LOGIN52. Maeve I never knew my word could change without its physically moving, but that’s exactly what happened.This only happened in movies. I never expected this to happen in real life, but as I stared at Mr. Smith, he just said something about Peter. He broke my heart and he made me realize that this marriage was about to be more complicated than I thought.Mr. Smith wasn’t just some rich, intimidating man I’d seen at corporate events. Not just the polished, silver-templed CEO who carried authority like a tailored suit.Peter’s. Father.The resemblance was subtle but undeniable now that I saw it. The eyes. The sharp line of the jaw. The way his mouth curved when he was thinking.And he was looking at me.I hadn’t realized my face had changed until his expression did.“Maeve?” he said gently. “Are you alright?”I blinked. My throat felt dry. I forced my lips upward into something that probably looked like a smile but felt like cracked porcelain.“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good,” I said too qui
Emily The hospital room smells like antiseptic and regret.I sit in the stiff plastic chair beside Mason’s bed, staring at the steady rise and fall of his chest. The oxygen mask fogs faintly with every breath he takes. The heart monitor beeps in soft, rhythmic reminders that he’s still here.Still breathing.Because of me.My fingers curl around the armrest. The image replays in my head no matter how hard I try to shove it away—the headlights, the screech of tires, the force of his body slamming into mine as he pushed me out of the way.That car was coming straight at me.It wasn’t an accident. I felt it. I know it.And Mason—stupid, infuriating Mason—did what he always does.He stepped in.Like some damn superhero.I scoff under my breath, but it dies halfway out because when I look at him lying there with tubes and bruises shadowing his jaw, my chest tightens painfully.“You just had to do it, didn’t you?” I murmur. “Couldn’t let someone else save the day for once.”My throat burns
50.Mason“What are you doing here?”I asked, pulling Madison outside the office into the hallway. “You cannot be here,” I said, my voice low but sharp enough to cut.She didn’t flinch. She looked at me the way she always did—like I was overreacting, like this was all some inconvenient misunderstanding.She scoffed.“Relax, Mason. I’m not here to redecorate your office. I just need five minutes.”“You shouldn’t even be past reception.”She shifted her weight, one hand resting on the curve of her stomach. The sight still sent a jolt through me—anger, confusion, disbelief all tangled together.“I’m only here to tell you something important,” she said. “There’s this safe test we can do while I’m still pregnant.”I stared at her.“What?”“It’s simple,” she continued, like we were discussing a dinner reservation. “We go to the hospital or a lab. They take a little blood from me and swab you. Results come fast and accurately,I just need a thousand pound.” She tilted her head. “What do you s
49.Emily Months after the incident with Eddie at the park, I got really close to Mason. I didn’t mean to. It’s just hard to avoid him or wipe him out of my life, he’s like the only friend I’ve got in this goddamn company. And he’s the only one who gets me in ways no one ever will. I’m brushing my teeth staring into the mirror when my phone beeps on the sink, I quickly rinse my mouth and glance at the screen. Shit! It’s Maeve, and I immediately answer it. “Hi, Maeve!”“Emily, I’m so sorry I didn’t call all this time.”I sat on the toilet seat, “The last time we spoke you seemed so sure about marrying this old man.”“He isn’t that old,”“Oh…”“I mean, he is old but he’s really cool…”“So, you really want to get married to him?”“Of course not, and I told him about it, he said he’s going to call off the wedding.” Maeve seemed too happy as she said those words.“I’m confused, if you didn’t want to marry this man then why did you call and tell me you were ready?”There was a pause on
48.Maeve “Maeve? Are you ready?”I heard Gianna yell from outside my door but I remained rooted to the ground, my breath jagged, my palm sweaty, I could feel the panic attack sip in as I stared at my reflection in the full-sized mirror. I looked red, my cheeks flushed, my red hair curled cascading down my shoulders and my lips painted with my favourite lipstick, peach colored lip stuck. The one Peter gave me on my birthday. I straightened the damn white dress that looked like I was preparing for my own wedding.“This is dumb,” I whispered, rubbing my temples with both hands.“Hurry up, girl, people are waiting!” Gianna’s annoying voice came again and I stiffened, my heart skipping a beat.My mother frightened me, hearing her voice makes me feel so unsafe, and stepping out that door would mean I’ll actually face my fears. The one I’d been hiding all these weeks.You know when I agreed to marry Mr Smith, it was out of desperation , I was afraid Gianna would rat me out to my father, E
47Mason“I should get back into the house,” Emily suddenly said, breaking eye contact. I nodded immediately, “Of course, you’ve had a long day, I’ll see you tomorrow.”“Yeah, sure,” I watched her go back inside the house, and I wanted to grab her by the waist and kiss her on the lips, telling her everything would be okay, but it was too late; she was already gone. The next morning, I’m quite early at work. I didn’t sleep much, spent the entire night thinking about Emily and mapping out a plan for my company. Right now, I’m dozing at work with my head down on the table. The door bursts open and Emily walks in, she looks… well better than yesterday. Her hair is styled in a slick back. And she’s wearing her usual dark suit jacket and skirt. She smiled at me, “Looks like someone didn’t get enough night's rest,”I straightened in my seat, “Not really, I was up all night.”“I can see that,” she walked over to sit across from me. “So what are you up to?”“Nothing much, I was working on
Chapter Ten Esther I sat in the wheelchair that was positioned near the window so I could feed my eyes on the beauty of nature. My gaze averted from the view outside my garden to the photograph resting on my lap. It was a photo of my dearest husband Owen, he wore a smile on his face, his arms stretc
Chapter TwentyMasonI stepped out of the club, my hands shoved deep into my pockets as the cold wind brushed against my skin making me have instant goosebumps.I watched solemnly as the drunken crowd staggered out, wasted and worn out.“Hey, be careful,” I yelled out after A girl with a skimpy red dres
Chapter NineteenEmily His lips were soft and tasted like apples and lemon.I still couldn't believe I kissed Mason, it felt like a dream and I would never have done it if his ex hadn't walked right in front of us trying to humiliate him.Of course, my heart was so moved that I couldn't watch her carry
Chapter EighteenMasonThis room was unlike any I had ever seen.It was spacious and richly furnished, and the bed was gigantic. Without touching it I could tell it was plush.The headboard is a sleek modern design made of oak and velvet. The walls were painted a soft shade of blue, the kind that felt







