Blurb: Emily was the perfect daughter until the real one returned. She was Adopted by a billionaire family in the shadow of their grief, Emily spent her life chasing affection that was never truly hers. At twenty-one, her world crumbled when the biological daughter, long thought dead, resurfaced taking Emily’s place, her parents’ love, and even her fiancé. Betrayed, discarded, and publicly humiliated, Emily is left with nothing but the ashes of a life she was never meant to have… until a mysterious man pulls her from the wreckage with a proposition that could change everything. A fake marriage. A powerful ally. One rule: don’t fall in love. But as secrets unravel, loyalties shift, and long-buried lies come to light, Emily discovers that nothing about her past is what it seemed not even her identity. Now, with the truth in her hands and two powerful men vying for her heart, she must choose between revenge and redemption, heartbreak and true love. “The Reclaimed” is a story of survival, scandal, and the quiet strength of a woman who refuses to be forgotten.
Lihat lebih banyakChapter one
I woke up to the beeping of the IV as the drip passes through my hands.
I did not understand where I was or what I was doing here, but one thing I did know was that I was in a hospital. How I had gotten there was what I could not remember. The nagging headache discouraging me from trying to think deeper.
A man came in, putting on scrubs and one look at him, I knew he was a doctor.
I tried to speak, but my throat felt numb, scratching the surface of my tongue, the hurt causing me to keep quiet. He looked at me with a small smile before saying
" You have been asleep for too long so it's normal that your throat might feel a bit uncomfortable than normal. I would pour you a glass of water and then I have some questions I would love to ask you" he said.
Because of the mortification I felt with my voice sounding horrible, I decided to keep silent, nodding instead to show that I understood him.
He grabbed a glass of water from the table I had not noticed before and handed it over to me.
It was at the moment I saw the water that I realized just how thirsty I actually was.
The whole glass was gone in just a moment and I felt instant relief in my throat, as though it had brought it back to life.
" I supposed you feel better now?" He asked.
I tried speaking again.
" Yes" I said, glad that my voice was back to normal.
" Do you remember anything from two days before?" He asked.
I strained my memory to think for a while.
And slowly it all started coming back to me.
The phone call, me crying my eyes out as I drove, the huge trailer that came out of nowhere and sent me driving straight into a tree.
That was the last thing I remembered until I showed up here. I had been in a fatal car accident and somehow, I had survived it.
My face paled at the thought of that.
What call? Who was I talking to on the phone that had me so distracted that I had let the wheels slip out of my hands?
I could not remember that little bit.
" Thankfully, you are okay and just gained a few scratches. You would be able to move around and it was dangerous when you were in coma but seeing that you are out now, I can tell you for a fact that you would be fit to leave here tomorrow." He said, beaming at me.
A sick bile rose up in my belly at the question I was about to ask.
" And what about the person driving the truck?" I asked him.
His smile faltered a bit and he sighed, taking off his glasses and wiping it before putting it on back.
The bile only grew.
" He was an old man in his seventies. He was bleeding extensively when they brought him in. We could have saved him if it was a younger person, but he was old and his heart was already giving up. I'm so sorry but we lost him" he said and i felt my heart break.
I had claimed the life of someone. Perhaps someone who all he wanted was to eat and provide for his family. I killed someone's husband.
He probably saw the look on my face because he turned to look at me, giving me a small pat on my hands.
" I know most of the times it's hard to hear about the death of someone. The police already concluded that he was probably driving at high speed and you were not able to swerve out of his way, you were not at fault." He said.
I appreciated his little effort at trying to comfort me, but the deed was already done, I could already feel the guilt crippling me as my mind made up different numbers of scenerios.
What if I had been more focused and not on my phone? What if I had been able to drive smartly and avoided him. He would still be alive.
I did not want to share all these concerns with the doctor because a part of me knew that he would not understand it. So instead I said.
" Thank you so much. For everything"
He gave me anotehr reassuring smile before continuing .
" Well we tried to reach your family members here in los Angeles but unfortunately none of them showed up. Your fiance gave us the number of your friend in london and she has been the one paying the bills, I'm sure she would be here very soon to check up on you" he said and i felt my heart thrum wildly.
What was that phone call that I received just before the world started spinning? Why could I not remember it?
" So none ...none of them came to visit? Including my mum?" I asked him, noticing the pain that dawned in his eyes as he slowly shook his head.
" None did." He said.
The room fell silent and he finally said again.
" I have to do a routine check with the rest of my patients, I hope your friend gets here soon enough and I will be back again to check how you have progressed and see if you are fit to leave tomorrow " he said.
As the door shut behind him, the feeling of anger washed over me. None of them came to visit. After every single night I spent with them, after my childhood with all of them, no one came to visit.
" Oh my baby!" A voice cried out as the door banged open, my friend, Tasha coming in.
She pulled me into a hug and I obliged, breathing in her earthy scent to comfort me.
" I'm so sorry about what happened. And also about your marriage. Louis is a real jerk" she said, her eyes sympathetic.
" What did he do?" I asked her and her face contorted in shock.
" You don't remember?" She asked.
And as though that was the only question I needed to hear, the bit of that accident that I missed came roaring back to me. I had called Louis to confront him, to ask him why he would want to marry my sister.
