Chapter 7

• There was a slight pause on the other end, during which Kaia could hear her parents whispering amongst themselves.
• Then Mr. Everhart spoke up. "Okay, baby, if you say so. But I want you to promise me something..."
• "Yes, Daddy, anything..."
• "Promise me you won't hesitate to call us at the slightest inconvenience. Anytime. If you want to talk, just call, and your mom and I will listen," the older man said gently.
• Hearing things like that made it almost impossible for Kaia not to sob. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly — just like her father had taught her. She had been doing well so far, holding herself together.
• "Promise me," he urged.
• "Yes, Dad. I promise to call you and Mama at the slightest inconvenience," she said, giving herself a mental applause for keeping her voice steady.
• "Alright, my little pumpkin. Your mother and I love you. Stay safe, okay?"
• The call disconnected. Kaia pressed the phone to her lips, once again fighting the tears that threatened to fall. Without thinking, she rushed into the bathroom, wrestling with herself to get out of the heavy wedding dress.
• When she finally managed to free herself, she turned on the shower, sat under it, and welcomed the warm water as it burned against her skin.
• And then, Kaia cried her heart out. This was the thing about Kaia — she wasn't someone who cried easily or ran to her parents at the slightest inconvenience. Most times, she bottled everything inside, forcing herself to pretend she was okay simply because she refused to let sadness consume her. But when the bomb inside her exploded, everything else went south.
• The pent-up anger, frustration, pain, and hurt would all come crashing down. And that side of her, she never allowed anyone, not even her parents, to see. She always forced herself to get over it alone.
• The bomb had finally exploded. As Kaia sat under the running shower, she felt herself caving in, welcoming the sadness that threatened to engulf her whole.
• She thought of the cause of it all. A bloody, godforsaken necklace that was supposed to bring her good luck.
• It had done the exact opposite. She was in this situation because she allowed herself to be swayed by her own kindness.
• That day, she had been sad — desperately so — and had just wanted to return home and cry herself to sleep.
• If only she hadn't gone out of her way to help that old man. If only she had minded her business. She would have been in her tiny, ragged apartment, feeling pitiful maybe, but preparing herself for another day at a mediocre job.
• Right now, all of that sounded like paradise compared to what she was living. After what felt like an eternity of crying, Kaia finally turned off the faucet.
• She wrapped herself in a towel, dried off her body and hair, and pulled on some comfy clothes.
• Dragging herself to the bed, she slid under the covers, pulling the duvet up to her chin.
• She was exhausted — physically, emotionally, mentally.
• Today had been a storm.
• So when her eyelids grew heavy, she didn't fight it.
• She surrendered to the sleep, welcoming it as a temporary escape from her thoughts... and from the hell her life had become.
• When Kaia finally forced her eyes open, the early morning sun was already streaming into her room.
• She stirred, stretching her limbs under the warm cocoon of the duvet.
• For a long moment, she lay there staring at the ceiling, wondering what she was supposed to do today.
• Her mood today was even worse than yesterday.
• She didn’t want to leave her room.
• She didn’t think she could handle the stares, the whispers, the pity.
• Hell, she didn’t even want to risk bumping into him.
• A knock at the door made Kaia jolt.
• She sat up stiffly, heart pounding.
• For a brief second, she thought maybe it was Kai.
• She wanted to ignore it.
• Pretend she wasn’t home.
• But deep down, she knew she couldn’t.
• Ignoring Kai was like poking a sleeping bear.
• “I’m sorry for waking you up this early, Mrs. Sorrento, but Mr. Sorrento asked to see you,” came Mrs. Jane Robbins' voice from the other side of the door.
• There it was again — that name.
• "Uh, thank you, Mrs. Robbins. I'll be out in a bit," Kaia called out.
• With a frown on her face and grumbles escaping her lips, she wondered what Kai wanted with her so early in the morning.
• He disappeared yesterday without a word, she thought bitterly, and now he wants to summon me like I'm at his beck and call?
• She quickly handled her business in the bathroom and slipped out of the room, searching for Kai’s.
• She soon came across a maid struggling to balance a pile of sheets and duvets.
• Kaia hesitated, feeling awkward.
• Here she was, about to ask a maid for directions to her husband's room — if that didn’t spark gossip, she didn’t know what would.
• But she didn’t have any other choice.
• This villa was massive.
• If she tried guessing, she could be wandering for hours.
• “Uh, hi,” she called out warily, like a deer caught in headlights.
• "Good morning, Mrs. Sorrento! How are you today?" the maid chirped brightly.
• "I'm... great," Kaia managed, forcing a tight smile.
• "I was wondering... could you point me to Kai's room?"
• The look of confusion that crossed the maid’s face made Kaia immediately regret asking.
• She should have gone with her original plan — wandering blindly.
• "Uh, sure," the maid said after a second. "Take the stairs up. It’s the only room on that floor."
• "Thanks," Kaia muttered, hurrying away.
• Following the maid’s directions, she made her way up to the top floor.
• Once there, she knocked on the door and waited.
• No answer.
• She knocked again. Still nothing.
• Frustration bubbled inside her.
• Finally, fed up, Kaia pushed the door open — and immediately froze.
• Her breath hitched.
• There, right in front of her, stood Kai.
• It wasn't the mere sight of him that shocked her — it was the fact that he stood there, gloriously bare, dressed in nothing but his birthday suit, looking sinfully s*xy.