Astra walked into her apartment, and she made sure she locked the door before she dropped her bag on the floor and she slid down the wall. All these years of thinking about her reunion with Nicholas, never in one had she imagined him to hate her that much. She could see the hatred in his eyes as he called her a whore. Five years didn’t heal her heart and the same five years wasn’t enough to make her stop hating him. The most painful part of these processes was that he never told her what happened. He threw her out in the rain, called her names, and banged the door in her face. She felt betrayed because this man had promised to love her forever., promise to cherish her forever, and yet in one day, he turned her out and threw her to the wolves.
She sobbed quietly, and she covered her mouth. She willed herself to cry because she had been holding on to her tears for so long. No matter what she did, she hated the way simple name-calling from him could send her back into the trenches she was coming out from gradually. Her phone vibrated, and she searched her bag for the ringing device. She brought it out, and seeing the caller’s name; she wiped her tears. She cleared her throat before picking the call. It was Jared, a guy she met at a Lawyer’s dinner, and they hit it off immediately. Astra enjoyed his company because he had a good sense of humor, and they’ve gone out a few times. She always pretended that she didn’t notice that Jared liked her and wanted something serious. She made sure not to sound stressed or as if she had just finished crying. “Hey, Jay. How are you doing today? I meant to call you.” Astra said that as soon as she picked the call, she blew air through her mouth. She hoped her voice didn’t sound as stupid as she felt. She heard ruffling in the background, and she guessed Jared was clearing his table. He was probably sitting on the table and about to give her an earful as usual. “I heard your ex-husband came around today, and a particular birdie told me that you cried in the bathrooms too. Astra, breathe. You are not at fault here, and it’s not you who is shit. If a man who promised to love you forever decided to abandon you halfway without any excuse, then you should know you’re not the shitty one he was. If I ask you what happened to your voice, you’d tell me that work stressed you without blinking. Astra, I know you are still creating excuses for this man who wouldn’t think twice before tossing you out. Aren’t you tired of this circle every time?” Jared rambled in one breath, and Astra hanged up. She was still hurt, and the last thing she wanted to hear now was someone trying to make her feel like a fool for feeling this way. She wasn’t a fool, and she would never be one. She doubted if Jared had ever loved someone the way she loved Nicholas. Suppose he has ever felt like his entire world revolved around this whole person. She hated that Nicholas was no longer in her life, yet he still made things worse for her. She wanted to hate him from deep down, but she couldn’t. Jared was right because each time she got hurt, she always created the perfect excuse for them. When Nicholas threw her in the rain, she made excuses for him to be broken. At least, everyone goes through things at times. When he didn’t check up on her after the divorce, she concluded he was still hurt by everything that happened, even though she had no clue what happened with the marriage or why she was dumped. Even when the fire accident happened, she blamed it because he had a multi-millionaire business to look after. Her phone chimed, indicating a message had just come in. It was a text from Jared, apologizing for lashing out at her like that. Next week, he invited her to an art showcase, and he wanted to apologize again. She switched off her phone before stripping every one of her clothes. It was time to cry in the shower. ____________Nicholas took another shot of his tequila, and he winced at the burning taste. He wanted to do more, do something like hit his mirror again, but Astra’s words earlier today stopped him. She was correct; he was the hurt one, the one who is broken, the one that is still hung over his ex five years after the divorce. He didn’t want to prove her right; he wasn’t going to.
Three bottles of his most potent vodka, and Nicholas was a blubbering mess. He no longer looked like the man he used to be; he looked more like a shadow of himself. He wanted to disappear from the face of the earth and maybe allow himself some time to heal. Instead was a mess already. He looked at the table, and staring at her address neatly written by his private investigator made him feel uneasy. He wanted to visit her, tell her they should put the past behind them, and continue their love again. Maybe all of these aches will go away. He was Nicholas Michealson, and he wasn’t supposed to bow to anyone. Three times richest man according to Forbes and the CEO of a chain of multi-billion dollar restaurants, he shouldn’t be scared of a mere woman. Not just any woman, the one who broke his heart and reduced him to nothing. She made him crave her love till money meant so little to him, and all he wanted was to be wrapped in her arms. No woman would do that to him and go scot-free. He had the power to do and Undo. He stood up, and he grabbed his car keys. He was going to give her a piece of his mind; He would let her know how evil she was and how she would suffer for so many years. He would tell her how the devil will bow at his feet when he deals with her to his satisfaction. How everyone would be scared of him, and they would call him the devil.He entered his car before reversing out of his driveway, and he drove towards Astra’s house. He was going to empty his heart and tell her how much she hurt him. He would ask her to apologize, and they would be one happy family again. He pulled up in her driveway before muttering some words of encouragement to himself. He was sure she wanted this too; she wanted them to mend things. He saw it in her eyes earlier.
