More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
I’m a survivor of many things, but even survivors know when to give up.
“Is this what you expected, child?” she asks, walking back to her bed and dropping onto it then picking her book back up and putting on her reading glasses. “Everyone in this cell minds their own business, and no one is a saint. That being said, there is a bounty on your head. You keep your eyes open, Phoenix, or nothing but ashes will be left of you.”
“People say that time heals all wounds, and the pain that freezes us from the inside out becomes just a fleeting memory. Instead, there is a permanent sting in place of it that reminds us of what we lost, but it’s no longer the raging inferno that has the power to destroy us. I thought it was true until Zachary King happened in my life. After that, time stands still for me while pain continues to come, with no way of escaping it.” Phoenix
“I’m sorry I’m not explaining it right.” She clears her throat and fires a bullet at me; that’s how much her words shock me. “All the drivers had alcohol in their system. All the drivers claim they couldn’t control the vehicle and hadn’t drunk anything before sitting in the car. All the drivers mentioned how the car just acted on its own while they drove right into those women.”
And the next day, I decided to be a doctor who can do the impossible, so I won’t see boys sad like him anymore. Or at least try.
Yes, she will be, and I intend to be at her side no matter what. I hope someday, once she is old enough to understand the full scope of the situation, my daughter can forgive me for what I have done in the past. Emmaline Katherine King.
My and Phoenix’s daughter for whom I summoned all the best pediatric specialists in the world in order to assure she would survive, and she did despite the odds not being in her favor. My girl is a fighter.
Our daughter. Ours, because fuck Sebastian Hale for turning his back on them; he has no rights where she is concerned anyway, unless he seeks a DNA test, and that will never happen. Not if her mother is on my side. He won’t be able to claim them back, even once she knows the truth, and I don’t think Phoenix will ever be able to forgive his betrayal. Until all this is over, Phoenix belongs to me, forever under my protection—a part of me. No one takes away what belongs to me. Especially not Sebastian Hale.
I turn toward him, and he raises his gaze to me. “The name is here.” Only then does it dawn on me he is looking at the word spelled on it, and I nod, deciding to keep to myself that I write the name from time to time whenever I see it washing away. The eyes of the boy always haunted me, and I thought he’d be sad if he ever came back here and not see his mom’s name on it. “At least she lives on here,” he says before coming closer to me, and I wince when a hard gust of wind sends me back a few steps. If it weren’t for his hand gripping my elbow, I’d have probably fallen on my behind. “And you’re
...more
“I love you, Phoenix,” Sebastian whispers against my forehead before placing a soft kiss on it and then dropping to his knees, right on the sand, and the distant sounds of the ocean lapping against the rocks in the background. “I can’t imagine living in a world without you.” He takes out a velvet box from his pocket and opens it up, the diamond glistening in the sun, and I gasp. “Will you marry me and spend the rest of your life with me?” he asks, and I nod, tears forming in my eyes that transform into giggles as he gets up and hugs me close, spinning us around, and finally stops. I lean back,
...more
Two men. Two different emotions. And among these two men, I have to find a solution and middle ground to remove them from my life once and for all. Because both of them have destroyed me once, stripping me of everything to the point that I almost believed I killed Angelica King. They made me think I was a murderer. And for that… for that, I will never forgive them. Never.
“Past and future can collide in such a way that it shakes someone’s present.” Phoenix
Zachary chuckles, leans over the counter, and snatches another bottle of whiskey. He flicks it open and pours himself a generous amount once again. Does he plan to get wasted or what? He replies, his tone stone-cold yet hot in its intensity, “I’m not the ex-husband who left her and then got engaged to my sister. How is she by the way? Does she know you came here the minute your ex got out of prison? I bet Felicia would love to hear that.” The way he says it, though, implies differently.
“There is no need for that. Sebastian, whatever we had is in the past. Don’t apologize, because it means nothing to me. Let’s just go our separate ways. Like we never existed for each other.” This was what he wanted, and besides, he’s in love.
“Please leave, both of you. Could you at least do that for me? I’d like to never see either of you again. Don’t disturb my life with your guilt. It means nothing to me.”
I want her, and what I want, I get. Tonight, Phoenix Hale became mine. Mine to keep.
