All Chapters of Terms and Conditions : Chapter 71 - Chapter 79

EDMONDReturning home to May after really helping Lucille dissect our former relationship and her relationship with Tyrone made me feel better about lying.I told myself that there was really nothing much to it. I lied for a valid reason. I had done it before, and May had understood. I figured I would just give it a few days before I mentioned it. She would forgive me. I would get over whatever guilt continued to disturb me.Upon entering the house, I noticed May sitting on the couch, seemingly engrossed in a movie.Hanging my suit on the rack, I proceeded to settle on the couch. “Hey,” I whispered, leaning in for a kiss. May made no attempt to meet my lips, but she did let me kiss her on the cheek.“Hi,” She whispered back, glancing at me.I watched as her eyes traveled from my face to my tie. Something seemed to shift in her eyes.May’s face turned back to the television, and she asked in a cool tone, “How was work?”By cool, I meant cold. Ice cold. Her question felt sarcastic for s

MAYWith everything that was in me, I would have wanted nothing more than to hit that button. I was angry, and rightfully so. But no sooner had I looked at the options Snuggle had given me did I come to gain true clarity.How could I be angry? Edmond did not have this choice. It was why he was keeping secrets from me and the app and unsuccessfully at that.How could I be angry when this union was not meant to be in the first place? All we both wanted then was our lives which Snuggle had stolen. Whatever came after that was orchestrated by the app. It pained me to admit that I had fallen in love with Edmond knowing it was all just some big corporation’s game. But it had been true. I tumbled. I probably was still stumbling too.I contemplated waking Edmond to ask if what he had told me then was true. He had told me he was tumbling too. He told me he cared about me. He had even told me he loved me back when I said it to him. But looking back, that had been the euphoria from sex.Had any

EDMOND"Snuggle has no idea where Miss Wolfe is. She has her freedom. She can do with it what she pleases. Will that be all?" Cupid's calm, almost mechanical voice resonated through the phone.I felt a surge of anger and frustration boiling within me. It was directed at myself, at the inscrutable app, at the world. I felt cheated, betrayed even. "No," I snapped, unable to contain my frustration. "I don't understand this. Our thirty days aren't up. Is this some kind of sick joke?"Cupid's response was as cold as ever. "No. I wish I could tell you it's a joke, but it's not. Miss Wolfe was given a trial with options. Either to stay by your side or to leave. I'm sure you realize now the choice she made."My strength seemed to drain from my body, and I dropped the phone onto the cold kitchen counter. My breaths came in ragged gasps, drowning out Cupid's distant voice. All I could hear was my own heartbeat pounding in my ears, and all I could feel was an icy chill that threatened to consume

EDMONDThe scent of old memories hung in the air as I parked in front of May's weathered apartment. Its blue doors, worn with age, seemed to stand sentinel, guarding whatever was inside. It had done so before.Stepping onto the cracked pavement, determination surged through me and I attempted to drown out the hesitant beat of my heart.I approached her door, each footfall echoing in the stillness, a reminder of the silence that surrounded me. It was so quiet that all I could really hear was my heartbeat.I put my knuckles against the weathered wood and took a deep breath. It was a necessary evil. Then I knocked.The sound was a sharp plea in the hush. But the door held their secret. I heard nothing but silence.The silence stretched into an insurmountable chasm threatening to swallow me whole. But I couldn't waver. Not now."I'm not leaving, May," I called out, my voice thick with desperation.Still, the silence stood firm, unyielding in its resolve. Just as despair began to tighten i