Dark Paradise - Joel Miller x OC

Sinners

Sorry it took me so long to publish this. I had a crazy week, I'm studying to get my agile certification in order to get better accepted at some jobs, and I did have an interview that went super well, we have another interview next week, one hour long, I can't wait for it, hope it will work well because the team seems cool and the job interesting. I'll let you know.

Anyway, this chapter was painful to write, I think I've lost a big of my motivation for this story, but I'm so close to the end, I want it to end. I've no idea to write next, maybe some one-shots, but I don't have the inspiration, so maybe taking requests, but I don't know if people will actually submit me anything, because there are so many great writers out there. So yeah, if you have ideas you'd like me to write, don't hesitate 😊

Photo by Jean-Baptiste D. on Unsplash

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She breathes in the fresh air while gazing at the lake. Maria and she had decided to spend two days there, just to clean everything around before closing the house for the cold season. To get away and take time for them. It's rare that they're both out of the city. But for 48 hours, Maria decided that everyone was able to take care of the community without them.

They both needed a change of mind. Chloe, to try to regain a taste for life. Maria to heal her heart from the breakup. She knows it was the right decision not to be with Tommy anymore. Not to constantly fight. To be drained, emptied, by the anger of her husband. But that doesn't make it easier. For more than ten years, he had been her pillar, her support, her love. And him as she knows it. It wasn't the lack of love that separated them.

"You can have the bedroom, I'll take the couch.

-Are you sure?"

Chloe nods. She won't sleep anyway, she knows it. The two women sit on the terrace to watch the sunset fall over the lake and the trees starting to shed their leaves. They remain in silence, content to sip their beers. Later, they'll cook a quick meal on the stove and go to bed. Trying to find some of that much-deserved rest.

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The moon shines over the darkening lake. She walks towards the water, burying her feet in the sand, gazing at the horizon. She's not crying. She's not in pain. It's just her and the elements gently caressing her skin.

She doesn't really know what time it is. More than midnight surely. Already, it can be felt in the air that autumn is here. Despite the cool breeze, she doesn't shiver. She doesn't feel much. Slowly, she slides her nightgown over her dry skin. She hasn't taken care of it for a long time. What's the point? There is no one left to touch it.

She enters the water, letting the waves gradually rise up her bare legs. She ends up diving in, sinking among the lake grasses that adorn the seabed. And for a moment, only a moment, she contemplates the idea of not rising to the surface. To let yourself be swallowed up. Disappear. But no sooner did the thought cross her mind that his face appeared, twisted with anguish. "Promise me."

So, with a kick of her legs, she rises to the surface. Maria is there, calling her name. She too looks worried. Chloe remains impassive, emerging from the waters without bothering to show her nakedness to the other woman.

"I got up for a drink of water. Are you okay?

-Yes... I'm good Maria. Don't worry."

She grabs the towel the other holds out to her. They go inside and Maria builds a fire for her. They warm up, standing side by side without saying anything. Chloe doesn't want to be here anymore. She thought it might do her good to be back in this peaceful haven, to breathe some fresh air away from her everyday life and the observant faces of the people of Jackson.