“Choosing the lesser evil doesn’t make the choice less evil. It’s still evil, but choosing it brings less destruction to the world than the other one. Funny how life can change so quickly. A man who I used to love becomes the one I need to run away from. And the man I hate? Is the only one who can save me from him. Yet both of them are evil at the same time. Our choices define us. Unfortunately, my choice has the power to destroy me.” Phoenix
Don’t sacrifice yourself at the altar of others, because the funny thing about sacrifices? No one remembers you made them when they turn their back on you.
There isn’t anything I can’t buy in this world for my pleasure; all I need to do is just wish it. But… thank you for the homemade cookie. The last time I ate those was when my mom was alive. And this makes the gift priceless. Best, Zach P.S.: I got it on time. P.P.S.: My friend doesn’t get to eat any of these cookies because they are mine. And I don’t share. Ever.
She was a genius with the perfect life. Living in her fairytale world with no care. Until I broke it all apart,: Made her a murderer who everyone wanted to rip to shreds. The phoenix burned in flames. I couldn’t stand watching it. So I uncovered the truth and helped her to be reborn from her ashes. Did you really think I would give you up, Phoenix? Compared to everyone else in your life, I always stood by your side, but even I had to use you. And everything I do now will be for you. It’s one last dangerous game: Only one inevitable outcome. Do you want to play it with me anyway?
“Peace is a mythical word that doesn’t exist in real life. They say a person should rest in peace when he or she dies. But what should those who lost them do? There is no such explanation for suffering in peace. For there cannot be pain in peace. Only dead people can truly understand or feel it, and isn’t that ironic? Or is the word I’m looking for ‘tragic’?” Zachary
That’s the thing really about apologies; I never make them. I consider them useless and a waste of air. If you do something and you regret it, don’t do it again. What’s the point of begging for forgiveness? The person can see you have changed by your actions, surely not with your words. Or maybe I’m judging it all through my perspective?
“I would have loved her,” I say into his chest, so tired I can barely breathe. “I would have loved her so much.” She wouldn’t have grown up like me, not knowing if she was ever wanted in this world or just a simple mistake that should have never happened.
“They say lust is a sin. They must be right. Wanting him, craving him, responding to him… is a sin. A sin that is so tempting I can’t resist it. And for that, we might both go to hell, but then don’t we already live in it anyway?” Phoenix
As long as you love or hate someone, you are forever attached to them in a way that you are never truly free.
But forgiveness is like love; it’s either freely given or has no meaning at all. You can’t force the emotion out of someone.
“They say some of the greatest love stories are born from hate. I don’t think I believe that. Because then I would have fallen in love with Zachary from the first glance. They say love and forgiveness are our greatest salvations in this world. I hope not. Love and forgiveness might just be one thing that will forever break me.” Phoenix
into the lapels of my jacket, gripping it hard, and a raspy breath escapes her. “You’re a poison that’s slowly killing me from the inside out,”
I intend to burn right along with her in the smoldering passion of our creation, and her beautiful body will come alive under my hands. A smart man never gives up on a woman he desires obsessively. And no one can call me stupid, can they?
“I share your sentiments, darling. If it wasn’t for your denial, we’d now be kissing in the car, and I could have pulled it behind the house where we could fuck. Have you ever fucked in a car?” he asks and chuckles when I send daggers his way with my stare. He taps me on the nose. “Now we’re both unsatisfied.” He clacks with his tongue. “I have good news for you.” He motions with his hand up and down his torso. “This body is ready whenever you are.” He leans closer, whispering in my ear, “Just ask or beg for it. I don’t care which one.”
“Sex is supposed to be nothing but mutual pleasure for the parties involved. If you are not enjoying it, what the fuck are you even doing? Sex is not complicated, because it lacks emotions, only physical desire that may not know any boundaries. Yet sex has the power either to enhance or destroy the relationship. But the most important part about sex with no strings attached to it? To not let your heart fool you there is something more to it. Sex is phenomenal. Love though? Love is scary as fuck.” Zachary
Because if all along I hurt the girl from my childhood whose shitty life never deprived her of her hopes and dreams, so she still worked her ass off toward her degree, then I’m an even bigger monster than I’ve anticipated.
“You probably thanked God you didn’t meet me that day, right?” He doesn’t say anything, because he can’t deny it. If he tried, I would have called his bluff. “I met Sebastian on that day in the cab. Whenever your name popped in my mind, I thanked you for ditching me, so I could be with the man of my dreams.”
