Prison of Smoke (PRISON OF TIDES SEQUEL)

Valentia

Jacob’s Point of View

A red haired woman, long and lean, was smiling at me as I danced with her. I couldn’t make out what she was saying, or where I knew her from. Something in me screamed that this was important, that I needed to think. I needed to remember. I needed to wake up.

“Wake up, honey!” A chipper voice woke me from my slumber.

“Cherry?” I didn’t know why I was talking about a fruit, but the word came from my mouth, nonetheless.

As I opened my eyes, a dark haired woman looked at me with a rounded belly. I knew her name was Valentia, and that I was hers. But something about the dream lingered with me, something I couldn’t put my finger on.

“Oh honey, are you thinking about her again?”

I nodded. “Who is she?”

Valentia sat, resting against my side. My arm moved around her shoulders of its own volition, and she looked at me with patience in her eyes. “It’s not important. She’s in the past now, and I’m your future. She won’t stop calling your phone. I’d say it’s time to make it official, don’t you?”

I shook my head, confused. “I think I should call her. Something feels wrong, honey.” Why was I calling her honey? My mind was so hazy, as though all the things I needed to know were shrouded in smoke.

Shaking her head back at me, she smiled. “You’re right, of course. We should call her.”

Raising her hand, a tendril of smoke rose from it, weaving its way through the air towards me. I froze, unable to move as it entered my nose. Suddenly, it all made sense again. Cherry, the woman from my dream. I’d loved her once upon a time, but things had changed. I had a family here now, where I belonged. Looking towards Valentia, I put my hand on her stomach, feeling our child move. We’d entered the third trimester, the first two having flown by so quickly it was like they were fast forwarded through my mind. When I tried too hard to think about them, the memories became fuzzy, my head feeling as though it would burn away at any given moment. So I didn’t think about it.

Smiling, Valentia handed me my phone, engagement ring glistening on her finger.

Cherry’s Point of View

I hadn’t heard from Jacob all day. I’d tried calling him the night before, but he hadn’t answered. I had an unsettling feeling. When I went to the sea for a late night walk, the sea showed me the same bone chilling vision it had before - smoke, smoke everywhere.

I tried calling him again, over and over. Something wasn’t right. I could feel it. Where was he?

Another day came and went, and I was panicking. I packed a bag, as did Caspian; maybe Jacob’s phone was simply broken, but I had to believe he would have contacted me somehow. He wouldn’t let me worry. He wouldn’t let the kids go so many nights without seeing their Papa, wouldn’t let me go so many nights cold and alone, without even the light of his face through my phone to keep me company.

As I zipped up my suitcase, my phone rang, and my heart raced. Jacob was video calling me.

“Jacob! I’ve been worried sick. Caspian and I were getting ready to go to Folochlay. Where the hell have you been?”

His eyes were cold, distant. Nothing like the warmth I was used to from him. “Cherry, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this at all. “Okay,” I said hesitantly. “What’s going on?”

“I’ve met someone here.”

The room started to spin, and I sat down on the bed. “What do you mean, you’ve met someone there?”

“Cherry. I’m starting a family here. I’m sorry. I don’t love you anymore, and I don’t know if I ever did.” His words were ice in my chest, and I covered my mouth with my hand as tears started to fall.

“You don’t mean that, Jacob.” He couldn’t mean that.

“I do,” He said, keeping his voice flat. “I felt bad for you. I confused lust and wanting to protect someone that something bad had happened to with love. The last few days without you have shown me how small our connection really is. I filed for divorce, and you should be getting the papers soon.”

“You never loved me?” My voice broke as I spoke.

He shook his head, his eyes still cold, unfeeling, almost blank. “I’m sorry. Everything is yours. The money, the house, the kids. Please don’t contact me again. This is where I belong. Goodbye, Cherry.”

With that, he ended the call, and my heart was broken. This couldn’t be real. This had to be some sort of sick joke.

I tried calling again, only to be notified my number had been blocked. Choking, I screamed, sinking to the floor. I grabbed the vase of flowers he’d given me before he left, smashing them to the floor. The door opened and Jasmine stood there, watching as I destroyed just about everything in sight.

The picture. That stupid, goddamned picture I’d drawn him, of us. The one he framed. It meant nothing to him now? He’d promised to cherish it forever. He’d promised to cherish me forever.

