Nobela ni Jennifer Okoye

Kain had pulled the truth out of her ,piece by piece. God. She had just dodged hell with Madeline. No. Focus. Breathe. Hold it together. He can’t know… not everything. It would only cause more trouble for her. He caught her wrist, pulling her close—protective, possessive, impossible to breathe around. “Easy, wifey… I’m sorry I stressed you out. It won’t happen again. I promise. Not in this way.” His thumb brushed her jaw, tucking her hair aside with maddening gentleness. “You’ve lost weight… those sleepless nights, you weren’t hiding them from me, were you?” His hand found hers, warm and steady, thumb tracing slow circles over her knuckles. “I haven’t slept a single night since you left. I was terrified… terrified of losing you. But I don’t care that you’re a Baudin. I don’t care about anyone or anything else. I choose you. Always. And I’ll fight for you, every single day, for as long as I live.” Her voice trembled. “You don’t have to pretend you care abo

“Then defend yourself,” Kain said evenly, voice low, deliberate. “Congratulations,” he murmured. “You’ve just been given the job.” “…The job?” “Defend yourself well enough,” he stepped closer, shadowed eyes beneath the cap locking on hers, “and maybe you’ll keep it.” “…I got hurt too,” she admitted, voice cracking. “Yes… I lied. I chose my ex over Kain Wolf. I thought—” her breath stuttered, “I thought it would hurt him less if he didn’t know.” A scoff cut her off. Sharp. Venom-laced. “You thought what, Jade?” he said quietly. “That making Kain a fool would protect him? Or that it would save you?” Her throat tightened. “…But my intentions were pure. Always were.” Something flickered in his eyes…betrayal, confusion, and the faintest trace of longing. “You made him feel like a joke,” he said, voice low and tight. “Like everything he felt meant nothing. And you think saying your intentions were pure fixes that?” She swallowed, guilt burning hot beneath her ribs. “

“HAHAHA!” “REVENGE MOOD ACTIVATED?” Rob’s laughter split the room…wild, jagged and unhinged. “You’re gonna kill me, huh?” he sneered, eyes bloodshot. “You whore?” Jade’s voice trembled. “Whore?! Don’t forget that you slept with my big sister. Lied to my face for months. And I still stayed like a fool . But stealing my career..” her breath caught, “that’s something I can’t forgive you for!” He stepped closer, smirking. “Oh, you’re so ungrateful. After screwing your billionaire boy toy, you still act holy and try to paint me like I’m the only sinner here? I offered you marriage to make up for it. Every girl’s golden dream. Ain’t I your first love now? Liar.” “You think marriage is something I should thank you for, Rob?” “ You bled me dry. My time, my confidence, my trust. You broke me. Bit by bit, until I couldn’t recognize myself.” Her breath shook, but her eyes blazed. “You made me do things I swore I never would just to make you feel a fraction of the pain you l

The smell of burning eggs clawed through the air. Jade didn’t move. She stood over the frying pan, arms braced on the counter, eyes hollow and locked on the curling smoke—like her life, blackened at the edges, too far gone to save, yet too stubborn to throw away. Her chest rose and fell in a slow, furious rhythm. God. What had she become? A woman who gave up her career for the man who betrayed her—with her sister. A woman reduced to cooking burnt eggs in a polished soulless apartment while he walked free, pretending he was the victim. “All I did to get back at you, Rob…” she whispered, her voice raw. Her grip whitened around the counter. “…sorry, not sorry. You deserve worse.” That soft, hopeful voice inside—the one that used to whisper good people win—was gone. Because what had “good” ever done for her? Her family disowned her. Her name was dirt. And Kain—the man who made her believe she could rebuild—had a wife tucked neatly behind closed doors while she

“Sir… I have to tell you something. Jade—she’s a fraud.”Mario’s words sliced through the quiet.For a heartbeat, Kain didn’t breathe.The air smelled of polish and paint, sharp enough to burn.Behind him, a roller squeaked against the wall—too normal for words that heavy.He looked up at last. His face was stone, voice flat.“Right. Of course she is.”A humorless smirk ghosted across his mouth.“Maybe that’s what I get. Karma.”He raked a hand over his jaw, cap shadowing his eyes.“All those perfect pedigrees—models, heiresses, the polished and obedient. I broke too many hearts to expect mine to stay whole.”A low, cracked laugh escaped.“Guess it’s my turn to be the fool.”He turned to leave—but Mario’s next words stopped him cold.“On the bright side,” Mario said quietly, “she isn’t the fraud. She was painted to be. Her ex—Rob—is.”Kain froze.“What?”Mario motioned to the wall. “Yesterday I noticed something off. One of the paintings from your private collection pieces—the one si

“I’m sorry, Kain. I will never be your wife.” The words still echoed painfully in his head like an alarm that refused to stop. It didn’t matter how many drinks he took, he could still hear her voice every time silence fell. Kain gripped the golf club tighter until his knuckles turned white. His chest ached, but he forced his face to stay calm. He couldn’t look weak here. Not in front of them. “Rough day, Evans?” one of his partners laughed, patting his shoulder after another missed shot. The ball rolled off, far from the hole. The group chuckled. Kain straightened, forcing a smirk. “Just testing the wind.” But it wasn't true. He’d had ten glasses of whiskey and still couldn’t feel anything except the emptiness she left behind. The sun hit his face bronzed under it, as he squared up again. His black polo clung to his shoulders. He looked every inch the man who had it all; money, looks, control. But his jaw was tight. His eyes were tired. He swung again. One miss … Two. Thr

