Skyla thought she had it all, a devoted boyfriend, a lifelong best friend, and a future she had carefully planned. But one heartbreaking revelation shatters her perfect world. Plunging her into a sea of misery. The two people she thought world of betrays, leaving her to drown in a series of heartbreaks and unanswered questions. Heartbroken and desperate for an escape, she stumbles into a dimly lit bar, drowning her pain in alcohol. The night takes an unexpected turn when dark memories from her past resurfaces, bearing gifts in hand, and prices she has to pay. As secrets unravel and old wounds resurface, Skyla is forced to confront a past she thought she had buried. But when love, betrayal, and forgotten passions collide. Will Skyla rise from the ashes or lose herself in the storm once more?
Lihat lebih banyakIt felt like my whole world was crumbling beneath me, drowning me in a sea of betrayal, lies, and deceit with absolutely no one to hold on to, not even my sanity.
“Please tell me this is not true Tanya” I pleaded, my brown orbs wild with unshed tears, fear palpable in my raging heart. It couldn’t be right? I was imagining things, and it wasn’t true. “I am sorry, Sky, we didn’t mean to.” Tanya’s voice trembled, her words tearing me into pieces, and for a moment, I wished I had remained oblivious to the truth. My child hood best friend sat before me, the guilt coating her warm hazel orbs was enough to drown me in my misery. “I.. I...I don’t understand” I stammered, pulling at my hair in frustration. The rubber band that I had used to hold it in place came undone. I stared at her, my mouth wide open, praying this was one cruel joke. “ I don’t understand Tanya. Please tell me this is a joke, please..” I pleaded, my voice hoarse with unshed tears and disbelief. My heart clinging desperately in denial. But the myriad of emotion that seemed to swirl through her hazel orbs left me dumbfounded. Guilt, shame, and fear were evident in the warm tones of her orbs. I traced her gaze to him. The man I had loved for six years sat unmoving before me. His composure that I had seemed to love now made me want to despise him. I had trusted him with my all. I had let my guard down with Steve. A bitter laugh escaped me, and now everything made perfect sense, the deleted call logs, the secret phone calls, and the subtle glances they gave each other while they thought I wasn’t looking, the sudden defensiveness whenever I reached for their phones All made perfect sense now, God, I was so stupid, so stupid. “How long has this been going on” I whispered slowly, my fingers gripping the roots of my hair aggressively as I tried my best to keep my emotions in check. “I promise you Sky we didn’t mean to....” “How long” I yelled, angry lone tears escaping through the corners of my eyes as I looked from my best friend to my boyfriend. My ex-boyfriend. Steve exhaled sharply. “You do not need to yell, Sky. Tanya has done nothing wrong.” His word reeked with indifference, as if the emotions I was feeling was an inconvenience. “Besides you should have seen this coming Sky, with you it has always been about work, you didn’t even care for me, you were always writing one novel after another, going on book tours you, never had time for me, for us” His words hit me like a punch in the gut, the hate in the voice knocking the air out of me. “So now it my fault? My lips trembled slightly as I tried to force the right response, the wheels in my head trying to make sense of the absurdity of his excuse. “ You can’t be serious right now, Steve? So it is my fault that I tried to work hard for the both of us, immersing myself into my novels because I wanted a better future for us Steve, is that what this is about, time? It’s my fault that you sat idly doing nothing while I worked my ass out? Those trips? Those fancy dates? All of that was possible because of my books! And now you are blaming me? I slammed my fist down the fancy table, rattling the silverware and our untouched anniversary cake. Steve scoffed. “You see, Sky, this is exactly what I mean. You always make everything about you. You’re always angry. You don’t care about anyone but yourself, you’ve never cared about me Sky, with you, it has always been like walking on eggshells, I felt trapped” He hissed His words stung me like a venomous snake, his sea blue eyes dark with emotions. I didn’t understand it looked like a raging storm. Disgust, hate, pity, and maybe disapproval. And then it hit me, the thought sickening He never even loved me, at least not the way I loved him. “God, did you ever love me, Steve?” “ I mean, if you’ve always felt this way, why didn’t you ever tell me?” my voice wavered, my insecurities clawing their way out Was it because I was black, or because I was rather short, or because he didn’t see me as someone he could love? He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned towards Tanya, taking her fragile hands in his. That single display of affection made me want to retch. “Okay so that’s it. You cheat on me, and then you expect me to understand?” My voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of my heartbreak was deafening. Tanya finally spoke, her voice desperate as she avoided my gaze. “ I am pregnant Sky” And I felt my whole world crumble beneath me. “What?” I asked in disbelief . “But you watched me plan for this for weeks and you couldn’t even tell me, did you two plan this, You watched me make preparations, you watched me book reservations yet you could not tell me” “No I swear we didn’t. I just found out yesterday. I couldn’t..... I can’t get rid of it. My parents would kill me.” She replied, avoiding my gaze at all costs. I was done with this, done with their lies and betrayal, I didn’t deserve this. I let out a shaky breath, angrily swiping at he tears that wouldn’t stop rolling down my face. “You know what... I am done. You two deserve each other.” My voice was eerily calm, even though my whole body was trembling. I turned to Tanya, a slow sad smile spreading across my face. “Don’t bother coming for your things, I would have them sent over to his place.” Without waiting for a response. I