For a moment when Anthony raised his eyes to mine, I saw complete shock, and then there was fear, but all of that disappeared in a moment, and I saw his face register anger.
“What the hell are you doing here?” He asked. “Are you following me?”
The girl in his laps slowly disentangled herself from him, and settled next to him on the chair. With the music still blaring, I knew that I'd have to shout for him to hear me, but I feared that if I tried to shout, I'd break into wracking tears.
How dare Anthony do this to me? How dare he try to make a fool of me like this. Here he was with another woman when he'd said that he got held up at work, and he still had the guts to ask what I was doing here? Oh, the nerve of this man.
With a resolute thought on my mind, I pushed down the tears that were at the back of my eyes and turned on my heels. I grabbed my purse from the counter where Chloe and I had been sitting, and staggered my way out of the club.
I'd just made it outside the door when I felt someone grab my arms and spin me around.
“You didn't answer me, Marie. What the hell are you doing here? Are you cheating on me? Did you come here to meet your lover? Shouldn't you be at home cleaning up and sulking over the fact that your husband didn't come home to dinner?”
With every word that he uttered, I felt my anger begin to mount. These past few years, I'd let this man walk all over me, but not anymore. Now, I just wanted to get home without letting him see how much his infidelity had hurt me. I turned on my heels again and walked towards my car, but he grabbed my arm once more to pull me back.
Without thinking, I swung my other arm back and landed him a sizzling slap. I'd shocked him. I could see it. I'd shocked myself too, and as soon as it was over, I regretted it. I took a few steps back in fear. There were people around, but that hadn't stopped him from hitting me before.
I saw his lips pull back in a snarl, and braced for impact, but right in that moment, Chloe rammed into him from behind, sending him off balance and onto the floor.
“Don't you dare lay your hands on my friend!” She yelled.
At this point, people had begun to gather. Some were even recording. Grabbing my hand, Chloe pulled me out to the parking lot, got into her car, and zoomed off, leaving a stunned Anthony struggling to get back to his feet.
***************************************
“I'm listening, Rissa. What happened back there?”
We'd both been silent on the drive to Chloe's place, but I'd seen her itching to ask me questions. When we stepped into her cozy apartment, I just knew that this wasn't one of those days when Chloe left you to process your thoughts. This time, she would want to know.
“I'm still waiting.” She said impatiently and I could hear the beginnings of annoyance in her tone.
“I don't know where to start.” I responded shakily.
“Well, maybe start from the top. What the hell, Marissa? That bastard was about to hit you before I got there. And you looked scared to hell. And what was he even doing there? First, you tell me you can't hang out because your husband's coming home, and then you suddenly call me to ask where I'm at, and did I ask anything? No. But with what I saw there just now, you've got a lot of explaining to do, girl.”
I tried hard not to cry, but when I started talking about all that had been happening, it was as if a dam burst open.
“Our first year together went by so fast! It felt so good, but these past two years, he's just been a total asshole, Chloe. He snaps at everything, throws hurtful comments at me, and stays out most of the time. I don't know why, but this entire time, it never even occurred to me that he was cheating.” I finished on a sob.
Chloe held me in her hands, and was quiet for a full minute before asking, “And when did he start hitting you?”
I froze for a second, but I let myself breathe. This was Chloe. I could talk to her. “A little over a year ago.” My voice broke as I said this.
She was quiet again, and before long, she got up, went into the kitchen, and came out with a glass of water for me.
I'd known Chloe so long that as she stood away from me looking out her window, I knew there was a storm brewing inside her.
“Come on, now, let's hear it.” I said to her, and saw her hesitate for a moment before finally deciding to speak.
“Over a year, Rissa?” She exploded, “That bastard has been hitting you for over a year? And he's even been hurting you longer than that. What the hell? Is that how it is between us now? You keep stuff like that away from me? Is this your definition of being best friends?”
I swallowed before responding. “I told you some of it.”
“Only a handful of times, and never about him hitting you. And even all those times, you still always defended him!”
“I love him!” I heard myself yell. “And I was too ashamed to tell you about it. You never liked him, Chloe, and I just couldn't admit to myself that I'd made a terrible mistake. And.. and the last time we had a fight, he promised me that we were starting on a fresh slate. I know it was stupid of me to believe him, but I just… I don't know, Chloe. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” I said and broke into fresh sobs.
Chloe walked the short distance towards me and gathered me in her arms. “Easy, baby. It's okay, now. You're okay.” She said in a soothing voice. “I could have helped, you know.”
‘'l know. I'm so sorry.” I said again, and she held me closer.
“It's okay. You don't have to be sorry. I've got you.”
That night, she tucked me in bed and got in with me. The last thing that crossed my mind before I went to sleep is that I was indeed lucky to have a friend like Chloe.