I remembered the night I’d agreed to draw him. That fateful night. I’d always felt it was too good to be true, a man like him loving a woman like me. The past few years had been a dream, a fairy tale. Poor, abused woman gets taken in by royalty and falls in love. Lives happily ever after. It read too much like a story and not enough like life.

“Cherry, what are you doing?!” Jasmine’s voice was panicked.

“Go get your goddamned husband. We’re not going to Folochlay,” I said through gritted teeth, standing up and putting the ring in my jewelry box. The jewelry box he’d given me, with all the jewelry he’d given me. I wanted to smash the whole thing. I wanted to smash everything.

There was a part of me that hoped it was all a sick, twisted joke.

Jasmine called for Capsian, who came rushing in. “Cherry, what’s going on?”

“Jacob just called to tell me he’s divorcing me. He’s f*****g leaving me for another f*****g woman.”

“What?!” They both cried in unison.

“Cherry, that can’t be true. He loves you,” Jasmine said, taking my hand.

Ripping my hand away, I glared at them both. “It’s f*****g true. He just video called to tell me he’s sending the divorce papers in the mail. He’s leaving us with everything, doesn’t even want to see the kids.”

They looked at each other before turning to me, mouths wide.

“Cherry, that just doesn’t make sense. I’ve known Jacob for over a decade now, and I’ve never seen him actually like, let alone love, anyone before you.” Caspian tried to comfort me, but it just made me angrier. “There must be a good reason for him saying that. Maybe he’s under duress.”

Taking a breath, I nodded. “You’re right. You’re right. Okay. I’ll use my sight, see what he’s doing right now.”

“I’ll come with you,” Jasmine said, reaching out and taking my hand. “Caspian, please stay with the children in case they wake up.”

Caspian agreed, and Jasmine took me out back, facing the sea. Taking a breath, I readied myself to see Jacob in danger. Caspian was right. That was the only reason Jacob would ever say those things. I waded into the water, and was overcome with visions again.

At that very moment, Jacob was in bed with another woman, calling her name as he finished inside of her.

I screamed again, collapsing into the ocean.

“f**k you, Jacob! f*****g asshole! Couldn’t even wait ten minutes to bed another b***h!”

Jasmine covered her mouth. “He’s with someone else?”

I nodded, completely heartbroken, and did the only thing I knew how to do.

Sinking beneath the waves, I swam to that spot so many years ago when I’d finally opened up to him, showed him my truth. In between the boulders that had threatened to smash us, I took off my ring and wedged it at the base, giving it one last look before swimming back to Jasmine.

If he could move on so easily, so could I. Going back to the cottage, I got ready to go out dancing. I’d be damned if I didn’t go home with someone else that night.

Jacob’s Point of View

After getting off the call with the woman, I looked at Valentia, confused. “Why did I do that, again?” The woman was but a distant blur in my mind, but something didn’t feel right about what had just happened.

“Oh, honey. Don’t worry about it.” Smoke rose from her hand and I promptly forgot about the phone call, the red head, and the children she spoke of.

Smiling, I met my fiance’s lips with my own, sighing into the warmth of them.

“Oh, Jacob,” She moaned, her plump lips soft against my own. “Make love with me.”

As if on command, I pulled her shirt off and slipped out of my boxers, kissing her neck. I somehow knew exactly what she wanted me to do, and I let my lips travel down her bosom towards her thighs, spreading her legs and tasting her. Something about her tasted wrong, even though there was nothing I could put my finger on. Still, no matter how much my mind argued, I wasn’t able to stop. My eyes locked on her dark ones as she orgasmed under my tongue and pushed me onto my back, climbing on top of me.

“Oh, s**t,” I groaned as she sank onto me, riding me with expert precision. “Fuck.”

When I closed my eyes, a beautiful redhead was on top of me, her hips pressing into my hands as her curls flowed around her face. Her head thrown back, she moaned my name.

“f**k, babygirl,” I panted. “Oh, gods, Cherry.”

She stopped moving, and I opened my eyes only to see a completely different woman on top of me. “Who the f**k are you?!” I yelled, scrambling out from under her.

“I’m your fiance, Jacob. It’s time you remember.”

With that, she lifted her palm, smoke drifting upwards and towards me.