Hayley sat in the penthouse she inherited from her father when he died. She was so devastated by his death that she took off for the penthouse after the funeral. She kept in contact with her mother and brother. She was also still mourning the loss of her husband, Nick, who had died in a boating accident two years earlier. She knew her father never liked Nick and was always trying to destroy their marriage. When Nick died out on the boat, Hayley blamed her father even though the police ruled it an accident. But deep down, she always believed her father was behind it as a way to break the two apart forever. She was sitting there on the couch when she heard a noise out in the hallway. She got up and looked through the peephole and saw a man across the hall, unlocking the door to the penthouse. She didn’t see his face but saw the backside and something was familiar about him. He went in and closed the door without turning around. She got out her cell phone and called her brother, Matt.

        “Hey sis,” Matt said.

        “Hey, um, do you know anything about anyone living in the other penthouse down here?” Hayley asked.

        “I’m not sure but I will look into it, why?” Matt asked.

        “Well, some guy just went into the penthouse and he looked familiar from the back but he didn’t turn around,” Hayley said.

        “I’ll check it out, sis, I’ll let you know, okay,” Matt said. Hayley smiled.

        “Thanks, bro, love you,” Hayley said.

        “Love you, too, sis, bye,” Matt said.

        “Bye,” Hayley said. She hung up and sat back. She went to the door and peeked out and watched the door across the hallway. She saw two guys show up and she recognized them as Brian Littrell and AJ McLean. She went to her phone and dialed Matt’s number.

        “I’m still looking, sis,” Matt said.

        “Matt, I just saw Brian and AJ outside the door,” Hayley said. She looked out and saw the door open and Brian and AJ went in and she got a glimpse of the guy and her eyes widened.

        “Oh my god, oh my god,” Hayley said.

        “Sis, what is it,” Matt said.

        “I just saw the guy, Matt, it’s Nick!” Hayley said.

        “It couldn’t be, he died two years ago,” Matt said.

        “I’m not blind, Matt, it’s him, it has to be, and I would know what my husband looks like!” Hayley said.

        “I better check on that, too, just hang tight, sis, don’t do anything until I know for sure what happened,” Matt said. Hayley hung up and watched through the peephole. The door opened and Brian and AJ came out and she saw the other guy and it was indeed her dead husband, Nick. The door closed and Hayley leaned against the door. She got out her laptop and checked online and typed in her husband’s name and saw the articles. She saw he was in a music group called the Backstreet Boys and there are no articles about his supposed death. She got out her phone and dialed her brother’s number.

        “Matt, I just looked online, there are no articles about his death, just articles about his job, he’s a singer with a music group called Backstreet Boys,” Hayley said.

        “Yeah, I know, I just found that information with Dad’s files, it turns out that Dad caused Nick’s boat to blow up and found Nick a few yards away and offered Nick three hundred million dollars to disappear from your life, and Dad told you that he died and paid the police to tell you the same thing and told you that the body was completely ashes and in the water,” Matt said.

        “You knew?” Hayley asked.

        “Hayley, if I knew, I would have told you, you knew I always liked Nick and stood by you and defended you and Nick to Dad, you know that,” Matt said.

        “I know, how could Dad do this to me, he saw how devastated I was after it happened, he said he loved me, but the whole time he was lying to me, he took my husband away from me,” Hayley said.

        “And I hope he is paying for it, sis, go over there,” Matt said.

        “I can’t, Nick chose the money over me, he couldn’t have really loved me,” Hayley said.

        “Find out why he did,” Matt said.

        “Okay,” Hayley said. She hung up and got up and got her key and went across the hall and knocked on the door.

The door opened and Nick stood there.  His eyes widened.

        “Hi honey, surprised to see me, I should be surprised that you aren’t dead!” Hayley said brushing past him.

        “Hayley,” Nick said.

        “I knew my father hated you but I didn’t think you would take my dad’s money to stay away, so I was worth three hundred million bucks, huh, and it got you this, and a music career,” Hayley said.

        “It was what you wanted!” Nick said.

        “Bullshit!” Hayley said.

        “Your dad said you never wanted to see me again, that I was nothing to you,” Nick said.

        “Oh please, how many times did he try to break us up, huh, do you remember that, and did it work, no, but the last try took the cake, he blew up your boat, offered you money to disappear from my life,” Hayley said.

        “He said he was acting on your behalf,” Nick said.

        “Yeah right, then why did he tell me that you were dead, huh, yeah, he said you were dead and paid the police to tell me the same thing, I was so devastated that I almost killed myself, but it would have been a waste of time because here you are, alive and well, living off my father’s money, no worries, no thoughts of how your wife was doing, you probably didn’t give a crap and probably never loved me to begin with, I was just good in the sack,” Hayley said. She headed for the door.

Chapter 2

Hayley put her hand on the doorknob and started to open the door.

        “I have always loved you, Hayley,” Nick said from behind her.

        “Yeah right, you just wanted the money,” Hayley said. Nick came over to her.