A week later, I walked into what had been my house for three years, and tried to slow down my heartbeat. No matter how hard I tried, I'd never been able to make the place into a home. In the last week, Anthony had called me several times, and threatened me with a divorce if I didn't return to the house. He'd even come to Chloe's door, but she'd called the cops on him. I needed the time to process my thoughts and she'd understood.I'd timed my arrival perfectly knowing that Anthony would be at work now. I needed a few hours of peace before facing him. I'd made up my mind. I wasn't going to leave him, but he had to swear to me that this would never happen again.Chloe had not liked my decision, but there was only so much that she could do. Anthony was my husband. He was flawed, yes, but he was still my husband.With this in mind, I headed straight to the kitchen, kicked my shoes off, and began making dinner. Food made every conversation easier.When the front door opened two hours later
When Chloe opened her door that morning, I stood there with my bags and a forlorn look on my face. It felt like I'd lost a part of me.She covered the few steps that separated us and gathered me into her arms. “It's okay, baby. You're okay.” She said and rocked me as I sobbed.When my sobs reduced to hiccups, Chloe let me in and went back for my bags. We spent the day in front of the TV watching romcoms and crying over the silliest things as we ate every snack in Chloe's fridge.Later that evening, we went out for dinner. Chloe had made it her life's mission to ensure that I didn't sulk over Anthony, and I had in fact decided on the same thing. It didn't matter how much it hurt, I deserved better.As we ate and chatted away, my phone suddenly rang. I looked at the phone screen and it was my mom. I knew better than to ignore her calls. She knew how to be dramatic over the littlest of things.“I'll be back in a bit” I said to Chloe and stepped out.“Hello, mom.” I said warily.Her shril
“You!” I yelled, and the man's head shot up.Sitting comfortably behind the desk was the man from the restaurant almost two weeks ago who had knocked me down, and then gone on to tell me to “look after myself” as though I'd told him I was sick.But today, there was no laughter or warmth in his eyes. He looked at me briefly, before asking, “Is anything the problem, Miss Colton?”It was then that I realized it. He didn't recognize me! My God! I'd just almost thrown away an opportunity that I'd spent years hoping for because of a small thing that the man hadn't even remembered.“Not at all, sir. I apologize.” I said, and he motioned me to sit.Then the questions began. Unlike I'd expected, Mr Kingston didn't ask me questions about my academic qualifications or my experience (of which I had none), but he asked me practical questions instead. He asked what I would do in certain practical office situations and listened intently as I struggled to respond to them.“Alright, then, Miss Colton.
Marissa's POV I go on staring at him with my mouth still hanging open. Without sparing me a glance, Mr Kingston pushes my phone to me, and continues dictating orders, but I am too stunned to hear anything. “.... travel plans for the first week in July. Did you get that? Marissa? Marissa!" His impatient voice jars me back to reality.“Yes, sir. Yes, yes." I answer, struggling to gather myself together.“Did you hear anything I said?" He asked incredulously.Err, was I supposed to? Did it occur to this man that he'd just played some serious knight in shining armor role for me?“Erm… I.. I'm sorry.” I stammered.He shook his head, and started all over. " I said that you'd need to come with me to New Orleans for the Karl&Sons contract signing, so I would need you to clear your schedule and make travel plans for the first week in July.”I swallowed. I'd been asked at the first stage of the interview if I minded traveling. I'd said no. The truth was, I did, but I'd simply been eager to b
Jordan's POVI got out of the backseat of my Chevrolet in a bit of a hurry. I was late as hell, and I was very quite sure what was going on in my mind right now was no joke. I knew that mom would have a lot to say about it. I'd honestly tried to be a bit earlier today, but the work just always seemed so much. I went through the back door of what was known by most as the Kingston mansion, and hurried to my room in a quick rush.I had a quick shower, and donned a black pair of trousers and a grey cashmere sweater. Mom has said it was okay to look a little casual. I tussled my hair, and selected a cologne that the girl from LA last summer had said smelled like home- whatever that meant. It didn't take me any time beyond what I had already planned to use. When I briefly glanced through the time once I was done, I saw that I had only been inside there for ten minutes. As I walked down the stairs and towards the living room, I saw Evangeline's face brighten from her seat at the table. She
Marissa's POVThere was a knock at the door.“Coming, coming. Who is it?" I asked, as I ran down the stairs in my grey pants and white shirt. I wasn't expecting anyone, so this was most likely Chloe's visitor, but she was in the bathroom so I had to get the door.I really hoped whoever it was didn't mind waiting alone before Chloe came down. I didn't have the time to talk to anyone or keep them company. I was running late. The knock came again just as I yanked the door open. My face fell. No, no, no. Not now.The woman at the door ran judging eyes over me from head to toe before pushing her way inside.“Hi, mom." I said quietly. She walked around the small living room, observing everything before turning back to look at me. My eyes darted to the wallclock beside the staircase. I really didn't have the time for this. “I see you found yourself a new place." She said.“It's Chloe's place." I responded. “Of course, it is." She scowled. "God knows I never did like that girl." She said,