He knocked raptly on the door, and he waited for her to open the door; he knew she would open the door soon. He was half expecting it, and when some minutes passed without her opening, he rested on the door; he was starting to regret why he came here at first. He could have just stayed at home and gone another round of alcohol. He might wake up with a banging head, but it’s worth more than being ignored by the only one you feel something for. He left the door before he sat on the pouch, he was here already, and he wasn’t going to leave until she opened the door. He already embarrassed himself, so it’s better he allowed himself to be embarrassed further than go back home without talking to the only woman he has ever loved. He heard the keys in the lock, and he thought he heard things until the door opened to reveal Astra with a deep scowl on her face. Her face morphed into surprise when she saw him, and she wasn’t expecting him at all. He let his eyes rake over her body, and he felt all his blood run south. She still had that effect on him, the ability to turn him on without even trying at all. All she had on was simple nightwear with a hello kitty inscription. “Mr. Michealson, Is there a reason you are at my house at this time?” She asked, and he stood up from where he was sitting, and he walked towards her. She walked him while he tried to walk without losing his footing. He got near, and he pushed the door open before entering, and she shut the door after them before locking it. She was about to give him an earful about visiting her dead in the middle of the night, dead drunk. He pressed her against the door before putting his hand on the door and preventing his entire weight from being dumped on her. She looked up at his tall frame, and he had this faraway look on his face. Those days when he would tease her for her height then come back to apologize—the good old days. “Look at how beautiful you’ve become. You don’t look affected by our divorce. I’m the one that divorced you, yet I’m the one hat suffered the most. Look at what you’ve reduced me to, a common alcoholic with money. I’ve lost interest in almost everything, and you do nothing but invade my head all day then give me nightmares at night. Is this what I get for loving you, Astra? Is this what love does to people? Take away your power and leave you vulnerable to them. If this is love, I don’t want to experience it anymore; I want to be alone with just my thoughts and no care in the world,” He ended his rant with a shout, and Astra scoffed. He had the nerves he had to think she wasn’t hurt too or that she never cried herself to sleep almost every day in the first year of their divorce, how she would trek long distances for no reason at all other than walk and let the breeze blow her hair in different directions. She would cry during her walks at night and still wake up the following day to prepare for work. “You think you’re the only one hurt. Sorry to burst your bubble; you’re not the only one hurt. Imagine someone who promised to cherish you forever throws you out in the rain one night and no money on you. You try to reach everybody. Instead, you are called names. Nobody wants to listen to your side of the story because you don’t even know what went wrong. Every day your so-called husband is seen within different women at different events. Astra stopped counting all those people. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Astra. I’m here to make things right between us. Maybe we can rekindle whatever we used to have. Astra, I don’t think I would be able to love any other person the way I love you. “ He ended his declaration by pressing his lips against hers. She wasn’t expecting this, but she has definitely missed it. The way her lips always mold into his, and they would create perfect sync. She knew she missed him, but she never realized not this much. She wrapped he hands around his neck, and she pressed her body to his. This was getting heated so fast, but none of them cared. He lifted from the floor, and she wrapped her legs around him. Their tongues battled for dominance for a while before he trailed his tongue down her neck, just the way she liked it. She gasped as his teeth grated her neckline, and he gave her ass a gentle squeeze. He raised her nightgown a little bit over her ass, and he pressed her back to the door while he worked his magic on her throat. Astra didn’t know whether to scream or moan at the intensity of the pleasure. This was the first time that someone was driving her close to getting orgasm without penetration in five years. Everything clicked in Astra’s head, and she decided to stop him from going further; she was not going to let him waltz back into her life after five years of causing her pains and sorrow. She unwrapped her legs from his body, and he looked at her with puppy eyes. “I don’t want to do this now; I don’t think I’m ready for it now. Let’s just sleep,” She whispered, and he followed her to the bedroom. This time he held her while they both slept. For the first time in five years, Astra slept like a baby.Astra didn’t know which one excited her more, the fact that she was going to visit an art showcase with Dylan or that she just woke up on the good side of the bed naturally. She had always felt heavy each time she woke up, but today was better. Surprisingly, she had a weird dream about Nicholas coming to her home. Ewww! Nicholas would never come not with all that hate in his eyes. She was even scared of it herself. She said Hello to every co-worker she met on the road, and she couldn’t help but notice the stares they gave her. Like something happened, and she wasn’t in the loop. She shrugged and blamed it on the fact that she looked fantastic today. Her big smile was doing a good job complementing that.One thing that g stopped her from moving forward was how people hung around her cubicle while staring at it; they were not just staring. They were talking too. She had no idea what they were talking about, but one way to find out was moving closer
