Wrecked Read online

  The string hung from the ceiling like a constant reminder. “Never look until you are ready,” my grandmother had said. I was ready. I pulled down the attic ladder and started to climb. The smell of dust tickled my nose. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves only to cough uncontrollably. In the corner, light reflected off the latch of a gold trunk.

  I can do this.

  I opened the trunk and there, on top, was journal after journal that had belonged to my mom. I picked up one that was dated June 1985.

  Dear Diary,

  I met the love of my life. He is amazing. Jon makes my heart flutter, and I don’t think I can ever feel like this again.

  Jon? Who the hell is Jon?

  We arrived at camp this afternoon. I was introduced to the staff, and then I saw him. He had arrived late. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He has these amazing bedroom eyes that are the color of chocolate with long curly lashes. When he walked into the cabin with the other camp counselors, I knew then and there that I had to have him. Our gazes locked, and it was like the rest of the room disappeared, and it was only he and I.

  I remember feeling like I was punched in the chest by his presence, and the explosion of butterflies fluttered in the pit of my stomach. I never believed in love at first sight but I know now that this is exactly what it was.

  I quickly shut the journal. I couldn’t believe it. My whole life I had pictured my mother only loving my father, but she’d loved someone else. I felt my anxiety peak, and my chest started to constrict. The room began to spin. I felt a sharp pain in my head and then fell into a peaceful oblivion.

  Damien

  I arrived at the Pointe Hope University campus with the idea of setting up my syllabus for the fall semester, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Mylie. The desire we had for each other was lethal, addictive, and would only end one way, with me getting hurt. The best course of action was to avoid her. There was no way I was going to look for her again, and if the blonde buffoon hurt her, then that was her problem.

  I looked over the roster and noticed a memo. Wonderful, I was getting a teaching assistant. There was nothing more irritating than a clueless suck up, but I’d make him or her work for the credit. I read over the information regarding the TA. Strange, there was no name. I read over the credentials and was thoroughly impressed. Whoever it was, he or she had a 4.0 GPA and was working on a graduate degree—in law.

  Hmm. I went ahead and completed my syllabus, as well as the lesson plans for the first week. These kids wouldn’t know what hit them.

  I left the campus and went in search of Andrea, my colleague, amongst other things. We had an understanding: we got off and went our way. She had been in a loveless marriage for ten years while her husband, business tycoon Pierce Belafonte, was sleeping with his secretary as well as their daughter’s friend. Why men cheated was beyond me, but I was not one to judge a woman who was willing and waiting.

  I arrived at the Grandeur Hotel & Resort, Pointe Hope’s most discreet establishment for individuals like Andrea and her cheating husband. I arrived, stepping into the luxurious lobby. I briskly walked through, with a slight nod to the front desk clerk, Allison, directly to Andrea’s private penthouse. Only the best would do for the finest of society in Pointe Hope. I entered the room with my key and proceeded to undress, leaving my clothes strewn about on my path to the master suite. When I opened the door, there was Andrea… with a very naked Malory tied to the posts of the king size bed!

  Shit!

  “Andrea, you didn’t say it would be him.” She was burning red, and I felt exactly the same way.

  “You two know each other?” She looked amused, glancing between the two of us.

  “Can I speak with you? Alone,” I said through gritted teeth and walked out of the room.

  I started to pick up my clothes and put them back on when Andrea stopped me.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. She looked so confused that I had to laugh.

  “I can’t fuck her.”

  “What do you mean you can’t? You’ve never had a problem before? It’s my thing, I watch you fuck the girls, then you fuck me while I––,” I put up my hand, stopping her from saying anything further.

  “I know the routine Andrea, but that’s the problem. I can’t FUCK her!” I said vehemently, pointing to the suite.

  “So you know each other, what’s the big deal?” she said as she shrugged.

  She really didn’t understand what the problem was, and as much as I was fighting my feelings, I realized it then, I had fallen in love with Mylie.

  “I gotta go.”

  “WAIT! Damien? Oh. My. God. You’re in love!” she exclaimed. Her hazel eyes were wide as saucers. She said it as a statement, and it was another confirmation. I couldn’t fuck Malory because I was in love with Mylie.

  Fuck! This couldn’t be happening.

  “I can’t talk about this,” I said as I ran out of the penthouse, quickly leaving the hotel, the place where reality had literally slapped me silly.

  What the hell am I going to do?

  There is nothing more devastating than knowing that the love of your life has cheated on you.

  They pulled my beating heart out of my chest, and they stabbed it. But they will pay… they will all pay!

  I watched as he entered the building, hidden from prying eyes. I saw his gorgeous smirk as he nodded his head at the desk clerk. I know where he is going… with her.

  My entire plan is set in place, and now it’s time for my attack.

  Tick Tock, your time is coming to an end, darling.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mylie

  I was in a fog, scared and lost.

  “Mylie…,” a voice called out to me. I looked around frantically; the voice sounded so familiar but I couldn’t grasp the memory. “Mylie…” Within the fog, I saw the silhouette of a woman. Tears started to fall upon my skin. It couldn’t be! I reached out and noticed that the hand reaching for the woman’s was that of a child. Dear God!

