Audrey Taylor’s life fell apart when her husband left her for someone else, leaving her to pick up the pieces. But just as she’s about to give up on her dreams, she discovers there’s a chance to fix her injured leg and dance again. The only problem? The doctor who can help now works for a billionaire, Michell Garcia, and getting to him is nearly impossible. When a twist of fate brings her face-to-face with Michell, she’s offered a deal that could change everything. Now, Audrey has to decide—how far is she willing to go to get her life back?
View MoreMICHELL POVThe house was decorated just the way Amelia liked it—pastel streamers trailing from the ceiling, a cascade of balloons forming a gentle arch over the dining table, and her favorite butterfly-themed cake resting untouched in the center. The air smelled faintly of vanilla and fresh roses, but something heavier clung beneath it—an unspoken tension that not even the laughter of the guests could cut through.I stood near the stairs, watching as Audrey approached Amelia with a small, wrapped gift in hand. She had been quiet all morning, moving with that graceful calm she always carried, but I saw the flicker of hesitation in her eyes as she bent down in front of my daughter.“Happy birthday, sweetie,” she said with the softest smile.Amelia barely looked at her. She mumbled a low “thank you” and turned away almost instantly—walking straight toward Estelle, who was dressed in designer white and commanding the room like she was the one being celebrated. Audrey straightened slow
AUDREY POVI had tried everything—talking to Amelia, spending time with her, even getting her little things to show her I cared. But now... things were shifting in a way I couldn’t control. I could see it in the way she looked at me—cold, almost like she didn’t recognize me anymore. It was one of those mornings when I found myself on the edge, trying to get Amelia ready for her activities. She was no longer the giggling little girl I used to have by my side. No, now she had become distant, her eyes always searching for something more. And that something was Estelle. Always Estelle. “Amelia, come on. We need to get dressed for your piano class,” I said gently, trying to coax her into the routine, like I had done hundreds of times before. She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. “I don’t want to go. You go alone, nanny.”My heart sank with the word, but I refused to let it show. I wanted to respond, to remind her that I wasn’t just a nanny, but I didn’t have the heart for it today
MICHELL POVI had been watching Estelle for days now, unable to shake the sense that something was off. I had always been good at reading people, at sensing when their words and actions didn’t match their intentions. And Estelle’s intentions? Well, they were clearer than ever. She wasn’t just back in our lives to ‘help’ Amelia. She was playing a dangerous game, one that involved more than just a niece and her aunt.I had to confront her. I couldn’t stand by any longer and watch her use her charm to manipulate Amelia, to play on her innocence. And, most importantly, I couldn’t ignore the growing discomfort in my chest—the way Estelle’s gaze lingered on me, as though she were waiting for something, some unspoken invitation.The memories of high school were still vivid in my mind, though I had buried them long ago. Estelle and I had once been close, closer than anyone realized. We had dated—before Emilio and Anna had even come into the picture. Before our paths had taken such twisted
AUDREY POVThe evening had been exactly what I needed—a breath, a moment to just exist, without the weight of everything pressing down on me. But it wasn’t just the dinner that had given me this sense of calm. It was Michell. The way he’d set everything up, so carefully, so intentionally.It was like he’d planned this night just for me—to remind me that I could still have these small moments of happiness, even when everything else felt like it was unraveling. I looked over at him, still sitting by the table, looking at me with those intense eyes of his. The kind that made it impossible to lie to him—or myself. “You’re quiet,” he said, his voice gentle, like he didn’t want to break the peace we’d built up tonight.“I was just thinking about how much I needed this,” I replied softly. I felt a bit silly saying it out loud, but it was true. Estelle’s return had hung like a dark cloud over everything, and as much as I tried to push it out of my mind, it was always there—lingering, just
MICHELL POVI found them in the garden.Amelia was sitting cross-legged on a blanket, holding a daisy crown that Estelle was helping her tie together.Her laughter rang like bells—unrestrained, bubbling up every few seconds. The kind of laugh I hadn’t heard from her since the last time she’d won something at school.But it wasn’t Audrey sitting beside her. It was Estelle.Wearing white. Always white. Like she was trying to brand herself as purity reincarnated.I stayed by the glass doors, watching.“You know,” Estelle was saying, her voice low and conspiratorial, “your mother used to wear crowns like this. She said they made her feel like a woodland queen.”“Really?” Amelia giggled. “Did she really call herself that?”Estelle laughed. “She had such an imagination. Just like you.”She reached out and tucked a loose curl behind Amelia’s ear. And the way she did it—it wasn’t just affection. It was possession. Like she wanted to rewrite her role in this child’s memory.I didn’t like it. I