        “I didn’t want the money, I wanted you, I took the money because your father made me, he said if I didn’t do what he said, then next time I wouldn’t be so lucky,” Nick said. Hayley closed her eyes.

        “So you couldn’t contact me, you let me think you were dead,” Hayley said.

        “I thought you wanted nothing to do with me, your father said you wanted me gone for your life forever,” Nick said. Hayley looked at him.

        “That’s the opposite of what I wanted, I wanted you in my life forever, but you let my father destroy that!” Hayley said. She walked out the door and slammed it and went into her penthouse and closed the door. She leaned against the door and covered her face with her hands and cried. She sat down on the couch and called Matt and told him everything.

        “I’m coming down there,” Matt said before hanging up. Hayley put her phone down and laid on the couch and cried softly. There was a knock at the door. She got up and wiped her eyes and looked through the peephole and saw Brian standing there. She opened the door the door and looked at him.

        “I suppose Nick called you and told you to come talk to me,” Hayley said.

        “May I come in?” Brian asked.

        “Why,” Hayley said.

        “Hayley, come on, you know you can talk to me,” Brian said. Hayley sighed and let him in. She closed the door and sat on the couch. He sat down.

        “So what is it,” Hayley said.

        “Hayley, if Nick didn’t take the money, he would have been dead for sure,” Brian said.

        “He took the money, Brian, that shows that he didn’t want to be with me, if he took the money and came after me, we could have disappeared together, I would have handled my father, Nick chose to believe my father’s lies, he never once contacted me to ask if it was all true, he chose to believe the lies over the truth, he let me think he was dead, he left our marriage,” Hayley said.

        “He never stopped thinking about you,” Brian said.

        “Just give it up, Brian, I’m not going back to him, he and my father destroyed my life,” Hayley said.

        “But here is the chance to put it back together,” Brian said. Hayley shook her head.

        “I’m sorry, Brian, but I can’t, he broke my heart, I’m too angry and too upset,” Hayley said.

        “Well, you won’t stop talking to me, will you?” Brian asked. Hayley shook her head.

        “No, I won’t,” Hayley said.  He smiled and left. She sat there thinking about everything.

Chapter 3

Two weeks went by. Hayley did her best avoiding Nick. She’s been in contact with Brian, AJ, and Howie. She had lunch with Brian’s wife, Leighanne, and Howie’s wife, Leigh, as well as Brian, AJ, and Howie. Nick kept showing up at the lunches but Hayley took off when she saw him arrive. She ignored his knocks on the door. She sat on her patio, reading a book when she heard someone knocking on  the door. She got up and went and looked out and saw her mother and Matt standing there. She opened the door and pulled them in just as Nick opened his door. She quickly shut the door and locked it.

        “Hayley,” her mother said.

        “Sorry, Mom, I was trying to get you in before Nick came out of his place,” Hayley said.

        “You still avoiding him?” Matt asked.

        “Yes, I don’t want to talk to him,” Hayley said. There was a knock at the door. She looked and saw Nick standing there. She sighed.

        “Go away, Nick,” Hayley said.

        “Hayley, please, we need to talk,” Nick said.

        “There is nothing to talk about, please go away!” Hayley said. Matt moved her out of the way and opened the door and glared at Nick.

        “If you care at all about my sister, you will go back to your penthouse and leave her be,” Matt said.

        “I will not give up on her,” Nick said before heading back to his penthouse and closed the door. Matt closed the door and looked at Hayley.

        “Let’s get you packed up and we can go home,” Matt said. Hayley shook her head.

        “I want to stay here,” Hayley said.

        “With him over there,” Matt said.

        “I will not run away, I will not go home because of him, I will come home on my own accord, not because I want to get away from him,” Hayley said.

        “Are you sure, honey,” her mother said.

        “Mom, I’m sure, I’ll be fine,” Hayley said.

Three hours later, her mother and Matt left. Hayley went to get a shower. She was washing her hair when she heard someone come in and get into the shower with her. She looked and saw Nick.

        “What are you doing!” Hayley said covering herself.

        “Why are you covering yourself, I have seen you naked a million times,” Nick said.

        “It’s been over two years and you have no right being here,” Hayley said.

        “I have every right as your husband,” Nick said.

        “How did you get in!” Hayley said.

        “Your mother was nice enough to let me in,” Nick said. Hayley turned away.

        “Please leave,” Hayley said.

        “I can’t, Hayley, I still love you, I never stopped, I thought about the day that it would be safe to have you again in my life,” Nick said.

        “I would have made sure my father didn’t hurt you, but you took the money thinking he would actually do it,” Hayley said.

        “I don’t think you would have been able to stop him, Hayley, I told him that and he said he would have made sure you stayed out of his way, he said if you got in his way, he would have killed me and framed you for it,” Nick said. Hayley looked at him and hugged him.

        “Oh god, Nick!” Hayley said.

        “I didn’t want you behind bars for the rest of your life,” Nick said.