stormed out of the restaurant, not forgetting to rip the invitation cards into shreds Damn them. The cold. Manhattan air hit me across the face with a huge slap, I didn’t even care that I looked like a banshee with my mascara rolling down my face, and my hair dishevelled. I just needed to get away from here as fast as possible It didn’t even bother me that I became the spectacle of passers-by, everyone either stopping to stare or taking pictures. I didn’t mind. I just wanted to be far away from their betrayal, far away from the pain and heartache.SKYLAThe city hadn’t changed. Same concrete jungles, same impatient horns blaring in the distance, same glass towers looming over like silent jungles.One would have thought that the entire time I stayed cooped up in Ed's little apartment, the whole world would have changed, maybe a new technology that would have cured all forms of heartaches would have been created.The world hadn’t changed, but something in me had shifted.I had barely slept, barely had the time to think this through. The weight of the ring, the invitation - it had all settled into my bones like lead. Even now, as I stood in front of the Andersons enterprise. A business that focused on bringing life into people’s home with their self-made furniture pieces. Even then, when I stood at the entrance of the building, all glass and steel, I realised I was still breathing. Still standing. Still ready to fight.The receptionist barely glanced at me, her stoic gaz
XAVIER The silence in my office was suffocating. Only the loud persistent ticking of the grandfather clock echoed through the silence of my office like an accusation. My eyes hadn’t left my phone screen in the last ten minutes. No message. No calls. Nothing.It had been four days since I gave Ed the contract. Four agonising slow days of silence, without even a whisper from her end. And that only meant one thing. She hadn’t signed it. At least not yet The glass of scotch in my hand warmed against my palm, but it did little to chase away the cold knot in my chest. I didn’t even want the drink anymore. All I wanted was some clarity. Closure, and maybe even control.Control.That’s what this had always been about, hadn’t it?I ran a hand down my face, my jaw tightening as I leaned back in my chair. The city stretched out beyond the windows in a canvas of light and motion, but I felt empty and lost.I felt dread curl itself in my
SKYLA The contract sat on my nightstand untouched, it’s presence looming over me like a storm cloud. I had been avoiding it for days, the weight of my decision pressing down on me like a vice. Every single day, I kept on telling myself that I needed more time_ more time, for what exactly?More time for myself before whatever this thing with the Andersons pulled me in, before they sucked me into their bleak dark world.But who was I kidding?Signing this contract wasn’t just about a job, it meant surrendering, not just to Xavier’s demands, but to the past. To the pain, the betrayal, and the tangled emotions I had spent years trying to bury. Signing it meant giving Xavier total control over my life again. If I signed this darned contract, I would be tied to Xavier once again. But this time, not as his lover, or the woman he once loved, but his employee, bound by the cold calculating terms of a business deal.But
SKYLAThe chilly air bit at my skin, as I stepped out of the café. The weight of Mr Andersons words pressing down on me like an iron chain.The choices he left me with all the more confusing. Either I stayed far away from his sons, or my mom would pay the price.But the problem here was, I wasn’t in anyway done with his sons, not by a long stretch.They needed to pay for the heartaches they caused me, for the trauma they put me through. The life they made me loose out on.So I was going to make preparations for my mom to be sent to a rehab home, somewhere far from the reach of Mr Anderson.I clutched the gift box that sat snug in my arms, and my fingers trembled against it slightly. My breath came in sharp bursts. Thoughts of what could be inside terrifying.My heart pounded against my rib, the thoughts flickering through my head sickening I needed to move.I needed to think.But just as I took a step forward
SKYLAI trudged slowly towards the café, my body aching with each step. The bell above the door chimed softly, signalling my arrival. The smell of freshly baked pastries, nd roasted coffee wrapped around, temporarily easing the ache in my chest. “Welcome,” The café owner greeted warmly, the smile plastered on his face contagious. His voice carried a certain warmth that made my stomach twist with unease. I forced a small smile, my eyes darting fearfully round the small cosy café. The rustic decor, the wooden tables, and the low amber lightening reminded me too much of the bakery back home. A pang of longing surged through me, but it was quickly replaced by the cold grip of fear.“What would you like to have.” He says in a warm tone, his smile kind, but his gaze lingering too long.“She is with me.”A deep authoritative voice shattered the moment, shattering whatever hopes and bubbles I might have had. My breath hitched,The
Skyla I was currently curled up in Ed’s favourite couch, a bag of chips in hand watching a rerun of my favourite dating show. The events of these past few weeks tugging at the back of my mind, refusing to let go, I needed the perfect distraction. Something to keep me from drowning in my thoughts.But then clearly it wasn’t working.I hated sitting idle without doing anything. Writing had been my life, a chore that I couldn’t do without, but one I loved anyway. It was like my life necessity as much as passion. But now, even that one thing was no longer mine, I had just transferred the last manuscript I was working on to my former publisher. Months of hard work just flushed down the drain.“We need to talk, Sky.” Ed’s voice boomed over the commercial that was playing on the TV as he made his way towards me. Two cups of hot chocolate in hand, which has quickly become our nightly ritual, a small comfort in the midst of a
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