LAURA'S POV
I stare at myself in the mirror one last time.Tilting my head and letting my hair fall over my shoulders in perfect, glossy waves, I run my eyes once again over the black dress. It clings to me perfectly, the hem stopping far above my knees so that if I so much as cross my legs, his head would fall out of stability.It is the dress he bought me for my last birthday. He said then that it made me look like I belonged on the cover of a magazine.Hopefully, he'll see me that same way today. My nails are freshly done in a deep red that matches the undertone of my lipstick.Liam's my husband, I know what he likes and what gets to him.He's never let me visit him in his office, but lately, he has been avoiding me more than I care to admit. He barely takes my calls or responds to my messages and keeps giving silly excuses about late night meetings.I really don't care if he's seeing someone else, I just need toDENVER'S POV Beep...beep...beep..."He's steady now. I believe he should come around any minute."I don't know why I always hear voices in my sleep. There's this blinding light as I try to will my eyes open so I just decide to keep them shut. "Denver?" That's Neriah's voice. I'm sure it is. I make another attempt to open my eyes and staring into my face is someone with...pink hair. It's Gia. "Gosh, what did you do to your hair? You look scary.""He's awake!" Gia pounds her fists on my shoulders then grabs me into a warm embrace. "You idiot, did you think you could die on me?" Die? Oh. "What happened?" I can't bring my arms to move around her like I want them to so I just leave them lying limply on the bed. "You passed out. You had this terrible fever and your heart suddenly became unstable. We all thought you wouldn't make it. Why didn't you say something if you weren't feeling well all along? I noticed and kept asking but you wouldn't tell me."I didn't think Gia had the capaci
LAURA'S POV I stare at myself in the mirror one last time. Tilting my head and letting my hair fall over my shoulders in perfect, glossy waves, I run my eyes once again over the black dress. It clings to me perfectly, the hem stopping far above my knees so that if I so much as cross my legs, his head would fall out of stability.It is the dress he bought me for my last birthday. He said then that it made me look like I belonged on the cover of a magazine. Hopefully, he'll see me that same way today. My nails are freshly done in a deep red that matches the undertone of my lipstick. Liam's my husband, I know what he likes and what gets to him.He's never let me visit him in his office, but lately, he has been avoiding me more than I care to admit. He barely takes my calls or responds to my messages and keeps giving silly excuses about late night meetings. I really don't care if he's seeing someone else, I just need to
NERIAH'S POV Panic's been brewing in me all evening because no matter how many times I call Denver, his phone keeps ringing until it cuts off...and my chest gets tighter with every failed attempt. I don’t know if he’s sick or if he's unable to take my calls because he's not in a good place to. I can’t seem to shake the feeling that something bad has happened to him. I have a meeting with Myles in less than an hour but how am I supposed to sit across from him and talk business if my nerves are a roller coaster?Maybe I should call Gia...but almost immediately, my hands retract from my cellphone. I can already imagine the tone she’ll use if I dare to ask her anything about Denver. That sly, cold way she speaks when I need something from her. I’m not about to give her that level of satisfaction.Ethan would've been the best person to reach but he hasn’t picked up a single one of my calls all day. At this point, I don't even want to see my
DENVER'S POV I can't believe she's back. And she did something to her hair too. It's...pink. "Don't say it. I know you didn't miss me." "You do?" I croak. That doesn't sound like my usual voice at all. Plus my eyes are heavy and my throat seems to be on fire. This doesn't feel good. "Yeah. You just called for that pimp. Why? You thought I was her? Let me guess, she's been the one warming your bed since I left, hasn't she? No wonder you didn't bother to look for me.""Get out of my room if you're going to be so dramatic, Gia. As you can see I'm trying to rest.""Why are you in bed claiming to want to rest at this hour of the day?" She places a hand on my forehead and her eyes widen. "Fuck, Denver. You're burning up. Are you okay?" "I think the answer's pretty obvious. Let me have some water." She hurries to the fridge and hands me a cold bottle. "I need to cool you down with a wet towel."
LAURA'S POV I strongly believe he humiliated me. On purpose. Something tells me he knows about Neriah because how's it that he couldn't stop bringing her up in the conversation? And for heaven's sake why couldn't I control myself as he went on about her?I know I'm not book-smart but how did I forget everything I was supposed to say? Every. Damn. Thing!Liam hasn't spoken to me since the day before yesterday. In fact he didn't come home that night. And Liam's never slept out except for when he isn't in the city. What the hell am I going to do? When I hear a knock at my door, I tie the strings of my robe together and straighten my hair. "Come in," it must be the new nanny. She usually brings Liam Junior to me every morning. "This room is really fancy." Fuck. It's Montero. "What the hell are you doing here? Are you crazy?" I grab his arm and pull him back towards the door. Liam went out this morning but he could be back any minute. I no longer know his schedule and even if I do,
NERIAH'S POV Fear. Yes, that's what I'm just feeling as I sashay out of Denver Chadwick's bedroom. Seeing him lying there with his face ashen and his eyes black, I know it's only a matter of time before he becomes a corpse. Tears seep slowly into my eyes. If Denver dies what am I going to do? How am I going to get back at Laura and Liam? Gia detests me so she wouldn't be willing to help in any way at all. There's no other person I can reach out to ask for help. Maybe Myles? But I'm not sure. Myles has no personal vendetta against them. He wouldn't want to be involved with something as messy as revenge. When Ethan picked Denver's call, I knew I had to go and see how he was doing even when I've been trying to avoid him. I'd have to put whatever I have against him aside for the meantime so we can find a means to make his dreams come true before he dies. Gosh, it sounds so weird just thinking of it alone. I