Read Online TouchStone for ever (The Story of Us Trilogy) by Sydney Jamesson - Free Book Online

fourth
meeting was by far the most traumatic for you. Taking the life of another human
being is never easy, even in self–defence.” He pats my hand softly. “Mr. Rizler
left without fanfare or a farewell. His dark and deadly soul left this earth in
a rush with no one to mourn his passing. But I suspect you knew that.”
    With his free hand he
tips up my chin. “Listen closely with an open heart and mind. Our two destinies
have been interwoven for decades, and the window I’ve had into your world has
allowed me to see your vulnerability but, more importantly, the strength of
character you have to see this through.”
    I’m bewildered. “To
see what through …”
    “When I came across
your husband, he was close to death …”
    I lose control of my
jaw and my mouth opens and stays that way.
    “I prepared to take
him, but did not. I was arrested by his frantic determination to hold on. You
see, I recognised him from your battle three days earlier. To my surprise, he
did not ask to be saved; he addressed his God and asked him to watch over you.
Such a selfless act, I thought.”
    As if telling a story
to an attentive child, he settles into the back of the sofa and continues in a
steady, no-nonsense tone.
    I’m dumbstruck.
    “You see, most people
fear me; they hate the thought of meeting me because they know the life they
have taken for granted is about to end. Your husband was different in that
respect. His thoughts were not of himself, but of you. So earnest was he in his
plea, I sought you out, recalled your past. I knew you as sweet Frances, so the
name Beth meant little to me until then.”
    Unable to contain my
agony for a second longer, I begin to sob and try to contain the sounds of my
sorrow in my hands. I can hold back the noise of a breaking heart, but not the
tide of bubbling tears trickling down my cheeks, coming to rest on my lap like
two unsightly ink stains.
    “You’re lying. If
this is one of your games, Ayden, you’ve gone too far; conjuring up this
elaborate story to terrify me, to get me to imagine what my life would be like
without you.“ I’m shaking my head. “You’re doing it to make me forget about the
baby or the fact we may never make a child again.” I’m sitting upright,
carelessly wiping away tears with heavy fingertips. “Just stop it! We should be
grateful for having each other; I get that. No need to carry on with this
charade.”
    I feel Ayden’s hand
caressing my cheek, so I lean into it and close my eyes, allowing the heat from
it to permeate my skin.
     “Frances, I have
known you most of your life and I have no reason to lie. I have nothing but
affection for you.”
    I open my eyes and
shake free of him. “Ayden! It’s time to stop. You’re scaring me.” I edge over
to him and take his face in my sweating palms. “Kiss me. Tell me you love me.”
I rest my mouth on his. The plumpness of his lips feels unnatural but that’s to
be expected; we haven’t kissed for four days and my lips are still tender. I
close my eyes, anticipating a prize-winning kiss, good enough to curl the
trickiest of toes, but in its place is a lack-lustre peck so unrecognisable it
has me edging away backwards.
    “Who are you?”
    He smiles
affectionately. “You know who I am.”
    I’m shaking my head
left and right. “No! I don’t know you. I don’t want to know you.” I scuttle
backwards, out of his reach.
    “Take a breath and
let it out slowly …”
    “I don’t want to take
a breath. I want my husband back. Who the fuck are you?” I cry. “And why have
you stolen Ayden’s body?”
    “Stolen? Hardly.
Under the circumstances, I believe the word rescued to be more fitting.”
    “Rescued? From what?”
    “Why, from death,
Frances.”
    Like a torn
parachute, I fall down to earth, with any hope of happiness ripped from my
heart. Here I sit in pieces, feeling more alone than I have ever felt before.
    From somewhere I find
the strength to speak. “Why? Why did you rescue him?”