Arabel's POVShock punches through the tatters of my anger. And my heart leaps with fear.After the loud noise, I shoot to my feet and listen attentively to the voices coming from the distance.Quickly, I call out. “Richard? Are you there? Are you okay? Richard?!”No reply.My heart skips another beat. My mouth becomes dry with indecision. Whether to believe what is going through my head and rush out or just sit back and wait for his call.But how can I do the latter when the call is still ongoing and I can't hear his voice? What the hell happened?“It's a man. Get an ambulance!” A strange voice shouts, making me step backwards with my hand over my mouth. I miss my step and fall on my buttocks.“An ambulance!” Another voice shouts over, and I finally disconnect the call.Shivering, I force myself back up and rush out of the room I just checked into less than thirty minutes ago.Richard. Please. Let it not be what I am thinking. Please.Tears are already streaming down my eyes. I don't
Arabel's POVI open my eyes again to land them on Caleb, who is sitting opposite Ashley and me. I turn to Ashley, and she wraps a hand around my shoulder, understanding what my look means.I'm blaming myself already.What if he dies? How could I live with that, knowing full well that I forgave him but not fully? Knowing full well that I caused it?I sob. The lump of dread stuck in my throat has refused to go down.The doctors won't let us in.We were just lucky enough to see him when he was brought out of the surgery room. There were tubes all around him, and I almost collapsed at the sight.Richard was hale and hearty an hour ago. Smiling at me. Kissing me.And now he is bedridden. Unconscious.How can I possibly cope with that? What do I tell Daisy? What if she asks him? Is this a punishment for me to value him more than I currently do?I blame myself because I keep pushing him away. Forgiving him was one thing; forgetting everything was another; and giving him another chance was o
Arabel's POVIf I didn't know better, I would have believed it the moment the words rolled out of Eve's mouth.“Richard and I are married in secret. I have the evidence in case you have your doubts,” she announce confidently, making Ashley's jaws drop.But I am not moved. Nor intimidated.“What rubbish are you spewing? Richard cannot marry a wh*re like you!” Mother retorts sharply, making me think she wants to believe what she is saying.“Ouch!” Eve pretends to feel hurt by her words. “Well, he is married to that wh*re now.”Eve turns slowly and leaves our presence with the doctor, leaving us helpless. Mother curses loudly and begins to make some calls while I stand rigid.Obviously, Eve recognizes me. Eve recognizes me not just now, but also when we were in the elevator an hour ago. That leaves us with one thing: this is planned.This is all planned.The reaction from me. And Richard's determination to chase after me and explain everything to me.Perhaps she is also responsible for t
Arabel's POVFor days, I haven't moved a muscle from where I am seated, right next to Richard's bed.The more days we spend here, the less my hope diminishes, leaving me with nothing but doubts and fear.I have cried. Pleaded. Prayed. Apologized. Hoped. And I wished for nothing but for him to open his eyes, smile at me, and tell me he loves me or that he would love to kiss me again.Just anything.Anything would do.But he has been silent. Eyes closed. And unconscious.It makes me wonder just how long he is going to be this way, even though I don't stop praying for him to come out of it.“Arabel?” Someone calls, coming into the room as I look over my shoulder. It is Mother. “Why aren't you sleeping? Did you even sleep at all?”It is just the break of dawn, but I haven't slept a wink in days. Most times, I don't cheat nature, and I make up for it by sleeping during the day, but at night, my eyes are always wide open, staring at Richard and hoping for a miracle.I shake my head without
Arabel's POVMy insides have been bubbling with excitement ever since I saw his fingers move again this morning.At exactly 2, the movement of his middle fingers catched my attention. I sat on the wooden seat beside his bed, watching Eve, who was fast asleep on the sofa.There is renewed hope building up inside me. Making a smile curve up my lips. As I wait for that miracle.Ever since he moved his finger the very day Eve had Mother thrown out, I have been expecting him to wake. But he hasn't.He keeps moving almost every single day without opening his eyes.But I don't want to be pessimistic. I believe he will be awake soon. That movement is a good sign.For no reason, I am in a good mood today. The movement was longer than every other one.The moment I tried to grab the moving finger, he stopped. Yawning loudly, Eve stands up and moves close to me, making me divert my attention back to her. I see her stare at Richard for a split second before turning to me.“I'm out to get breakfas
Richard's POVMy eyes drift slowly over her body again before I stare back at her face, trying to memorize every inch of her beautiful face.Brown eyes.Pink lips.Black straight hair.Pointed nose.She appears to be in shock, with her jaws slightly dropped.Carefully, I lift my eyes away from her, glancing around the entire place before looking down to see myself lying there.I am in a hospital bed.What happened? Who is this woman? Where am I?I look back at her, and I see her head slightly bent with a frown on her pretty face. It makes her look so small, pale, and sad, and I wish I could move closer to her and console her about whatever is causing her sadness.Suddenly, she lifts her eyes to meet mine, and I freeze.Beautiful. Captivating.It makes my heart beat twice its normal rate, assuring me of life. For a moment, I thought I was in heaven, dwelling with the angels, and attracted to this particular angel.“The doctor…” someone calls out, breaking into the buzzing tension betwe
