HAILEY
Percie’s parents visit turned into a small party. His grandparents, my family, friends, and even Remy came over. It was just a click on Percie’s phone everyone we cared about came over.
Mrs. Matthews had been great to me. She squeezed me into a hug when she saw me wearing her son’s engagement ring. She held my hand and looked closely at the ring on my finger.
“This is so beautiful.” She smiled. “Beautiful for a beautiful young woman. Please, don’t break my son’s heart.”
“Thank you, and I have no intention to.” I did a quick glance at my man chatting with Remy and his father at the corner of the living room.”
“Now, I can rest. Percie has just been through a lot to have another heartbreak, but I know he’s in good hands. Thank you, dear.” She kissed me on my cheek. Percie saw us, and he was smiling at me.
When his mom left me in the kitchen, I tried my best not to roll my eyes when Victoria, Lexie, and
HAILEY Six years later… It was Sunday morning, and Percie just came back from his run. It was a part of my daily routine to wake up early since we got married almost three years ago, just right after I graduated from college. “Baby, you came back early.” I kissed him on his lips. He was sweating everywhere. I gave him a towel. “And please, don’t wake them up until Grands and your parents arrive. Mom and Dad are on their way.” “I missed you as soon as left the house.” He smiled, wiping off the sweat on his forehead. I rolled my eyes. “I thought after what we did last night, you won’t miss me until you go on your business trip on Monday.” I suddenly remembered how we made love last night. He never ceased to amaze me. I could guarantee the saying rock your world was so real. He was still hot in bed. The sex was always amazing even if we’d been together as a couple for a
PERCIE Dustin’s party is superb. I constantly checked my phone for a text from Emma since I arrived at the condemned abandoned house. At this moment, she was enjoying the party at Chloe’s, one of her closest friends. I still couldn’t believe that high school life was finally over. It would only mean one thing—we were getting older. In a few months, we were be both attending college and moved into one apartment as we’d planned. I sipped the soda that started to warm in my grasp. Unlike my friends, they managed to sneak a few beers into the party. My friends were already with their girls. Well, except for me. The pop music was blaring too loud for my taste. I preferred classic and alternative rock—the only thing that Emma and I did not get along with. She loved pop singers—Harry Styles, in particular. Thank God she wasn’t like a Bieber fan or Kpop because I would delete her playlists if she liked t
PERCIE I laid back on the cold tiled bench with my arms as my pillow. I looked up at the gray ceiling without anything in my thoughts. I was bored to death for the last five hours, locked up for punching my boss in the face. He hithis wife in front of his car repair shop where I worked as a mechanic--well, used to, since he just fired me. Who was in the fucking hell hurt women if not some losers like him? I didn’t like people hitting women because they would look misogynistic. When I saw him yell at his wife, my fists developed brains on their own. Whatever she did, that didn’t give him the right to hit her. He could confront her privately, but he was an asshole. My anger took over me. So, I punched him before I even realized I did it, which resulted in me getting arrested for physical assault. I didn’t enjoy seeing women being abused, bullied, and men thought that made them stronger. Women were born to be loved and respected u
PERCIE The last time I saw a house like this was when I was with her. Just that memory alone felt like I'd been stabbed in my heart over and over again. “Son, let me ask you one thing. Why did you risk yourself punching your boss when you saw him hitting his wife?” My eyes narrowed at his intrusion. “Is it a defense mechanism? Or because you didn’t like him abusing his wife in front of everyone?” I opened the door and got out silently. He didn’t want to go there. He leaned his arms against the roof of his car and said, “I don’t wanna know, son, but whatever it is, I know it’s hard for you, and it may take some time. But you will get there. My nose flared in anger and in pain. I pressed my lips together to stop from blurting out something he wasn't ready to hear. I just punched someone a few hours ago. I couldn’t punch him, and besides, he was a police officer.
PERCIE Fifteenmonths ago… We were in an accident. My ears still tingled from the silence after the impact. I couldn’t move. Emma was pressed against me. “E-Em?”I coughed. My voice trembled. “Em?”My throat choked up. She didn’t respond. She didn’t move. I wanted to shake her badly, but I was so weak to do so. I smelled blood. It rolled down my temple to my face and neck. The smoke started to sting my nostrils. I started to hear noises from outside the car. The commotion escalated. The sirens of the ambulance resounded. Although my eyes were blurry, I whirled my gaze around and saw a bunch of heads surrounding us and the flashes of lights. I thought I was okay. I could still remember the paramedics who arrived and took me from the collision. Unfortunately, Emma wasn’t. I w
PERCIE It had been a week since I met Hailey. I was not supposed to think about her, but I couldn’t just stop, and it was starting to get annoying. It was maybe because they somehow looked alike. I started looking at myself in the mirror, counting our similarities. She didn’t talk much, as if socially withdrawn. She only said five words during the entire dinner then she excused herself. Keith mentioned that she would be starting her college at Hillston this semester. What a coincidence. My stupid inner-self somehow hoped for the possibility that we might bump with each other. As he promised, he took my number. Now, we were constantly exchanging texts. He even invited me for dinner again. I made an excuse that I couldn’t make it, which was the truth. I had to meet Grandpa every Saturday. But Keith didn’t buy my excuse. So I had to meet him again. Grandpa was relieved that I started talking to someo
PERCIEFifteen months ago…“I knew what you have, Emma. I knew about your condition. Why can’t you blame me? Yell at me or hate me? It makes me guiltier. Why do you have to be so cool about this?” I shook my head and stood up from her bed. I scratched my head out of frustration.“You sound okay with this. I hate seeing you like this. It’s killing me, Emma. Tell me why it’s so easy for you to accept all of these?” My voice rose a little.Her lips quivered. Jesus. Nothing in this world I did right. I settled beside her again as I dwelled my own agony.“I’m sorry, Em. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to put myself in this situation. I don’t even know what to do with myself without you. I don’t mean to yell at you. I’m just so frustrated and lost that I am so useless to you.” I kissed her forehead. ”Emma, I love you
PERCIE Fourteen months ago. My life was doomed the moment I walked out of the house where I grew up. I just lost everyone I loved. I lost my home, Emma, my family, friends, and even myself. I knew I was still alive because I could still feel the excruciating pain when I thought of them. My old life two months ago was near perfect, and everything went according to plan until that incident had drastically changed my life. I loathed myself. But I guessed I deserved to feel every agonizing pain I felt right now. When I arrived at my grandparent's house, they were already waiting for me. I could see the pain in their eyes. I cried until I gave up, but the pain was still there. It was even worse. I couldn’t eat. The food was upsetting my stomach. I couldn’t sleep. The nightmare was constantly visiting me the moment I closed my eyes. I kept myself awake, listening to o