All Chapters of Replacing his murdered bride : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

46 Chapters

Crime scene

POV: ALEXANDER. My chest tightened with a feeling I was familiar with but hated to admit it. My fist curled—but not out of anger— out of shame. This was my fault for caging her and stripping her of choices. She must have felt suffocated and no woman in her right mind would survive in that environment. “Sir….” Charles' voice cracked behind me. “Assemble the security guards immediately.” I ground out, fighting the storm clawing inside me. “No one moves until I say so.” He quickly left, giving me the opportunity to wallow in my fears. The room was a perfect definition of prison break. Apart from the blanket which was shredded with sheer determination to form a makeshift rope, her drawers were gaped open, the vanity table was overturned in haste and perfume bottles were shattered on the tiled floor, causing a sickly sweet scent of rose to cling in the air. Her mirror bore the greasy imprint of her palm, as though she’d steadied herself there before leaving. The curt

Glass house of comfort

POV: AUDREY. The neon lights from the city's bustling life blurred progressively, as the bus sped like a prey fleeing from its predator. The rhythm of my heart could almost be mistaken for that of a drum– wild, chaotic and uneven– but somewhere beneath that panic, a wave of satisfaction lingered. The thought of my farewell note flashed through my head and a heat of reckless thrill rose in my chest. He would go insane when he found it. The night air stung to my skin, sending cold waves down my spine and my reflection at my phone screen almost made me laugh. The all-known Alexander's bride was reduced to a runaway girl with messy hair and a small backpack. But, this was better than being a priced asset to some egoistic narcissist. The bus screeched noisily to a halt and I gathered myself out of it. Tired, I dragged my feet to the massive building which rose from the earth, made of glass and marble. It took about 15 minutes and soon I found myself standing in front of his gig

The Basement

POV: AUDREY. It didn't cross my mind that the two people who pushed me into Alexander's crosswheel would be the first to call me, should anything happen. My emotions tend to function faster than my thoughts. I stared at the buzzing phone–mom was boldly displayed on the screen– unsure of what to do. “You don't have to answer it.” Lexan shot out, approaching me. “But she will be worried.” His brows knotted, “Then let her be. It's high time you put yourself first before others Drey. You must not please everyone.” “I will just tell her that I'm safe okay?” “You don't need my permission to do that. Suit yourself.” He finished coolly and walked out. “Mom,” “Audrey, do you have the slightest idea about how your husband is combing through this entire city, looking for you?” “And what has that got to do with me?” I retorted. “This had better be a prank. You have just three hours to return home or else..” “You didn't even ask if I was doing ok

Pawn shop

POV: AUDREY. The last day I saw that face on Lexan, was the day I rejected his awkward proposal to me. An intense gaze, narrowed eyes as he instantly crumpled the paper he was holding. He stared at me with an unexplained feeling that sent shivers down my spine. "The murder weapon?" His voice croaked like he had forced them out. "Here." I brought out the hairpin from my pocket and handed it over to him. "This was driven into her abdomen. It was the only thing I managed to grab before my parents got rid of her body." He carefully twirled the weapon, observing it features delicately. "You did a very good job. This will definitely go a long way." He traced the orchid flowers that was embedded on it in red, down to its silver stick. The little scribble on it suddenly flashed through my eyes. "Wait.. there's something there." I shot out and snatched it from him. "Look!" I showed him the letters L and J that was carefully enscribed on the pin. "Her locket also had this initials."

I miss you

POV: ALEXANDER. It's been three days since Jimmie's disappearance and the guilt I felt no longer came in flashes. Instead, they were hanging on my head like a crown. All efforts made to track her proved abortive and showed, she was out from the city. That was how far she was willing to go, in order to get away from me. The thought drained me drastically as each day went by. My mother wasn't even helping matters. All she did was nag me about her daughter in-law and blame me for everything. I was quite excessive with her but running away was a big blow to my pride and caliber. The worst? No matter how hard I tried to deny it, a part of me longed for our constant banters, her tiramisu scent and those brown almond eyes. She was like smoke, filling every part of me with her thoughts but, hard to grasp. That morning, when her phone was tracked to a bus that was coming into the city, I felt my heart drop to my stomach. However, it wasn't long before we lost contact again. I figured she w