Arabel's POVRight now, I wonder what it would feel like to have him remember me. To have him come hug me. Kiss me. Tell me how much he still loves me.Tell me that he remembers everything and that this is all just a silly prank to scare the hell out of me.I can't lose him to Eve again. Not again.Losing his memory is not as frightening as imagining how he would feel if he could only recall half of his memories, where Eve held a significant place in his life.What if he doesn't remember me? What if he never recalls our marriage or his mistake in divorcing me? What if he doesn't remember Daisy being his?With his gaze sweeping over me again, my heart picks up, and my breath grows deeper.Eve moves to his bedside and sits in, preventing me from seeing his face to determine if he recognizes me now or not.“Babe, I am Eve, and she is Arabella, your ex-wife. Can you believe she even pretended to be someone else? She lied to you by telling you she is Bella Portillo and not Arabel Cooper, s
Richard's POVDrowsily, I lie on my sides.I no longer feel the throbbing in my head, yet I continue to experience aches in my chest. It started when I couldn't recognize my own mother until I was told.That was when the gravity of my situation dawned on me.Not only can't I make out who I was with between the two women and who betrayed me, but I also can't remember my mother.I should have known the moment she walked in, sobbing and calling me her boy. But I didn't want to trust anyone, not when I could barely recognize myself.I feel like a shadow.Merely living. For a moment, I was tempted to ask the doctor to give me some sedative so I could sleep it off and wake up.Back to myself.Not to this man I don't know.Not remembering anything about my past. Or who I was.Arabel had empathy written on her face. Not regret or fear of me finding out I know who she was; a cheat like Eve claimed.Eve, on the other hand, looked desperate to get me out of here. To protect and guide me from eve
Arabel's POVA YEAR LATERA smile radiates from my face as I give my reflection one last check.Unable to ignore the blushes on my cheeks, I remain conscious of the excitement fluttering in my stomach, making me feel like a young adult getting married for the first time in her life.Because the first wedding wasn't real, it feels like the first time. We didn't tie the knot out of love, but this time we're marrying because we love each other.It took me birthing Andrew Giodano to realize what I wanted: to have a family with Richard.He never mentioned marriage to me again until a week after the birth of Andrew, when I asked him when he would propose to me again.His jaws dropped in surprise, but quickly disappeared as relief took over. Before I could do anything, he swept me up in his arms and spun me around.Before he could drop me back on my feet, I bit his shoulder.Everything feels surreal.This is indeed happening. This time, I won't stop myself from telling him how much I love hi
Richard's POVArabel suggested a family date night with mom, Ashley, Caleb, and Daisy present. I haven’t seen her for more than an hour because she is bent on supervising every single meal that comes out of the kitchen tonight.It makes a little smile dance across my face.Sometimes, the pregnancy takes a toll on her. Initially, she experienced morning sickness and constant cravings.At times, she exudes energy and happiness, and today is one of those days.She mentioned she wasn't like this with Daisy. Her pregnancy was stress-free except for the first three months, when she couldn't control her cravings and could barely devour any meals she prepared.When a car drives into the courtyard, I stand up to welcome our first guests, Ashley and Caleb. I still haven't gotten used to the fact that Ashley is no longer my employer but my friend’s wife.Caleb is gradually taking up the role of a best friend in my life. He is very supportive, just like Ashley loves and supports Arabel.He stood
Arabel's POVStella had just left my office, only to rush back in with a bouquet of flowers and a bright smile on her face.I raise a brow in question, dropping the pen in my hand and asking, “Who is that for?”"You, of course,” she replies, making butterflies erupt in my stomach at the thought of Richard.Is he back in London?I shoot up to my feet as she drops the bouquet on my desk. My eyes catch the little note stuck in between, and I grab it.‘To the most beautiful woman ever.’My heart begins to beat faster as I feel an instant burst of excitement. When I glance up, Stella is still standing with a grin on her face.Just as I am about to ask her to leave, she mutters. “He is waiting outside.”He is really here. My eyes widen as I drop the card, signaling for her to leave. As soon as she leaves, I attempt to maintain composure and avoid displaying excessive excitement before heading out.Richard has been away for two weeks now, and it feels like eternity. Just yesterday, I was tem
