Nicola Taylor I stared at the clock striking 2 pm as Cole and I sipped our coffee, the silence between us thick with unspoken words. Everything felt rushed, and I wasn’t sure how to navigate this conversation. “We should start our discussion. What are your demands?” he asked in a very professional
Nicola Taylor “Oh my god. I cannot believe this is happening.” Bella hadn’t stopped jumping since the moment I confirmed I was going to marry her father. Her joy was infectious, and it felt good to see her so happy. She deserves all the happiness in the world. “Bella, I’ll put on Peppa Pig. Go and
I was about to hit send when Cole took the phone from my hand, making me jump as I tried to grab it back from him, but in vain. “You’re being too nice,” he said grumpily. “I’m nice, unlike you,” I retorted, standing up on the bed to reach his height, but he was having fun at this point. “How are y
Nicola Taylor “Oh baby, I am so happy you are getting married.” My mom envelops me in a warm hug, and I blink back tears to avoid ruining my makeup. “I know it feels like everything is moving very fast, but when I met Cole, I knew he was the best guy for you to marry,” she tells me, reminiscing abo
Cole Harrington I just got married again, something I never thought would happen after my first marriage. I felt a pang of guilt for feeling happy. Maybe because I was trying to convince myself that I was doing this only for Arabella and that the only woman I would ever love was Courtney. But now,
Nicola Taylor As I woke up to the gentle morning light filtering through the curtains, I found myself in a room that still felt somewhat unfamiliar, yet comforting. Cole lay beside me, his features softened by sleep, and I couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. I never thought I’d wake up nex
Nicola Taylor The bell rang incessantly as I hurried downstairs to answer it. Being alone in the massive house for the first time without Bella or Cole felt strange. They had gone to the doctor for a check-up, and I had decided to stay back, thinking Bella needed some alone time with her father. I
Harvey turned to me with a smile. “Well, you’ve got yourself a great wife, Cole. Nicola here was very welcoming.” Cole's eyes met mine, a mix of emotions swirling in his gaze. “Yes, she is,” he said, his voice tinged with an edge as he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me a little closer. “L
Nicola Taylor As I sat on Emma’s worn but cozy couch, “I think I should head home now,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence between us. “I miss my kids, and I can’t keep running away. If I stay away much longer, Cole might do something drastic to track me down.” The thought made my stomach ch
Cole Harrington “Where is she?” my mom screamed, her voice cutting through the thick tension in the room as her glare landed on Courtney. Courtney shrank back, but she didn’t respond, her face pale and drawn. My mother had never been a fan of Courtney—not openly hostile, but certainly not warm. S
Nicola Taylor Her apartment was modest but surprisingly clean. A small living room with a sagging couch and mismatched furniture opened into a kitchenette. A door to the left likely led to her bedroom, and there was a pile of laundry in one corner. The faint smell of lavender hung in the air, mixi
“So, what’s going on?” she asked, her tone flat, as if she had asked this question to a thousand strangers and didn’t expect much of an answer. I froze, not sure if I wanted to spill my thoughts to a complete stranger. But something in her gaze—apathetic yet steady—made me falter. My walls were alr
Nicola Taylor The cab came to a screeching halt outside a small café, its warm yellow lights spilling out onto the darkened street like a lifeline. I thanked the driver, handed him a crumpled bill from the cash in my back pocket, and stepped out, realizing with a jolt of panic that I had left my p
Nicola Taylor I stood there, numb, watching the scene unfold in front of me. It was as though time had frozen, and in that moment, the weight of the truth crashed down on me. For six long years, I had loved Cole with every part of me. I had given him my heart, my trust, my soul. Yet, standing there
Nicola TaylorI woke up in a frantic state, my heart pounding as I blinked against the harsh hospital lights. The room was quiet, painfully so, and the sterile smell of antiseptic filled my senses. My head throbbed as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The clock on the wall read midnight.Fou
Cole HarringtonI couldn’t believe what was happening. I was holding her—her. The woman I thought I had lost forever. The woman who, at one point, had been my everything.Courtney trembled in my arms, her sobs muffled against my chest. My fingers curled instinctively around her shoulders, pulling he
Nicola TaylorAs we tried to catch our breath, the doorbell rang, cutting through the charged silence like a thunderclap. I jolted upright, hurriedly pulling my clothes back on, shoving Cole’s wandering hands away. My heart was still racing from the heat of the moment, but now it beat with a differe