Natalie’s povWhat was he about to do? His gaze was fixed on me in a way I hadn’t seen him look at me before. It better not be what I’m thinking. I swallowed, controlling my breathing, gazing into each other’s eyes with a glint of affection, or whatever that thing was. I closed my eyes as his palms smothered my cheeks. His hand was soft and felt like wool. He rubbed harder, drawing closer this time, until we were a little less than an inch closer to each other. What the hell was about to happen? I held my breath as his lips touched against mine. He kissed slowly, gradually taking more and more of my lips seeing I didn’t protest. Geez, I was kissing Sebastian Knight in a public place. What would people think of me? Hold on a minute, to them, we were married, so I needed to rephrase that question. What would I think of myself knowing I kissed him? I pressed away from me, lowering my head. I was ashamed of myself already and never expected things to go this way. “It was a mistake,
Natalie’s pov I have always been careful. Careful of the choices I made, careful of my life, and most of all my heart. But that night, I didn't know what came over me, because this feeling of recklessness was what I felt. Something I hadn't felt since my break up with Alfred.The counter had refused the tip Sebastian offered. I knew he wouldn’t take it lightly, so he went the sexy-rebellious way. “I love your lips. Way better and kissable, compared to my ex's.” Sebastian said as a glint of a smile brushed against my face.“I get that a lot.” “After they kiss you or…?” Huh? Did he hear me say that? Fuck me.“I only let people I like kiss me.”“It means you like me.” “I never said that…” I looked over my shoulder, butterflies. How I wish he could stop with the teasing.No, never stop.Suddenly, I felt his hand draw my jaw to his face as he kissed me slowly, then faster, our tongues wrestling intimate wars, and pleasurable noise nearly rising above the bass beat.Fuck knows. Was
Natalie’s pov I have always been careful. Careful of the choices I made, careful of my life, and most of all my heart. But that night, I didn't know what came over me, because this feeling of recklessness was what I felt. Something I hadn't felt since my break up with Alfred. The counter had refused the tip Sebastian offered. I knew he wouldn’t take it lightly, so he went the sexy-rebellious way. “I love your lips. Way better and kissable, compared to my ex's.” Sebastian said as a glint of a smile brushed against my face. “I get that a lot.” “After they kiss you or…?” Huh? Did he hear me say that? Fuck me. “I only let people I like kiss me.” “It means you like me.” “I never said that…” I looked over my shoulder, butterflies. How I wish he could stop with the teasing. No, never stop. Suddenly, I felt his hand draw my jaw to his face as he kissed me slowly, then faster, our tongues wrestling intimate wars, and pleasurable noise nearly rising above the bass beat. Fuck
Sebastian’s POVWaking up not to see the woman I had had sex with beside me was a mystery to me. Where the hell did she go? I got a grip of myself as I cleared my eyes, only to see I was naked. Oh, my god. Enough reason to know why she ran away. Ha, I’ll use this to taunt her- my runaway one-night stand. She shouldn’t be qualified as my one-night stand. I truly felt something for her but I wasn’t sure yet. Perhaps it was love when I confessed it to her.Come to think of it, how did we get here?I was getting framed for stealing a diamond ring and landed in the police station and Mother came to my rescue and got it. I looked around, picked up my things, and was about to leave when I saw a wallet under a wooden stand. It looked familiar. I picked it up and realized it was Natalie’s. It was disrespectful to open or even get involved with a lady’s purse, but my curiosity got the better part of me. There was a picture of her and her father. He seemed familiar cause why not? He was proba
Natalie’s POVI ran out of the house, my face wet from crying. I was so tired. Tired of everything. Tired of pretending to be married to Sebastian. Tired of his mom saying mean things about me. She called me a gold digger. She said I wasn’t good enough for him. It hurt so much.“Natalie, wait!” I heard Sebastian calling behind me. He was running after me, but I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want to talk to him. His mom’s words kept ringing in my head, and I just couldn’t take it anymore.I reached the door, but before I could open it, Sebastian caught up. He gently grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “Natalie, stop,” he said, breathing hard. “We need to talk.”I turned to face him and wiped my face. “I can’t do this anymore, Sebastian,” I said, my voice shaking. “Your mom hates me. She always says I’m not good enough for you. I’m tired of pretending.”Sebastian looked confused. “Pretending? What are you talking about?”“This,” I said, waving my hand between us
Natalie’s POV I ran out of the house, my face wet from crying. I was so tired. Tired of everything. Tired of pretending to be married to Sebastian. Tired of his mom saying mean things about me. She called me a gold digger. She said I wasn’t good enough for him. It hurt so much. “Natalie, wait!” I heard Sebastian calling behind me. He was running after me, but I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want to talk to him. His mom’s words kept ringing in my head, and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I reached the door, but before I could open it, Sebastian caught up. He gently grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “Natalie, stop,” he said, breathing hard. “We need to talk.” I turned to face him and wiped my face. “I can’t do this anymore, Sebastian,” I said, my voice shaking. “Your mom hates me. She always says I’m not good enough for you. I’m tired of pretending.” Sebastian looked confused. “Pretending? What are you talking about?” “This,” I said, waving my hand bet