  “Mom?” I sobbed uncontrollably.

  “Follow your heart Mylie…” Her fading figure walked back through the fog. She was leaving me again.

  “MOM! Don’t go!” I cried out and ran after her, but I couldn’t catch up. I fell to the ground and cried harder than I had ever cried before.

  “I need you,” I whispered.

  “Mylie! Come on baby girl, wake up!” I heard a familiar deep voice. “Come on My’, wake up. I can’t lose you too.”

  His voice cracked with fear and sadness. I my eyes fluttered opened, and I saw Nik standing over me with a pale expression on his face and tears in his eyes. “Oh thank God!”

  I heard a beeping nearby. I realized I was in a bed, but it wasn’t my own.

  “Where am I?” I croaked, looking at my surroundings.

  “You’re at the hospital.” He held my hand, sighing in relief.

  How long have I been here?

  “Why?” I asked. I was so confused and tried to piece together the last memories I had, but everything was a blank.

  “You hit your head when you passed out, but you wouldn’t wake up,” he sniffed.

  “I don’t remember,” I said, searching his face for a clue.

  “They did some scans, and there was swelling where you hit your head but—,” he paused. “The doctors --”

  Oh God!

  “What’s wrong with me?” I was terrified, and I couldn’t understand what was happening. I saw him swallow the lump in his throat; the tears glistened in his eyes.

  “They don’t know. It happened so fast, but if it wasn’t for--”

  “For?”

  “Damien. He found you. He came to look for you and noticed the lights on in the house, but you wouldn’t come to the door. When he saw your hand dangling from the ceiling, he broke down the door to get inside the house. He went into the attic where he found you.”

  Lord, he did it again! He saved my life. AGAIN!

  “He never leaves and has stayed h
ere for the past three days.”

  “Why would he even come to see me, let alone never leave my side?”

  He just shrugged, but the look in his eyes said something else. I couldn’t handle this right now.

  “Why was I in the attic?”

  “You had mom’s journal in your hand,” Nik replied. I closed my eyes, and the memories flooded back.

  “She was in love with another man,” I whispered.

  “And?”

  What?

  “What do you mean ‘and’? This changes everything! She loved someone else other than Dad! My whole way of life, everything I have done, it was all for nothing. Can’t you see?” I cried, upset beyond words.

  “Mylie, you were the one chasing the fairy tale, but people can love more than one person. Maybe Mom did love another guy, but she loved Dad until her last breath,” he replied.

  When did he get so wise? I just shrugged because I knew he was right.

  “You’re up.”

  To the doorway, I followed the sound of the voice that had haunted me, but I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. There stood Damien, exhausted, disheveled, but with look of relief on his face. No, it wasn’t just relief there. Could it be? His eyes shined under the lights of the room, but it was in his eyes. I saw it: love.

  He loved me?

  Damien

  Entering the room seeing Mylie conscious and awake made these last days all worth it. Recalling the events, I came to realize that I have never known fear, at least not until a few days ago. I was driving around Pointe Hope aimlessly, when this incredible desire to drive by Mylie’s took over. Before I knew it, I was knocking on the door, but she didn’t respond. I walked to the window in the living room. The curtains were wide open, and I saw that the lights in the hallway were on. What caught my eye was the attic door opened with a dropped ladder and within the dark hole I saw a hand hanging from the ceiling.

  I have never felt so terrified in my life. The idea of losing Mylie had nearly driven me insane. I kicked the door until I broke it down. The only thought in my mind was that I needed to get to her. I called 911 as I rushed through the house and told them about the situation. I couldn’t pay attention to what the operator was saying, so I hung up.

  Each step through the house was agony because my feet felt like lead. It was as if I were walking to my execution. The hand that peeked out from the ceiling was delicate, and I gasped. I was horrified because it was definitely Mylie’s hand. I had wasted time, so much time, and only thoughts of the worst kind were plaguing my mind. I climbed the ladder and went into the attic. I felt my heart drop to the floor, and it shattered.

  It’s in those pivotal moments when there is no amount of denial that could ever prepare you to finally admit the truth. It is a truth that you’ve been trying to fight desperately not to believe. Even in my worst nightmares, I could never prepare myself to see Mylie on that floor. She lay on the aged wood floor with a journal clutched to her chest, and it felt like I was about to die. I snatched her up in my arms, falling to my knees completely defeated. She was cold, dusty, and not responding. I cried like I have never cried before because I realized that I loved her and was terrified of losing her. I pulled her towards my chest, cradling her in my arms and prayed.

  Please God! Don’t take her from me.

  That’s when I realized that she wasn’t breathing. I laid her down and began CPR, pressing my lips to hers as I blew air into her lungs. I saw her chest rise, and I proceeded with the compressions. I stopped after about a minute, and I saw that she was breathing on her own, but she still hadn’t opened her eyes. So, I picked her up again and started talking to her.

  “Please baby. Don’t leave me. I love you Mylie.” I sobbed with my face in the crook of her neck. In the distance I could hear sirens. Moments later I heard yelling from downstairs, the voice distinctly male. I realized that Nik had been alerted about the call.

  “MYLIE!”

