All Chapters of After Three Years: She Wakes Up: Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

At first, I thought I had misheard him. "I'm sorry, how much?""$1350," he repeated. "And 27 cents." “You've got to be kidding me?” I scoffed, crossing my arms. “For a short ride into the city. A ride that I already paid for...” Wagging his finger at me, he put the car in park, his gaze drifting up to the rearview mirror until it captured mine. "Not so fast, Sweetheart. You paid for 30 minutes,” the man pointed at a meter on the dash of his car. “Then you fell asleep. Was I supposed to kick you out after 30 minutes? That wouldn't have been gentlemanly.""But highway robbery is okay?" I balked, flabbergasted by his audacity. "I'm not paying that! There's no way I was in your car for that long.""Suit yourself," he shrugged, "But then I'll just report you to the company for fare jumping. Then nobody will give you a ride ANYWHERE in this city." Looking out the window he added, "You might want to reconsider. This isn't a very nice neighborhood." I followed his gaze.Trash rolled down th

It was noon on one of the hottest days of the summer, but as I stood there clinging to the arms of my rescuer, I couldn't stop shivering. "Your body is going into shock," Mr. Huxley's lips were pressed into a thin line. "Let's get a little something into your stomach, and then you can tell me all about how you got in this mess. You think you can walk about two blocks?" I nodded, and 15 minutes later, I was seated in a plush back chair, a cup of hot cocoa in my hands, Houston's warm jacket wrapped around my shoulders. It smelled faintly of his expensive cologne, its cedar wood incense scent blending with the taste of chocolate on my tongue reminding me of campfires and s'mores.By some miracle, neither the manila envelope nor my phone were lost in my rush. Holding them both as close to me as I could, I clutched my phone tight enough that my finger ached as I curled myself into the tightest ball my designer suit would allow and poured out my sorrows to Allison. “The freaking taxi driv

[Connor][One hour earlier]The door closed silently behind her, clicking with a faint finality. She was done with this place–done with me. I shouldn’t have pushed things. I shouldn’t have asked her to come. I knew she had things to do, that her heart still hurt about my betrayal. But I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that her rejection stung. “Sir,” Gerald started, “respectfully, what on Earth are you doing with that girl?” I looked up at my friend. He was starting to look older, the fine lines around his eyes a bit deeper as the first touches of middle age began to settle in. It’s strange, seeing the gray around his temples and knowing I’m only a handful of years behind him.“I don’t know what you mean,” I turned towards him, pulling my eyes away from the door that Ariana just passed through a moment ago. Gerald didn’t look at me as he gathered the last of my files, adding them to a stack of his own. “You know very well what I mean, Sir. You’re acting like my little Bethan

[Allison]"Did you hear me," I shouted into the phone. "Ariana is missing! She should have been here by now!" "Easy now," Connor's chill voice sounded tired, drained--like his day has already been long enough. "Start at the beginning." I was sitting outside of an elegant cafe, my third oversized cup of designer coffee resting on the table. I was already anxious, and the caffeine wasn’t helping, as I sat here, alone, absently twirling my new, yellow-diamond ring on my finger. I had hoped Josh could meet me here and we could tell Ariana our good news together.But he wasn't available--he was too busy working.Since he’s been working here at the SF office all morning, while I checked on things in Oakland, as dopey as it sounds, I missed him. After he proposed, we left the fair, skipped dinner, and went straight to bed. You’d think after a night of constant lovemaking I’d be able to let him go for a couple of hours. But when I woke up to an empty bed and a note, I couldn’t keep my heart

[Ariana]Holding the record to my chest, I scanned the room, looking for any sign of Mr. Huxley. But everything that marked his presence was gone–his jacket, the plates and cups from our snack. Except for this record and note, it would be as if I had imagined him. “Maybe he had an emergency,” I murmured as I considered what could have been so urgent. “Maybe a rocket blew up or something,” I joked as an attempt to ease the discomfort I was feeling at being abandoned without much explanation. For someone who has been working so hard to get my attention, he doesn’t seem all that interested in keeping it.Although, to be fair, I still didn’t know anything real about Houston Huxley. He knows a lot about my past, and has asked me a lot about my future, but I don’t even know where he works. And that felt strange. Really strange. Not because of how familiar we are, but because of how imbalanced this dynamic was becoming between us.Is it because he’s trying to keep everything close to his