All Chapters of Clear Skies Without You: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

For three days straight, Joe partied at clubs, hoping Fiona would finally decide he was more trouble than he was worth.Instead, she showed up in her crisp military uniform and, under the curious stares of everyone around them, calmly dragged him home.Then he deliberately crashed his car through the fence outside a commanding officer's house, hoping that would convince her he was a hopeless disaster.Fiona simply went over herself, apologized, paid for the damage, and quietly made the whole thing go away.No matter how much trouble Joe caused, she was always there behind him, cleaning up his mess without a word.This time, he'd gotten arrested for fighting.Fiona had just finished a three-day emergency assignment. She hadn't even changed out of her uniform when she rushed over to bail him out, her eyes bloodshot from exhaustion.Watching her stand there, visibly worn out yet still perfectly composed, Joe felt a rare urge to explain himself.He wanted to tell her that this time

Everyone stared at him in shock."You! You ungrateful brat!"His stepmother quickly stepped forward, trying to smooth things over."Joe, calm down. Whatever it is, we can talk about it. There's no need to upset your father.""Stay out of this!" Joe snapped. "You're just some actress who started out as his mistress and wormed her way into this family. What makes you think you have any right to lecture me?"His stepmother's face turned red, then pale. On the verge of tears, she looked helplessly toward his father.George was furious, but one look at his son's expression told him Joe was ready to tear the whole place apart.He forced down his anger and waved his wife upstairs with the frightened children."What the hell is your problem this time?"Joe stared straight at him."Did you use that medication to force Fiona to marry me?"George's eyes flickered."What nonsense are you talking about?""You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Joe stepped closer. "George Kingston,

The next second, Xavier turned and ran, as if he couldn't bear what he'd just witnessed.Fiona's expression changed instantly.She pulled away from Joe, leaving him with a hurried "Wait here," before rushing after Xavier without a second thought.All Xavier had done was see them together, and she'd panicked enough to chase after him.What the hell did that make Joe?He stumbled to his feet and straightened his disheveled clothes.Feeling completely hollow, he walked out of that sickening corner like a puppet going through the motions.But just as he stepped out the nightclub's back door, someone shouted from above."Someone's jumping!"Joe instinctively looked up.A figure was falling straight down from the upper floors of the nightclub.A sickening thud followed.The body landed directly on Joe, who had only just stepped outside.Agony tore through him.Something warm and sticky splattered across his face and clothes.In the final seconds before everything went black, h

"Fiona... I'm sorry. I really don't know why Joe went down to the morgue and somehow got himself locked inside. I was only joking when I told him I'd left his things there for him to find. I never thought he'd actually go."Xavier's voice was filled with anxiety."Now the police are saying I could be charged with unlawfully confining Joe in the morgue. What am I supposed to do?"There was a brief silence before Fiona answered in a low voice."I already spoke to the police as his family and told them we don't intend to press the matter. You'll be fine. Don't be afraid."Joe lay on the cold table inside the morgue, listening to their conversation through the door.His heart felt like it was being ripped apart.Xavier had nearly gotten him killed in this freezing morgue, and Fiona had simply decided to let him off the hook?Rage surged through him.Joe grabbed a glass medicine bottle someone had left nearby and, using what little strength he had left, hurled it at the door.The

The soldiers immediately stepped forward to take Joe's friends away."Stop!"Joe hurled the wineglass in his hand to the floor. Glass shattered everywhere."This is my birthday party! These are my guests! I'd like to see which one of you dares touch them!"The soldiers hesitated."Mr. Kingston, we have our orders. Please don't make this difficult for us."Joe looked at Fiona's retreating figure, then at his friends, whose faces had gone pale.A crushing wave of anger, grief, and despair swept over him.He clenched his jaw."You're determined to punish someone, right? Fine.""This is my party. I'm the one responsible for everything that happens here. Whatever punishment you were going to give them, I'll take it for them.""Joe, don't!" his friends protested, reaching for him.Joe shook them off, his expression resolute."This started because of me. I'll be the one to end it. You guys go home."Then he looked at the soldiers."Lead the way."Outside the military detention