Natalie’s POV I couldn’t sleep that night. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about that phone call. Who was that person? Why did they want to see me? And why now, when everything in my life was already falling apart? I kept hearing that voice over and over again: “See me.” It made my skin crawl. Sebastian stayed by my side the whole night. He didn’t say much, but I could feel how tense he was. I wasn’t the only one scared. It was like we were both waiting for something bad to happen. The next morning, I couldn’t take it anymore. I sat up in bed, looking over at Sebastian, who was awake too. He had dark circles under his eyes, and I knew he hadn’t slept either. “I have to go,” I said quietly. Sebastian looked at me, frowning. “Go where?” “I have to see this person. The one who called me. I need to know who it is.” Sebastian shook his head. “That’s too dangerous, Natalie. We don’t know who this person is or what they want.” “I know,” I said, biting my lip.
Sebastian’s POVNatalie hadn’t said a word since we left the park. Her eyes were glued to the window, but I knew she wasn’t seeing anything. She was thinking about him. Alfred. The guy who wrecked her and still had the nerve to show up and mess with her head.I hated seeing her like this, trapped in her thoughts. But I didn’t want to push her. Natalie was the type who needed time to process things, to figure out how she felt. But waiting for her to sort through this on her own was killing me.I pulled up in front of her apartment and turned off the engine, letting the silence stretch for a bit. I knew I had to say something before she spiraled deeper into whatever she was thinking, but I wasn’t sure how to start. I gripped the steering wheel, feeling the tension building inside me.Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Are you really thinking about what he said?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm, even though I was frustrated.She turned to look at me, her face a mix of confusion
The house was too quiet. It was at this moment I knew silence had a sound and could be heard. It wasn’t the peaceful kind of silence.It was the heavy, suffocating kind-the kind that made the air thick, the kind that made my own heartbeat sound too loud in my ears. It pressed against my chest, wrapping around me like an invisible chain.I stood in the middle of the living room, staring at the space in front of me. My hands were clasped together, but my fingers kept fidgeting, twisting over one another.Sebastian hadn’t come downstairs since we got back from the courthouse.I knew where he was.Locked in his study. Alone.I hated this silence.Because it wasn’t really silent.It had a sound—the sound of pain, of grief, of everything that had gone unsaid.I walked toward the couch and sank down, my body feeling heavier than it should.This house wasn’t just a house.It had been
The weight of the the whole dramam going on settled on my shoulders like a boulder.I stood outside the police station, gripping my phone tightly in my hand, my thumb hovering over the play button.This was it.The moment I would turn my own mother in.The woman who had raised me, who had held me as a child, who had taught me how to ride a bike—now, I was handing her over to the law.Because she was a monster.Because she had betrayed me.Because she had tried to kill the woman I love.I sucked in a sharp breath, closing my eyes for a second. The night air was cold, biting against my skin. The streetlights flickered above, casting long shadows on the pavement. I could hear the faint sounds of cars honking in the distance, but everything around me felt… muted.Like the world had slowed down.Like I was standing on the edge of something I could never come back from.Then, with a final exhale, I stepped inside.The police station was bright and, the air was thick with the scent of coffee
I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the elevator and into the familiar space of Grant Enterprises. It had been weeks since I was last here. Weeks since my life had spiraled into chaos. Since secrets had been revealed, betrayals exposed, and the foundation of everything I knew had been shaken to its core. But now, I was back. Back to work. Back to normal. Or at least, as normal as life could get after everything that had happened. The office smelled the same-fresh coffee, crisp paper, the faint scent of polished wood. The soft hum of conversations and clicking keyboards filled the air, blending with the occasional ringing of phones. It was comforting in a way. Familiar. And yet, something felt different. Or maybe I was the one who had changed. …. The first thing I did after settling into my office was call HR. I needed a personal assistant. Ever since I got promoted, I had been handling too much on my own, and after everything that had happened, I knew I couldn’t affo
