The Present
Kiera's staring at her phone in hand, wondering if she should call her fiancee telling him that she wanted to end things between them. She shook her head briefly remembering all the good times and bad times leading to this very moment, debating whichever decisions she came up with will be the right one
"When life gives you a lemon, you make lemonade."
Smiling shyly, shes at a crossroads and the very proverb she remembers was that of her grandmother when she was 22 and moving out. She didn't have a mother nor a father figure, but her grandmother meant the world to her, she called her Princess. Even though she was alone as a child, she was her Grandmothers Princess. She always had her way, and she ever had everything she desired. Her grandmother didn't have much, but she tried her best to give her everything because she was her daughter. At this moment she had no one to call, she had no one that could understand her because she spoke French and her fiancee was American, she spoke two different languages, and yet no one cared. Out of the shadows, she saw her other half approaching
"What do you want."
She screamed frustrated, he shook his head knowing that he messed up earlier
"I just want to check On you."
"How did you know where I was "
"I followed you."
'He would do that' she thought, following her was one thing she hated the most. They were partners, lovers at best, not childhood friends, and he wasn't her father, yet he acted like him, and he also knew she hated him for that trait.
He was older, and she was 20 years younger than him, he was 41, and she was 21. James was a lawyer, and she was a nurse, often her parents would comment that James was a charming lawyer then they would fight about something, her family would take his side.
They mentioned to him that she was too spoiled to understand what a good man he was.other times when he was wrong, his money would make up for it.he could just throw money at them, and the source of their problem and they would try to convince Kiera to forgive him. Kierra was different .she could see thru everything that was wrong with him. At times Kiera felt like she was pushing the relationship to last, but she never saw him proposing. She didn't rush him into life when they met, but she knew she wanted to be with him, and once they were together, he changed over the years. He never once physically abuses her, but he was a jerk with his words, he would pick a fight whenever it suits him because he was jealous of Kiera. She often asks herself, 'how can you claim to love someone if you are jealous of them' as She wondered how many suffer from his mental abuse. Kiera could never have any friends on his presence, she could never make contact with the outside world because he made it clear that if she had him, no one else should because that's all she needs.she called him a' control freak' but he reassured her that it was for her own good. He wanted Kiera to submit to him completely, but she knew better, and for that, he wasn't thrilled. When James was around her family, he was a completely devoted and charming man, she wished that her family could see why she wanted to leave him. But they convince him that they had history, they also reminded her that she would never find someone better than he .she wished that they would understand, but they never did so it seems she has no choice but to stay by his sides. This was frustrating, she's young, and she knows that she has a lot learn but she doesn't want to give in to James because he wants her too.she wants to weight in her option while remaining faithful but James would express that he was her everything. When it came down to it, she was too good for him
"I can't catch a fucking break."
She screamed
"Leave me the fuck alone."
James looks hurt by her tone and choice of words, his hand hovering in her face
"Don't you fucking start."
'Some nerve's he had she thought, he followed me, and he thinks he can talk to me anyway he pleases.'
She grabbed her phone, pressing the volume to the max. With her earphone blasting to the roof, it cancels his voice, she smiled, seeing that his voice was fading away. She turned the other way on the bench facing the other part of the park.
"Fucking go away."
As Godsmack 'whatever 'blasted in her hear, she was brought back to all their previous fights, but this song was the one to make her forget how bad it got.
"and I wonder day to day
I don't like you anyway
I Don't need your shit today
You're pathetic in your own way."
She let the music moved her because it was her 'fuck you' 'you suck' to him.
"I Feel for you
Better fucking go away
I will behave
Better fucking goes away."
As she wondered
how did it get so bad in three years
"Am doing the best I've ever did
Am doing the best that I can
Am doing the best I've ever did
She started screaming from the top of her lung the last verse
"You get what you get until you're through with my life
I feel for you
Better fucking go away."
James seems to realize that she hasn't heard a word he said for the last five minutes, he jumped in front of her snatching the earplug out her ear. In a fit of rage, he screams
"What the fuck."
Kiera wanted nothing more than to piss him off, she didn't care at this moment, so she smiled facing him and replied
"I didn't realize it talks."
Placing the plug back to her hear, she wondered
What that would do to James ego.james on his side was determined to get Tierra's attention, he shook his head cursing under his breath,
He turned her back facing him snatching her phone.james was yelling from the top of his lung, but the noise was canceled out by the music, he was furious as he knew how loud those earplugs were. Kierra stood up, walking away from him,
"can't fucking be alone."
Rushing so fast to get away from him, one of the earphones felt out
"Leave me the fuck alone."
