Novels by Shanti Kiss

A WEEK passed by, Jazzlyn hadn't contacted Kevin even though she had received a lot of messages from him. She needed space. She hadn't spoken to Erwan either. Every time she saw him, she automatically avoided him, and so he was. It was clear that he didn't want to talk to her either.One morning, Jazzlyn experienced lightheadedness and feeling nauseated as she woke up. She decided to cook her favorite meal, hoping that familiar smell would settle her stomach. But as she was about to take her first bite, a wave of nausea hit her. She ran to the bathroom to throw up.Her heart raced as she grabbed her phone in her pocket to check the calendar. She realized that her period was three days late. She panicked while scrolling through the internet, reading about pregnancy symptoms. Each word felt like a punch to her gut—fatigue, nausea, lightheadedness and missed period—every sign echoed in her mind. “What if…? Shit!” Her hands trembled as she rushed to the pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test.

JAZZLYN felt like she’d been caught in a trap. She sat there, trying to look calm, but inside she was panicking. She wanted to run, to hide from his judging eyes, but she couldn’t move. Kevin sat next to her, still smiling, clueless about the tension that hung between her and Erwan.“Anyways, weren't you going to say something important? You mentioned it earlier,” Kevin asked, looking at her with his usual warmth.Jazzlyn forced a smile and tried to cover her nerves. She was supposed to end with Kevin, but now she couldn't. The words wouldn't come. She was hoping that the moment would pass.“Oh, yes…I was just going to say thank you for having me here in this restaurant.” Jazzlyn scanned the place, looking for the right word to say. “It's… a beautiful place,” she continued with an awkward smile.Kevin turned to Erwan. “Camille, this restaurant is owned by Erwan. It’s the finest one around,” he said proudly.Erwan paused a second hearing the name—Camille.Jazzlyn felt her heart drop. E

MEANWHILE, Jazzlyn stood in front of the mirror. Camille quickly moved through her makeup. Foundation, more dabs of concealer and a swift brush of powder to set everything in place. She reached Jazzlyn’s eyeshadow, applying soft browns and golds on her lids, followed by a quick line of eyeliner and mascara. Camille grabbed her new lipstick from her bag. “Let’s use this, I bought this from Paris. It will make you look even perfect.”Jazzlyn took a small smile while Camille applied a deep rosy shade on her lips. It was bold but beautiful. “Thanks,” she said, smacking her lips together.Camille stood back. “So, you're gonna end this now since you failed to do it last time?” she asked. Jazzlyn froze for a second, she pretended to focus on fixing her hair. “I have no choice, Camille. I don’t want to keep pretending.”“I'm sorry if I put you in this situation. If I had known that it was Kevin, I should have done it by myself.” Camille knew that Jazzlyn had a crush on Kevin. Jazzlyn faced

JAZZLYN stared blankly as she sat at her desk. She hadn't touched a single one of the papers assigned to her for audit. Her mind was occupied by the unexpected events. The shock of seeing Erwan had left her in daze, she felt like it was the end of this world.She needed some fresh air, so she stood up and left the office for a while. Her heart raced as she tried to process everything. First, if it wasn't for her love for her best friend, she wouldn't have done something reckless pretending to be Camille. And now, the unexpected encounter with Erwan and knowing that he was actually Kevin's cousin.She messed up her hair and then leaned against the wall. It feels like her life turned upside down. How did everything get so complicated? Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She checked her phone to read a message from Kevin.Kevin: I’m so excited for our dinner tonight :)Her heart skipped a beat after reading that message. This was not exactly the distraction she needed, but then she quickl

BACK at the hotel, Erwan slowly woke up. He frowned, sitting up, and rubbing his eyes. He realized that the woman he spent last night with was gone. That night was foggy, he only remembered someone was inside of his room expecting it was a woman she met from the bar.He stretched and something caught his eyes on the nightstand. He noticed a wallet and a necklace left behind. He picked up the necklace and a strange feeling stirred his memory because of the pendant “Ynamorata”. His head throbbed and his chest tightened as a memory flashed something from long ago, something that didn’t make sense yet.Out of curiosity, he opened the wallet. His eyes widened as he saw the picture of a woman inside. This woman looked different than he was expecting. He blinked with confusion, questioning himself if he was really with this woman last night.Before he could think further, his phone rang. It was his executive assistant, Sean. “Good morning, Sir. I am on my way to your hotel.”“Alright,” Erwa

THE NEXT MORNING, Jazzlyn woke up with a splitting headache, maybe because of the alcohol effect last night. She barely remembered how the night ended after going out to a bar with Kevin. Everything was hazy. She scanned the unfamiliar room until she realized that she was inside the hotel recognizing the logo on the food menu by the bedside table. She turned toward the man lying next to her in bed. Heart pounding, she reached out hesitantly, her hand brushing his muscular arm. “Kevin,” she whispered, expecting Kevin to respond. But something felt off. There was no response, that's why Jazzlyn looked at him closely. She froze. This wasn't Kevin! Her heart pounded with surprise as she stared at the stranger’s face. Yet he was insanely handsome, but this isn't the man she thought she was with. She was covered with a blanket shared with this man. She gasped after she saw herself naked and so was he! “Oh, no, no, no! This can't be!” she thought to herself confirming that somethi