        “I know, and knowing my father, he had the power to do it,” Hayley said.

        “I would do anything to keep you safe,” Nick said. Hayley looked up at him.

Chapter 4

Hayley looked at Nick and pulled him down to kiss him softly. He deepened the kiss and pulled her against his body. He pressed her against the wall of the shower and lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pushed inside her body. She threw her head back as she held onto him as he went fast and hard. He came spilling himself deep inside her. She came around him and moaned his name. She rested her head on his shoulder. He let her down and they finished the shower and got out and dried each other off and he wrapped a towel around her and himself and picked her up and carried her into her bedroom and laid her on the bed and laid down beside her.

        “So, tell me what has been going on for the time we were apart,” Hayley said resting her head on his chest. He told her everything that he has done.

        “So the whole time, you were never with anyone else,” Hayley said.

        “Never, any girl who would throw themselves at me, I would tell them that I’m married, I could never be with anyone else, Hayley, you’re the only one for me,” Nick said. Hayley smiled and kissed him softly.

        “I’m glad you took the money, Nick, if you didn’t, we wouldn’t be here right now, god knows what my father would have done if you didn’t take it, I’m sorry for all I said,” Hayley said. She laid on top of him.

        “I love you, Hayley, I never want to be without you again, the last two years were hell, there was never a day that went by where I didn’t think about you,” Nick said.

        “Same here, when they told me that you were dead, I felt my life was over,  I felt like the world was crashing around me, the only people keeping me going was my mother and brother, I never forgave my father for anything he had done to try to break us apart, I always believed that he had something to do with your boat, and I was right,” Hayley said. Nick cupped her face in his hands.

        “Let’s have a fresh start, baby, no more thinking of the past, from now on, just you and me,” Nick said.

        “I’m all for that, I never want to be without you again, ever,” Hayley said. Nick smiled and kissed her deeply. He removed the towels and made love to her again, sealing their love for each other.

The next morning, Hayley woke up and saw Nick gone. She sat up and saw that she was dressed and scratched her head. She got up and searched the penthouse and saw the place was empty.  She realized that she must of dreamed that she and Nick were back together. She went to the door and went across the hallway and knocked on the door. The door opened and a guy stood there.

        “May I help you?” he asked.

        “Uh, sorry, must have the wrong place, do you live here?” Hayley asked.

        “No, I’m visiting a friend, he’s in the shower right now,” he said.

        “I’m Hayley, and you are?” Hayley asked.

        “I’m Chris,” Chris said.

        “I live across the hall,” Hayley said.

        “I wondered who lived there, my friend was wondering the same thing,” Chris said. She looked behind him and saw a guy come out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.

        “Yo, Chris, who is at the door,” the guy said.

        “Your neighbor across the hall, she came to introduce herself,” Chris said. The guy moved the towel and looked up and she saw that it was Nick. His eyes widened.

        “Hayley?” Nick asked. She ran to him and hugged him as she cried. He pulled away from her.

        “Oh god Nick, is it really you?” Hayley asked.

        “Yeah, it is,” Nick said.

        “I’m going to take off, man,” Chris said. Nick waved as he looked at her.

        “Oh god, I can’t believe this, he lied, he lied!” Hayley said crying.

        “What are you talking about?” Nick asked coldly.

        “Why are you talking to me like that, I’m your wife!” Hayley cried.

        “Doesn’t seem like it,” Nick said.

        “What are you talking about,” Hayley said.

        “How about the fact that you wanted nothing to do with me, my boat blew up, two years ago, you probably knew that, your father gave me money to leave town and disappear from your life at your request, you told him that you never wanted to see me again, that I was nothing to you, so I did just that, I knew that he has been trying to get rid of me and split us up, but he showed me a letter from you in your writing,” Nick said. Hayley turned away.

        “You believed him, you took the money and you believed him, didn’t once contact me to ask me if it was true,” Hayley said.

        “You said everything in the letter,” Nick said.

        “I never wrote you a letter!” Hayley said.

        “It was your handwriting, Hayley,” Nick said.

        “They told me you were dead!” Hayley cried.

        “What,” Nick said.

        “My dad, the police, they told me you died in the explosion!” Hayley cried.

        “Oh god,” Nick said.

        “Yeah, all this time, you thought I wanted nothing to do with you and I thought you were dead, my father succeeded in keeping us apart,” Hayley said. Nick came over to her and hugged her. She cried as she hugged him to her.

        “Then let’s be together, forget everything, I never spent a dime of the money your father gave me, I gave it to charity, I didn’t want it, I wanted you, I can’t let you go again,” Nick said. Hayley kissed him deeply.

        “Oh god, Nick, I’m yours forever, make me yours again,” Hayley said. He picked her up and took her to the bedroom and laid her on the bed and removed her clothes and he removed his towel and laid on top of her and he made love to her. Afterwards they laid there holding each other and she knew they would never be apart again. She had found her lost love and her love was not lost anymore.

The End!