily had given him terms and conditions when he first arrived here. He had grown used to seeing Nicole around Emily and Leslie, but something about the scene that morning made him pause.Nicole approached the car first and opened the door for Emily.Carl's attention immediately shifted. Nicole did it naturally, almost effortlessly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He waited for Emily to enter before gently closing the door behind her.Then, before getting into the car, Nicole leaned toward her and pressed a kiss against her forehead.Carl froze. The gesture wasn't just simple, he'd d
The following morning, Emily woke up early. Nicole was still asleep. She quietly left the room. The compound was unusually peaceful. Emily walked toward the boys' quarters. She wasn't sure why she was going there. Perhaps she wanted to make sure Carl was all right or to make sure he wasn't. She stopped outside the door. Then she knocked, at first, there was no response. Emily frowned and knocked again. "Carl?" Still no answer came forth. She opened the door and room was empty. Emily's eyes immediately moved around the small space. The bed was untouched.The window, still open. Then she noticed the bathroom door. "Carl?" "Don't come in." Emily stopped. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine." "You don't sound fine." "I'm fine, Emily." She frowned. Something about his voice was strange. She waited. A few seconds later, Carl emerged. He was wearing a plain shirt and his hair was still damp. For once, there was no arrogance in his face. He looked ordinary, almost painfully. Emily stared
Nicole did not sleep that night and it was not because Carl was in the boys' quarters, afterall he could help Carl as much as a guy could do for his fellow guy, it was because Emily had been the one to put him there. Nicole stood by the window of the bedroom, staring into the darkness beyond the glass. From where he stood, he could see the faint outline of the quarters at the far end of the compound. A single light was still on. Carl was awake. Of course he was. Nicole's jaw tightened. He had spent years trying to make Emily feel safe, watched her build herself from nothing and he had even stood beside her when everyone else had turned against her. He had helped her fight battles she didn't even know existed. And now Carl was back. The man who had destroyed her and humiliated her. Who had made her believe, for years, that she was unworthy of love and somehow, after all that, Emily had looked at him and said she had decided to show him mercy, you see that was where the problem wa
Carl waited, so she could finish off as she swallowed a lump in her throat. Emily looked at him. "Now you're sitting here telling me you're sorry." "I'm sorry." "You're telling me you finally know the truth." "I do." "And you're telling me you regret everything." "I regret every single thing. I swear on my life Emily. I do. I am the biggest fool in existence" Carl reached for her hand. Emily immediately pulled away. Carl froze. She stared at his hand for a moment before looking back at him. "Don't." His hand slowly fell. "I just..." "Don't make this harder than it already is." Carl nodded. Emily took a deep breath. "I don't know if I forgive you." "I understand." "I don't know if I'll ever forgive you." "I understand." "But..." Carl looked up as Emily's expression softened slightly. "You can stay at my house." Carl stared at her. "What?" "For a few days." He looked as though she had just offered him the world. Emily quickly raised a hand. "Don't misunderstand
Nicole followed Emily's car carefully from a distance. He had parked his own car at the corner, far enough away that neither Emily nor Carl would notice him, but close enough for him to see everything that happened. His hands tightened around the steering wheel as he watched Emily knock three times on the side window of Carl's car before opening the door and getting inside. "What the fuck does she still want from this man?" Nicole's voice was barely above a whisper. He stared at the parked car ahead of him, his jaw tightening. Carl had betrayed Emily a thousand times over. He had broken her heart, humiliated her, and destroyed years of her life. Yet somehow, Emily was still here, going to him and giving him chances. Nicole slammed his palm against the steering wheel. He didn't understand it. He didn't understand how Emily could look at a man who had caused her so much pain and still find something worth saving. But then again, perhaps he had never understood Emily as well as he
There was something about that Monday morning. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was the strange calmness sitting in Emily’s chest after years of carrying storms that broke her. Or maybe it was because somewhere deep down, she could feel life preparing to reopen a chapter she had buried long ago
It had been five years since she arrived here. To err is human, to forgive, divine. Yet forgiveness depends on the offender’s conscience as much as the forgiver’s heart. Emily woke up to gentle kiss on her lips. The soft kind that teased the corners of the mouth and lingered on the tongue with
The weather remained freezing, thunder rumbling angry as lightning skipped through the clouds. She finally came across somewhere familiar, a small cottage home at the outer edge of the suburbs. Her clothes were torn, ragged, and drenched. Her lower lip bore a rough bleeding cut from the hit on th
She pulled her suitcase through the entrance hall, her eyes bloodshot. All she wanted to do was leave without a sound, disappear into the dark night before she'd fully realize the weight of pregnancy and no where to go to survive for the rest of the cruel night. But as she approached the huge doo







