Griffin had spent the whole night turning and tossing on the bed. He couldn't wait for morning, so he could proceed with the plan. He stared into Jane's face as she slept peacefully and whispered, “I hope you forgive me, and I have to do this for all of us. I would rather not die.” He mumbled under his breath.
It was almost dawn and his eyes were still open. He tried to think of how he could make Kayla's death sound real.
What could make it look real, huh? He thought deeply and got out of bed while covering Jane's body with the duvet.
He paced back and forth and an idea hit him. Griffin waited patiently for Jane to wake up while he stepped out of the house to take a walk.
He could hear water gushing out from the kitchen, and he knew Jane was there. He puffed air through his mouth and walked towards the kitchen and stood by the door.
Jane averted her eyes to him and smiled lightly. “You came back home late last night, sorry, I couldn't wait for you to hear how it went.” Jane whispered. “Did you get to return all his money?” She asked with eagerness and he nodded slowly.
He had lied to her that he was going to give Aiden his money back.
“Yes, I did.” He added with a dry laughter and Jane smiled sheepishly, she felt relaxed and grateful that the storm was over, but she had no idea it had just begun.
Suddenly, Griffin's phone made a beep and he peeped at it. Out of the blues, he let out a groan and placed his hand over his mouth.
Jane was confused, and she rushed to him. “Talk to me, darling, what happened and why are you acting this way?” She asked worriedly.
“Kayla! Kayla.” He repeated and closed his eyes while taking in a deep breath.
“And what about her, Griffin? Talk to me, please.” Jane pressed further with a puzzled look on her face.
“One of Aiden's men just texted, she had an accident and died.” He dropped the news, and Jane stood like a statue for a minute.
“She…she's what?” Jane stammered and hoped her ears weren't playing silly jokes on her.
“She died, Jane. This is all my fault.” He whispered, and she hugged him while tears spilled from her eyes.
*
*
Later in the day, Griffin was still playing to the rules of the game and pretended to be hurt and in pain while Jane cried her eyes out.
He dialed Olivia's number, and she didn't pick at the first ring. And he called again, hoping she was going to pick the call.
It rang for the second time, but there was no response and his heart was already racing. Suddenly, she began to call back, and he picked the call swiftly.
“Dad?” She called, surprised, though she recognized his number, but she couldn't remember the last time they spoke, and she felt something serious must be going on at home.
She tried to brush off the negative thought flowing inside her head and she waited for him to voice out first.
“Olivia?” He called and she answered instantly.
“Dad! Are you okay? Is everything fine over there?” She questioned and rushed her words like she could sense something was off.
“You need to come home, Olivia. Something terrible has happened.” Griffin said glumly.
“What do you mean father?” She inquired, and her heart hammered against her chest while she turned to look at her roommate who was already staring back at her.
“Your sister, she died yesterday.” He whispered, and Olivia gasped and did her best not to let go of her phone.
“How did it happen?” She inquired in a cracked voice as tears were beginning to build up in her eyes.
“It was an accident. Your mother and I are expecting you to come back soon for the burial, and I hope you will get to stay with us after that.” He added, and Olivia couldn't say a word as she tried to take in a deep breath and calm herself from the bad news.
“I will, I need to book a flight tomorrow. Try to stay strong, okay.” She managed to say, and he nodded like she could see him.
Olivia pulled the phone away from her ears and sat slowly in the bed while her legs felt heavy. Why? She was hoping she would be able to spend a few days with Kayla during Christmas.
She wanted the two of them to get more closer because she felt they never had the chance when they were younger. But now her plans were ruined.
“What's wrong, Olivia?” Her roommate asked with concern and moved closer to her.
“My sister is dead!” She whispered in trembling lips. “I have to go back home as soon as possible and that means I have to resign from work because I am not certain if I'm coming back to Canada.” She added in a muffled breath, and her roommate wrapped her arms around her.
“It will be fine, okay. Just cry it out, if it is going to make you feel better. I'm sorry about your loss.” She added and stroked her hair while tears spilled from Olivia's eyes.
And then, she had to make up her mind and go back home. She needs to be there for her parents, especially now that Kayla was dead-she thought to herself.