"Fine fucking fine,
Done with your ass anyway."
He heard coming from James, she shook her head running the opposite way
"so mature fucking asshole."
She watched her phone and realized that it was midnight, it was dark, it was cold, and she didn't have a jacket. She didn't know that she would freeze till morning, so she decided to place their petty quarrel aside, she stopped running turning around seeing that James was a few feet away
"Great now, I have to go back to him."
Next playlist started playing
"You were the shadow to my light
Did you feel us
Another start
You fade away
Afraid our aim is out of sight
Wanna see us
Alive"
"Where are you now."
She recognized the song as if it was a sign she replied
"Typical faded."
she echoed with a sight
"Where are you now
Where are you now."
Her playlist seems to talk to her at times, she wasn't sure which one she pressed, so she strolls up her playlist seeing the description as clear as the day
"Break up the mix."
She screamed
"Was it all in my fantasy
Where are you now
Were you only imaginary
Where are you now."
She shook her head mildly smiling,
"it seems tonights the night."
"Atlantis
Under the sea
Under the sea
Where are you now
Another dream
The monsters running wild inside of me."
"What the heck was I thinking."
She knew that song like the back of her hand, and at that moment, she couldn't hide her tears any longer. With James, she felt like she was being abused and taking advantage off. At times she felt like she didn't belong, she loved him, and she knew he loved her, but at times it was getting so hard that she wished shed never met him.
"I'm faded
I'm faded
So lost"
She remembered being miserable with her family until he rushed in like prince charming taking her into his arm, now they were about to be married .she never saw herself married because her parents didn't set an extraordinary example, but being with James made her change her mind. Even though they fought a lot, she thought it was normal for couples to argue from time to times, but she didn't understand what she was doing wrong that made him so upset with her. She was exhausted
"and I can wait til another hour."
So far, she was talking to herself, which she tended to do a lot lately. she knew how to be happy, but she was afraid of what would come next
"I'm faded
I'm faded
So lost
I'm faded."
An hour had passed since James left. She came to her senses, realizing that her phone was about to die, she walked her way home, hoping to find him asleep, but the lights were on.
"Damn it."
She cursed under her breath, she reached for her keys opening the door, and the alarmed went off. She rushed, turning it off, then her furry best friend rushed to greet her. She knew he was about to bark
"Sit"
She instructed, and He sat quietly, he was well trained, so she rubbed behind his hear rewarding him
"Good boy com' on buddy."
Her dog followed her into the bedroom. She instructed her dog to lay at the edge where his bed was made, then she proceeds, taking her garments off and played in bed where James was fast asleep, but he wasn't. A moment later, strong arms found their way around her waist, she wanted to remove them thinking that he had a bad dream, but his hands found their way to her thigh, rubbing them gently. She stood still not understand what caused the sudden change, then she felt kisses on her neck. Sloppy kisses but kisses nevertheless, he knew how to turn the table on her without apologizing, and it wasn't right. She moved a few inches away, removing his hands on her. Feeling lost of contact, James moved closer to her, but this time he was lifting her underwear, sliding his hand around her clit. She closed her eyes, feeling his fingers working their way around her pleasure spot ready to give in, but this time, unlike any others, she saw a dark hair beauty staring back at her. Panicking She quickly opened her eyes grabbing his hand
"Not tonight am sleepy."
She played it off yarning
"Ghhh' night."
James didn't buy it, he tosses the cover away from them standing up abruptly in rage
"go to hell."
On his way out the door here punched a hole in the wall.
She should have responded knowing that he has no right to treat her any way he pleases, but she knew better, she was tired, and honestly she didn't want another fight. She never had an accident of this proportion but Tonight was the night that she genuinely felt like she was cheating on him because Tonight it was somebody else touching her.
ChatGPT said:
Here is a cleaned, edited version of your chapter with improved grammar, clarity, and structure. I preserved your emotional depth and story flow while making it more readable and ready for publication:
Chapter Title: Faded Decisions
Kiera stared at the phone in her hand, debating whether she should call her fiancé and finally end things. She shook her head, recalling the highs and lows that brought her to this exact moment. Would ending it make things better—or worse?
"When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade."
That old proverb brought a shy smile to her lips. It was something her grandmother used to say when she was 22 and moving out for the first time. Kiera never had a mother or father figure growing up, but her grandmother had been her whole world. She called Kiera Princess, and even though they didn’t have much, she made sure Kiera had everything she could give.
Now, she had no one to call. No one who would understand. She spoke French. Her fiancé, James, was American. Two different languages, two different worlds. And no one really cared to understand hers.
From the shadows, James appeared.