“Open.” I do as he says, and he thrusts inside my mouth easily while I relax my throat as much as I can around him. “Your mouth is so hot, baby. I could die a happy man with my dick in there with your plump lips holding it prisoner. Pleasure and pain combined in one.”
The biggest lies we tell… are spoken to ourselves.
“Envy sinks its claws in any willing soul as long as you let her, and so it is very dangerous. Especially if all this soul knew was cruelty mixed with pain, and the only thing that kept it going through the dark times were thoughts of revenge. And when you add betrayal to it all, reminding them once again how insignificant they are in someone’s life… The consequences might be deadly.” Phoenix
The people who are afraid to commit are those who already loved once, and it destroyed them to a point where love becomes the greatest risk. Love has the power to heal everything inside us, give new meaning to the world around us, while the person who understands you the most stays by your side.
However, losing love has the power to strip you from the person you once knew and, in place of that, create a very vicious creature ready to tear anyone and anything down.
“My woman can’t go out without wearing something outrageous,” he murmurs and wraps his hands around my waist, pulling me to him so that my back collides with his chest, his strong embrace almost chaining me to him. “And it matches the ring on your finger. I thought about earrings, but no one would have seen those with this fucking gorgeous hair of yours.” He breathes in its scent. “Your smell reminds me of the most fragrant of flowers that I can’t help but want to drown in it.”
“Stop this. Don’t act like—” “Like who?” he asks, biting my neck and earning himself a groan from me. “Like a man who is obsessed with every breath you take?” “Like you have rights to this body or me.”
“I do. You. Are. Mine. Phoenix.” I jerk in his hold, but once again it’s useless. “Deny it or not, this is not just sex. If it weren’t for my past mistakes, you wouldn’t be resisting it so much.”
“I know, Zach. We have what people call a fatal attraction that knows no boundaries.” He opens his mouth to says something, but I place my fingers on it, shutting him up. “But do you really think it has the power to erase the past to a point where I would accept it? A few hours in the night is one thing; anything else would be a—” I don’t want to say it, yet he probably guesses it.
“After all of this is done, when we catch the person that turned our lives upside down, we’ll talk. And then you can tell me if it’s over or not.” My brows furrow at the odd edge in his gaze and tension in his body. “Promise me that once all of this is done, you’ll listen to me before you listen to your instincts.”
Ah, little sister, you don’t have to worry yourself sick, thinking your future husband might have a crush on my fiancée. If he does, we will end him King style, and he won’t bother either of us.
“The cupboard in our kitchen broke and several plates shattered. So, when she tried to scoop them all up, she cut herself.” Collective gasps echo between us while Sebastian’s gaze darkens. He brushes his thumb over Felicia’s shoulder. “I told her not to do it, but when does she listen to me?”
“They say the greatest love comes when you least expect it, and it’s true. When we run around chasing it, it never slows down long enough for us to catch it. The minute we let go though, love jumps on you, trapping you in its net with no way of escape. The same analogy works with pain too. The agonizing pain that rips you in two comes when you least expect it. And in such, it delivers a strong blow that not everyone can withstand.” Phoenix
“Is it such a crime to love again, Zach?” Dad whispers, but he might as well have shouted; his words have the same effect on me, and then our gazes connect, his tortured and my surprised. “Love has no time limit. Sometimes, you think it takes ages to love a woman, but then you see her, and… it clicks. It just clicks, son,” he says, running his hand over his face. “I lived and breathed for your mother. But she died.”
“You loved Angelica. Do you love Phoenix?” I say nothing, only grit my teeth harsher, and he chuckles, although sadness laces it. “You can’t even admit it to yourself that you love her. Because it’s scary. To love a woman again after you lost your first love.”
now. “I was a fool. Love doesn’t happen once in a lifetime. It happens as many times as you get that gift from life. So please, for the love of God, cherish it and don’t run away from it.” He points into the open space. “I don’t know why you did this engagement, but, son, I hope you won’t lose the woman you fell in love with fast due to the crap I told you in the past.”
“I know. But I’m still here to offer it. Try not to lose the people you love the most. Because once she knows the truth, she will want to get away from you and take her daughter with her.” One more squeeze before he lets go. “So don’t hold back your love, son. It will be your only saving grace in this situation.” Love. Such a short word that means the fucking world.
