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214 pages

English

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Description

Kim triumphed after a heartbroken relationship of infidelity. In keeping with the focus on her dream, she creates a lucrative interior art design business that places her among the best and one of the most sought-after interior designers in Chicago. This has been the force driving her for nearly ten years.
She encounters an old college classmate one morning, Thomas Eric Harris, aka Eric Harris, and a slow romance begins to blossom. Later, life as Kim knows it, starts to shatter, and doubts begin to flourish about him. Unbeknownst to Kim, Eric has a dark side stemming from medical issues that turns dangerous.
Devoted girlfriend, Danielle is happy Kim is finally having a life outside the workplace, and their friendship is later tainted, and difficult to recover.
Xander, Chief Executive Officer, Kim’s closest friend, ally, and confidant since starting the business also has a secret crush on her that he has kept hidden for years, but comes to light under unusual circumstances.
When difficult situations occur, Kim’s life is shattered. Friendships are tested, and lives are changed forever.

Sujets

Fiction

Betrayed

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Publié par	Xlibris US
Date de parution	01 juin 2023
Nombre de lectures	1
EAN13	9781669879176
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

THE CAUTIONARY HEART
BETRAYED
DEVORIA REYNOLDS

Copyright © 2023 by Devoria Reynolds.
Library of Congress Control Number:
2023909869
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-6698-7919-0

Softcover
978-1-6698-7918-3

eBook
978-1-6698-7917-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 05/31/2023

Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
852993
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34

Epilogue
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I FIRST THANK GOD for giving me the determination and drive to bring to pen and paper my ideas to this fictional story.
Many thanks to my friends, Shafaq Khuram and Kathleen Roberts, for their steadfast encouragement and support in my dream of writing and understanding the vision of my story. They worked feverishly, reading chapters and giving feedback.
Thank you to my friend, Shafaq Khuram, who was also instrumental in assisting with the editing.
Thanks to my friend, Delphia Garland, for creating my book illustration.
And I am forever grateful to those who believed in and helped me to get published: Kenneth Sagoes, Shafaq Khuram, Shelia McClure, Althea Broughton, Cheryl Harris, Conova Hairston, Corey Taylor, Mazola, Karen O’Striker, and Nzota
Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank Xlibris Publishing for their support, assistance, and patience.
CHAPTER 1