The feeling of home

POV: AUDREY.Background song: wanna be yours by Arctic monkeys. When he pulled me into his warm embrace, my brain stopped. The pace of my heart picked up rapidly and my gaze widened. Gasps and whispers filled the air and flashes from cameras stole the moment. In surprise, i forced myself from his grip. "What was that?" I grumbled. "Just two minutes. Let me just have two.." he trailed off and pulled me into his arms again. This time, it wasn't possession. It wasn't control as usual, it was a plea. Like he was begging for something. It felt as if I was his light in a dark tunnel. I stood there in his arms, breathing in his cologne. His frantic heart rhythm, like music to my ears, perfectly aligned to the gentle tapping of his fingers on my waist, with his face buried deep into my neck. Once again, I felt my body betraying me. I raised my slender hands to tap his shoulders, but stopped midway, the memory of our last fight flashing through my vision. Instead, I just stood there, ho

Comfort in the wrong arms

POV: AUDREY.Background song: half a man by Lewis dean. His voice was low, calm. Too calm. "You left without saying goodbye." "Lexan.. I.." " You told me that you didn't want to go back home. Did I look like a fool to you? You clearly deceived me. You lied to me. You..." he trailed off and I could hear the sniff of tears behind his voice. "Lex, i didn't plan for it to happen this way.. it was really unexpected." I stuttered bitterly. "C'mon Drey." He let out a bitter laugh. "I have known you for fifteen years. You clearly wanted to go back to him, because the Audrey I know would never give in to something she doesn't want." "I.." Tears burned in my eyes as guilt engulfed me. " I understand you are in a fix because of what happened to Jimmie but I'm also affected. And the best bet for us right now, is not keeping things from each other. You are all I have now Audrey. You know this and yet, all you do is hurt me." His plain confession pierced arrows to my heart and my stom

Surprise.. snake!

Background song: This town by Sasha Sloan and Kygo. Getting to see Jimmie expose this side of her to me, felt like a win. She was calm, cheerful and optimistic. It was more surprising, given the fact that, I almost walked in on her bawling her eyes yesterday in my bathroom. I had to pretend when she came downstairs as, I was scared of upsetting her. Watching her give in to me and sleep like a baby besides me was comforting. Right now, all I wished for was the time to freeze and let her remain in my arms. Her hands worked effortlessly behind me while, she knotted the apron at my waist. Her touch was fluffy, smooth and collected. With her auburn hair on my chest, breath trickling down my chest like cool water and her heart pounding erratically in her chest. I could tell she was nervous but, she was good at masking it. "I'm done." She announced and drew herself from my hold. "Show me what you've got, Mr. Royales." "At your service ma'am!" I drawled at her, offering her a slight ge

A mysterious buyer

POV: ALEXANDER. The sound of the siren was in sync with the frantic beating of my heart, as the ambulance raced to the hospital. Jimmie's face had turned pale and her body laid stiff on the stretcher, her weak pulse being the only notable movement. The nurses and paramedics hazzled through their complicated machines and equipment, to keep her alive. But, as the beeping of the ventilator increased, I felt her going further away to the ambers. In panic, I held her hand in mine, squeezing tightly, like it would jolt her, up to no avail. "Anaphylatic shock!! Alert!! Clear the defibrillator!" The nurse yelled and my heart stopped. "Clear!!!! Shock!!!!" They followed urgent protocols trying to revive her pulse. All efforts however seemed like water was being poured on stone. "This might be thrombosis. Is there any epinephrine left? Her body is reacting to the venom. " "No sir. I already asked them to prepare some at the hospital." The second man replied. "Then we have to be fast.

Confrontation

POV: AUDREY. My eyes were already wearing out from staring too much at the white ceiling above me. The underlying sting of the syringe in my arm as well as frequent kissing of goosebumps on my skin wasn't encouraging too. Even when I try hard not to remember it, the image of the black snake bitting into my skin, was clearer than my vision and my body shuddered each time I remembered it. Finally mustering up some courage, I decided to quit waiting on Alexander and grab some fruits before he arrived. I wondered what kept him late. It's been four hours. "Ma'am," a nurse called out, waking briskly into the room. "Let me help you." She offered and gently took my hand in hers, placing the other on my waist. "Thank you." I muttered quietly, flashing a smile at her. "How do you feel right now?" "Much better, apart from the occasional trembling of my body from fear." I chuckled awkwardly. "Its normal for snake bite patients. You will get over it eventually. Just try to stay with som

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