Marissa's POVOh, God. Hadn't I been through enough problems in my life? Why did I have to get such a crazy boss on top of everything?A dinner party? We were cancelling a board meeting and an important meeting with potential investors for a dinner party? I was to go with him to his goddamn dinner party?I sighed deeply before responding in a tired voice.“I don't think I want to go to a dinner party with you, sir. However, I will reschedule both of your meetings for this afternoon and let you know the new dates. ““Oh, no, no, no, Marissa. It's not optional. You have to go with me.”I rubbed my fingers over my forehead. I could feel the beginning of a headache. “Why do I have to go, sir?"He seemed taken aback by my question, but he responded still. “Well because I'm going to be meeting a number of my business partners there, and you'll be meeting them too over the next few months. I'd like for you to be familiar with them before then.”His response sounded like it should make sens
Jordan rose slowly to his feet, not looking away from me even for a second. Cassandra coughed loudly and brought him out of his reverie. He blinked.“You look… breathtaking.” He said, and I turned to look at Cassie before smiling.“Thank you.” I said, smiling sheepishly.Cassie coughed again, and he laughed heartily. “Okay, okay, Cassie. Well done! You have truly outdone yourself this time." At this, she smiled and did a little curtsy. I was dying to know what was between these two.“Come on, we still have one more stop.” He said, and extended a hand to me.I took it, and waved goodbye to Cassandra. She smiled and waved back before saying, “See you some other time."When we stepped out, I had the pleasure of seeing Dane's mouth hang open in surprise as he looked at me.“Pick up your jaw, Dane. It's on the floor." Jordan said and yanked the door open by himself. I stepped in and he followed suit. Dane hurriedly turned around and got in the driver's seat.When we stopped again, it was
Jordan's heart beat steadily under my head. His arm was wrapped around my waist as I lay against his chest. I liked the warmth. We'd been in each other's arms all day, and it still felt like we hadn't spent enough time together.For a while, I kept my eyes closed and simply listened to the silence of his bedroom. I was at home here, in his arms. The world outside could be chaotic and unpredictable, but right here, in this moment, there was peace.“You’re still awake,” he murmured, his voice low and warm against my neck.“So are you." I responded.He tried to shift me to his side, but I hugged him tighter. “Don’t move. I just want to remain like this.”“Okay then.” He whispered, and wrapped his arms tighter around me.I turned in his arms until I was facing him. His eyes were open now, and in the low lights in the room, I searched his eyes. He looked somewhat tired- work was probably still as stressful. But he was beautiful. He was always beautiful.“I like this,” I said quietly. “Bein
When I returned to the police station the next morning, Chloe was with me. Inspector Ariya seemed to be leaving as we came in. Surprise registered briefly in her eyes when she saw us.She walked up to us briskly. She looked tired but sharp, her dark hair pulled back into a no-nonsense ponytail.“Hello, ladies. I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon.” she said this last part, facing me. “Have you decided to press charges after all?"I shook my head. “Not yet. I haven't. Actually, we came to speak to you, and if possible to her."She quirked a brow. “Her? You're sure you want to do that?”"I don't know. Actually… we found something.”We told her about looking online and seeing that Layla's online presence had been completely wiped off. We told her about the photos of her that we'd come across and how the timing didn't add up. And then out of the blues, Chloe told her about her thoughts that Layla was working with someone.“Why do you say so?" She asked very calmly.“Because I know L
Chloe stared at me like I’d grown another head. “You mean, like, private investigator type digging?”“If we have to,” I replied, folding my arms. “Because I can’t sleep at night knowing she might not be done, and that she meant what she said. We have to get to the bottom of this, Chloe.”Chloe looked at me skeptically. “I don't know, Rissa. I can't say that I agree with this being a good idea.”“Well, are you going to help me or not?" I demanded.Sighing, she reached for her laptop and pulled it into her laps. "Okay, Sherlock. Where do you want to start?”I hadn't actually meant for us to start immediately, but we did. We weren’t police officers, and we weren’t detectives. But we had working brains and the internet. And at this point, that felt like enough.“I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” she muttered, typing rapidly. We searched for everything we could think of. It was as though Layla Freeman didn't exist.We scrolled through pages of irrelevant news and articles. There was