The knock on my office door was sharp, deliberate. I didn’t expect anyone. Not at this hour. Not today. I set down my pen, glancing at the clock. 3:47 PM. I had been drowning in work all day, trying to keep my mind off everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Trying to pretend that life was normal again, that I wasn’t standing on the remains of a world that had been shattered beyond recognition. But now, someone was at my door. I straightened, adjusting my tie before speaking. “Come in.” The door creaked open, and my muscles tensed the moment I saw him. Thomas Grant. My stepfather. The man who had been nothing more than a shadow in my life, standing by while my mother did whatever she wanted. A man who never protected me, never spoke up, never did anything except watch. And now, he was here. I said nothing as he stepped inside, his movements slow, cautious—like he knew he wasn’t welcome. His eyes darted around the office before finally settling on me. He cleare
Sebastian sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. I had never seen him like this before. Not when we were trapped. Not when we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive. Not even when he was injured, fighting to stay conscious. But now—now he looked like a man who had lost everything. His shoulders were tense, his breathing uneven, his fingers tangled in his hair as if he was trying to hold himself together. I sat beside him, close but not too close, giving him space. I wanted to say something, but words felt useless. What could I possibly say to make this better? How do you comfort someone when their entire world has just crumbled? I reached out and gently touched his arm. He flinched. Not in fear. Not in anger. Just in pure, raw pain. I pulled my hand back. For a long moment, the only sound in the room was the distant hum of the city outside, cars moving, life continuing as if nothing had changed. But for Sebastian, everything had changed. Finally, he lifted h
Four Weeks Later Freedom. That’s what the doctors called it when they finally discharged us. I should have felt relieved. I should have felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. But as I stepped outside the hospital, the cold air filling my lungs, something in my chest still felt tight. Four weeks. That’s how long we had been stuck in that place - four weeks of beeping machines, fluorescent lights, and hushed voices whispering about whether we’d make it. I had spent every one of those days sitting by Natalie’s bedside, waiting for her to open her eyes, for her to say my name. And when she finally had, I’d felt something break inside me - relief so strong it had made my legs weak. Now, she stood beside me, her hand tucked into mine, looking up at the sky like it was the first time she had ever seen it. The sun cast a warm glow on her skin, but she still looked too pale, too fragile. Her body was thinner than before, her movements slower. But her grip on my hand was st
Darkness. That was all there was at first. A deep, heavy nothingness that felt like me feel like sinking underwater, like being swallowed whole by a world without sound or light. Then came the pain. It was dull at first, a distant throbbing somewhere deep in my body. Then it sharpened, spreading like fire through my veins. My head pounded, my hands felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, and something tugged at my skin - tubes, maybe? I tried to move, but my body didn’t want to listen. Panic curled in my chest. Where was I? I forced my eyelids to move, even though they felt glued shut. A soft beeping sound filled the air, slow and steady. The scent of antiseptic, which was sharp and clean, filled my nose. The air was cold, almost too cold, biting at my skin. A hospital. Memories hit me all at once. The attack. The blood. The feeling of slipping away. I was supposed to die. A shaky breath left my lips, and I turned my head slowly. The effort sent a sharp sting down my neck,
The city had never felt this big. The streets stretched on endlessly, the lights flashing past like blurs of color as I pushed the car faster. The call kept repeating in my head, a cruel echo that refused to fade. "She lost a lot of blood. There's a high chance she won’t survive." My fingers gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. No. She couldn't die. I refused to let her die. The car roared as I sped through a red light. Horns blared, tires screeched, but none of it mattered. My heart pounded against my ribs like a war drum, my breaths coming out sharp and uneven. The world outside blurred, but my mind was painfully clear. I could still see her face, pale and weak, lying in a pool of her own blood. The memory was like a knife twisting in my gut. "Hold on, Natalie. Just hold on." I had never prayed before. Not once in my life. But as I raced through the city, I found myself muttering desperate words under my breath. I didn’t care who was listening.
The cold night air hit my face as I stepped outside the hospital. The chaos from earlier had faded, leaving behind an eerie quiet. My body felt heavy, my mind even heavier.I should have felt relief.Iris and Samantha were in police custody. They wouldn’t be able to hurt Natalie again. The nightmare should have been over.But it wasn’t.Something inside me wouldn’t rest.I stood near the entrance, watching as the police officers led the two women to the waiting patrol car. Samantha fought against their grip, her wild eyes burning with rage."You think this is over?!" she screamed, twisting in the officer’s hold. "You think you’ve won, Sebastian?! You have no idea what’s coming!"Iris, on the other hand, didn’t say a word. She simply walked forward, her face blank. But I knew better.She was calculating.Planning.Waiting for the right moment.The officers shoved them into the car and s