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Chapter 118: Breakdown
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The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 119: Trouble at Home
She walks past me quickly getting in my line of sight again and trying to steer me to the left. "You are upset. Let me help. Get in my car and I'll drive you." She hits her key fob and a black super-expensive-looking sports car parked on the curb beeps."I'm just going to the towers," I say pointing at the apartment building visible from our bandage point.Tiffany's smile grows. "It will still be faster to drive."Not trusting her, but desperate to get to Ashley as quickly as possible, I open the passenger side door of the car as she waits. We drive the wrong direction away from the apartment complex, weaving through downtown's many one-way streets to get us back to the proper side of the street going in the right direction.She stops at a red light, even though there are no cars in the deserted downtown area on the holiday weekend."He set you up in the towers?" she says almost tsking her disapproval. "Honey, you should have held out for someplace better."Anxiety crawls u
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 120: Run
How is it that everything seemed so great in Paris, yet once we're back on American soil everything fell to shit so quickly?I thought when Vincent told me the truth that his secrets had been revealed, but we'd barely scratched the surface. Now we've uncovered two lovers and a romantic affair with a client. What could rattle our resolve next?How much will it take before I run? Will I ever be able to fit into Vincent's life? I wasn't a person for high drama or fears. Cheaters are the worst. And my life—the part that didn't have Vincent in it—was calm. I had my best friend to count on through thick and thin and all my plans for the future figured out. Vincent obliterated my easy demeanor when he stormed into the picture.I unlock the door to our apartment, expecting to find Ashley drunk again even though it's early in the day. The actual view rips a shriek from my chest as I leave my keys in the door and slide on the floor next to Ashley's body. She's passed out in front of the co
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 121: The Past Revealed
"You were overwhelmed, Ashley. It's okay."We all have times when it feels like the world is hitting us at once. I understand. Ashley and I have both been fighting our own battles in separate war zones."I haven't studied for the bar since May."I grab Ashley's hand, squeezing tightly. She always thinks the worst of herself. "Yes, you have. You're always at the library." How many nights have I come home to an empty apartment when Ashley's been off studying? She's always too hard on herself.She shakes her head. "No, I lied. I've been going to Harpers for lunch every day and staying until dinner."I blink, stare at her, and then blink again. Did I hear her right? Harper's is a corner stone of college life. Located less than two blocks from campus. We'd spent many nights there."What were you doing the whole time?"She shrugs and her gaze falls to her lap. "Playing on my phone."What? Why would she admit this to me now? "For how long?"Ashley lifts her shoulder again as
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 122: Broken Hearts
They have been together? For a year? Her words tumble around as I try and grasp each one, deciding what they mean. "But Henry and I have only been broken up for a few months."Oh.Double O.Everything hits me like a pile of bricks, knocking me to the hospital floor even though my body doesn't move. We were living with Ashley's now ex-boyfriend Jonathan and she was sleeping with my boyfriend."Oh, I see."Ashley reaches for my hand again but I take a step away from her hospital bed. "I'm so sorry, Mackenzie.""We're best friends?" It's a statement and a question. How could my best friend, the one person in the world I trusted, betray me in such a way? It's like a literal knife wound to the chest. And not only did they start seeing each other, but it happened while we were still dating. Ashley, the woman who was so broken when her boyfriend cheated, was cheating on her boyfriend, with her best friend's boyfriend. Shakespeare couldn't write such a tragedy."I swear it didn't
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 123: Rock Bottom
The simple skeleton key, silver with diamond embellishments on the circle latch and leaf vines feels extra heavy around my neck. The Tiffany etched in the backside means it probably cost more than I make in a month, but I'd been helpless to turn away the blue box when it was hand delivered earlier this morning.I mean it was a blue box. Everyone would be curious to see what was inside the package.The necklace is elegant yet simple and understated. Just like my style. A simple white business card was tucked into the box with a message from Vincent scribbled on the front.This reminded me of you.Does he understand me after all? Does Vincent want me to dress in power heels and wear fifty-thousand-dollar outfits that cost as much is his suit? Or is he okay with me? The real me. A woman who wants to wear a simple necklace and a pair of running shoes. I hope the gift is a sign—a gesture he doesn't realize he is making—but I can't determine a reason Vincent would be at Tiffany's sin
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 124: Empty Apartment
"Hello?" I answer."Yeah, I've got dinner for a Marshal.""Dinner?"I haven't eaten all day. The thought of food would take too much work to figure out and my stomach hasn't rumbled asking for anything.It rumbles. Stupid stomach."How much do I owe?""Listen, lady, it's been paid for already. I have two more deliveries. You going to let me up or not?"Wow, jerk.I punch in the access code, granting him access to the building so he can bring me the food my stomach now craves. Not wanting to waste a second, I open the apartment door and wait for him to step off the elevator. The smell of my favorite Chinese restaurant in the city hits me before he does. I reach for the bag and hand him a quick tip, the last five dollars from my wallet as he walks to the elevator, a heavy bag thrown over his shoulder.The apartment is too empty and quiet. Being in the main living area reminds me I'm the only one here. To combat the sadness, I spread the food out on my comforter and sit
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 125: Reunion
As I finish the story of what his wife told me in the car, he pulls back my face in his hands. Vincent's skin is red and his expression one of anger. "I swear that's not how it happened. I will do anything to prove that to you. Yes, I made bad choices when I was younger, but I've never raised my hand to a woman. Never, not after growing up in the home I did."I nod, wanting to believe it's true. A part of me always did. When faced with a difficult decision, a woman's choices are limited and often used against her for years. Do I believe the woman in the scenario and cast Vincent aside because of their words? Or do I trust a man who has never shown me anything but kindness and acceptance?You are always supposed to listen to women and believe them and trust them. Girl power and all, but I can't match up Tiffany's words with anything Vincent has done or said in our time together. It's as if I'm being forced to pick between two worlds."It's just so much at one time." I finally wrap
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 126: An Offer He Won't Let Her Refuse
"What?" There's absolutely no way I heard him correctly.From the briefcase he brought in that I completely forgot about, he pulls out a quarter-inch-thick stack of papers. "My lawyers drew up these papers this weekend. I promise they are very favorable to you, but I strongly suggest you have a lawyer look them over before you sign if you'd like. If you sign this, you'll gain half voting control of my company."He tries to pass the papers over but I push them away. "Vincent, I don't want half your company." It's absurd. He doesn't need to sign away his company to prove a point to me."But I want you, Mackenzie. I need you to realize how important you are to me. How much I'm willing to give you when it's possible I can." Looking deep into my eyes and making sure I'm paying attention, he continues. "I've never felt this way about another human being. The moment I saw you I wanted you. At first it was purely physical, but I've gotten to know you and realize your quirks.""I don't
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