Cara was exceptionally quiet all the way to Marcus’s apartment. She couldn’t drive away the strange sense of dread that crept into her mind every time she thought of the uncertainties that lay ahead of her. Would she collide with Marcus’s mom again? Would she insult her again? Was this what she wanted in life?
“Are you having second thoughts?” asked Marcus noting the frown that marred her face. In the short span of a few weeks, she seemed to have forgotten the magic they shared together. He needed to fix that first, he needed to rekindle that magic again. Cara shook her head slowly, unable to tell him that she was dreading meeting his mom.
“No, why should I? Should we start working tomorrow? You have to guide me since this isn’t my forte.” She tried to divert his attention away from herself.
Cara’s words pierced Marcus’s heart and he started to repent his reckless ways. Although it had been over a year since he had stopped sleeping around, he knew that this would haunt him forever. Returning to New York brought him out of the blissful and happy bubble he was living in, compelling him to face the harsh reality of his life. He craved to rekindle the fire that he and Cara shared before. How can three weeks of separation turn his life upside down? He longed to return to his Southampton beach home, back to those carefree and blissful days, detached from everyone. He watched Cara’s stiff and hurt posture as she stood farther away from him, aloof, angry, and hating his presence totally. He wished he could convince her somehow that this is how his life is, dull, dismal, and hopeless.They reached his penthouse and Cara looked around disinterestedly, not wanting to stay here even for
Marcus’s phone again buzzed with an incoming call from his mom but he just shoved it into his pocket. “Is anything wrong?” asked Cara as they sat on his terrace. It was late and they were planning to retire for the night. Marcus looked a little uncomfortable as he was unable to explain to her what exactly was wrong. He couldn’t tell her yet that he wanted to marry her while his mom was trying to object to his decision. It would scare her away. He had to take this slow and deal with it wisely.“It’s no big deal. I’ll talk to her when I’m free,” he said with a smile, getting up and pulling her to her feet.Cara didn’t prod further and they walked into his bedroom. “Now comes my favorite part!” exclaimed Marcus pulling her to the bed. They lay side by side while Marcus gazed at her
“Mr. Donnelly, is it true that your latest series is based on your secret crush?” asked a reporter as Marcus led Cara away from the crazy crowd. The bodyguards jostled to protect them from the crowd that had gathered around them all of a sudden. With both his arms around her, Marcus guided a panic-stricken Cara towards the entrance of the gallery. It was all a new experience for her and it felt like a nightmare already.“No comments. I’ll disclose the details at the inauguration. Thank you,” said Marcus curtly.“Only one question, please. Who is this lady, Mr. Donnelly? Is she your inspiration?” asked another reporter. Thankfully they entered the gallery and Marcus stormed inside, seething with anger. A few people rushed forward to greet him apologizing for what happened outside.
Marcus glared at Cassie who sat with a smug look on her face. “Aww, come on Marky! You can’t be that mad at me! I apologized for my immaturity, didn’t I?” she whined.“You betrayed my trust, Cassie. It cannot be labeled as immaturity. You had physical intimacy with my best friend behind my back while being engaged to me. I can’t forgive that,” he argued angrily.“So have you, Marky. You had more physical relationships in the last 2 years than I ever did,” she pointed out angrily.“Not while I was engaged to you,” said Marcus, banging his fist on the table and standing up. “If you don’t leave my room this instant, I will,” he said, striding out angrily. Cassie shrugged and got up to follow him out.
“Come here, Cara. Sit with me for a while,” said granny, seeing her standing indecisively near the door. Cara glanced at the door and sighed and walked towards granny’s bed and sat down.“Maria told me that you’ve done very well in your college exams! Congratulations dear. I want you to do very well in life. I want you to reach for the stars, get fame, success, and lots of money. I want you to shine above the rest! May God bless you to achieve that,” she said, holding her hand. Cara’s eyes filled up with tears and she felt touched by granny’s words.“Thank you, granny,” she said softly. “Are you better now?”Granny slowly nodded. “Yes, better than I was last week but I’m under restrictions. I hate staying in bed for long
Marcus pushed Cassie off him and got up from the bed in a fit of rage. They had been arguing non-stop since the moment he entered the room. He was about to leave when Cassie took him by surprise and pushed him on the bed and climbed onto his lap to kiss him. It was so sudden that it took him by surprise! Unaware of the conspiracy going on behind his back, he glared at Cassie with extreme hatred.“Keep your filthy hands off me. I shall never marry a who*e like you,” he yelled at her, his whole body trembling with a mad fury. Cassie clapped her hands sarcastically, glaring at him furiously.“Great Marcus! A pot calling the kettle black, is it?” she gritted out angrily. “So this is about that pantry worker, right? You’re blocking me out because of her. I get it now. No wonder your mom wants to throw her out of your l
One Year LaterMarcus helped load the last canvas onto the truck and saw the packers and movers leave with his latest art collection. With his biggest exhibition coming up, he was expecting a grand sale of all his paintings. Now that the paintings were dispatched to New York, it was time for him to get ready to leave the house where he spent a year, remembering his Cara. After she disappeared from her life that fateful night, his entire world had turned upside down. His granny died the next day, he severed all ties with his mom and left New York, and came to Long Island to look for Cara. Although her family had no idea of her whereabouts, he hadn’t given up hope. He wrapped up his exhibition and moved over to his Southampton beach house where he had made memories with Cara. Every fortnight, he visited her family to ask about her whereabouts. However, it took him six months to realize that they wouldn’t leak any info
Marcus woke up feeling much better the next morning. He had a tight schedule coming up and quickly got ready for the day. Driving towards his gallery, he remembered the phone call Mr. Warnock made last night. He wasn’t in a position to entertain his call last night so he would have to deal with that as well. However, the moment he walked inside the gallery, he found everyone excited and happy, eagerly chatting all at once.“What? It seems no one has any work,” he said, walking inside to check the number of paintings sold. Mr. Warnock was in his office and came rushing out to talk to him. However, the moment Marcus entered the gallery where the exhibition was being held, he found the whole place empty. Whirling around, he frowned at Mr. Warnock looking more puzzled than ever before. Last night before he left there were twenty-four paintings left in his collection. Where did they go?&