Richard's POVI open the door quietly to see Arabel standing by the window with her arms wrapped around her waist.She is so engrossed, she doesn't even know when I enter fully until I step closer to her and wrap my hands from behind around her stomach.She freezes.“Richard?!” She calls with surprise, and a low chuckle leaves my mouth.She turns around, allowing my hands to drop. “Who else would it be?”I pull her closer and give her a brief kiss on the lips.“What are you doing here?” She glances around her room, probably wondering if I came with someone. “What are you doing here this late?”“I miss you,” I admit in a soft voice.She chuckles and steps back, her arms still around her waist. “But we saw each other a few days ago, Richard. I thought you said you were okay with me being here in London.”I did.But I can't help it. She gave me a condition, and that condition is for her to go back to London.Her home was in London.I didn't give it much thought before giving in. I didn't
Arabel's POVFollowing my gut is the best thing I can do to reach a decision.I must decide whether to follow my heart's desires or not. For years, I have tried. I have tried to find other men attractive, but none have ever gotten my heart racing the way Richard does.I have tried to despise the man I bore a child for, but nothing has worked. Even though I harbored intense anger towards him for abandoning me, my love for him surpasses even life itself.The words he spewed at me that day, after announcing the divorce, began to ring in my ears.“Remember the agreement we had? Now that Eve is back, we should get a divorce so I can marry her.”The agreement!I thought he was talking about how he told me he still loved Eve. I never recalled him mentioning that our marriage was going to be temporary.I misunderstood him.My overexcitement made me overthink his words that day.And my refusal to feel bad about him having a girlfriend while we are getting married.How could I have thought he w
Richard's POVShe is wearing the dress.Emotions begin to spiral as I try hard to keep the tears from flowing.When she turns to me, I dart my eyes away quickly and focus on the road.Finally, she breaks the silence. “Where are we going, Richard?”The sound of my voice leaving her beautiful, inviting lips sounds so much like music to me. It prompts me to steal another glance at her beautiful face.She raises a brow, reminding me of the question.“You will see,” I only say, forcefully peeling my eyes off her and hoping she won't insist on knowing where I am taking her. “We are almost there.”Silence falls.The fact that she is wearing the dress I bought for her, which I left on the bed before sending her a text to get dressed because I have somewhere to take her, brings me immense joy.It's tempting me to grab her in my arms and slam my lips on hers.After a few more minutes of driving in silence, I pull over in front of the diner, nervousness sinking into my system.She looks out of t
Arabel's POVBy the time I drive into the open gates of Ashley's home, I can't keep my left hand from trembling with intense pain.My decision to drive here with one hand unbandaged and the other in cast is an impulsive one, but I was too desperate to be here to think of another alternative.I carefully park the car in the garage and exit, a wince leaving my mouth.I am not supposed to drive here myself, but the tension around Richard and I since I found out about my pregnancy has been so awkward.We haven't talked about it, and Ashley was the first person who came to mind. I could barely stay calm back at the hospital. All I was thinking of was Ashley and about coming here to see her.When I get to the front door, my phone begins to ring, but I ignore it as I hasten to go in.Ashley doesn't know I'm here. The moment I see her maid, I flash her a quick smile. “Where is she?”“In the living room,” she answers after greeting me politely.Without hesitation, I practically jog to the livi
Arabel's POVMy eyes drift open at the sound of Richard's voice. When I can't see him anywhere around, I lift myself up from the bed, wincing a little, and rest my back on the headboard.He arrives with a phone glued to his right ear.Our eyes lock.“I will have Scott come to you in a couple of hours,” he mutters, his gaze not leaving mine. “Good. Thank you.”He drops the call, and a smile creeps to his face.A frown is etched on my face as I begin to wonder how I got into bed.“Hey,” Richard says, closing the distance between us, his gaze not wavering. “Are you okay?”When I don't answer, he presses his lips on mine briefly before pulling away while I sit still, just in time for his phone to start ringing again.“Work?” I watch him bounce his gaze from me to his phone. He is indecisive on whether to pick up the call or not, probably because he thinks I will convince him to go back home again.“I will call her later, are you okay?” He presses the reject button, then digs it back into
Richard's POVThe ringing sound of my phone cuts my laughter short as I dig my hand into my pants pocket to fish out the phone with my gaze still fixed on Daisy watering the flowers.I glance at my screen and see that it is Amy, my secretary.She was employed after Ashley resigned. She is nowhere near as excellent as Ashley, but she is okay.Having been away from work for about a month, I wouldn't be this concerned if Ashley was still my secretary.Amy calls me for every single thing.I get that she is still new, but some of her calls are totally unnecessary. I'm thinking of asking Ashley to help me put her through some things while I'm here in London.“Amy?” As soon as I answer the call, Daisy turns to face me. I signal to her to continue watering the flowers before I move away.“Good morning, sir,” she says politely. “Are you back in New York?”“No, Amy. I told you I would be back next week, didn't I?” I remember telling her this a week ago, and two weeks ago, too.“The appointment