(ARIELLE’S POV)The scent of the dinner wafted through the room, as I focused on my husband, Jared. His dark hair falling just right, framing his straight nose and sharp jawline. Even in his casual clothes, the man had an undeniable presence—broad shoulders, a sculpted chest. He could’ve walked right out of a magazine, yet here he was, with me. It was our anniversary, and in commemoration of that, I had suggested that we had an indoor dinner– just the two of us.Despite his usual aloof self, Jared had created time from his usual busy work schedule, and that was a gesture I considered lovely. Especially when he looked up at me with those smoldering eyes, it was hard to stay upset. I had chosen to sit across from him instead of our usual dinning position–beside him because I wanted to see all of his reactions when I finally broke the good news to him. You see, I just discovered that I am pregnant yesterday from our family doctor, and I stalled the news, so I could break it to Jared
(ARIELLE POV) Oh well, color me surprised! I blinked severally to ensure that I was not seeing wrongly. My eyes widened in shock, my mind trying to process the scene before me. My husband, Jared, was standing beside another woman, a pregnant woman who claimed to be his wife, in a restaurant where I worked. The woman's words earlier reverberated in my ears, “my husband will have you fired!” My heart pounded, breathing suddenly becoming difficult. I felt like I had just been punched in the gut. I took a step forward, my voice raspy and barely a whisper, “Jared?” Jared met my gaze, his composure unwavering. “Hey, Arielle,” he said in a casual tone,, as if being seen in the restaurant his wife worked in with another woman who claimed he was her husband, was a normal occurrence. My eyes narrowed at him, as I expected him to offer me an explanation. Before Jared could respond, Sofia stepped forward, her face a mask of surprisement, “Oh, you must be Arielle! I’m so sorry for the conf
(ARIELLE'S POV) “Ashley, I need to go. Thank you for the information. I will call you back later.”After the phone call with Ashley, I tried my best to handle my whirling thoughts. Jared is always elegant, considerate, and even meticulous. I thought I knew this man after three years’ marriage. However, I've never seen him defend anyone in front of me, let alone break his promise twice. I sighed as I stepped down from my car. Upon arriving at home, nothing prepared me for the sight I was met with. Sofia was seated comfortably in the sitting room, and she was not alone. She was with Jared's mother, and they were conversing and laughing happily. While Jared was sitting alone on the single sofa next to them. “What's going on here?” I managed to ask, a lump forming on my throat. As I approached, Jared rose smoothly, reaching for my coat. “I brought Sofia over because Mom wanted to see her,” he explained, his tone measured. "You could have told me first," I said quietly, "
(ARIELLE’S POV) While Sofia clamped her mouth shut, startled by Jared’s sudden appearance, I slowly rose from the chair, still reeling from the shock of all I had heard.My heart ached—it wasn’t just what Sofia had said, it was the fact that I had to hear it from her, not Jared. I got to Jared and ignored him completely as I walked past, but he tried to talk to me. “Arielle, please listen–” he said, trying to reach for me. I shrugged his hand off and walked upstairs, my eyes welled up with tears. I got to the room and collapsed on the bed, numb, exhausted and disappointed. Just then, a text arrived on my phone. It was from Jared. “I'm sorry,” it read.I stared at the screen for a moment, then switched off my phone, unable to deal with his apologies. Sleep didn’t come easily, and when it finally did, it was restless and full of turmoil.The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. It meant one thing; he didn't sleep in our room last night. He probably slept in the visitor's room
(ARIELLE'S POV)Before I could unleash my fury, Jared's expression hardened. His voice had a cutting edge to it. “Sofia, those flowers aren’t for you.” He took the bouquet back from her with a firm gesture, handing them to me instead.“They’re for my wife,” he said pointedly, his eyes meeting mine.Sofia’s face flushed. Meanwhile, I could barely hold back a satisfied smirk.However, nothing prepared me for seeing Sofia tear up and turn to Jared. "Jared, Jay-jay. I'm so sorry to interrupt your private time, but... the flower is for me, right? Remember back in high school, you used to bring me lavender flowers, especially on prom nights?"Jared looked thorn, as he looked from me to Sofia. Really? He was contemplating it? That flower was mine for Christ’s sake, he should simply ask her to hand it back to me, the rightful owner.“Arielle,” Jared said calmly, “let her keep it tonight. I’ll get you something even more special tomorrow, I promise.”I couldn't believe my ears. “You are unbe
