Cole Harrington"So, that’s good news, right? The doctor said you’ve never been better," Lucas says, taking a sip of the hot chocolate Nicola made us, both of us still wearing the silly Santa hats Arabella had insisted on."Yeah, I guess so," I sigh, clicking randomly on my desktop keyboard, pretend
Nicola Taylor“Cole, my friend Steph is coming over, okay?” I called out, stepping out of the shower with a towel wrapped around me, my skin still warm from the steam. The cool air of the bedroom hit me as I padded across the floor toward the closet. I rummaged through the hangers, my fingers grazin
Nicola Taylor"So, I’m thinking about getting a boob job," Steph says casually, sipping her coffee. Her words hang in the air for a second, and I nearly choke on mine, my eyes widening in surprise. Across the room, Cole pauses mid-sentence, his brow furrowing in confusion."Why?" he asks, genuine cu
Nicola Taylor“Okay, what's the problem here? You don’t even want a boob job, so who cares?” Cole says as he follows me around the kitchen like an oversized puppy, clearly not grasping the larger issue at hand.I roll my eyes, trying not to smile at how clueless he can be. “The problem,” I begin, wa
Cole HarringtonI stood in the doorway, watching Nicola as she moved, her back turned to me. She was humming to herself, swaying her hips lightly while smoothing out the sheets. Every movement drew my eyes down the curve of her waist, and I couldn’t stop the pull I felt towards her.Silently, I step
I had no intention of stopping. I quickened my pace, watching her face as she fell apart beneath me, her mouth falling open in a silent scream as she came, her body shaking with the force of it.I pulled off her dress completely as she watched, her mouth open in surprise as I flipped her onto her ha
Nicola Taylor“Nicola, what is this?” Cole’s voice cut through the air like a knife. His eyes were wide, disbelief etched on his face as he held up a piece of paper. I froze, my pulse racing when I realized what it was.The offer letter.“That’s just…” My voice faltered, weak and uncertain. He wasn’
Nicola Taylor“Hello, ma’am. Is the offer still available?” I ask sheepishly, peeking into Mrs. Hinkle’s office. My heart races in my chest as I fidget by the door, trying to read her expression.She raises an eyebrow and gestures for me to come in, her stern demeanor as unwavering as always. “Sit d
Nicola Taylor I sat in the car, gripping the steering wheel tightly, staring at the entrance of Cole’s office building. I felt utterly defeated. Six years ago, my life had crumbled in his absence. And now, here I was again, stuck in an endless loop, except this time, I wasn’t competing with the
Cole Harrington I watched Nicola walk off, her retreating figure stirring something uneasy in my chest. The weight of the day’s events pressed down on me like a storm cloud refusing to dissipate. I felt suffocated, torn between what was happening and what I was inadvertently doing to the woman I c
Nicola Taylor The weight of her words hit like a tidal wave. I felt my chest tighten as I realized what she’d sacrificed, and I could see the shift in Cole’s expression. The anger in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something closer to heartbreak. “And you just… agreed to that?” he asked, his voice b
“Because I knew you wouldn’t let me go,” she said simply. “You would’ve fought him, and he would’ve come after you too. After Arabella. I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t let him hurt you the way he wanted to hurt me.” The three of us stood in silence, the weight of Courtney’s confession hanging heavy
Nicola Taylor Arabella went back inside, her small figure disappearing into the house with a frustrated sigh. The heavy front door creaked as it closed, leaving just the three of us standing in the cool morning air. Silence settled over the driveway, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves i
Nicola Taylor The night was a restless blur. Aaron’s small, trembling body pressed against mine as he cried himself to sleep, his tears soaking through my shirt. I stayed with him, stroking his hair and whispering soft reassurances until his breathing evened out. Even then, I couldn’t bring myself
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