Author’s POV
Time seemed to freeze; Amy couldn’t fathom the fact that she was indeed being kissed. By the very person who seemed to hate her, or maybe loathe her existence. She had ruined him, and now she found herself being held by the very man who wanted her to leave him alone. She felt her heart racing wildly, almost slamming against her rib cage; the hands that fondled her waist and nape had brought her to the edge, eliciting a sound from her lips she never knew she could make.
She wasn’t sure if she could call it a torment because it felt goddamn pleasurable. She was out of her mind, losing control with his overwhelming warmth that festered wherever he touched. She felt sensitive; her laboured, slow breaths disappeared against the intense pressure of his lips. Never in her life had she kissed or been kissed apart from Edward, who had left with the sorry excuse of a goodbye. She didn’t know what to do, so she chose to stay still, close her eyes, and let him do whatever he felt fit.
In the age when people dated and explored relationships, all Amy had done was business, violence, and pretence. She was on the path of revenge. That had always been the goal of her life, and she had no idea what she would do after that. Never did she imagine being so madly obsessed over a man. An obsession that had ruined him, and it was all her fault. While he had fallen, she had wanted to possess his very being, and that realization had washed over her like a splash of cold water.
The more she thought of letting him go, the more her resolve broke. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t just leave after the event when he had fainted; she could have disappeared like she never existed. She could have let him live with the illusion of her being dead. She was a selfish bitch; she could have dropped him home to his friends without revealing herself or her identity, but she chose the opposite. She chose to reveal herself and see him break down at her very sight. How selfish of her!
The ruthless torment of his lips continued; his hands moved across her skin, burning as if memorising, marking her very existence. She could have pushed him, but rather she found herself snaking her arm around his neck, fingers sliding into the soft golden locks across his nape, and the other hand landing on his chest. She felt his heartbeat right under her palm; his heartbeats matched her wild ones. Jay had her whimpering countless times, silencing her with his groans each time, enjoying every reaction she gave him. She felt the moments stretching even longer; she would faint if they went out of breath any longer.
She lightly hit his shoulder, wanting to break free, but all she could manage was to get his grip even tighter around her waist; she felt him tilting her neck to make her mouth more accessible to him. He was surely out of it, devouring her like a madman she had never seen, lips and tongue clashing against her, luring her to insanity.
A few minutes had passed by, but Jay didn’t budge until Amy had desperately yanked his neck to break free for air. She gasped, leaning back, catching her breath. The trance had broken, and Jay found himself staring at Amy, who now looked like a mess. Her face was red like a tomato, eyes disarrayed, her short hair tousled, one hand gripping the hair on his nape, and the other fisted in his shirt right above his chest. Her pink-tinted lips smudged on the corners, glistening with saliva; a split oozing blood decorated her lower lip as she dipped her tongue to lick, slightly wincing at the sting. Her upper lip was slightly bruised from the hot exchange.
Amy: You vampire!
She commented breathlessly, her lips an inch from his.
Jay found himself licking his lips, feeling the hint of candy and the coppery taste of her blood on his tongue. He had been so immersed in the moment that he didn’t realise he had drawn blood; his lips were now wet red with her blood, along with the smudged pink tint that decorated the corner of his lips.
He smirked at the name-calling; his insanity and desperation from earlier had seemed to calm.
Jay: Suits me.
He bit back teasingly while his brain malfunctioned. God, how had he drawn so much courage to do something like this? He had not only given his first kiss but had also bitten and tasted her, and he wanted to do it again. He was so screwed. His brain felt numbed by the aftermath, his lips tingling at the loss of warmth and softness. She had all the chances to punch him in the face or say something mean and walk away, but surprisingly, she didn't; she let him have her. Even though she couldn’t match his pace or reciprocate, she didn’t protest. She had only stopped him when they were out of breath.
His eyes wandered all over her face; it was clouded with an expression he hadn’t seen before. Apart from her signature resting bitch face, he had seen her losing control, anger and fury taking the best, and a genuine smile that came ever so rarely. Tears and sorrow that he had seen washed over her only once; he had held her. Guilt and regret flickered in her eyes at times, but this expression showed none of it. It was different, something he was not familiar with. Maybe it meant pleasure. He had her moaning, and that expression was now etched into his memory. He wanted it again and again.
The next five minutes passed in loud silence, their breathing slowly turning back to normal. Amy had her face dug into the crook of his neck, mumbling curses that were gibberish to Jay’s ears. Her hands rested on his chest while his stayed wrapped around her waist, holding her like she would faint if he didn’t.