Chapter 103I stared at her in dazed shock.There was a venom in Layla’s eyes I had never seen before, and as I watched her now, some of my anger gave way to something colder. something worse. Fear.“What the hell are you talking about, Layla? What do you mean this is only the first of many? What else are you planning?” I tried to keep my voice steady, but it trembled as I spoke.“She will not be doing anything, Miss Colton,” Inspector Ariya’s voice cut through the tension, drawing my attention away from Layla. “Come on now, you. Get up.” She grabbed Layla by the arm and pulled her to her feet.I watched as they began to leave. I didn’t want them to. I wished the inspector had let me speak to her just a little longer. There was something unfinished, something dangerous in Layla’s last words. A few hours ago, I might have dismissed them as a threat—a pathetic attempt to scare me. But not now. Not after seeing her admit, without an ounce of guilt, that she had set the fire. Not after wa
Chloe was still in bed when I left for the police station the next morning. She’d already told me before that she didn't want to go. What was the point anyways? Whatever she was going to find out from speaking to Layla, she would find out when the police were done with their investigation.In any case, I didn't want to go with anyone either. Not with Jordan, and not with Chloe too. I wanted to just go alone. I needed to speak to Layla by myself, see her with my own eyes, and listen to whatever explanation she had. It just needed to be me. Just me.The drive to the police station only lasted about 30 minutes but it felt like 3 hours. As I drove, my mind kept going back to the last few weeks since we met Layla at that restaurant. I thought of how I had been skeptical about letting her into my space and then I thought of how Chloe hadn't really liked her or trusted her. Then I went on to remember how over time, she had sort of broken our resolve, mine especially, and had slowly made her
The silence was deafening. We all stared on in silence at the image on the screen. It was her. It really was Layla. It didn't make any sense. How could she have tampered with the wiring? She'd been a part of the entire planning, after all! She had put in so much effort to make this work so how was it even possible that she would be responsible for ruining the night."That can't be." I said shakily. "Maybe there's a mistake. Maybe it's..."Inspector Ariya's voice cut me. "The footage is very clear, ma'am. That's the culprit."I swallowed. I didn't know what to say. I didn't think Chloe did either. Again, it didn't make sense. I didn't think as I sat backwards on the couch with knees pulled to my chest like I could somehow protect myself from the storm that had just torn through the room. Chloe sat beside me in stunned silence. Her arms were wrapped around her body like she, too, was trying to keep herself from falling apart.The laptop was still open on the dining table, the paused f
The silence in the room after I said those words was thick enough to suffocate a person. Chloe blinked at me, with her mouth slightly open. Her brows knit together in first, confusion, then alarm.“What do you mean someone set the bakery on fire?” she asked slowly, like she was trying to give the question time to change into something less terrifying. “You know that's impossible. The firemen said it to Caleb.I shook my head. “That’s what the guy from the insurance company just now said. He said… he said the wires were tampered with. Deliberately.”Chloe stood up and began pacing like the movement would somehow bring clarity. “But who? Why? That doesn’t even make sense. Who would do something like that?”I didn’t have an answer. All I had was a sharp ache in my chest and a hundred questions tumbling over each other in my mind.Someone had intentionally tried to sabotage me. Who could it be? Why? I felt my heart squeeze at the thought of the obvious betrayal. Everyone at that launch y
Jordan dropped me off at home at a little past noon. When we pulled up to the house, Chloe was already waiting at the door. As soon as I stepped out, she rushed toward me, wrapping me in a tight embrace.“Everything’s going to be fine,” she whispered, her voice steady. “We’ve got each other.”I clung to her, feeling a weight being lifted off my shoulder. The scent of the lavender shampoo that we both shared filled my nostrils and for a brief moment, replaced the acrid smell of smoke that had plagued me since last night. Now, having Chloe hold me like this after such a chaotic night served as a reminder that amidst the chaos, some things remained constant. Like friendship. And family.Jordan was at my side by the time that Chloe broke off the embrace.“You're sure you'll be okay?" He asked, gently."Yea, of course. What am I, like an egg?” I asked and managed a small smile. “Plus, I've got Chloe. I'm absolutely fine, Jordan. You can go.”“Okay." He said, nodding.He reached out and bru
I woke up to silence. Not the kind of silence that brought peace or the one that insinuated a sort of calmness, but the kind of silence that pressed against my chest and made it harder to breathe.I lay still, blinking up at the ceiling, unsure for a moment where I was. The room wasn’t mine. That was for certain. The scent in the air was clean and warm, and the sheets were softer than the ones on my bed at home.Then it all came rushing back. LoveBites. My bakery. My dream. The dream I'd nursed.I felt fresh tears gather in my eyes as the memory from the scene played over and over in my head. That small pop that I'd first heard in the middle of my speech, then the crackling, the smoke, the fire, me being rooted to a spot, the chandelier that came crashing down.Wasn't it too early to be crying again? Last night, after Jordan had gone to sleep with me tucked comfortably in his arms, I cried again. I'd cried myself to sleep in fact.I sat up slowly, the sheets falling away from my bod