AUDREY POVI knew he didn’t sleep.He hadn’t said a word about it, and hadn't needed to. But I’d felt it in the way his body remained taut beneath the sheets, in the way his hand never left mine even when I drifted off. His mind had been far away—haunted, as always.And now, morning sunlight flooded the estate like everything was fine.But it wasn’t.I could feel it in the strained silence between him and Estelle over breakfast.The sound of cutlery and Amelia’s cheerful humming filled the space, but Michell hadn’t looked up once. Not when Estelle complimented the decor, not when Amelia talked about the science project she was building with bottle caps and glow sticks.Estelle, on the other hand, looked like she belonged.Too much and too quickly.She was good at smiling. At tilting her head just enough to make it seem sincere. She wore guilt like it was a designer scarf—elegant, tasteful, a little too polished. But Amelia didn’t notice.“So your mom and I,” Estelle was saying gently
Michell povI heard a crash just as I stepped out of the home office.“Amelia…” I warned, already bracing myself.“She started it!” Amelia squealed, barefoot and giggling as she darted past me like a blur of sunshine and wild curls.“Traitor!” Audrey’s voice echoed a second later. She skidded into the hallway wearing one of my shirts—my shirt—and holding what looked suspiciously like a pair of water guns.I blinked.“Why are my cufflinks floating in a bowl of jelly?” I asked flatly, pointing toward the mess on the console table.Audrey froze. “That… may or may not be part of our science experiment-slash-war strategy.”I opened my mouth.“Don’t. Just don’t.” She held up a water gun like it was loaded with truth serum. “We’ll clean it. Pinky promise.”Amelia peeked out from behind the couch with a triumphant grin. “He looks mad.”“I’m not mad,” I muttered, dragging a hand down my face. “Just… confused. And slightly alarmed.”“You’re cute when you’re confused,” Audrey teased.Later in th
MICHELL POVThe towering glass walls of my father's penthouse gleamed under the late afternoon sun as I stepped in. The silence inside wasn’t unusual, but today it felt heavier. I found him standing by the massive window, a tumbler of untouched whiskey in his hand, his gaze distant—anchored somewhere between memory and regret.He turned as I approached. “You came.”“I did.” I tucked my hands into my pockets and nodded. “Thaylon’s staying.”His brow lifted, confusion flickering across his features. “What?”“I spoke with their head team. Explained the situation. Apologized for the mess. Reassured them we could still deliver—without Victor.”He blinked, processing. “They agreed to continue?”“They did.”He sat down slowly, almost stunned, the whiskey forgotten on the glass table. A moment passed, thick with the things we hadn’t said for years. Then he finally spoke, his voice quieter than I’d ever heard it.“I didn’t think you’d be able to pull it off. I—” He paused, swallowed. “I thoug
AUDREY POV.Two days had passed since Victor’s sentencing, and something in the house had shifted—like a storm had finally passed, and the sun had dared to peek through the curtains. The air no longer felt thick with secrets. The walls no longer echoed with tension. There was calm.Not the kind of explosive relief that made people cheer, but the quiet kind. The kind that came when hearts were tired but held a little hope again.Michell had barely spoken that morning at breakfast. He’d sat with Amelia, brushing a gentle hand over her head as she ate her cereal, her legs swinging beneath the chair, humming a tune under her breath.Then he’d looked at me with that quiet look of resolve.“Today,” he’d mouthed.I’d nodded. I’d known it was coming.After breakfast, he took the day off work—no calls, no interruptions. He spent the morning going through an old box I hadn’t seen before, buried deep in his closet. I’d watched from the hallway as he gently sifted through photographs, small tr
Audrey Taylor’s pov. Every night, I prayed for his return, but I never imagined he wouldn't recognize me and that he would bring another woman back. I had just managed to lay my tired body from working late at the office. The company was bleeding and I had been doing everything in my power to stop it from collapsing. But my peace was rudely destroyed by loud rapid knocking on my bedroom door. “Madam, you need to come downstairs!” Martha, the maid's voice rang. What was so urgent to disturb my rest before facing the cruel reality in a few hours’ time? I glanced at the alarm clock. “8 AM”? What could be up now? I stumbled out of bed, even though my body cried for rest. “What happened, Martha?” I moaned, pulling my nightwear around me as I opened the door. “It is Ms. Helen. She's arguing with the shareholders in the living room.” The shareholders? Damn. My mother-in-law. My head banged with a terrible headache from the abrupt disturbance. By the time I got to the living room, ...
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