R UNNING LATE THIS morning, Kim rushes to shower and dress in the outfit she pulled from her closet the night before. There was no time to make coffee, so she grabbed her keys and quickly ran out the doors of her condo. Kim was excited she had landed this beautiful, picturesque condo. It overlooked beautiful views of Chicago and Lake Michigan, with its sky-scraping architectural structures in the downtown and Loop areas. Kim felt blessed to find such a lovely place about thirty minutes from her office with its high ceilings and lots of natural lighting that she admired. It’s a cold and snowy day in the windy city. When she arrives at her office building, she stops in the coffee café for a chai latte in the lobby before going to work.
While standing in line, someone taps her on the shoulder. It was Thomas Eric Harris, one of her classmates from college, known by the name, Eric. They exchanged pleasantries and chatted as they stood in line. As she’s hurrying to pay for her coffee, at that moment Eric asks if he can call her sometime to catch up. Kim is hesitant, while the cashier is handing her change. She nearly stutters her words, but thought, “ He seems nice and harmless ,” not the “ Jack the Ripper” type. Sure, she replied. She was cautious, though. Kim quickly writes down her work number on a napkin and hands it to him. Once she received her order, she turned to him and said they would talk later as she needed to get to work and sprinted out the café door. Eric stands there with the napkin, turns, and smiles as he watches her leave.
Kim gets to her office in Willis Tower, Designs, etc., and finds Xander, as usual, hard at work. She walks on to her office, and Monica, her administrator, presents her with the agenda of the day and alerts her that the first appointment had arrived early, and was in the conference room awaiting her arrival. Kim blurts, “damn,” with a smile as Xander peeks into the office. Slow down, lady, he says. knowing that look he’d seen all too often, he rushes in to help her off with her coat, takes her tote and puts it in an empty chair, then gives her the folder with the artwork designs and other pertinent information for the meeting. She quickly takes a few sips of coffee and races to the conference room meeting.
After the meeting, Kim and Xander sit to discuss the meeting details and how the client was pleased with the designs and ideas she had created for his business, but more importantly, the green light to move forward. She requested Xander draw up the costs involved in their venture discussion. He quickly pulls together everything on the table and tells her he will have them for her the following day. After Xander leaves, Kim returns to her office, checks her messages, and sees a missed call and a voicemail message. She believes that it’s a client trying to reach her, and listens. It turns out it was not from a client but Eric Harris. He is persistent, she thought. She was too busy to return his call, but made a note to return the call later that afternoon, because of the busy day ahead. Kim requested her receptionist hold her calls until after 12p. She then sits and prepares herself for the next meeting scheduled two hours later.
Business was good, and Kim smiled imagining how important her quiet weekends would be, and exhaled. Xander was the only one allowed to contact her, but only if necessary. That was the understanding they had. She never took her good fortune for granted and thanked God daily for her gift of designing and pleasing customers by bringing their visions to life. Her second meeting was swift, as she pitched her vision regarding designs to a new client, which was always the highlight of the job. Later that afternoon, Kim conducted her usual weekly employee meeting and answered any questions or concerns. The remainder of the day was business as usual.
As the day came to an end, Kim felt it was a successful one. She treated Xander, and Monica, to dinner at the restaurant located in the Congress Plaza Hotel. She did this every so often to show her appreciation and the hard work they performed. They shared a couple of drinks, and a few laughs, ending the evening with smiles a few hours later.
CHAPTER 2

E RIC FINISHED UP his final meeting of the day. He requested from Tom, his admin, any messages that needed his attention or issues requiring an immediate response before leaving for the day. Tom told him there was nothing important that couldn’t be handled the following day and everything was under control. He assured Eric anything that was within his authority he had taken care of, and there was nothing further that needed attention this late in the evening. Eric gave him a nod, then checked his cell as he walked into his office for a return call from Kim, but there was nothing. He was curious to know if she was married or involved with someone. During their conversations at the café, he didn’t get a chance to see if there was a ring on her finger, nor did he have time to ask her about it, because she was in a hurry that morning.
He leaned back in his chair, recounting the day’s events. Eric began to reminisce about the nightmare of his past relationship while working in Kalamazoo, Michigan as a Biology Professor at West Michigan University, and the repercussions he dealt with at the end. He remembers everything the judge ordered, including therapy for the anger after the incident with his ex-girlfriend, Angela. West Michigan parted ways with him and his contract quietly, and allowed him to resign. His tenure and life in Michigan were done, and his file with the University was sealed as part of the agreement.
This was one of the darkest days of Eric’s life. The incident began when he saw Angela in the hallway talking to one of her coworkers, and how furious he became, although he had no knowledge of the conversation. He later walked up to her in the parking deck to make plans for the evening, and she asked where he wanted to go for dinner. He gave her the “cold shoulder”, and sarcastically asked her why it took so long to get to the parking lot instead. Angela explained she was giving instructions on a presentation for the following day. Her response did not seem to sit well with him, so he replied with an attitude that he was tired and would be turning in early. Angela tilted her head to the side, with a puzzled look on her face, and in a low voice, said “We just talked a few minutes ago, and you never mentioned being tired.” Eric remembers snapping his head around in anger, and asking her right out, “Are you sleeping with him?” She was confused at what he was asking because he had never accused her of anything like this before. She was also surprised at his demeanor, and answered, “What are you talking about?” Because of the response she gave him, his anger brewed, and out of nowhere, and with no control, raised his hand back, without responding, and slapped the right