2019, March 28th(Caines)Zoey had been looking for Aaron all night, having run out the door after him the moment she could make her mind comprehend that he had left. She went everywhere he’d ever taken her, finally ending up in front of the cabin. The lights were on, but now that she might have found him, she didn’t know if she should be here after all. The door opened, and she gasped. “Won’t you come in?” he asked. She stepped inside. He was a mess. He looked like he hadn’t slept all night and he reeked of alcohol. “Aaron. I-”“You’re sorry, right?” he said absentmindedly, staring intently at a photo of them he had had framed and put on the mantle. It was of her asleep on the floor in his arms in front of the fireplace. She couldn’t answer him, her eyes now also glued to the image, to the memory. When she was brave enough, she looked. Seeing the pain she had caused him, was causing him, the hurt she’d allowed herself to ignore because he hurt her first, broke her heart. “Fathe
2019, March 28th(Caines)“Where were you?!” Natalie asked, a sigh oozing out of her when Zoey got back to the Arden mansion. Zoey’s eyes went to Bart. “How’s CC? I hear congratulations are in order. She’s already called to ask me to be her maid of honour.”Duke Arden looked between his children. “She’s getting married? To whom?”“To Bart,” Zoey answered, suppressing a smile. “What?!” Duke Arden answered, dumbfounded. “It’s matron of honour, dear,” said Duchess Arden. “You’re married now and about to become a crown princess.” It wasn’t the duchess’ grinding voice that bothered Zoey this morning. After all, she didn’t mind having her ears hurt so long as her heart would let up for a moment. “That’s not going to happen,” Zoey announced. “The marriage is going to be annulled. I just signed and sent the papers back.” “You did what?” Bart and Duke Arden asked at the same time. “What’s wrong?” Zoey asked, looking between them. “Wrong isn’t the word exactly,” cooed Duchess Arden.“
2019, March 28thThe walls were filled end to end with paintings of little events, moments they had shared. There was one from the first time he’d asked her to dance. It captured everything, down to every last little detail. The way he bowed, the dress she wore, the way her hair was put up. There was one of her getting out of the car as he waited for her on the streets of Caines, one of her in the red dress he had picked for the restaurant. She knew for a fact she hadn’t looked that good that night. There were many different ones: of her taking his hand and opening up his fist when he got angry at the bellboy Ren, of him throwing her over his shoulder, of her in the wedding dress when she was still in the boutique trying it on, of him kissing her cheek on the day of the press conference, of Zoey asleep in bed next to him, of him kneeling before her at the duchess’ welcome as he gave her his mother’s ring, of her kneeling with him after the fight, of their first real kiss on a corn
2019, March 4th"He proposed right here! He said, 'Zoey, marry me already!'"She was yelling out into the night now."Why did he do that?! So what if I didn't marry him? Is it really such a big deal if two old guys don't get along?!"James came up to Zoey, pulling her away from the edge of the cliff. He must really not be thinking straight. How the hell had he sat still in a car next to this crazy woman while she drove him up the dirt road (the condition of which seems to have worsened since the last time he was in Caines) of Height of Caines like a rookie Formula 1 driver?"When those two men are your dad and my dad, yes," James answered, emptying more of the whiskey into his mouth.He knew he had to stop. He still had to get them back down safely somehow. James pulled out his phone and called for a helicopter to take them back down, all the while keeping his eye on her. She was completely wasted and not to be trusted to make even the slightest move.The screaming had stopped. Sudden
2019, March 4th"Come on, I'm obviously too sober and it looks like you're getting there too. Plus, you still reek of vomit. Let's get out of here," James said, taking her hand as he led her through the maze garden, trying to remember the secret way out he and Aaron had created all those years ago.James took Zoey to CC's fashion house. He meant to give Zoey something as a wedding gift, but as he was unlikely to be here tomorrow, he wanted to give it to her now. When they got there, though, he changed his mind. There was suddenly something too intimate about his gift. So while she washed up and somehow found CC's vodka stash, he looked for clothes for her to wear."Isn't it lovely?" Zoey asked, twirling around in the emerald dress he had designed for her.Again, James was taken aback. She was surprising him a lot tonight. He was sure she wasn't all that drunk anymore, so this was just all her. She'd chosen to put his dress on all on her own, no drunken influence needed. James never di
2019, March 29thZoey shoved James off of her."Okay James, I get it. You're a jerk. But guess what? I don't care about that today. I'm just here to get a prince to a coronation," she spat out.It wasn't entirely a lie. There was a coronation happening today and a couple that would be torn apart because of it if he didn't show up, a couple they both cared about.James wanted to keep her as much as he wanted to get rid of her. Seeing her out there, coming for him had made him forget for a moment, but there he was, right back to their wedding night when he'd promised himself he would undo it, if he could just say the words, have that moment with her, he would undo it."The coronation has nothing to do with me," he sneered, licking his lips as he looked at hers. "You, on the other hand-" he closed in on her, dragging a finger down the side of her face.Zoey didn't like what he was implying, the way he was leering at her. Or was it that she didn't like that she liked it? Not only did he j
2019, March 29thMeanwhile, back at the palace, Bart had been preparing all morning for his coronation. Which really meant he sat and stared at a wall while people talked at him, waiting for the only voice that mattered to show up and tell him it was okay, like she always did, that she would be his princess, his queen. But she wasn't showing up, and they were running out of time."Checked out already, have you Arden?" Aaron asked, coming up behind Bart, his hands in his pockets."I literally haven't had a second alone since I woke up. What do you want, Condor?"Bart seemed tired and older than he usually did somehow, which wasn't saying much. He always seemed older than he was to Aaron. Aaron didn't know he could feel pity for the man who had, for all intents and purposes, stolen his place, his title, but there he was, wishing he knew how to help them."You don't want it, I can't have it, it's a really fucked up situation man. Believe it or not, I'm just here to check on you."Bart lo
"Be a good girl and give it to me, Zoey," he whispered softly. "Or I'll take it."2019, March 29thHis eyes dropped to her breasts, then trailed back up her bare neck. He remembered how she tasted, how he'd bitten and kissed her. All that remembering was his undoing. As if she was somehow making him do it, as if compelled, he lowered his head down to her neck and kissed it. It was the lightest of kisses and had he not looked at her then, he might have gotten away. But he did look. His hand went to the back of her head, his fingers getting tangled up in her hair as he pulled it back, holding her in place. He inhaled her scent, licked and tasted her, kissed every inch of her neck, then down to her shoulders and chest until he was drunk on her, until he could stand it no more and his lips found hers.She took advantage of the state he was in and slipped out from under him, but this only served to make him mad when he caught up with her. He wrapped an arm around her waist from the back an