(ARIELLE'S POV) I retired to the room upstairs, my head throbbing with a migraine. I couldn't believe what had just happened in the dining room. Jared didn't even scold Sofia for insinuating that I poisoned her. He knew me too well, that I wouldn't hurt a fly, not to mention a human being. I didn't like Sofia, alright, but the last thing I wound ever do was hurt her. I wasn't even aware that she was allergic to milk, not to mention putting it in her meal just to harm her. She must be rejoicing now, knowing that her plan to cause a rift between me and Jared had worked. We couldn't even have dinner in peace. Her presence is always disrupting the peace of my marriage. I sighed and collapsed on the bed, wondering what to do to get Sofia out of Jared and I's life. Realizing that I was feeling sleepy, I got off the bed and walked into the bathroom for my night shower. After I was done, I slipped into a comfortable night robe and slumped on the bed in exhaustion. I didn't kno
Beep! Beep! (ARIELLE'S POV) My eyes slowly fluttered open, hazily taking in my surroundings. The bright florescent lights above pierced my pupils, sending signals to my brain, and making my head throb. I winced, lifting my hands to shield my eyes, but a sharp pain coursed through my waist, and I screamed and collapsed back on the pillow. Through my blurry vision, I saw Ashley sprinting to my side. “Are you okay? Oh my God, you're awake!” “Ash…ley?” I tried to call, but the pain intensified, and I couldn't get the word out. “Shhhh, relax. Don't try to talk.” I nodded, and as I relaxed, the pain gradually abated. A bit stable, I asked, “Where am I?” “You're in the hospital,” Ashley replied, her voice gentle. At her words, I looked around my surroundings, taking in the sterile surroundings. The room was spacious, with white –colored walls, blue curtains, and a large window that let in sliver rays of sunlight. A chair sat in the corner, where Ashley had been sitting,
(ARIELLE’S POV) After Ashley left, Jared glanced at the door to ensure she was out of earshot before turning back to face me, his voice low. “What's going on?” “What do you mean?”“This whole thing about neglecting you for Sofia. What’s bothering you? I thought we sorted this out.” His brows furrowed deeply, but there was no frustration in his voice—just confusion.I glared at him. “You should know exactly what I mean, Jared. I had a fatal fall, all thanks to Sofia, and instead of helping me, you ran to her. And after that? You left me with Ashley to be with her. What am I to you, Jared? A joke?” Jared's eyes narrowed confused. “Arielle, listen,” he said, more measured now, as if picking his words carefully. “Sofia is pregnant. I couldn't risk anything happening to her or the baby. That's why I went to her first. But I made sure both of you got to the hospital. I called Ashley to stay with you because I couldn't be in two places at once. It made sense to leave someone familiar wit
(ARIELLE’S POV)I turned swiftly, and my eyes met Dwayne's who was leaning in the door frame, his eyes boring into mine. "You scared me," I said, frowning."I'm sorry about that," he replied, leaving the door and walking towards me. "It wasn't intentional.""How long have you been standing there?" I asked, my eyes narrowing suspiciously at him."Long enough to make out a few details about your conversation," he said, sitting next to me on the couch. "And I saw the news."I sighed, feeling a bit uneasy about him knowing about Jared's situation. "What do you think is going on?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me."I think he's gotten himself into a mess. But that's not surprising, is it?"I raised an eyebrow, sensing something else beneath his tone. "What do you mean?""Come on, Arielle, don't act obtuse. You know one way or the other, Jared will always be entwined with Sofia and her family. ""I don't understand...""Alright, I'll make you. Jared's always been cautious an
(JARED'S POV)I knew I had to get out of here before the situation grew worse. The frenzy was growing by the seconds, with Sofia's mother still yelling and weeping, throwing accusations at me left and right.I tried to step away amidst the crowd of reporters swarming around me, but they were relentless, shoving the mics close to my mouth, asking questions, and urging me to answer "Mr. Smith, is it true you drove your fiancee to attempt suicide?" One reporter asked, her voice loud and accusatory."No, that's not true!" I refuted, trying to keep my cool, but it was getting harder by the second. Realizing that I couldn't do this alone, I pulled out my phone and dialed Oliver's number, my jaw clenched in anger. I didn't know what the Golds were playing at, but they wouldn't win. If they planned to accuse me falsely and drag my reputation in the mud, then they better had a rethink.Oliver answered on the first ring. "What's up, Jared.""It's a disaster here," I explained, trying not