The week went by as a blur and the supposed day of burial had arrived, the Griffins had actually waited for Olivia and since she was back, they were going to proceed with the plan.Jane had not been able to control her water tank, as she stood by the grave after the burial. Poor child! I failed to protect you. I'm sorry you have to die at a young age-she whispered bitterly.Olivia wrapped her hands around her mother and consoled her while she tried to fight back her tears.Olivia felt a twisted pain in her chest, but there was something that wasn't clear to her. Kayla was married and no one told her? How? When did the marriage happen, and why didn't anyone tell her?She wanted to make a fuss about it, but she would rather not disrespect Kayla. That wasn't the important thing at that moment.And with the way her mom was crying, she couldn't bring herself to ask her about Kayla's sudden and eerie marriage.Suddenly, she sighted a man stepping out from a Range Rover with another fleet of
Olivia had made her decision, she had agreed to marry Aiden, especially when she felt Griffin was obviously pleased about it. For a moment, she felt maybe her father was trying to grant Kayla's wish because she was always his favorite daughter and of course, Aiden was loaded.She had issues sleeping at night, while she tried to think of how her life would be after getting married.She also hopes to continue her work as a nurse in any of the hospitals nearby. Aiden was going to agree to that, right? She won't want to be categorized as a housewife that only feeds on her husband's money.The word “husband” felt strange to her, but she shrugged it off and sat upright on her bed while staring at the door like she was waiting for someone else to come in.Her hands placed on her lap while her long silken hair fell freely behind. She bit her bottom and just then, a knock was placed on the door.Averting her eyes to the door, she ushered the person in, and her mom walked in after peeping.The
The date has been fixed and Olivia couldn't get the marriage thought off her mind, no matter how hard her mother kept telling her all would be fine.The wedding would be next week, and she felt her heart racing. Oh heavens, she was definitely going to become someone's wife.How about her job? She didn't get to talk about that with Aiden. She ruffled her smooth black hair and laid straight on the bed with her back hitting the soft duvet.Olivia was lost in her thoughts and had no idea when she drifted to sleep. The next thing she heard was the knock on her door.A little groan escaped her lips as she stretched her hands and tried to wake up from her deep slumber. “A minute please.” She voiced out and got out of bed while dragging her legs to the door.She opened it and met her mom standing by the door with a tray in her hand. “Are you alright? Are you sick?” Jane inquired while scanning her from head to toe.“No. Why do you ask?” Olivia questioned with an arched brow.“Because you have
An awkward silence filled the place while the woman fixed her intense gaze on Olivia, who looked lost in thoughts.“Go ahead ma'am. Are you confused on which one to pick?” The woman questioned Olivia, jerking her back to reality, and she turned to face her.“Huh?” Olivia whispered and lowered her gaze. “Sorry, I have no idea where to start from. They look stunning and expensive.” Olivia spoke and the woman chuckled.“Come on, let me help you out then.” The woman uttered with a light smile and tilted her head to the opposite direction while Olivia followed her behind.Olivia decided to shrug off all the thoughts trying to drift into her head. But the woman's words kept ringing inside her head. Is she really the first lady Aiden brought there?Maybe the woman wasn't around the day he brought Kayla, or Kayla had shopped for the dress herself-Olivia mumbled within her and took a deep breath.Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of an attractive strapless sheer dress, and she moved closer and h
The dark, quiet room made it impossible to think someone could be inside and even though the bed was soft and comfortable, Olivia kept tossing throughout the night. She chucked the duvet to the other end and snapped her eyes open. A little yawn escaped her lips and she ran a hand into her hair. Olivia was having a mixed feeling, and it was making her go nuts.The week had moved by so quickly and the wedding day had arrived. Once it was 6am, she knew her mom was going to walk into her room to wake her up.For a second, she felt unexplained butterflies in her stomach but the next minute, it was a fair share of fear and nervousness radiating through her.Was she doing the right thing? How will her life be after marriage, huh? She asked herself these unanswered questions.She ruffled her hair one more time and took a deep breath. Overthinking wasn't going to solve anything, so she decided to shrug the thoughts in her head and concentrate on the present.Olivia adjusted herself on her bed
Olivia had a million thoughts buzzing inside her head, and she didn't even notice the time Aiden moved past her. “Congratulations,” a lady whispered to her while jerking her back to reality, and Olivia turned to look in her direction.“Thank you.” Olivia muttered faintly, her voice barely above a whisper as she roamed her eyes in the crowd and rested them on her mom who was obviously marching towards her.“Ma!” She called with a light smile and the moment Jane got closer, she pulled Olivia into a tight hug.“I'm so proud of you, the day has finally come, and it will soon be over. You're a Mrs now,” Jane reminded her, but that word alone sent shivers down Olivia's spine and the thought she was trying to avoid flowed into her head again.“Thank you, Mom, I pray I won't disappoint.” She added sincerely and wiped her sweaty hands on her dress.“Where is your husband?” Jane questioned and glanced around, and then she sighted Aiden talking to someone who was wearing a gray suit, he was ave
Her heart kept racing, and she feared he was going to hear her heart pounding heavily against her chest. “Olivia!” Aiden called for the second time, his voice calm, but void, with no emotion attached to it. “Yes,” Olivia managed to reply in a cracked voice. “You should sleep now, today was indeed a long day. But you can go to the guest room if you're not comfortable, that's the only kindness I can give.” He uttered and adjusted himself on the bed, and Olivia felt he was kidding with his last words, unknown to her that he really meant it. She felt butterflies in her stomach that he cared, even though it wasn't a big deal. Olivia took a deep breath and closed her eyes while trying so hard to get some sleep. And after an hour, nature gladly took over her. * * The ray of sunshine coming through the window woke her up. Her scattered hair was all over the pillow, while she turned and faced the direction Aiden had slept. Olivia snapped her eyes open, she had totally forgotten that sh
The night didn't go as planned for Olivia because her head was filled with so many unanswered questions. Olivia felt she needed to ask Leah questions to satisfy her curiosity. She had turned at night and noticed she was the only person in the room and was obviously lying alone in the bed. Olivia hasn't seen Aiden since morning, she has stayed awake and drifted to sleep when it was 11pm. What kind of work was keeping him outside? And another disturbing thought was trying to find its way into her head. She sat upright on the bed and wiped her face with her palm. She adjusted a few hairs, trying to obstruct her view while tucking them neatly behind her ears. Furthermore, she sighed and took a deep breath before lying down back on the bed, but was unable to fall asleep. The moment Olivia noticed it was morning, she jumped out of bed and moved straight to the kitchen. But she halted along the way when she heard a sound coming from a room. She was curious and wanted to see for herself.