Ten minutes had passed, yet Amy still couldn’t fathom that Jay had actually kissed her and thrown their wedding rings out of the window at the same time. He hadn’t let her breathe. He had caught her off guard. She remembered his body heat reaching her bones. Her cold hands had clenched his shirt into fists. She could still feel the tingling sensation on her lips where Jay’s had been a few minutes ago. Her lower lip stung slightly at the sensation. It was overwhelming, but the more she remembered, the more she craved the sensation.
She had never seen Jay so wild, bold, and dominating. Her brain had stopped the moment he kissed her, and it wasn’t something simple or gentle; it was rough, demanding, and dominating. Her upper lip was bruised; her lower lip had a cut as she remembered his teeth sinking in, pulling and tugging at her lips, making her gasp. She cursed herself in languages that were unknown to humanity. Slowly pulling her face away from his neck, she withdrew her hands from him, awkwardly shifting on the table. Jay did the same, reluctantly loosening his grip from her bare waist; he stood straight, his eyes holding the hints of wildness that had been on the rampage earlier.
She was still sitting on the table, palms planted on the table’s surface as she slightly leaned back, looking away, desperately trying to maintain a distance, while Jay looked anywhere but at her. He was definitely enjoying the look on her face. Their eyes accidentally met, and Amy quickly averted her gaze. Jay could only smile at her antics; he had never seen Amy shy. She was confident, a badass at that. Eliciting two new expressions out of her face in one single day felt like an achievement to him. He felt the blush creeping up his neck, but seeing Amy all flushed in pink from her cheeks to her neck satisfied his ego. The sight of his marks adorning her lips made his heart flutter.
Amy was in an absolute dilemma; she had walked straight into the lion’s den today. Jay, who would turn pink and shy at the sight of her, had turned the tables. No. Not turned, he had flipped them over. The ghost of his hand imprinted her waist and neck. She felt the flutters in her chest as shivers ran down her spine. She wasn’t ready to look at him; her gaze remained glued to the window, suddenly finding the view very, very appealing to her eyes while her brain had been flashing the heated moment like a broken recorder. She was so doomed. She gulped, not sure where to look and what to even do.
She had literally confessed to him that she was a murderer, a criminal, and a power-hungry individual, and he had seen the proof of it on that pendrive, and yet he was holding onto her as if she mattered. She expected anger and disgust. In Jay Conor’s manual of modesty and moral values, being a bloodthirsty, power-hungry individual should have been the pit of hell, and yet Jay had shown her the opposite.
Amy cleared her throat, remembering the rings that were now lost in the giant chunk of soil in the backyard, and she wasn’t sure if she could even find them. She looked towards the window until she felt Jay closing in on her again. Her eyes reluctantly snapped to his, her breath hitching; she swallowed hard in his vicinity and for the first time, she wanted the ground to swallow her, to hide her.
Jay had brought a first aid kit as he silently drew an earbud out of the box and leaned in to clean the blood and the pink smudged tint from her lips. Carefully putting the ointment onto her split, he managed to keep his gaze fixed on the spot of her injured lip. He wasn’t sure what he would do if he looked at those brown orbs again. He would lose control. They shared a silence, none of them wanting to speak. The tension rang heavy in the air. The silence elongated as Jay closed the first-aid box, putting it away. Amy finally spoke.
Amy: I...I will leave.
She jumped off the table, fixing her shirt as she raked her fingers through her hair to make it look just right.
Jay looked at her, wanting to say something as his lips parted; the doorbell rang. It was unexpected that someone would visit at the odd hour of the afternoon. Both of them shared a look of uncertainty. Jay was the first to leave the room as he walked downstairs to check the door, fixing his appearance to be tidy on the way.
Once reaching the door, he checked the intercom, his eyes widening to find both his parents and ex-father-in-law at the door. He panicked, remembering how short his conversation history had been with his parents, and he hadn’t revealed to them when he found out Amy was alive all this time.
He raked his hair in frustration as he took a deep breath, breathing in all the courage for whatever was about to come next. He heard footsteps behind him, knowing they were Amy's. He glanced behind, his hands steady on the door handle as Amy quirked a brow at him. He gave almost an apologetic glance, opening the door right away. His expression was stoic, but his eyes screamed, 'It's your shit to deal with,' before turning back to face the door.
