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Chapter 9: Ashes of a Marriage
Last Updated:
2026-01-15 01:03:58
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The Night Before Christmas Chapter 28: Void Ab Initio
Aria’s POVThe days bled into one another, and although the murder of Sandra and Samuel had slipped from trending headlines, it resurfaced now and then, police still ‘searching’ for the robbers, justice always framed in the future tense. Hailey's recovery has been amazing, and she seems so happy now. She was resuming school soon, and Ms Caroline helped me interview a driver, Marcus. He starts work on Monday, which is six days away. Now that she has recovered fully, it was time for me to resume work too.A lot was happening around me, but this is all personal. And I know it doesn't matter if I am staying with the boss, and he is aware of my situation. Company rules are different. At least that is what I told myself. I returned inside after spending some time with Hailey, and ran into Ms Caroline. Hailey was having fun in a children's fun house with Steve. Something I found out was in the house yesterday. "Ah, Aria, good you are here," she said. "Come with me."I followed her quietl
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 27: Lines of Fire
Third Person POVDesmond left home for work, but didn't go to the office. James joined his ride, and they drove to his club. At the club, the driver waited in the car at the car park, while James and Desmond headed for the office inside the club. "Is he coming?" Desmond asked, unlocking his office door."Yes, sir," James replied and checked his time. "He should be here.""I'll go get him," James said and quickly headed out.Inside the office, Desmond made himself a cup of coffee. While waiting for James to bring the investigator in, he went through the surveillance, checking the club activities for the previous night.There was a knock on the door, and James walked in with the private investigator. The first inconsistency surfaced. James noticed it before the private investigator did.The blinds were half-drawn against the morning light, files spread across the table in neat, disciplined rows. The investigator, an older man with greying hair and the quiet confidence of someone who h
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 26 : The Official Story
Aria’s POVBack in my room, with the horrific image of Sandra and Samuel still on my mind, I heard my phone buzz with a notification. I checked. News.The headline hit before I could brace for it. It was everywhere.Splashed across my phone screen, duplicated endlessly as I scrolled, different fonts, different outlets, same words rearranged to soften something unspeakable.DOUBLE HOMICIDE IN SUSPECTED ROBBERY ATTACK. HOWARD HOLDINGS EMPLOYEE AMONG THE DEADMy breath left me in a shallow rush.I clicked.The article loaded slowly, images snapping into place one by one. Police tape. A blurred body under a white sheet. Red staining the pavement, deliberately pixelated but unmistakable.Sandra.Samuel.According to the report, they had been “victims of an armed robbery gone wrong.” The suspects were “unknown.” The motive was “believed to be financial.” The attack had occurred late at night, in what the article described as “an unfortunate coincidence of timing.”Unfortunate.Sandra’s name
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 25: Aftershocks
Aria’s POVThe corridor smelled of expensive perfume and polished marble, but all I could taste was bile.Evans’ laughter still echoed in my ears long after he disappeared back into the ballroom, leaving me pressed against the wall like something discarded. The music inside swelled again, violins, laughter, applause, life resuming as though nothing had happened. As though blood wasn’t still burning behind my eyes.I slid down slowly until the floor met me.My knees folded uselessly. My hands shook so badly I had to clutch the fabric of my dress just to stay anchored to something real. The royal blue dress pooled around me like water, heavy, mocking, beautiful in a way that now felt obscene.Sandra’s face wouldn’t leave me.The image Evans had shown me replayed with cruel precision: her body twisted at an unnatural angle, hair matted with blood, eyes closed in a way that felt too final. Samuel’s shirt was soaked red. The casual way Evans had held his phone, as though he were showing me
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 24: The Engagement Trap
Aria’s POVSaturday came too early.By six a.m., I was already awake, lying stiffly on the bed, staring at the ceiling as thoughts spiralled without order or mercy. By evening, the whole world would know me as Evans Grant’s bride-to-be. The idea sat in my chest like a stone, heavy, suffocating.I didn’t want to marry him.After tonight, I would have exactly two weeks to make sure I never became Evans Grant’s wife in truth.I dragged myself out of bed and wrapped my morning coat around me, the fabric brushing my skin as I crossed the room. The house was still quiet, holding its breath. I stepped onto the balcony and gripped the rail, staring out at nothing in particular, the cool air kissing my face.Then I looked down.He was there.Desmond.Shirtless. Barefoot. Wearing only a pair of shorts.He stood with his back to me, fists wrapped as he drove sharp, efficient punches into a hanging punching bag. The dull thud of each strike echoed faintly in the open space below. His feet moved w
The Night Before Christmas Chapter 23: The Engagement Announcement
Aria’s POVI found myself trembling under his stare.It wasn’t just anger in his eyes; it was rage, raw and unfiltered. A complete contrast to the man I had seen moments earlier in the office, the one who had paused his work to indulge Hailey’s chatter, who had seemed very soft with her as if the world bent for her small presence.This man did not bend.Instinct drove me backwards. One step. Then another. I needed space, air, something solid between us. I didn’t understand my own reaction. I was terrified, yes, but it wasn’t fear that had rooted itself so deep in my chest.It was something else. Something sharper. Older.“You are all the same,” he said through clenched teeth. “A bunch of lined-up gold diggers. All you know how to do is play victim and find your next gold mine.”The words burned.Anger surged through me, hot and immediate, but my body betrayed me. My mouth refused to open. My thoughts scattered, slipping through my grasp before I could shape them into words.“I am doin
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