“You need to let me go,” I say to Mitch, and a somber look crosses his face.“But…but I apologized,” He stutters.“And I just told you, I was never going to report your father,” He adds, and I wag my head slowly.“Actions have consequences, Mitch; and as much as I want everything to go back to normal, we are way past that point,” I explain to him.“You made your bed, now you have to lie in it,” I add, and then I walk past him.“Tell me that you don’t love me anymore and I swear I am going to back off. I would let you live your life and you would never hear from me again,” Mitch says as he stops me by grabbing my wrist gently.If that is what it takes for him to leave me and my family alone, then I guess that settles it.“I love you, Mitch. I have always, but I don’t see myself being with you again; you ruined that,” I say to him truthfully, and he lets go of my wrist.“I still would like us to be friends though,” I add, and he scoffs lowly.“It’s okay,” He replies in a breathy way, an
“Blood and tears are the same. Both are the body’s way of crying for help.” -Jeremy Jenkins……I don’t know how to stop the tears, they just keep flowing and flowing. My head is laid against the steering wheel as I weep. Small whimpers escape my lips and my chest feels tight.I have had so much rage and anger in my heart since I found out about Violet, my wife. I don’t know how to deal with it. I have not talked to anyone about her since she visited me that night.It has been a while since I have seen my best friend, Eric, and Linda was here with her family. I was alone.Now that I am finally talking about her, it feels like torture, but also like a heavy burden is being lifted off my shoulders. My heart still bleeds, but just a little less now.“I am so sorry, Chris,” I hear Linda’s soft voice as she touches my hair gently. Her touch feels comforting.“No, I’m sorry,” I say as I raise my head from the steering wheel. I look at her through a blurred vision caused by tears in my eyes.
She can’t be serious, can she? “What are you talking about?” I ask Violet, and then I let out a small laugh. There is no way that she could take over my company. I would rather be buried alive first before I let that happen.“I would suggest that you get on a plane so you can fly back to China because I am not discussing this on a phone call,” She replies, her voice calm and tinted with formality.“Are you being serious? Was f*cking up my life not enough for you?!” My voice is strong but also filled with emotions.“Chris, I’m sorry that I hurt you, but as I said, this is not a conversation to have over the phone,” She tells me, and then hangs up.I remove the phone from my ear and I look at the blank screen. I have so many questions going through my mind, but one thing I am sure of, and that is that I have to get back to China as soon as possible.“Was that your wife?” Linda asks carefully.“Yep,” I reply to her while popping the p.I place my phone back into my pocket and I start t
***Linda Wells’ POV***What in the world is going on here? “Sue?” I ask in disbelief. How the hell did she get in here, and why was she in the shower area? I have so many questions.“What? You know her?” Chris asks me, and I run my hand through my hair in frustration as I nod. He seems very shaken, and I don’t blame him. I would be shaken too if I found someone hiding in my bathroom.“Come on, Chris, you should be able to remember her. She works for that shady association, ‘The Witnesses’,” I try to jog Chris’ memory but all he is focused on is the gun tugged at Sue’s waist.She works closely with Victoria Hare, who happens to be a grandmaster for that association. “She was the one who brought me out after I was kidnapped,” I add, and he nods slowly.“Yeah, yeah, I remember her now,” He says as he eyes her strongly.“Are you two done?” Sue asks, causing Chris and I to share a look.I have no idea why she was hiding in the bathroom or why she has a gun tugged at her waist, but I do k
Sue exits the suite and leaves the door open. But that is not the only thing she leaves, she has left Chris and me even more confused than we were when we first saw her in the bathroom.She just told us that Chris’ wife who was cheating on him from the beginning of their marriage is trying to take over his company in China. As if she has not done enough damage to this man.“Wait, you don’t just say something like that and walk away,” Chris says loudly as he follows her. I follow him and we both exit the suite and chase after Sue. She on the other hand is heading towards the elevated at a steady pace.“You heard me, Chris, plus you did not have to chase me,” She replies to him when we have caught up with her.“I am just going to the lobby to get something, I have a room next to yours,” She adds when she reaches the elevator. The automated doors are closed and she presses the down bottom and folds her arms on her chest as she waits.“Violet used me, she had no regard for my feelings, a
“Did you say something?” Chris asks me, and I look at him while wagging my head slowly. He is now sitting on the bed and has hung up the landline. His hair is slightly wet and makes him look silly. I press the small power button on the side of the phone and I turn it off. Reading that message was something that I didn’t know I needed. It makes me sad, but it also helps me realize how ignorant I was. Now that all the secrets have been brought to light, I feel sore in my heart. But I am also really grateful. Mitch was a huge part of my life and I just can’t just magically forget about him, even if I tried; but I can learn from my mistakes. I place the phone under the bed, I don’t want to see even a glance of it tonight. It would just remind me of the heartfelt message that Mitch left me, which would cause me to lay in bed thinking of him all night, not being able to sleep. What am I really doing with Chris Kingston? Do I want a relationship with him? He is almost as hurt as I am
“Good, you’re already dressed,” Sue’s voice gets louder as she walks toward the living room.Chris closes the door and follows her until they both approach me. Sue is wearing a different outfit, this one is more casual than the last one she was wearing last night.A frown sits on her lips as she eyes me from head to toe.“Linda, Linda, Linda,” She says in a frustrating tone.I stand upright and I wait to hear what she has to say. “Chris is in a war and should be in China before the end of the day. If you are going to be coming along, at least you should have had the courtesy to be showered and dressed already,” She scolds me.“It was my fault, I turned off the alarm because I wanted her to get more sleep, she has been through a lot,” Chris defends me. I don’t even remember there being an alarm clock in any of the bedrooms, he is just trying to take the blame.“Yeah, you got a point. Sorry, Linda,” Sue apologizes easily as she pushes to the side the bags and boxes of things Chris ord
“So you don’t trust me?” Chris asks Sue, and I try to intervene.“Of course, she does,” I reply at the same time that Sue disagrees by saying “No,” firmly.“The f*ck?” Chris scoffs.“Look, Mr. Kingston, I am just being honest. I trust you in other matters, but not when it comes to the divorce papers that your wife might have probably already mailed you,” She replies to him smoothly.She then leads us to a very magnificent jet plane. The stairs are already out, giving us a way to board the impressive aircraft.Once we have all boarded and fastened our seatbelts, the jet moves out of the hanger and down the runway before finally taking off. “Your wife would try all she can to get you to sign those papers, she would taunt you, and push you to the edge. So having Linda with you to remind you of the reasons you can’t sign them seems smart to me,” Sue explains to Chris when we are at cruising altitude.“Besides you representing your shady association in this matter, what do you gain person