“What do you want?” she snapped, her voice raw with frustration.
He shook his head, already looking like he regretted showing up. “I just wanted to check on you.”
“How did you know where I was?”
“I followed you.”
Of course he did, she thought bitterly. It was one of the many things she hated—being followed. James wasn’t her father, he wasn’t her childhood friend. He was her fiancé. But he always acted like he owned her.
James was 41. She was 21. He was a well-respected lawyer. She was a newly minted nurse. Her family praised him endlessly, calling him “charming,” even after every fight. They always took his side.
“She’s too spoiled to appreciate a good man,” they’d say. And when James was clearly in the wrong, he’d throw money at the problem—and they’d accept it, convincing Kiera to forgive him.
But Kiera wasn’t blind. She saw everything.
She had tried hard to make the relationship work, but she never imagined herself marrying him. Over time, he changed. No, he never physically hurt her, but his words—cut like knives. He picked fights out of jealousy. He didn’t want her to have friends, didn’t want her to connect with the outside world. According to him, if she had him, she needed nothing else.
He was a control freak—and proudly so. He claimed it was "for her own good."
Around her family, James became the perfect man. She wished they could see through him. Instead, they reminded her of their history, saying she’d never find better. She began to believe them. Maybe she had no choice but to stay.
But she hated it.
"I'm young," she whispered to herself. "I still have so much to learn. But I won’t give in just because he wants me to."
Out loud, she screamed, “I can’t catch a fucking break!”
“Leave me the fuck alone!”
James flinched at her tone. His hand hovered mid-air near her face.
“Don’t you fucking start,” she warned, eyes locked on his.
Some nerve, she thought. He follows me and thinks he can say whatever he wants.
She grabbed her phone and blasted her earphones to full volume. The music drowned out his voice. She smiled. Sweet, defiant silence. Turning away from him on the park bench, she muttered:
“Fucking go away.”
Godsmack’s “Whatever” blared through her ears, igniting memories of every fight they'd had.
"I don't like you anyway…
You're pathetic in your own way."
The song was her personal rebellion. Her screw you to James.
"I feel for you
Better fucking go away..."
How did we get here in just three years? she wondered.
She belted the final lines:
"You get what you get until you're through with my life…
I feel for you… better fucking go away!"
James realized she hadn’t heard a word he'd said. In a rage, he jumped in front of her and yanked the earbud out.
“What the fuck?” he shouted.
Kiera smirked. “Didn’t realize you could talk.”
She replaced her earbud, amused at the blow to his ego. James fumed, cursing, trying to grab her phone. But the music continued to drown him out.
Kiera stood, walking away. “Can’t fucking be alone, can you?”
One earbud slipped out.
“Leave me the fuck alone!”
“Fine! I’m done with your ass anyway!”
She rolled her eyes and ran in the opposite direction. “So mature. Fucking asshole.”
It was midnight. She was cold, without a jacket. She stopped running. Turning back, she saw James still lingering.
“Great,” she muttered. “Now I have to go back.”
Her next song started playing:
"You were the shadow to my light… Where are you now?"
She sighed. “Typical. ‘Faded.’”
She kept walking. Her playlist read: Breakup Mix.
"Was it all in my fantasy…? Where are you now…?"
Tears welled in her eyes.
“What the heck was I thinking?”
She loved James. He loved her—or so he said. But lately, love wasn’t enough. She felt used. Controlled. Trapped. She remembered when he’d first swept into her life like a prince. Now, she questioned if it had all been fake.
"I'm faded… I'm faded… So lost..."
An hour passed. Her phone was dying. She walked home, hoping James was asleep.
He wasn’t.
“Damn it,” she whispered, unlocking the door.
The alarm beeped. She rushed to disarm it. Her dog came barreling to greet her.
“Sit,” she ordered gently.
He obeyed. She scratched behind his ear. “Good boy. Come on, buddy.”
In the bedroom, her dog curled on his bed. She undressed and slid into bed next to James, who seemed to be asleep.
He wasn’t.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist. His lips found her neck—sloppy kisses without apology. She lay still, confused by the sudden change.
Then his hand slid into her underwear, fingers circling her clit. She nearly gave in—until she saw something in her mind: a dark-haired woman, watching her.
Panic surged.
She grabbed his hand. “Not tonight. I’m sleepy.”
She faked a yawn. “G’night.”
James didn’t believe her. He threw the covers off and got up, livid.
“Go to hell!” he shouted, punching a hole in the wall.
Kiera said nothing. She was too tired, too numb. But for the first time, she felt something else: guilt. Not because she’d cheated—but because, in her mind, it had been someone else touching her.
And that… scared her.