TOBIAS:“The damage is done and there is nothing left between us.”Keris’ voice echoes through my head as I’m paralyzed by the sensation of shock and… heartbreak. I tear my gaze away from her fading figure as she walks farther away from me with every calculated step driven by determination, and I look down at my hand.Sitting perfectly in the centre of my palm, which still burns from her touch, are the rings I had placed on her finger when we mutually agreed to marry one another for different purposes. And now, I just want her to remain by my side as my wife because... I love her.I fucking love her with every nerve that thrums through my body. With every breath that fills my starving lungs and with every beat of my heart that keeps me alive.“Tobias… Oh, Tobias…” My mother wails as she staggers toward me. “It’s over. My life is over.”Curling my fingers into the palm of my hand, I make a tight fist around the rings and drop my hand to my side. I turn to look at her. Tears stain h
With my back facing Tobias, because it’s too hard to look at him, I anticipate Kips' response, really hoping that he will be able to give me a ride home and explain what the hell is going on.“Sure. I’ll take you home.”His arm wraps around my waist, keeping me upright as he leads us out of the restaurant. My stomach swirls, causing my mouth to water, and I have to force myself to think of something— anything apart from Tobias.Being in the same room with him brings my emotions to the surface. My heart feels heavy as the pain he has caused me is still all too raw.Yeah, sure, it’s only been two days, and it’s natural for me to feel this way; heartbroken, used, and ashamed.But I would rather not feel this way at all. No one should be made to feel this way about themselves when all they have done is given their heart to the traveller, they wanted by their side during their life journey.And after today, I’m going to work on trying to put my needs first for once. I need to remind mysel
Slowly stirring in my sleep, the smell of food fills my senses and I subconsciously claw my way out of the darkness. Prying my eyelids open, I sit up in the bed, yawning as I stretch my aching limbs. Upon exhaling, I glance around my dimly lit room, scowling as I comb my fingers through my hair, feeling like I haven’t slept a wink. Where did the rest of the day go to? l slide my legs over the side of the bed, and stand up as I peer down at myself – my eyes trail from the hem of my dress to my bare feet. It feels like forever since I've slept in my room and I try to recall how I ended up in my bed. As of lately, I've been crashing out in the living room with the T.V on, watching the late runs of old day time soap opera's until I can no longer keep my eyes open. The last thing I remember was talking to Kip before I let the weight of my troubles claim me. The smell of food wafts through my room again. Crap! Did I leave the oven on? Panic hits me like a tsunami, and I rush out of
Kip looks up and frowns, “I’m no hero, and honestly, I’d never want to aspire to be one. The weight of trying to save people and bring those to justice weighs me down enough. Occasionally, I get so caught up in a case it becomes near damn impossible to claw myself out of the hole I've dug myself into.” He places his utensils on the side of his plate and picks up his glass of water, taking a sip from it. “Is my job rewarding? Sure. But it entails a lot of backbone and most times I forget I have one,” he continues, placing his glass back down on the bench top, and he points to my plate of food that’s still untouched. “Are you going to eat that?”Looking down at my plate, which consists of a decent-sized lamb steak, smothered in a rich basil tomato sauce with a side of roasted potatoes and blanched beans. I bring my plate forward, excited to fill my belly with some decent food.Licking my lips, I lean forward and inhale the aromas of the food, only to regret it simultaneously. “As good
TWO WEEKs LATER:My eyes dance around the pristine office as I slink back into my chair, patiently waiting for the doctor to enter. I feverishly rub my clammy hands up and down my thighs. I’ve never felt so nervous in my life. You’d think your first kiss would take the first rank. Nope. This appointment outranks it.As the handle turns and the door opens, I turn around in my seat and watch as my doctor strolls into the room with her attention focused on the open folder in her hands.“Good day, Mrs. Landry, I hope you are feeling better after the nausea tablet, we gave you twenty minutes ago. I apologize for the wait, but as you know, we cannot put a rush on your medical files from New Zealand. But I have your results.”Doctor El Nazari sinks into the large leather office chair behind her desk, laying the file flat on her desk as her fingers begin to fly across her keyboard. Her gaze solely focuses on the computer screen in front of her.“Ah yes, thank you. My stomach seems to have s
TOBIAS:Leaning forward over my desk, I violently press my finger against the button on the intercom. “Melanie, can I see you in my office?”“Sure,” she responds, her voice trembling.I lean back in my chair, rubbing my chin as my gaze zones in on my office door. I’m in a foul mood. A mood that won’t lift, regardless of what I do.Ever since I found out that Keri left New Zealand and went to Australia with Kip… well, let’s just say that my hands have been twitching to pulverize something, preferably Kip Mason.I mean, who does that son of a bitch think he is?Tearing through our lives like a tornado and fucking everything up as it passes through.Not to mention, Keris’ lawyer has been calling my phone daily on the hour, following up on the divorce papers I was served. If Keri thinks that she can leave the country and file for a divorce without speaking to me first, in a civilised manner, then she has another thing coming.I know I stuffed up. I’m not denying that.But she just cann
PROLOGUE: TOBIAS: Our eyes met from across the room as she stands at the bar, ordering herself a drink. My glass is half full. Whiskey. The ambient colour of love, lust, and sin. Burns you right down to the core, menacingly destroying your insides with no fucks given. Love. Some say it is a distraction to a path of destruction, and I, for one, can vouch for that.I have been burned not once, but twice by Keri Appleton and each time, I’ve only just managed to claw my way out of the hole of self-torment I dug for myself. But this time around, I won’t let her go. She is mine. She has always been mine. Even when she left the country without saying goodbye, even now, when she believes that she isn’t tied to me. She looks different. She’s filled out in places that make her look devastatingly gorgeous; almost being enough to make my heart cease on the spot. My thumb twitches as I roll my heavy steel ring around my finger like it somewhat calms the hostility that is burning deep i
My heart still aches painfully, as the morning dawned slowly and the hands of the clock ticked past with a taunting rhythm.It's all helped to shape the niggling sensation of a migraine that's slowly creeping up the sides of my temples. I don't know what hurts the most, the fact that the two people I cared about dearly were having an affair behind my back, or me truly believing that the ring currently gracing Avas' finger was meant for me. And no, I'm not delusional. You see, about two weeks ago when Chase had invited me over to his place for dinner, we had spoken about moving in together and starting the next chapter of our lives.It was time. We had been together for two years and the flame igniting our hearts was still blazing brilliantly.So I thought.But now, I feel so foolish, blinded by my fantasies of having a perfect happily ever after with the man whom I believed to be my Mr. Right. That same night I had spilled red wine over my white dress and I had gone into his room t