Astra grabbed the cup of coffee the waiter had just placed beside her on the table and sipped it gently after stirring it with the spoon beside. "You still don't like sugar? " Stephanie asked her while placing some cubes into her own cup. Astra smiled and said nothing to Stephanie. "Uhmm! this apple pie always tastes like heaven. " Stephanie declared while devouring the apple pie. "The delicacies here are meant for our taste buds, my dear friend. " Astra replied. Stephanie nodded in approval. "I needed this breakfast more than I needed anything. I missed it," said Stephanie. "It was always cheese, fish, and some dumb veggies for breakfast throughout our honeymoon. I couldn't complain but kept eating the whole damn thing. " Stephanie confessed with disgust while shaking her head. Astra smiled at her and said, "You didn't tell me how it went." Steph chuckled and replied. "You sure don't need every detail of my honeymoon. "Girl I need all the detail I can get. " Astra retorted with a
As soon as Nicholas left the room, Astra let out a sigh of relief. She was not sure how much more of the interaction she could take. It was a because of her stupid boss, that was the only reason she had to been deal with all of this. She felt a rumbling in her stomach, reminding her that it was lunch time. Astra had to get something to eat, and quickly. The breakfast she had with Stephanie that morning looked like it was not going to be enough to sustain her. Maybe she could just come in later to work on her project. As she pondered on this idea for a moment, the sound of her ringing phone cut through the air. Astra picked it up for the table and glanced at the screen. “Jared,” she noted with a sigh. Her mind took her back to Jared and Nicholas' reaction. It hadn't ended well, and with the mood that Nicholas was in already, there was no telling what he would do if he found out who was calling. Astra's shoulders slumped a little, as she leaned against the table, to ease some of the
Astra quickly turned the direction of the car to Nicholas’ home the home that was once hers. Not the time to think of that Astra, she scolds herself.“This had better be some serious emergency” She mutters. With the speed at which she was going, she’d definitely get pulled over. Luckily for her, there were no police around. Astra prayed in her heart that Nicholas was okay, she shouldn’t care, she should have been doing quite the opposite. But deep down she knew no matter what, she’d always care for Nicholas. His voice over the phone sounded hurried, frightened even and before she knew it she had sprinted out of the coffee shop without giving any explanation whatsoever to Jared. What was she to say? “Sorry Jared, Nicholas needs me. You know Nicholas don’t you? Yes, the same man you met in my home a week back that harassed you. Also, my ex-husband that threw me out into the rain five years ago, ah yes that’s the one” Jared would have looked at her as a stupid woman and in all honesty,
Nicholas felt utterly and completely dejected and most importantly a fool, a very big one at that. How could he let his guard so lose and let the pure lust he felt towards Astra control his actions. That was the thing he never liked when it came to Astra, how she was in total control of his feelings without evening trying. He could do the most stupidest things and shitties things when it came to her. What the fuck was he thinking trying to coo her into his bed.“God I am such a fool” he muttered to himself, hands folded behind his neck as he looked at the plain wall as though it was supposed to miraculously reply his question.The cold wind blew as the trees swung from left to right. Everywhere was calm and the lights were off. The creepy darkness haunted the streets and not a soul could be seen hovering around perhaps some living souls that meant business could be seen. In his large black coat with a muffler around his neck, he stood by the end of the road as he adjusted his big hat
The 18th of July. A date Astra never thought she could forget in a hurry. About twelve years ago on that day, she tried Sam's line but it wasn't going through so she went to his home instead to ensure everything was fine. Sam always picked her calls unlike that day. The door to Sam's living room opened the moment she gave the door a slight push. His parents were probably out and Jean his younger sister was playing with her friends at the park behind. She dashed to Sam's room and hit the door with so much frustration after the moanings she heard made her run mad with rage. Sam her highschool boyfriend was on top of Clara some random girl from her class as Sam asserts. Clara was butt naked while Sam had his boxers on. After she hurried home in tears, she imagined Clara bending over Sam's abdomen giving him a blow job while he screamed in pleasure as she heard him say to Clara "You handle me so well." She was heartbroken. The tortuous scene she encountered back then made her vow never
Astra marched down the hallway, her red heels making click clack sounds in her wake. The light from an adjacent window shone on her hair and reflected on her defiant face as she walked with purpose.She was going to tell her boss she could no longer work on the Michaelson's case and her stand was final.She didn't know what kind of elaborate joke this was, being forced to work hand in hand with her ex husband but she was not finding it funny and Trevor had better be prepared to hear an earful because she was not going to be a pawn in this game, least of all to Nicholas Michaelson any longer and if it meant her sliding of her chair, packing her things and leaving, she would do it. Hell, she would even move states.As she approached the foot of the stairs, she berated herself. Why had she stayed in the same state she'd been broken, expecting to somehow be healed? And why was this thought just occuring now?Taking the stairs one at a time, she recited all the reasons why she would never
Astra went up the stairs without pausing for an instant, letting her feet walk her the familiar path to the music room where the door was slightly ajar. Astra was grateful that there were no instruments playing there because she wasn't sure she couldn't handle the atmosphere. She was already finding it difficult to even be in the same room as Nicholas. The walls she'd let down were coming back up again and she was powerless to stop them.Astra opened the door and saw Nicholas seated on a plush and comfortable looking sky blue bean bag, with papers sprawled around him. He looked deeply focused and Astra appreciated he fact that he's started without her ."Are you going to keep on standing there or come over here?" The tone with which the words were uttered were not harsh, rather they were mild, playful even. She gulped."Was the butler welcoming me in really necessary?" She asked , her tone was had a bit of bitterness in it. Nicholas looked genuinely confused, his head tilting a lit