(ARIELLE'S POV) When I arrived at the club nearly 40 minutes later, Dwayne's subordinate, Claire, was already waiting for me at the entrance. As usual, she was imposing and had a stern expression on her face. "This way, please," she said politely, but firmly. Safely guiding me through the crowded club, and expertly navigating through the body of partying people. I silently thanked Dwayne. He always had my back, even in situations like this. We walked past the bar, where a bartender was mixing all manner of drinks, ranging from the ones with weird colors to the ones that caught fire, and people flanked him on all sides, downing glasses upon glasses. As we continued walking, I couldn't help the feeling of unease that was increasingly crawling under my skin. The club was dimly lit, but bright enough to make out anyone. It was the kind of a place where anything could happen, and I couldn't help but grow even more worried for Ashley. Then, unexpectedly, I bumped into someone I neve
(ARIELLE'S POV) One of the drunken men seemed to recognize Jared. He whispered to the others, "Could these bitches know Smith?" The second man scoffed, dismissing the idea. “Impossible. They must be some pathetic women trying to cling to the riches.” His words were thick with condescension as he took a step closer, reaching for my arm. I jerked away, my voice rising in anger. “Take your hand off me!” Jared froze. He turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the situation. I held my breath, desperate for him to intervene, praying he'd come to our rescue. But I got the greatest shock of my life. Jared barely glanced in our direction. His gaze was icy, detached—like we were invisible. Oliver hesitated, his uncertainty clear, but Jared spoke first, his voice cool and calm. "We just came out to get some air, Oliver." He motioned to the chaos without a flicker of emotion. "Don't get involved in something we don’t know about." I saw the tension in Oliver’s shoulders as he c
(ARIELLE'S POVAs we drove along the road, I leaned closer to the window, my gaze fixed outside. It wasn’t the scenery that held my attention but the way my thoughts felt heavier with every mile. Then something caught my eye—QuickFix Auto.At first glance, it was just a car repair shop. Ordinary, unremarkable. But as I stared, recognition hit me like a wave.I blinked, the name tugging at a memory I hadn’t thought about in years. Suddenly, it all came flooding back.It was six years ago, early in our marriage. I’d spent an entire day selling cakes at a charity event. The rain had started pouring just as the event ended, and I’d gotten stuck with kids whose parents hadn’t shown up to pick them up yet. I called Jared, frustrated and soaked, filling him in. What I didn’t know then was that he had canceled a flight and rescheduled an important meeting. Just to come for me.But life being what it was, his car broke down as soon as he reached me.I could still remember the two of us, shive
(ARIELLE'S POV)I relied on my memory to remember the box Jared had been in earlier. My heart was beginning to race, and I could feel my hands growing sweaty. I wiped them on my dress, trying to calm myself down.For a moment, I hesitated in front of the door. I hadn’t planned out exactly what to say, but I knew I was ready to talk. If it came down to it, I was even prepared to apologize, to lower my pride for the sake of the conversation we needed to have.This wasn’t just for Jared—it was for our son, for myself, and for all the tangled pieces of our past and present.A strange flicker of excitement mingled with my nervousness.But before I could knock, the door swung open abruptly, and a drunken stranger stumbled out, nearly colliding with me.I winced, recalling my encounter with the three men earlier.Flustered, I hurriedly slipped inside, scanning the room as well. But as soon as I entered, I couldn’t help but frown. The heavy smell of alcohol and bodies hit me instantly. The at
(ARIELLE’S POV)The air had grown colder, the chill creeping into my bones. Dwayne wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. “Are you cold?” he asked, his voice soft with concern.I wiped my tears, shaking my head.All I could feel was exhaustion. My mind had turned to mush, too drained to form a single coherent thought.Dwayne studied me carefully before running his fingers along the side of my face. I turned away. He didn’t say a word, just shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. Then he handed me a helmet, carefully helping me strap it on.“Thank you,” I whispered as I snuggled closer to him on the motorcycle.I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. They came in waves as we rode, the cold wind stinging my face, but it couldn’t stop the flood of emotions. Jared’s words replayed in my head, over and over, like a broken record. The image of him and Sofia, sitting together, haunted me.“Go to the pub,” I said, shivering against Dwayne’s back. “I need a co
(ARIELLE S POV)The rest of the morning passed quietly as I cleaned the apartment after Dwayne left. His place had a certain charm to it. It wasn’t flashy, but there was a quiet allure in the way everything was arranged. Much like Dwayne himself. Effortlessly captivating.As I was about to tidy up the bed, a familiar feeling washed over me. My period had arrived—earlier than expected. I quickly grabbed a spare tampon from my bag and hurried to the bathroom to check. A little blood, just as I’d thought.I sighed softly.By the time I finished, another ten minutes had passed. No wonder I’d been so emotional yesterday, or the back pain that kept me tossing and turning last night.It’s funny, how your body never feels like it’s changing, but then, just like that, it reminds you time is slipping by, one day after another, unrelenting in its passage. How many more days like this would I have before I’d feel truly different?Life just goes on.I should ask Dwayne if women deal with blood mo
