Mag-log inAddy finally gets to see a bit more of Hunter's other side. The next chapter will take us to what happened to our hero. More excitement on the way! If you are enjoying this story, consider leaving a comment, thumbs up, or a gem! Every interaction with this story means more readers get a chance to see it. Expect more chapters soon.
“This cathedral,” I continue, “is in Manhattan. I’ve never been to Manhattan. I’ve never been to New York. And yet…here it is. It’s the same. It’s exactly the same!” “How can you be sure?” My therapist interrupts. “Gothic cathedrals all tend to look fairly similar. Maybe you saw this cathedral, or another like it, in another magazine or maybe on a wedding blog,” Kay suggests. “Maybe you’re reading too much into this. Dreams are often strange when you're under a lot of stress. Maybe consider taking some time off from wedding planning. A day away from all of it might be just what you need." After we hang up, I consider her words as I put on my running clothes. Maybe I should leave the kids with my dad and take a relaxing trip up the coast to take my mind off of everything? My doorbell rings. “Ah, it must be Charley,” I grin, looking out the window to see my serious-faced friend. She had started out as my personal trainer assigned to me by the gym when I started working out again aft
[Vanessa] In one week, I’ll be Mrs. James Peterson Wright. I should be excited. No, I am excited. And yet…something feels off. “I had that dream again. I’ve been having it every night for the last two months,” I confess as I speak to my therapist, a lovely woman on the East Coast who communicates with me via Zoom. I hadn’t spoken to her in years, but then one day last week she reached out to me and I felt a need to talk to someone who knew me BEFORE I became JPW’s girlfriend. Someone who remembered the dream. “You know the dream, the one with the yellow roses,” I remind her.My therapist, Kay, nods. “When did they start again,” she types swiftly, inputting data into my file. “A rough estimate will be fine.” Her green eyes flash behind chic wire-rimmed glasses as she looks away from her computer long enough to catch my gaze, waiting for my response.“Oh, I can tell you the exact night they started,” I smile despite my inner exhaustion. “Monday, March 18th. The day after our e
[Seven Years Later]“Daddy, when are you going to be done?” Large green eyes blink up at me from behind clear, rhinestoned glasses, her little pink button nose resting along the edge of my large, oak desk. It is Hunter’s old desk, one that I took over when I replaced him as CEO after his disappearance seven years ago. Placing a finger on my lips, I signal for her to be quiet as I cover the receiver and whisper. “Maggie Rose, where is your nanny?”“Changing James,” she whines a bit too loudly, her nose crinkling with disgust as a loose curl bounces just outside of what had once been a tight ballet bun. “She told me to go play because ‘she needed a break.’”“What did you do this time, Miss Margaret?” I hiss, leaning forward as I pull my glasses down over the ragged scar across my nose–a physical reminder when I almost died in the field. Since healing, I’ve been on desk duty, running Grant Group full time while my wife, Katelyn, managed BLACK EAGLE in addition to THE NEST. “And how
[THREE WEEKS LATER][Reggie]I can’t open my eyes.Lying here, my body aching everywhere, I can hear Katie crying next to the bed, waiting for me to be awake, her silent prayers humming along my skin as she crouches nearby, holding my bandaged hands.I am awake, Katie. I just can’t open my goddamned eyes. Opening my lips, I try to say my love’s name, but something is in the way, choking me, my words coming out as a frenzied gargle. Panic seizes my heart as I struggle against whatever it is keeping me down. Damn it, I just want to see her, to tell her that everything will be okay. “NURSE!” Katelyn’s voice rings out around me as she scrambles to her feet. “Something’s wrong! Please, help him!”A moment later, rubber soles squeak along the linoleum floors of the hospital as several sets of footsteps stampede into the room. Two hands hold me down as another set opens my mouth wider. “We’re going to remove your breathing tube, Mr. Carter. The pain killer in your IV will help with the pai
[Professor McCannon]Ms. Rose didn’t meet me at Grant Tower like she promised. Instead, one of her junior technicians, a young man with blue hair and orbital piercings, met me at the main doors. “Greetings Professor McCannon. My name is Clay, and I’ll be managing the Persephone visors for this evening’s trial.”“Where is your supervisor?” I ask the young man directly as I enter the executive elevator only a few steps behind him. “Shouldn’t Ms. Rose be the one handling this…very delicate procedure?”“Commander Rose sends her apologies,” The young man moves with the excited efficiency of inspired youth as he leads the way into the room where Vanessa and Olivia are sleeping side by side in a large bed. “She was needed at the hospital. Don’t worry, Dr. McCannon,” the young man’s face softens over the edge of his wire-framed glasses, his piercings shining silver in the bright fluorescent lights, “I’ve performed this procedure dozens of times.” He is trying to reassure me. But I know that
[Katelyn]The professor’s harsh voice sends a cold shiver down my spine as he asks, “Are you sure this is the direction you want to take?”Holding my phone close to my face, I pace back and forth just outside of the operating theater where the doctors are still working feverently to save my fiance's life. From what I've been told, he's been stabilized, but has damage to several body systems including his liver, kidneys and lungs, in addition to his skin and muscles, which in some places has been burned down to bone. Even if he does survive, which might require a miracle, he'll live a half-life, dependant on machines to keep his body going. “No," I answer honestly. "But, as our lead commander, and their only family, it was Hunter's call." The old man swears. "It isn't right, and you know it." The line falls silent between us as we consider the consequences of our actions. Yes, taking away someone's choice is wrong, but would it be better for the two of them to live with their memorie







