CHAPTER ELEVEN"Who was that on the phone?" Purple asked raising an eyebrow"A friend," he said calmly"What friend? A friend I don't know about?""He is a childhood friend, he's currently in Germany for studies""So what? Purple squirmed impatiently, "How is that supposed to make it better?""Honey, it's just a friend. It means nothing," he said reaching out to her.Purple released a breath and chuckled."It means nothing that I don't get to know of a friend you tell almost all your secrets to? Things you do not tell me?""Bunny, I didn't mean it that way, I swear." His eyes were beginning to tighten up."I heard your conversation, Lucas. Do you no longer love me?"Lucas swept his dark curls with his hands as he turned away from her."This is not the right time to discuss this," he sputtered."When will the right time ever be,?" Purple retorted.As Lucas turned to face the gray eyes that had turned slightly dark with rage, he could still see the helplessness in them, the helplessness

Lucas sped past the blaring cars and the toxic traffic with a curse. The thoughts of Limo and his threats sparked a fury in him that could not be controlled. He thought of going to the police to file a report, but with what evidence? With what statement? The better plan was to lie low and give Limo a taste of his own medicine.His mind shifted to Purple and he felt his muscles relax. They had a date tonight, and he would not screw that up with worrisome thoughts. His eyes scanned his surroundings, noting the particularly busy streets of the late summer evening. As he drove past a bus stop, he could read a sign on a metal board. "THIS IS LIFE, AND LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL." He scoffed, was life really beautiful?………………….Purple stood at the edge of the sidewalk as the loud, honking cars sped past her. She had just endured a three-hour boring conference meeting and so she needed a break, a comfortable bath, and a cuddle to erase the harsh memory of the day."What was taking him so long?" She t

The alarm chimed repeatedly and Purple awoke with a start. A look at the side of the bed was enough to make her jerk up in surprise. It was 10 o'clock, two hours late for work. 'How could I sleep for so long, I didn't even hear the rings of the previous alarms," she mused. She picked up her phone and went through it. There were dozen of texts and calls from Ellen and her assistant.One text read, "The boss's been asking for you, he's beginning to get suspicious, and for the umpteenth time, where the hell are you? and why are you not picking up your calls?"She dropped the phone with a curse and ran to the bathroom for a quick shower. As the warm water ran through her skin, the memories of the previous days played in her mind.Lucas had undergone another surgery and she had been there to look after him, there was still no sign of recovery, but the doctors assured her that the tumor had been removed, that Lucas's heart rate was stable, and that he was on his way to regaining conscious

An hour later, Purple walked into the hospital, tired and worn out, her eyes opened but not seeing.At the sight of Lucas, she ran to comfort herself in a long embrace."Bunny….," He said, tightening his hold on her."Lucas, my love, I miss you so much," she said in tears."I know, and I miss you too. I'm sorry I put you through the pain of looking after you,""That doesn't count, I'm glad you're back from the other realm," she said with a chuckle.Lucas made to speak but swallowed his words. Were mere words going to be enough to express how he felt?He hugged her tighter, allowing his body to express his hidden feelings; feelings he could not share or explain in words. She was hurt, and he knew it, he had caused her harm once more.Something he promised never to do again.He was conscious of her cold tears dropping on his bare skin, tears that not only projected joy and happiness but beneath the tears he knew a broken woman, one yearning for love and comfort, aching for fulfillment.

It was a typical summer afternoon and the fresh trees were bustling against each other. The humid air tossed Purple's long hair back and forth as she sat on the balcony of her mother's house reading a novel.She turned the pages of the novel, fully engrossed in it, pausing occasionally to remove the bits of hair that were deposited in her mouth by the air. Soon enough, her stomach growled in hunger and she dropped the book aside with a yawn."I just ate!" She whined.Her mother's garden caught her attention and she paused to look at it. The garden looked unkempt with different pools of mud, some of the flowers were yellowish."Hey, Mum, ain't you going to do anything about this precious garden of yours? It might breed bugs," she shouted, waiting for a response from within the house.There was none, and she screamed again"Mum, are you so busy to tend to your precious garden?"Again there was no response, and she thought it odd. Surely, her voice was loud enough to be heard a thousand