(ARIELLE’S POV)We walked like robots, mechanically, still stunned by the unexpected turn of events. Who would have known we were walking right into the arms of Jared’s mother?Ashley was silent beside me on the sofa. She had her arms folded across her chest, and I could see the apprehension on her face as she stared at Sofia. For moments after Sofia opened the door for us, my ears lost their ability to receive sound, or perhaps my brain halted abruptly with processing the received sound waves. Either way, I heard nothing but silence and the muffled sound of voices as Jared’s mother called out to the housekeeper. From the edge of my vision, I could see her approach, but I’d been too lost in my mind to realize she was coming over to me.“Shall I get you tea or coffee?” the lady asked politely. I blinked furiously to draw my mind back to the present. All the while, I’d been looking at the pair of Sofia and Mrs. Smith through skeptical eyes. Something didn’t sit right and I could feel
(SOFIA’S POV)The air in the room was charged with raw tension, alive and electric. Jared was still standing by the door with his new girlfriend — my replacement, perched on his arm. She didn’t even have the decency to stand by herself, leaning on Jared the whole time like a silly highschool teenager out with her crush. I rolled my eyes and looked away. I wanted to be anywhere but in the same room with Jared and Arielle. It all felt insanely awkward, like walking around the house with no clothes on. Jared himself looked uneasy at the sight of Arielle in the house but he did well to mask it up almost immediately. He took his arm off the lady and prodded her forward before shutting the door behind them. He stepped into the house and nodded to his mother. “Good afternoon, mum.” Then he looked at Arielle and Ashley, and said a polite, “Good afternoon.”Arielle nodded coolly before Ashley followed suit. I could sense the malice rippling off of her, like a wild hunger to cause Jared s
(ARIELLE’S POV)We both remained silent for moments after he’d finished speaking. Our eyes were fixed on each other. I searched for the words to say but every time I opened my mouth to speak nothing came out. Just my ragged breathing. I would have believed it if someone told me I’d just run a marathon. Such was the level of tension in the room following Jared’s outburst. I could see the fight in his eyes, a desperation to convince me and a commitment to do exactly as he had said. But how different was it from anything he’d ever told me before?Just as I was still battling over what to do in my head, the office telephone rang shrilly into the air and rattled me out of my thoughts. I sighed gratefully for the distraction as I picked up the device and held it against my ear.“Hello. Boss? Oh thank God. I left you a text. Sofia’s in the building and she’s making a scene down here… Hold on.. I think she’s looking for your office…” Rebecca’s panicked voice reeled through the speaker. I
(ARIELLE’S POV.) His words hung in the air. He leaned in a little closer, his expression intense. I could feel my cheeks flush, and I hated myself for it. His words were like an emotional punch to the gut, stirring up feelings I wasn’t ready to face.I watched him carefully as he waited for my reaction, searching my eyes like he was looking for some sign of hope.Finally, I exhaled, a deep sigh escaping me. “If that’s all, Jared… You can leave now.”I was stunned by the calmness of my own voice. But my reaction pales in comparison to Jared’s look of confusion. He was in utter shock. He narrowed his eyes at me as if focusing on me would wake him up from an ugly trance.His face was the literal picture of shock, his eyes wide as saucers, his lips hanging apart from each other as he stared at me.His eyebrows knitted in frustration. “Why? What do you mean, Arielle? Did you hear a word of all I just said? I explained everything clearly!”I nodded as impassively as possible, my hands clas
(ARIELLE’S POV.)I could feel the heat of both Stephen’s and Rebecca’s gazes on me. “Is any of that really necessary?” I asked, a frown pulling at my lips. Mixing business with personal life was a line I didn’t like to cross. Especially not with Jared, who clearly had an agenda.Jared straightened his tie, not missing a beat. “What’s more relatable than real life?” he replied smoothly, eyes flicking to me for just a second too long. “Of course, the examples I gave are purely hypothetical,” he added, the subtle emphasis making it clear he knew exactly what he was insinuating.Sometimes it’s just that hard to resist the urge to snap. Everyone here knew what he was indicating when he talked about marriage! “Let’s break it down.” he continued, ignoring my killing glare, “In any successful marriage, there’s a constant ebb and flow of communication—much like any thriving business. If one partner isn’t speaking up about their needs, or worse, if they're not listening, the entire foundation
