CamilaPyke’s body goes rigid. His eyes suddenly widen and his handsome face turns white. His hand was squeezing my waist stronger that his fingers might leave a mark on my skin.“Well, look at you now, Pykie.” A voluptuous brunette of around mid-thirties walks closer to us. She’s a few inches taller than me, has a sun-kissed skin or she’s probably from southern California. She’s wearing a white dress that hugs her curves perfectly. Her hair is curled in large waves, but what catches my attention is her icy sapphire blue eyes staring at me with an angry glare that could slice me in two.“Who’s this girl?” she asks, emphasizing the word girl with disdain, but Pyke is still shocked to respond.I grab his sweaty hand, squeezing it, then I take a deep breath and smile sweetly at whoever is this bitch in front of us, perhaps, she’s Pyke’s ex-fuck buddy.“Oh, hi, I’m Camila King.” I offer my hand for a handshake. I silen

CamilaMy eyes widen in amazement to see Hughes' residence for the first time. An Italian-inspired mansion stands tall in front of us. Even at night, I can see the neatly manicured huge lawns, and in between the U-shaped driveway is the beautiful Trevi-inspired fountain.A woman wearing a white blouse and black pants welcome us inside the house. Her dark hair tuck in a neat bun with light makeup on her face, and she introduces herself as Mrs. Boyes, Mrs. Hughes’ PA.The whole house of Auntie Carissa can fit into their living room alone. My eyes instantly find the man that haunted my mind every second of my day. I know for the fact that I am going to meet him here, so I brace myself as I enter the house.“Hi, Pyke,” I find myself greeting him. After my encounter with that woman in the restaurant, I asked the driver to send me to Auntie’s home. I was glad when I found Kyland there. He did a great job of diverting my mind f

CamilaPanic streaks through me when I open my eyes to a pitch black. I sit up abruptly, blinking many times and let my eyes adjust to the dark room.A soft humming of the air condition makes me hug my knees tighter to my body as the goosebumps crawl on my skin. It smells old and dusty. The tiled-floor is cold underneath my bare feet, making my toes curl.This is not my room.Where am I?A clicking of bolt indicates someone is unlocking the door from the outside. My body stiffens. The door creaks open, a yellow light slowly illuminates inside. My heart pounds in my chest when a woman’s silhouette reveals.“You’re finally awake, sweetheart. You must be hungry,” says the petite woman. She has the softest voice I’ve ever heard, but there is something in her voice that makes me shiver.“Where am I? Who are you?” I ask in a wary tone.“

Camila“Babe, get some sleep,” Pyke coos. “It’s been a long day.”“Good night, Pyke.” I slip back inside my blanket, feeling a little disappointed.“I’m not going anywhere.” He must have sensed my dismay. Then he says as he runs his fingers through my hair, “I’ll be right here until you fall to sleep.”“I know, but I don’t want you to go even if I fall asleep.” I feel a little bit needy and desperate, but I want Pyke to be by my side right now. “You’ve been far from me for a week. Please stay.”“Are you sure?” he asks almost immediately.My heart flutters to the thought of his excitement of staying beside me tonight. Heat spreads all over my body like a little spark could light up the fire that has been dead for a week.I nod, close my eyes, and move to my side giving him my back. I hear shuffling of his clothes and clinking of metal, probably his belt. A moment later, my bed sinks on my back and Pyke g

CamilaThe doctor allows me to go home since my test results are within a normal range. I’m under stress these couple of days. I finally agree to see a psychologist when the nightmare still keeping me awake almost every night.Pyke is still lying in the hospital bed for two days now. His lungs are filled with smoke. The pulmonologist advised to keep him on assist control breathing to clean up his lungs. And thank God, Kyland didn’t get many injuries besides a little bump on his head—no concussion, a left black-eyed, and split lip caused by that psychopath who pretended to be Pyke’s relative.What happened two nights ago finally convinces me that Pyke is important to me than anything. I keep on denying that I’m only attracted to him rather than facing the fact that I let him into my life because I trust him more than I trust anyone in my life. I sleep with him because I know my body belongs to him—my fate is to be with him. Our