A month ago:As I stand here, silently observing the world as it continues to turn around me, a profound and a somber ache takes root in the depths of my chest. Each passing moment serves as a stark reminder of the stark contrast between their lives and mine. They stride through their days unburdened, pursuing their aspirations with a sense of freedom that eludes me. Meanwhile, I find myself ensnared within the confines of a reality that I never wished for nor chose.“Every day, the yearning within me intensifies, an insatiable hunger for something more. I long to shatter the shackles that my family's expectations have placed upon me. I burn with the desire to chase my passions, to venture into unexplored territories, and to infuse vitality into the dreams that haunt my restless nights. Yet, every step I take seems like a battle, an unending struggle against the oppressive weight of their demands and the chains of tradition that bind me,” I reflect, my thoughts continuing to echo in t

As the layers between them fell away, Leon's gaze traveled over the contours of her body, a smoldering intensity that seemed to set her aflame. "Take off your heels," he ordered, the words punctuated by his gaze that held her captive. With each action, Ava's daring seemed to grow, an unwavering assertion of her presence and her desire.Finally, the moment arrived, an apex of audacity and vulnerability that neither of them could escape. "Take everything off." The command, issued with a mixture of command and curiosity, hung in the air like a challenge that Ava met with a resolute gaze. She stared into his eyes, a silent understanding passing between them, a recognition that they were both testing the boundaries of their attraction.And then, as fabric fell to the floor and inhibitions were stripped away, a silence descended, heavy with unspoken desire. Leon's closeness was intoxicating, his scent mingling with the charged air that enveloped them. Ava's heart raced, the thudding rhythm

As she ventured further, the silence of the mansion's interior seemed to envelop her, the grandeur of the surroundings both captivating and imposing. Her gaze roved, searching for the man who had effortlessly dominated her thoughts, her emotions inextricably linked to his enigmatic presence.In the dimly lit expanse of the mansion, Leon's movements remained unhurried as he poured himself a drink, the liquid glinting in the ambient light. Although his posture was seemingly nonchalant, his senses were attuned to the slightest shift in the environment. He sensed Ava's presence, her arrival a palpable shift in the air, even before she had made herself known. His voice, rich and layered, broke the silence with an observation that echoed his own intrigue. "You are one brave kid, aren't you?" The words, laced with a mixture of amusement and curiosity, seemed to hang in the air like a challenge.With each step that brought him closer to her, the layers of mystery that shrouded him seemed to d

Ava met his gaze, her eyes steadfast and resolute. "I want to get to know you better," she confessed, her words carrying the weight of her determination. With a half-smile that revealed a touch of enigma, Leon responded, "Be careful what you wish for.... It will cost you."The words hung in the air, a subtle challenge that resonated with the promises and mysteries that had woven their paths together. The masked ball had become more than an event; it was a turning point, a juncture where their worlds converged and diverged, each step they took on the dance floor reflective of the journey that lay ahead.Drawing on her own well of courage, Ava took the initiative, flipping the script as her curiosity drove her to voice the question that had lingered in the recesses of her thoughts. With a steadiness that belied the racing of her heart, she inquired, her unwavering gaze fixed upon him, "Why did you agree to go out with me?" The weight of her query hung in the air, a palpable undercurren

There he stood, clad in a manner that effortlessly exuded charm and authority. It was as if time itself paused, allowing her to take in the sight before her. The man who had captured her thoughts and ignited her curiosity was now standing before her, a living embodiment of her dreams. As their eyes met, a palpable connection formed — an unspoken understanding that held promises yet to be revealed.In that fleeting moment, Ava's nervousness was replaced by a sense of wonder, and the discomfort she had felt vanished in the wake of his presence. The ambiance of the event now seemed to bend and mold itself around them, cocooning them in a world of intrigue and possibility. With his words still hanging in the air, they were poised at the precipice of an encounter that would forever alter the course of their destinies.A month ago :Positioning himself gracefully before Ava, Leon donned a coy smile that exuded an irresistible allure, a beguiling charm that effortlessly seized her undivided

In this intricate web of longing and uncertainty, the world had taken on an ephemeral quality, reduced to a backdrop for her yearning. Time flowed with the pulse of notifications, and each ding, each buzz, carried the potential to shift her reality. As the days melded into nights and then back into days, Ava's existence became intertwined with the device that held the key to a door she desperately wished to open.Her phone, once a constant companion and harbinger of anticipation, became a weight in her hand. The persistent staring yielded to a sense of resignation, a realization that the insistent vigilance was claiming too much of her mental real estate. The hope she held onto like a fragile flame was gradually extinguished by the relentless passage of time.It was in the midst of one such early midday, as the sun stretched its rays across the sky, that the familiar ringtone pierced the air. The screen flickered with an unknown number, a digitized beacon in the sea of uncertainty. Un