He greeted his parents with a slight, polite smile, while Mr. Park's eyes had moved past him to spot Amy, who was standing at a distance. Silence and contemplation wriggled through the air. Amy descended the stairs, her blank expression not revealing any of her intentions. She calmly walked and escaped to the kitchen, filling glasses with water, and Jay had smoothly excused himself to help her once their parents had settled on the couch.
Jay was panicking as he entered the kitchen, only to find Amy brewing some coffee.
Jay: What are we gonna do?! No, no, what are you going to do?
He muttered, picking up the filled glasses and arranging them on the tray, whispering behind her, low enough for her to hear.
Amy: Act natural, Doctor. Your facial expression and body language are giving it all away.
She muttered back, facing him, hands mechanically working on the coffee machine. Despite not looking at him, his voice had clearly revealed everything.
She turned to face him, giving him a stern look; her eyes widened suddenly.
Amy: Fuck.
She muttered, looking down at his lips while Jay was caught off guard.
Jay: What’s wrong?
Amy: Nothing. It’s nothing.
She scoffed, looking away.
Amy: Calm down. I’ll handle your parents.
She assured him.
Jay: You’d better not add petrol to the fire. And please do not give my parents a heart attack; they know nothing about what happened 2 years ago.
Amy: Fine. Just calm down.
With that, Jay left the kitchen with the tray to serve water.
A few minutes passed, and the living room bloomed with heavy silence; neither party was sure where to start the conversation. Jay rather found his very gentle mother with a look of disappointment and anger he hadn't seen before. It was directed towards Amy, who had been sipping her coffee despite the fresh split that had stung every time it touched the hot cup.
He found his father and Mr Park rather lost, as if they were holding themselves back from asking questions that had been running through their heads.
Mr. Conor: How are you?
His eyes lifted as a comforting smile appeared on his lips; he was trying his best to take the talk slowly, which rather contradicted his burning curiosity. Amy, who had been acting clueless, lifted her head from the cup, giving a barely visible yet formally polite smile.
Amy: I’m well.
Mrs. Conor: We were here to visit our son and talk about what happened at the orphanage, but surprisingly, we didn’t expect you to be here. But now that you are here, can we ask you directly? I hope it's not making you uncomfortable.
Mrs. Conor smiled politely, choosing her words carefully as she sipped her coffee. Even though her words didn’t match her expressions.
Amy: Sure. Mother, I don’t mind it at all. You can ask me.
To Jay’s surprise, Amy’s smile had brightened at his mother, who didn’t share the same expression. He gulped, not sure what was about to unfold between his mother and his late yet former wife.
Mrs. Conor: I’m curious about what happened 2 years ago and how you managed to get in contact with us now.
She had hit the nail right on the head, and Jay almost paled at the dead look his mother was giving to Amy, even though it wasn’t directed at him.
Amy: Well, that day, luckily, I wasn’t in the car, but sure, I was about to be tortured and murdered, maybe if it weren’t for the military officials who saved me at the last moment. I would have been dead if luck weren’t by my side.
Amy held a polite smile, speaking with a commanding grace.
Amy: I have been operating with them for 2 years since my recovery. I don’t believe in accepting favours. A fair exchange is much more advantageous than being undervalued.
At that, Mr. Conor smiled. He had been good friends with Mr. Park, and the very sight of Amy speaking felt as if it were Mr Park speaking, though he was aware of the beef between both of them. She had undoubtedly taken all the traits from her father.
Mrs. Conor: I see.
She sighed, silently sipping her coffee. Her gaze flickered between Jay and Amy. Jay had already turned ghostly pale.
Mrs. Conor: What is the reason of you visiting my son?
The curt tone had dimmed the little brightness out of Amy’s eyes.
Amy: I—I just came to see him. 2 years is a long time. Also, I had an exhibition coming up; it’s a good time that I got to meet both of you as well. Please do visit.
She efficiently hid the little dullness, only addressing the elderly couple and not her father, who looked heartbroken with her ignorance yet had managed not to get it over to his face. Her fingers slid under her cup, fingers hooking at the handle as she took a tight-lipped sip at her coffee.
Mrs. Conor: It’s wonderful that you personally visited my son to deliver this invite. I hope you’re aware my son is about to be married to Emma. His fiancée. I won’t sugarcoat my words, but I hope you won’t meddle in my son’s preferably peaceful future. So much had been hidden from us: a divorce, kidnappings, and the online hate my son had suffered because of you. I was happy to see both of you living in a happy marriage, but we were wrong. And now is the time; I’ll be correcting my mistakes. I hope you won’t have any ill feelings against me.