(ARIELLE’S POV.)The air around grew awkwardly thin and very silent. Neither of us knew how best to react to the situation. I looked around the parking lot for no reason in particular, marking the time until it was okay for me to leave without looking any silly than I felt for walking up to their car to begin with. Tiana looked even more flustered than I imagined I’d appeared before them. Jared’s lips were drawn in a stiff line.“Arielle.. we umm.. I .. Good morning,” he managed to find his voice with a terrible stutter.“I guess we’ll just continue this conversation when you return,” Tiana shrugged with a placating smile.Jared ignored her comment and climbed down from the car. He had a stern face when he spoke up again. “I’ve just ordered you a ride, Tiana. Go back home.”I took the hint and excused myself from the side of the car. Jared fell into stride beside me as we walked across the parking lot to the entrance of my restaurant.“...Hi,” Jared tried to start a conversation. But
"Mommy, you seem really happy about work lately," Maverick said, his voice filled with curiosity. "What's going on?"I blinked, taken aback by his sudden observation. We were in the car, on the way to school, and I hadn’t expected such an out-of-the-blue question from him.I hadn't even realized that I'd been so obvious, but I guess it was hard to hide my happiness. I'd been feeling enthusiastic and optimistic since my meeting with Jared these days, and it seemed like Maverick had picked up on it.Do these two have a father-son psychic link or something?Hesitating, I tried to decide on how much to say and reveal to him because the young man wouldn't let me be unless I gave him an answer. He was already staring at me expectantly with those large innocent eyes."Oh it’s just business stuff, sweetie," I said casually, trying to brush it off. "I’m working on some new projects, and they’re going well."But he didn't look convinced, his eyes piercing into mine, as he tried to probe more i
(ARIELLE'S POV)After Stephen blushed and promised he wouldn’t disrupt the class again, Jared finally let him go with a scowl that could melt steel.I tried to keep it together while Stephen showered me with compliments. Honestly, it was nice to hear, but after a while, it started getting a little embarrassing.I glanced at Jared, who was practically fuming at Stephen's over-the-top behavior. He looked like he might explode at any second."Okay, let’s focus," I said quickly, cutting off Stephen mid-praise. "Jared, please continue.""Right, of course," he muttered, clearly trying to pull himself together. "So, Arielle, what are your goals for the restaurant?"I hesitated a bit, feeling a flutter in my chest. I hadn't expected him to ask the question as it seemed somewhat personal to me. "Well, my goal is to make the restaurant successful, of course," I said, a little weary.His brow arched as he gave me a pointed look. "That’s a pretty general answer. Can you be more specific? What do
(JARED'S POV)I smirked inwardly as Arielle gave in. I shouldn’t be so quick to admit it, but her reluctant response was like music to my ears.Of course, my real motive was far from what she thought it was. It was far simpler than she could ever guess.I just wanted to be close to her again. To create chances for us to be alone, to feel that spark between us once more.Yeah, I knew. I’d always been a little silly that way.Even seeing her irritated face, the way her eyes flashed with that familiar fire, made something warm spread through me. There was a certain comfort in it. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed seeing that side of her—the side that wasn’t guarded, that wasn’t numb from years of hurt. The side of her that used to laugh at my dumb jokes and argue with me about everything, even the smallest things.I almost forgot that I hadn’t slept all night.I’d been stewing over every misunderstanding and every word we’d exchanged these days, all night. And in the end, I realized
(ARIELLE'S POV) After a complicated, chaotic day, I finally managed to get some barely decent sleep and was ready to start the new day with a solid dose of confidence. No more chaos. No more emotional turmoil! At least, that was the plan… Until... “Explain. This.” That was the first sentence out of my mouth this morning, my teeth practically grinding as I stared at the scene in front of me. There, on my desk, was a bunch of lavender. And sitting in my chair, my ex-husband. After our encounter yesterday, I had assumed that that would be the last I'd see of him until Maverick's Open house party in two weeks! "What the hell are you doing in my office?" No wonder Rebecca had given me that smug smile on my way in earlier, and now I understood why! Jared glanced up from the business reports he was casually flipping through, looking annoyingly cool and too handsome for his own good. "You're late," he said simply, like he belonged there, behind my desk. I took a deep breath, try
(ARIELLE'S POV)As I approached my car, I couldn't help but scan my surroundings, half–expecting to see Ashley lingering nearby. But she was nowhere to be found, and I didn't blame her. With her encounter with Jared earlier, staying back was not exactly a good option.As I slipped into the driver's seat, I made a mental note to call her as I got home, just to make sure she made it to hers safely. I started the car's engine afterward, and began my drive home. The roads were quiet, the only sound emanating, that of my car's engine, and the occasional passing cars. I tried to focus on the road ahead, but my mind kept drifting back to Jared.His words still stung, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of hurt every time I thought about it. Why had he said he loved me, only to call it bluff moments later? I replayed the conversation in my head, trying to make sense of it all. I sighed, my head a myriad of emotions. When could he stop being so childish?I was angry at Jared for toying wi