  He pushed his way through the attic entry where I was still cradling her in my lap, too afraid to move her. She was pale and clammy, and I continuously checked her pulse. It was weak at best, and my heart was shattering into pieces at the idea of losing her before I even had her.

  “Get the fuck off my sister!” Nik pulled Mylie out of my arms. He was crying and sobbing uncontrollably, and I remembered that they only had each other as family. “What did you do?”

  “I didn’t do anything. I saw her hand, and I broke down the door, calling 911,” I pleaded my case to him, but he kept crying, not really listening.

  Everything else went by in a blur. The next thing I knew I was waiting with Nik and Mrs. Pierson at the hospital. The doctor spoke to Nik, after various tests the results returned inconclusive and collapsed. Mrs. Pierson held me and soothed my fears.

  Three days later, after various tests, we all still waited, but I couldn’t leave her even if I wanted to. What if I never got to tell her how I felt, that I loved her? Nik came up to me and shook my hand. I only caught the tail end of what he was saying.

  “… I can’t thank you enough Damien.” He had been a mess these past few days, a shell of the arrogant person I had met.

  “Of course, you’re welcome. I was glad I was there to help.” I looked at Mylie, and I caught her stare, but she looked away quickly. What did that mean?

  “Thank you Professor,” she said quietly.

  Are we still at that?

  “You’re welcome, Mylie.”

  “I’ll leave--, um, give you both a minute to talk,” Nik said, backing away towards the door. The tension was thick in the room, so I couldn’t blame Nik for leaving.

  “I wanted to say--,” I started, but that was when the blonde idiot came into the room with huge arrangement of red and white roses.

  “Baby, I am so glad you are okay. I have been calling to check on you the whole time.”

  He shoved me out of the way, pissing me off in a major way. He handed her the flowers, but she wrinkled her nose slightly. Not a fan of roses apparently.

  “Thanks, they’re beautiful,” she said softly.

  He reached down and kissed her mouth. Watching the display, I felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart. When did this happen? She broke the kiss and quickly looked up to me, but said nothing. He turned around; instead of the usual superiority he walked around with, he looked humble.

  “I can’t begin to say how grateful I am Damien. Mylie has changed my life.” And mine. “I don’t think I could bear it if something happened to her.” Nor would I. I just nodded, not sure if I could control my temper.

  “What did you want to say Professor?” she asked quietly. Her eyes pleaded with me, but I couldn’t say it. I had done this to myself, and I had shoved her into his arms.

  “That I hope you feel better.”

  “Thank you again, for saving my life.”

  I nodded slightly. When I left the room, I knew I was leaving the love of my life.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mylie

  Was he really going to say it? Why had I agreed to start dating Xavier when my heart wanted Damien? He had come in with all of those roses and that huge smile on his face.

  Lord, I hated roses.

  They were so impersonal, and anyone with half a brain cell could buy roses. My grandmother had raised me to appreciate the gesture, but Xavier came in at the wrong time. I knew what Damien was going to say, and I had pleaded with my eyes for him to say it, but he didn’t. Instead he walked away, AGAIN!

  “Did you hear what I said?” Xavier asked with a sweet smile.

  “Sorry, kind of zoned out there for a minute,” I said sheepishly.

  “It’s understandable. I said I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner, but I had to help my father out of another bind.” I nodded. I knew that Xavier hated that his father had gone on a drinking binge after his grandfather had passed away.

  “Is he all right?” I asked genuinely concerned for his father.

  “No, he is being hospitalized for li
ver failure in Atlantic City. I am making arrangements for him to get transported here. My mother is not happy with my decision, but he’s my dad, you know?” I grabbed his hand and brought it to my lips and kissed his knuckles.

  “I understand.” What would I do to have my father, even if he were nothing more than the shell of the man I once knew?

  “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get upset,” he said, his face full of regret.

  “Don’t you worry about me anymore than you already have. I’m fine. I was just thinking that I’d do anything to have my father, even if my father were like yours.” Tears began to pool in my eyes, and my voice started to crack. “They never stop being our fathers even when they prove they are not invincible like we believed them to be.”

  “You’re right.” He cupped my face and stared into my eyes, wiping my tears away. “Do you know how amazing you are? You never cease to amaze me.”

  “Oh hush… I am just like any other girl.” I playfully shoved his chest, but he held my hand against his beating heart. I watched as he swallowed, his clear eyes hypnotizing me.

  “You aren’t like anyone I’ve ever known, and I know how lucky I am that you’re giving us a chance. Truth is, I’ve known what I’ve wanted for a long time. There was always a blank face for the person who was by my side, but it finally has one. It’s you.”

  Oh. My. God. What do I even say to that?

  “Um--, I,” I started to say. He gazed deeply into my eyes, and gave me a heart-dropping smile while he gently slid the pad of his thumb over my burning cheeks.

  Lord I think he is going to kiss me.

  “How is possible you look even more beautiful when you blush?” he whispered, lost in the moment, his lips just a few inches from mine.

  He was absolutely perfect, but my heart wouldn’t allow me to fully appreciate him. I’m a horrible person. A knock on the door interrupted the moment when a busty blonde stuck her head in the room.