_KIMBERLY_
After dinner, people began to retire to their rooms. Before Oliver and I could leave the dining room, Anastasia approached us as she dragged a woman with thick, black hair and light blue eyes by the wrist.
Unlike everybody else, the lady was in a white T-shirt, dark blue denim jeans and black heels. Despite her casual get up, she oddly suited the scene regardless of how obvious she stood out.
"Look who I found near the entrance," Ana said excitedly as she tried to catch her breath.
I looked at Oliver and noticed that he was smiling at the other woman very fondly. I frowned. "Who is she?"
"Rebecca," he answered, probably noticing the skeptical tone in my voice. "Kim, this is my sister. Rebecca, this is my girlfriend, Kimberly Wingate."
He's been introducing me by that title all night, but it never siezed to make me blush and feel a little shy.
Rebecca's eyes widened. "Is she the mystery girl that th
_OLIVER_I groaned and ran a hand through my hair as I willed myself to open my eyes. The soft greeting of chirping birds outside gave the morning a tranquil feel and I looked down at Kim, who was curled up beside me.I smiled and used the arm that was around her waist to pull her closer to me. Her dark curls delicately framed her face and her lips still kept a light pink colour in reminder of the lipstick that she wore yesterday.Her head lay on my chest and her arm was over my shoulders as she rested peacefully. I reached out before gently running my hand other through her waves.This beautiful woman besides me was one after my own heart and I cared for her deeply. My family loved her and she got along with everyone, especially my mom. I was concerned that she would be depressed during or after the party, but I guess that Kim is stronger than she looks.I thought about the bitterness in her voice when she asked who Becca
_KIMBERLY_I tossed and turned restlessly as I wondered why Oliver was taking so long. We have been together for almost six months but I still couldn't shake off how badly I missed him all the time.A part of me felt afraid that I was being too clingy but I didn't let it bother me because Oliver never complained about it. I rolled over until I was lying on my back and I stared at the ceiling.The Woodlings were different from my family. They weren't overwhelming or overbearing and it felt warmer than my family. A part of me wished that I could introduce Oliver to my family, but there was nobody who I wanted him to know. If my parents were still alive, I would have reconsidered.I sighed and stretched for the hundredth time that morning. I didn't care about the Wingates. I didn't give a damn about them nor did I care about what they had to say anymore. I had to focus on what was in front of me.The vibrations from my phone caught my at
_KIMBERLY_It was late in the afternoon and, having nothing better to do, I was still in bed. I put aside the book that I was reading and stretched my legs passed the duvet cover.I finally found the energy to read the books that I had bought last time. Despite buying two more books, I just stacked them on a shelf in Oliver's walk-in closet as I convinced myself that I was too busy to read.But today was the day! I was bored of my phone, Ana went out exploring, Lora went on a field trip and would be back after two days and Oliver! God help me, Oliver wasn't giving me any attention at all.He was preparing for a business dinner and kept moving around as he chose what to wear and what to do with his hair. If he wasn't on the mirror having second thoughts over his outfit, he was on the phone with his assistant.Is this how men felt when they waited for their partners to get ready?I kicked the duvet completely off of m
_OLIVER_I tapped my fingers impatiently on the dark, mahogany table as everyone around me chatted happily amongst themselves. My company managed to seal the deal and now, we were just getting to know each other better over a meal.Woodling Inc. had booked an entire floor of a hotel close by and hired a highly recommended restaurant to supply us with food for the evening. The atmosphere was great and this partnership would bring many good things for my company.This should have been the best day of my life, but I wasn't in the mood for any more interactions. It's been over three hours and I just wanted to go home.As soon as the main part of the meeting was done with, my mind went back to what happened earlier today. I was frustrated that what was supposed to be a joyful session of teaching Kim how to tie my tie ended the way that it did.I neither wanted her to hate me nor did I want her to be angry with me. Why can't she under
_KIMBERLY_I was seated on one of the benches in my class as I thought of a song that I could dance to. Most of the classes were empty, including mine, and it was peacefully quiet.I scrolled down the playlist in my phone as I skipped all music that made me think of Oliver. My anger wasn't as much as it was yesterday but I didn't want to speak to him yet.I had spent the night at a hotel nearby and as much as I did not enjoy being alone, it gave me time to think about everything. I felt overwhelmed by the entire situation. I didn't want him to think that I hated him but that's how I somewhat felt.My entire life and the past that I tried to hide so desperately was all in a folder that was in the hands of the man that I love. How could I properly wrap my head around that?I finally settled on Fréderic Chopin's Spring Waltz and as the music began to fill the room, my thoughts began to wander onto great pianists such as Beethoven,
_KIMBERLY_ I walked into the cool, air conditioned hallway of the hospital as my heart pounded viciously against my rib cage. I kept my mind clear as I followed the directions that Ana had sent earlier and avoided all negativity that would flow in if I let my guard down. Turning a corner, my heart softened at the sight of Anastasia and Olivia, who were seated on the bench in front of Oliver's room. I noticed that they were bent over as they looked at Olivia's phone and I wondered what they were looking at. I slowed down my steps as I approached them and when I got closer, I discovered that they were staring at old photos. "Here," Olivia said as she pointed to a picture where a child, who was in a school uniform and looked to be in his early teens, was visibly upset, "is when Oliver didn't want to go to school because he said that the girls would fill his desk with love letters again since it was Valentines day." She let out a soft chuck
_KIMBERLY_Night had fallen in the blink of an eye and the house was quiet and dark. I walked into the kitchen as I threw my hand over my mouth when a yawn escaped my lips. I was exhausted but my thoughts couldn't give me peace.My mind kept running and I gave up on falling asleep a few hours ago. The bed was cold without Oliver and the empty space besides me kept reminding me of what happened today. Or yesterday, depending on the time.After Olivia, Anastasia and I returned home, I had the help prepare a room for Olivia. We later had dinner together but Olivia insisted that she was not hungry so, she went straight to bed.The silence during the meal was heavy and we barely talked. Lora barely touched her food and she left the meal in the middle so that she could get to bed. I couldn't blame her though since I understood how she felt.Oliver was all she had.Reaching the fridge, I pulled it open and looked at everything t
_KIMBERLY_After our first visit to the hospital, the burden in my heart and mind was lighter. I went through the days happily and things were looking up for me.Having heard about the news, the teachers at the ballet school cheered me up and their support was endearing. Some gave me flowers while others stopped to check up on me regularly. Even my little ballerinas were so sweet to Lora that it somewhat restored some of my faith in humanity.Currently, I was at the school and I was impatient to go home. I had left Olivia and Ana decorating the house since Oliver was coming back today.It's been three days without him and I was glad that the doctors were comfortable enough to send him back to us. Things were coming together nicely and I should be over the moon.Well, I am but things were going too well. Nothing else came up and William didn't contact me at all. For someone who was determined to ruin my life, he was taking his time and