Jade's POV

Bernard dragging my hair….

Bernard pinning me to the wall, my eyes wide with fear, while he licked his lips in mischief…

Bernard choking me with one hand as he forcefully kissed me till I was breathless….

Bernard tearing my clothes to shreds as I screamed my lungs out..

I woke up with a startle.

Another nightmare..

Since I learned that I was getting married to Bernard Veritas, these memories I have been trying to forget for five years now have frequently revisited me anytime I shut my eyes.

As always, they left me shaken to the core, and stole my sleep.

Today was Dad's funeral. I cried my eyes out as I watched his casket being lowered into that dirt hole.

All my hopes that this was a prank evaporated as the first shovelful of dirt hit his casket.

The only thing that prevented me from jumping into that hole was Ruby's firm grip on my arm, and Mom's persistent warning to behave like a lady, even though I wept like a baby.

Overwhelmed with grief, I went straight to bed when I arrived home and emptied the rest of my tear ducts till there was nothing left.

I paced around my room, trying to still my breathing and pull myself together. My throat itched with thirst. I needed water.

I made for the kitchen, but stopped halfway when I reached the end of the hallway. Mom was having a conversation with someone.

My body froze as I heard his voice.

It was him. Bernard Veritas.

The source of my nightmares.

“Let me go check if she's awake, so I can say goodnight to her,” I heard the chair scrape as he got up.

He was coming to check up on me.

My skin prickled like it was pierced with thousands of needles as my body unfroze.

I tiptoed back, past my room, towards the fire exit at the end of the hallway, and minutes later, I jumped over the fence where it was shorter, and ran into the lonely, dark street.

It was safer here than anywhere near Bernard Veritas.

I flagged the first taxi I saw and gave him Ruby's address. She wouldn't turn me out this night, no matter what.

“Are you okay, Princess? You seem a bit shaken,” a deep , sexy voice asked.

I choked on my breath. Only Dad called me Princess.

“I am okay,” I replied, my eyes averted.

“My condolences on your loss, Princess. I understand how you feel.”

I whipped my face to glare at the driver, fury drenching my features. “Oh, you have no idea how I feel. You are not the one who lost their best parent at a time you needed them most,” I spat with venom.

“It was my graduation day in Oxford university,” the taxi driver began after a brief pause, his eyes fixed on the road. “I was the best graduating student for the year. My entire family and extended family hired a plane to come celebrate with me,” he paused, turning to look at me.

“They didn't see me graduate, and I didn't see their corpses. The plane exploded above the Pacific,” he said steely, holding my gaze.

My breath hitched, and my intestines twisted in horror.

“I am sorry to hear that,” I said in a small voice.

He gave me a small smile. “It's fine. So I mean it when I say, I understand how you feel.”

“So how did you survive it? Because I feel like dying already.”

“Time, Princess. It doesn't heal all wounds as they say, but it grows a scab over it, and makes it bearable.” He held my gaze again. “Give yourself time, Princess. You will be fine.”

I nodded.

“So aside from taxi driving, what else do you do?” I asked, eager to steer the conversation to another direction.

“I stay handsome, and I draw tattoos,” He said confidently, like he owned the world.

“And who said you were handsome?” I asked with a smirk.

“Even the blind can feel it, Princess,” he replied, flicking on the roof light.

My breath locked in my throat, and I stiffled a gasp. Boy, he was handsome.

My eyes locked on a deadly handsome face that would rival the hearthrob in any movie, romantic or otherwise. With full lips and blue eyes that would make your knees weak, this guy was the reason the car felt hotter.

“Facts don't lie, do they?” He asked, his lips curved into a small smile.

“Seen better,” I lied, looking away.

“At least you stared for more than two minutes, and you were practically salivating. That's enough confirmation,” he looked away to hide his laugh.

“Oh stop it,” I laughed. This guy was the funniest and most confident taxi driver I've met.

We stopped at Ruby's place, and I paid him and dashed out. His confidence was suffocating.

Ruby's door was locked tight. My best friend was probably banging another guy, whose name she won't remember in the morning.

I searched my pockets, and realised I had left my phone on my bed. Shit!

I hurried out of the house, and I saw the familiar cab still standing where it dropped me. Was he waiting for me?

I walked over, and opened the door. “Were you waiting for me?” I asked, as he flicked on the roof light.

“I was waiting for any other customer. Are you ready to go?”

“No. My friend's not home yet, and I just want to wait for her.”

“Maybe we can wait together,” he said, folding his tattooed arms that made his military muscles bulge.

“You sure about that?” I asked, quizzical.

“It's better than joining the beeline of cab drivers and laughing at their dry jokes. You choose, though,” he gestured at me.

I chose to stay with him, and laughed till my ribs cracked. It felt so natural talking to him. Before I realised, an hour was gone.

A black SUV sped past us, and stopped in front of Ruby's apartment complex. I watched as the door opened, and Ruby stumbled out.

Finally.

“She's here. I need to go,” I reached for the door handle.

“Wait,” a deep voice said as the taxi driver dropped a hand on my lap. I froze, jolts of electricity coursing through my nerves at the contact. I felt so aware of my body than I ever felt in a long time.

We watched as Ruby sauntered into the apartment, and the car sped of. The taxi driver then lifted his hand.

“You can now go,” he said. He reached out to the air vent and pulled out a business card.

“My name's Tony, but feel free to call me when you need me,” he handed me the card with a wink.

A silly idea crossed my mind as I stared briefly at this taxi driver. He had a muscular frame, and he looked powerful. He could easily wrestle down two men down in a blink of an eye.

“Uhm..Tony?” I called, my heart hammering against my chest. “Can I ask you a dumb question?"

“I am all ears, Princess," he replied with a soft smile.

“Are you in a relationship?" I asked, already feeling stupid.

“At the moment, I am single to stupor," Tony replied, clearly surprised.

Jackpot!

For the first time in my life, I would take control of a situation, and my life. I would not fold my hands and watch my parents ruin my whole life for me, thinking it's in my best interests.

It was now, or never.

I prayed for all the courage in the world and looked at Tony dead in the eye as I asked my next question.

“Can we get married tomorrow?"