Chapter 1 | The Accident

    I ran as fast as I could. The clopping of the hooves grew closer and closer.

    It was a quiet, moonless night with an all-devouring deep fog. I ran off the dirt path, into the forest. The thick tree canopies made it harder to see and I fell a few times. 

    Clip! Clop! Clip! Clop! 

    I considered climbing a tree and staying put for the night but as I stood up from the ground, I could see a silhouette of the horse with a man not too far away.

    "YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE ME?" I heard him roar from afar.

    I continued to run frantically. My lungs and throat were burning as I pushed myself harder. I could see a vague outline of his body now. Fog enveloped his defined muscles and yet his intense rage was visible.  

    Thud!

    I tripped over tree roots and heard the hoofbeats slow down.

    My heart beat erratically as his horse slowly circled me. I was scared stiff to stand up. He patiently waited for his prey without saying a word. He didn’t really have to say anything as I could feel the obvious waves of anger radiating from him. 

    When I did not budge for what seemed like a long time, he leaned down from the horse to grab my arm, and before I knew it, his arm reached around my waist. In one quick scoop, I was on his horse. He placed me sideways and my shoulder dug into his chest. 

    The horse broke into a gallop blurring all the trees around us.

    "Please slow down," I begged him.

    He looked straight ahead ignoring my words. 

    I lifted my eyes to get a good look at him but he towered over me and all I could see was his strong lightly bearded jawline. Without thinking, I ran my hand over his rugged face to stroke his beard. 

    He clenched his jaw and I quickly withdrew my hand. 

    I felt a tingling sensation take over my body. Sitting so close and not touching him was insufferable. 

    Fatigue and sleep were slowly taking over me as I shivered from his coldness and the moist fog around us. I hesitated a little before wrapping my arms around him tightly and rested my head on his chest. 

    He suddenly slowed the horse down and broke loose from my embrace. He grabbed both my wrists with his one hulk hand and lifted them over my head to pin them to my back.

    "OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!! I got bones in those arms, you can't..."

    "SHUT UP!" 

    He looked me straight in the eye with a steely glare. I should be terrified but was instead too distracted by my stiff nipples straining against his chest. 

    I tried to twist my wrists to free them from his grip. 

    "Please! It hurts." 

    He leaned into me, resting his forehead on mine and rubbing his nose against me. Our lips occasionally grazed and I trembled at their contact. 

    "You want to run away from me, huh?" His voice was slightly hoarse and his eyes were turning dark as he looked at my lips. 

    I felt like I was going to combust at any moment now. He released my arms free and reached for my thighs. I was already wet between them by his mere touch. He turned me from the side so that my whole body was facing him and grabbed my ass with both his hands to pull me closer to his hardness. I let out a cry in surprise. 

    My breathing quickened and I gave into the heightened sensitivity of my body and held his hands with mine to lay them on my chest. He grabbed my breasts hungrily as I rubbed my core against his arousal. I ran my hands through his hair and cupped his face lightly. He bent down and sucked on my lower lip, kissing me fiercely until I was out of breath.

    "Oh, Allena.." He groaned in a husky voice as he pulled me closer. His eyes were filled with a raw desire that got my juices flowing. 

    A shrill siren suddenly blared through the fog. 

    I struggled to focus. The sight of his lustful eyes was fading away as the fog thickened.

    The piercing noise got louder and louder, with no sign of stopping. I felt like I was rolling down the horse and desperately tried to hold him. Something cold touched the back of my legs and I woke up with a jolt.

    I found myself lying on the cold floor clutching my bedsheets that I dragged off the bed along with me.

    Gosh, Darn it! 

    This was a dream?? 

    What a hot guy! 

    But who was Allena?

    I checked my phone and panicked. I was supposed to meet Jonathan at our usual coffee spot. I sighed in relief when I saw his text that said he was running late. 

    I took a quick shower, applied some light makeup, and rushed to the coffee shop. 

    I sat by a window with a view of the bustling Milwaukee Avenue. Jonathan was still on his way. I felt nervous thinking about what today’s meeting was going to be about. He has been acting distant lately, and I haven't seen him for days.

    To make matters worse, I caught myself drifting off to the thoughts of that man in my weird dream. I could not get those eyes out of my mind. I missed him already. Nothing felt more important than to please him and be pleasured by him. How did a stranger have so much power on me? His strong arms, brawny chest, and insatiable mouth. 

     Damn! I gasped.

     "Hey! Sorry I am late." Jon’s arrival pulled me away from my sinful thoughts. 

    He did not kiss me. Not even a quick hug.

    "Hi" I said awkwardly.

    I have been with this guy for almost five years now but his demeanor today made me feel uncomfortable.

    "Did you order something?" He asked, without making eye contact, pretending to study the coffee menu that barely had five things on there.

    "Jon, what is this about?"

    "Oh yeah! I have some news to share. Remember, I was waiting to hear from MIT about the status of my transfer application?" He smiled brightly and continued, "Well, I got accepted and I will be leaving by the end of January."

    I froze for a moment before saying, "Oh wow! Congratulations! You are so smart. I told you not to stress so much about it."

     I forced a smile. I wanted to look happy for him.

     "Thanks!" He said softly and smiled back. 

    He paused for a bit, and continued, "It's going to be hard for us though."

    "Oh, Boston is not that far from Chicago. We will figure it out." I said quickly.

    "Ally, you know how much I need physical intimacy. I don't know if it is a good idea to wait for months to see each other again while missing out on all the fun."

     I waited silently for him to continue with his breakup speech.  

    "I also feel like we are two very different people. I know you love Art History and will probably get a good-paying job at a museum or something but..."    

    I cut him off without realizing it. "What's my major got to do with any of this? You think Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining are cool. I think the Evolution of Art is cool. Are we not allowed to appreciate different things?"

    "We are not talking about hobbies here. And art, to me, is more like a hobby."

    I got up from my chair and collected my things. I did not want to cry or beg for him to stay. Thought I was prepared for something like this when he had called me earlier. I wanted to yell at this moron for being so selfish. Or maybe he was being practical. But the lump in my throat won't let me talk.

    "Ally wait!" He said while sitting and looking around. I turned to leave and bumped into the coffee shop door that someone opened from the outside. "Alyssa, listen." He called my name and slowly stood up.

    I ran out into the street and a blast of cold, icy December wind hit my face. The warmth that Jonathan brought into my otherwise sad life was gone just like that. 

    My parents were alive, but they could never make me feel wanted as Jonathan did. They got divorced when I was eight, and dad met someone and got married the same year. Mom was on and off with a few men until I turned 13, but finally, she met someone who wanted to marry her. 

    My stepdad has two little kids, and mom has been very busy finding happiness with her new family ever since. I felt like an unwanted guest at holiday dinners and family outings. 

    None of that mattered when I found my dear Jon and was able to pour my heart out to him.

   Oh well, this was going to be another lonely Christmas. I wished that these holidays didn’t exist. They brought so much pain every year. 

    My eyes were tearing up uncontrollably. The sight of all things pretty through the decorated store windows made me want to sob loudly.

    Where am I? I wiped my eyes and looked around. I was walking in the wrong direction all this while. 

    Another blast of cold wind hit my face. Chicago suddenly felt colder than it already was. I quickly turned right to cross the street while a bus was also turning right. 

    It was too late by the time I realized that I was probably going to die.  

    Screech! Boom! Screech! Crash!

    Someone was trying to clear blood-soaked hair off my face and trying to wake me up. The world grew quiet as the pain that I felt in my heart and my body was slowly fading away.