Jay choked on his coffee as he swallowed the lump in his throat before it got any attention. His eyes snapped at Amy, her jaw clenched tight. Her fingers gripped tightly against the cup; a little more pressure and it would break in shards. There was a moment of heavy silence until Amy's dark eyes turned menacing, her tight-lipped smile curling into a smirk. She placed the cup aside on the table; her posture that had been formal and polite, which she had only maintained before his parents, had now turned confident, almost business-like, when she was ready to wreck the very arrogance of the person she was facing.
She smirked, which almost looked like a half-hearted smile, relaxing her posture, her leg crossing over the other, her hands finding their way near the armrest.
Amy: Why do you think that?
At that, Mrs. Conor's smile fell. The change in demeanour was the least she had expected.
Amy: My identity has been changed for safety purposes; you can call me Maria. I am very content with my new career in the military. And I will be happy to see Jay happy with whatever the future holds for him. By the way, I don’t want to look mean, but I don’t see any ring. Is your son not pleased with the arrangement?
Amy had jabbed the words right to her face, though she felt disappointed to show her ugly side to the woman she looked up to as her mother. But she couldn’t deny the accusations; all of them were true, and she hated herself more than her mother-in-law did. She had been fucking selfish all this time, a sicko in the head who only knew to take away happiness and wreak havoc in the lives of the people around her. At this point, she felt like a cursed object; wherever she was placed, disaster arrived uninvited. She had walked back into Jay’s life, which was a big mistake.
She had broken him to the extent that getting him back together felt like a miracle. And her shameless self craved him and pushed him away at the same time. Even though Mrs. Conor's words had hurt like needles pricking her skin, she deserved it. Though the truth hurt and made her heart clench, she wouldn’t let it show, and like every other time, she hid it behind her anger or that bitchy attitude to keep her facade from breaking. And she had done it again.
Mrs. Conor was speechless. Her mouth agape, trying to form words, while Jay looked terrified, his gaze swinging between his mother and Amy, she looked like she would burn holes with that blank gaze.
Amy: Don’t mind my words, please. My bad; I merely had been curious. I know it's a personal matter. I shouldn’t interfere. I speak oddly at times. Silly me.
She took another sip; her words felt sugary and innocent as they left her lips. Mrs. Conor was taken aback by her innocent smile and sweet chuckles in between. The switch in personality had been instant. It was as if the interaction between them a minute ago didn’t exist. Amy had pinned them under her gaze, suffocating them with it like a predator, just a moment ago.
Amy: I believe you have more important matters to discuss with Doctor. I shall take my leave.
With that, Amy rose to her height. Swooping the abandoned blazer onto her arm, she crossed the living room to the door. As she turned back, she finally glanced at Jay, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her, while his parents sat in front of him but were backfacing Amy.
She matched Jay’s gaze only to find him shocked and partially nervous, while Amy smirked at him, rubbing the edge of her lips with her thumb and later giving him a thumbs up. For a second, he sat baffled, not really getting the sign she was showing. He looked at her hand, the thumb smeared with the remnants of pink tint from her lips. His eyes widened, slowly getting her point. She pointed her index finger at her lips and then pointed it at him.
Jay found his racing heart dead—dropping to his stomach as he slowly rubbed the back of his hand across his lips, finding the same tint.
Shit.
Shit.
With that, Amy left through the door, closing it behind her.
Amy had definitely left an impact on her in-laws, but she couldn’t do much anyway. There were many important things to look after. For one, her wedding rings. She was pissed at Jay. She cursed under her breath, walking to the backyard. Her heart dropped at the sight. She had imagined chunks of soil for sure, but Jay had left the sprinkler on, and it was all puddled mud. It had almost been an hour.
And 1 hour was enough to get the rings dumped under the soil with the sprinkler on. And where would she even start searching for it? She muttered a curse as she looked around the land, trying to capture any hint of shining ornaments, but damn, the water had made it impossible. The sunlight was hitting the place, and every water particle would look like a rainbow. It was nearly impossible to spot the rings. She couldn’t get her dress dirty at the moment, not on their parents' watch. She vowed to look for it another day or maybe personally threaten Jay to find it.
She mentally screamed and cursed, storming away to the gate, reaching for her car. She found herself halting in her steps as she spotted her father standing next to the car.