Chapter fifteenMalcolm "Why did you hint at sex between us earlier?""I needed to make it sound real." Emily answered, sipping from her ice cube glass."Sounds logical, but now I actually wish we'd done that." I joked, resting my head on the backrest with that same smile still on my face.It wasn't until I lifted up my face that I realized that Emily hadn't dropped her glass.“Did I startle you, sweetheart?” I asked, lifting my head and hand simultaneously. She was gazing at me like she'd been struck by lightning. “I was just messing with you. Nothing serious.” I said, in just defence and that seemed to work.“Sorry, I must've taken that the wrong way.” She mumbled, skittering nervously, and I thought for a second why that had been a bad joke.It wasn't everyday I joked about intimate stuff like that, maybe that was why she took it the wrong way. "This is paradise, Malcolm. I'm so glad we came to Sicily." She commented, savoring the flaky pastries, and gazing out at the breathtak
Chapter fourteen Emily I was sun bathing in the sunny and infectious energy of Taormina, Sicily, with the white mountains towering over me, when I suddenly lifted up my eyes and realised I was staring at a ghost from my past. One that had refused to die.“Why is he here?” I asked, turning to Malcolm who was still on his phone.“You don't know?” he asked, following my gaze.The black sunglasses he wore covered his eyes, but I could tell that he wasn't surprised to see Louis.I shook my head in response, while watching him for an explanation. “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. You want to give them what to talk about? Keep them where they can see it.”I made a wide O with my mouth open then squealed excitedly. “I had no idea that you could be such a daredevil. You're so mean, Malcolm.”“Not everyone should be your enemy, especially people like me.” He said with a macho smile, and I smiled back. “By the way, have you thought of a special name for me yet?”“I beg your p
Chapter thirteen Malcolm “Is there a problem here?” I asked again, and Louis stiffened.This was just the beginning, I'd told myself after he'd left my office that afternoon, and I knew it was only going to get more fierce from now.“We were just talking,” Louis answered, stepping away from Emily, but that didn't help the tense exchange between the two. I strode quickly over to Emily's side and as if she could read my mind, she lifted her hand to me. “Where did you waltz off to?” She asked, ignoring Louis. For that, I gave her a subtle thumbs up.“To attend to our guests,” I replied, taking her hand and staring lovingly at her. That was an act I learned while in college - the art of lying with your lips and eyes. Then turning to Louis, my gaze hardened, “That's enough, Louis, did I not tell you that?" I said quietly, with a calm but authoritative voice. "You're causing a scene and upsetting my wife."Louis's face twisted in anger, but he took a step back, his eyes darting between
Chapter twelve Emily Fate was on my side. On the day I was supposed to get married to Louis, Malcom and I tied the knot in an elaborate wedding in his courtyard. We thought an elaborate wedding would be a good head turner, and yes, it served its purpose.We transformed Malcolm's ethereal courtyard into a fairytale looking wedding rendezvous, while allowing the soft, warm light of the setting sun lit over the lush greenery.An exquisite floral arch made of roses and eucalyptus stood facing rows of white chairs adorned with delicate silver ribbons and fresh peonies. These chairs were arranged in style on the two sides of a gold colored aisle runner.Mercury glass holders held candles that flickered beautifully and soft music echoed from the live band perched on a raised platform at the rear of the courtyard.Malcolm looked his best - although it was a fake weeding, in a dashing black tuxedo that caught my breath hanging in my throat as I walked in. My parents refused to walk me in, b
Chapter eleven Malcolm “Why are you so concerned about who I'm getting married to, Louis? Is it because she's your ex?” I asked, watching him closely.I observed that his shoulders tensed up a notch, like a kid who’d been caught stealing chocolates, but he quickly released his muscles before looking outside, at the panoramic view of the surroundings.My office had floor-to-ceiling windows which offered breathtaking views of the city skyline. I loved to gaze at the world from here. It felt like my ivory tower. Some days, when the weight was too heavy on my shoulders, I loved to stand there like Batman watching over the city. It's crazy, but inspiration always seemed close enough when I did that."I’m telling you, Uncle Malcolm, Emily isn't what you think she is……" “....and you think you know her too well, don't you?” I interrupted squarely.“Of course. I mean, we've dated for a long time.” he stuttered, his hands on his hips.“Okay. So, tell me, what happened? I heard you got engage
Chapter tenEmilyAs expected, nobody received the news with a light heart, and it was already anticipated. Louis went all crazy when he received the news that by 5:30 am the next morning, he was at my front door banging like a destitute dog.“Who's there?” I had no idea who the idiot was when I flew to the door, else I would've snuggled deeper into my blanket and allowed the late July rain to drive me to sleep.Louis was inside my house the moment I let the door open, pacing like a wounded lion whose next mission was revenge.“What is this about?” I started, following him with my eyes.“You tell me,” he replied, stopping momentarily.“What do you mean?”“Don't play games with me, Emily.” Louis yelled, anger visible in his eyes.“No I wouldn't. I don't think playing games with you would be that fun. Besides, I don't go playing around with a piece of crumb I'd tossed to my sister.”That hit! I only realised what I'd said after it splurged out of my mouth. Whoa, where did I get that fro
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