LOGINJEREMIAH “It can’t be possible. It can't happen…” It can't... No... All this time while my son was growing up, living in a world without his father, I had been alive, somewhere, hating his mother and my life, not knowing what I was missing. My jaw tightened as I forced myself to stay where I was, even as everything in me pulled toward him. He stood in front of me, real and alive, and yet feeling impossibly distant like a stranger. Like a dream. I refused to look at Nina again, maybe if I stayed still I will wake up. This was a dream. It could be nothing else. Because how could I accept that I lost a chunk of my own baby’s life that I will nevrr get back. I can't. “Jeremy.” I lifted my blurry gaze to Lachlan, he put his hand on the boy’s shoulder as he said, “This is Juhan. Your—” I held up my hand, noticing how terribly it was shaking. I didn’t let him finish. And despite myself, I looked for answer from my wife. A moment ago, I didn't want to.
JEREMIAH “Lisichka…” I called out to my wife as I made my way toward the stairs. Although, I should’ve been already awake as Lachlan would be here any moment and I fucking missed my little shadow, but with my wife in my arms I hadn't wanted to leave the bed. And yet I woke up in an empty bed without her beside me which left me feeling unsettled. I was still not comfortable with her out of my sight. Every time I think about how close I came to losing her, something inside me turns and twists. If it hadn’t been for my inability to feel pain, I wondered if I had been able to save her in time with two bullet holes in my body. But a part of me wanted to believe that I’d have still managed to save her. Because without her I wouldn’t have been able to face my little shadow. Without her I wouldn’t have been able to survive. As I took the stairs, my gaze travelled down to the hall where Nina stood beside my little shadow. A smile lifted the corner of my lips. “You are here.”
NINA I woke up in his warm embrace, feeling like a melted butter, well rested and content. My body was still tingling, still humming with the lingering echoes of pleasure that had left me feeling almost drugged. My limbs felt heavy, my thoughts slow, like I was drifting somewhere between sleep and waking. I didn’t even want to leave the comfort of his arms, but my bladder was screaming at me. I sat up reluctantly and took a moment to watch him sleep. And for the first time, I noticed how relaxed he looked. The constant tension that usually lived in his features was gone. For the first time, there was no frown marking his forehead. There was no anger in his expression, no clenched jaw, no tightened brows. He was relaxed. And I wanted to believe he was content too. I slipped out of the bed when I felt another urgent demand from my bladder and made my way to the bathroom. When I came back, Jeremiah’s hand was thrown across the mattress, fingers brushing the empty
JEREMIAH “What do you plan to do, wife?” I watched as in answer, she sat back on her haunches and untied the sash on her bathrobe. She shrugged the robe off her shoulders, baring her perfect handful tits and pebbled nipples to my eyes. My mouth watered at the sight. It felt like forever since I had tasted her. I reached out to cup one beautiful breast, but she pushed my hand away. And then to my surprise, she braced her palms on either side of my shoulders and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. I stared at her, almost bewildered. A soft smile curved her lips as if she was happy with herself. And then she didn’t stop there, she trailed her lips down along my nose and pressed soft kisses on each of my cheeks like she found me adorable, which was a blasphemy if you ask me. By the time she reached my lips, I was starting to lose patience, but I let her have her way. I was almost in a trance, feeling her kiss me like I was something precious to her. Her lips were sof
NINA I walked and walked and walked, but no matter in which direction I turned I couldn’t escape the dark forest. And this one didn’t feel familiar. It didn't have the feel of my monster lurking in the shadows coming to catch me. This felt different. "Jeremiah?" I called, but my voice was barely audible to my own ears. "Nina..." "Jer? Where are you?" I circled around, looking as far as eyes could see but not finding him. A sudden thunder echoed from the clouds, followed by lightening. I startled and took a step back, only to stumble over something. In a blink, I was on my knees and there was snow everywhere. "What-" I started but a scream left my mouth when I saw Jeremiah lying there, blood pooled around him, staining the white snow. "Jeremiah!!" I shook him by the shoulders, my heart lurching. "Jeremiah... No... H-How?!" He was there. We were together. Finally, everything was okay. How could this happen? A choked gasp came from him and when I looked
NINA No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop the tears. They kept falling. I silently wiped them away as I carefully poured water over his other shoulder away from the left side where he was hurt. Jeremiah stayed still, relaxed back against the lip of the tub, letting me do all the work because I insisted. When I moved in front of him, his grey eyes met mine and I knew he could see my tears. He shook his head as he murmured, "Are you going to keep crying like this, lisichka?" "I can't stop them..." I wiped more tears. "I hate that you went through so much." He grabbed my hand and took the washcloth from me, dropping it to the side. Pulling me closer, he said, "And I hate to see you cry like this. Stop it before I punish you." I sniffled. "You can’t punish me for crying." "Want to bet?" I pursed my lips. He smirked. His wet thumb brushed along my lower lip. "It took me a long time to understand this that the more I stay in the past, the more far I'll be fr
JEREMIAH "I love you too."His eyes widened at my admission and I chuckled, softly. “Did you think I forgot? You told me to tell you once I was sober, didn’t you?” His eyes shimmered, first glimpse of happiness. I said, “Now, let me apologise properly.” “Wha—" I lowered myself on my kne
NINA I looked down at the plate in front of me. The food looked and smelled great, but my stomach was in knots to eat properly. I hadn’t wanted to sit across them to begin with, but then Garcia had asked with such conviction in her words and hope in her eyes, I didn't want to disappoint her.
NINA The house was eerily quiet as I made my way down the stairs. A shiver ran up my spine as it felt like I was the only one here. As I crossed the hall and came closer to the big doors, I didn’t look back to see if anyone was there, I just slipped out and was halfway down the marble stairs when
NINAI knew I was awake.I could hear them, hear their concerned voices, hear the doctor telling them to give me some time. I could feel them both sitting on either side of me. Feel the warmth of their bodies as they slept with their arms draped around me. But even when my body resisted the idea o







