The suddeness of the kiss shocked
him at first, but soon he was kissing her back with all of the pent
up emotions and passion that he had felt for her these past few
months of their separation. The world seemed to fade away and
all that was left was the taste of his wife's lips and the feel of her
beautiful body in his arms where it belonged. Her delicate hands
were on his shoulders and caressing his face as his hands moved
up her back and through her hair. This felt so right, so wonderful.
Dimitri was right, this is where he belonged. With Gillian, forever.
And then Gillian pulled away, and before he could tell her
that he loved her and wanted to be with her, she declared that
she had filed for divorce and his world was shattered. His heart
was screaming that he didn't want the divorce, that he wanted to
be with her for the rest of his life, but his mind just wouldn't
listen. As he felt himself dying inside, he agreed to the divorce
and walked away.
Now Gillian was dancing with Jake. His wife, his love,
was dancing seductively with another man and he felt like
someone had ripped his heart out. Someone else was holding
her close and touching her beautiful face. As he put her to bed
later that night, it took all of his strength not to lean down and
kiss her blushing lips. Lips that he thought he would be the last
man to ever kiss.
Barely able to hold back the tears, he signed the
divorce papers the very next day, thinking he was doing the
right thing for Gillian. He loved her with all of his soul, but his
mind just wouldn't trust his heart. As if he had just signed his
own death warrant, he dreaded the life he would soon be living.
Now he was a guest at a beautiful affair. It was a
wedding in the early Fall and the leaves were just starting to
change their colors. He watched from the back row as Gillian
and Jake pledged their love to one another and vowed to be
together for the rest of their lives. As the minister called for
anyone who found any reason for this couple not to be wed to
please say so now or forever hold thy peace, his heart
screamed that, yes, he objected. He loved Gillian! But no
words came and he watched, numb, as the love of his life married another man.
Now he was looking through the window of a perfect
white house in the country with a white picket fence and a
swing set in the backyard. It was Christmas and there was
Gillian Martin kissing her husband, Dr. Jake Martin, under the
mistletoe as their three beautiful children danced around their
legs. Two boys and a little girl, all with chestnut brown hair,
beautiful smiles, and just a hint of their Mom's Hungarian
accent. He hated Jake beacuse that should have been him
kissing Gillian and he resented those children because theyshould have been his.
Then, with the little bit of strength he had left, he sank
to the snow-covered ground and began to weep with all of his
sorrow, pain, and loss because he had let the best thing that
had ever happened to him slip right through his fingers...
Ryan Lavery awoke with a horrific scream from the
worst nightmare he had ever experienced. Taking a few deep
breaths, he began to run his fingers through his short hair and
reassure himself that it had all been just a dream. Silently he
switched on the light and walked to the bathroom. The cold
water that Ryan splashed on his face did little to calm his fear
that his nightmare had been more than just a dream. With a
start, Ryan realized that it could very well be more than just a
dream- it could very well be a premonition for the future.
Suddenly his legs could no longer support his weight and he
slowly sank to bathroom floor and put his head in his hands.
He had signed the divorce papers last night and Gillian was
supposed to sign them today around 10:00 a.m.
Ryan
checked his watch and realized that, in less that eight hours,
Gillian, his love, his wife, his everything, would be out of his
life for good. And in one sudden moment, Ryan realized that
he just couldn't let that happen. His life was worth it because
Gillian was in it and he was not going to let her go.
Quickly, a plan began to form in his mind and Ryan
began to smile as he rose from the floor. He had been acting
like an idiot these past few weeks, but he knew he could
make it up to Gillian. If there was one thing in the world that
he could always count on, it was that Gillian loved him. She
would forgive him for acting like such a jerk, but he had to act
fast if his plan was going to work.
As Ryan strode to the
phone he could feel his old confident self returning. He could
not fail. The stakes were too high. Hayley, Jake, Dimitri,
Tad, Dixie, Eugenia- they would all help him. With luck, this
would be last night he ever spent in this room.