(JARED’S POV.) The room was still covered in a cloud of smoke. I stood in a state of confusion, unsure whether to start cleaning the kitchen from the pan on the floor or the lump of burnt ginseng lying on the other side of the kitchen. Then there was the cooktop to clean out. Arielle shook her head and opened the windows wider to let out the smoke. “Oh yeah,” I cursed under my breath and beat her to open the sliding glass doors that led to the backyard. “What were you even cooking?” she asked, with an amused smile. “I was trying to cook some soup,” I replied like a child caught doing something silly. Dwayne chortled. He’d gone back to preparing his Caesar salad. “Told him to stick with his stock market and share valuation yada yada,” he said. “This is all funny to you, right? Well, it’s all your fault. If you hadn’t riled me up I’d have kept my focus on the pan and none of this would have happened,” I pointed at him accusingly. “In my defense, he made fun of my salad,” Dwayne s
(JARED’S POV)I couldn’t quite put what I was doing in the kitchen into the adequate words, but I felt my way through it. I pulled out a pan from the cupboard above me and placed it down on the cooktop. Moments later, Dwayne shuffled into the room.Arielle had fallen asleep on our watch— more like she’d asked us to give her space to rest from our bickering. It was always Dwayne instigating fights and bickering.“You’re not given up on seeking me out, huh?” I said to him with a little eye roll.He let out a scoff and walked past me to the other end of the kitchen. “You wish. I’m here for something better. You’re not worth my time,” he said.I bit back a sharp retort and pretended his words hadn’t sent a convulsing sting down my spine. He was clearly in the kitchen for some silly competition. But I was more than ready for him this time. Arielle was yet to touch either of our flasks which were cooling away in the fridge somewhere. So technically, we didn’t have any place making more food
(ARIELLE’S POV)I turned in my sleep. My left side was beginning to hurt from lying on it for too long. Morning sounds floated around me, and I dated a peek out the open window from my lying position. The lights hit my eye with such harshness that I shut them back and willed myself to go back to sleep. I was very grateful to be lying on my own bed, in my own room, under my own roof, far away from the smell of disinfectant and air freshener laced with a myriad of medicine smells. I felt nauseous at the mere thought. This felt good— being back in my room felt good.But apparently, fate had other plans because almost immediately I settled in for another round of sleep, the sound of the doorbell ringing through the house filled my ears and chased away whatever little tranquility I was trying to savor.The ringing didn’t stop no matter how hard I tried to will it away into nonexistence. I let out a weak sigh and gently threw the bed covers off my body. I swung my legs down to the floor wit
(DWAYNE’S POV)I paused in my tracks as I took some moment to take in the sight before me. Arielle was sitting up on the bed, while Jared sat at the foot, feeding her. Scanning the room further, I realized there was no sign of Mrs Meyers and Maverick.Where could they be? But the sight before me wouldn't let me dwell much on the thought. It was hard to ascertain how I felt at the moment. The scene playing out before me was proof that all my efforts have been wasted. I briefly stared down at the food package in my hand, and for a moment, I wanted to match over to Jared and haul him away from her.That was supposed to be me. How come he was here this early, earlier than I was? From the look of things, it seemed I wasn't the only one who had the plan of returning early to the hospital this morning.If only that traffic that occurred on my way here didn't happen, I probably wouldn't be in this position. And Jared wouldn't be having the time of his life smirking at me triumphantly.“I dou
(JARED'S POV)"Are you in that much hurry to get rid of us?" I asked Maverick, raising a brow as I tried to stifle a grin. He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with more mischief. "Maybe. My mommy needs rest and she doesn't need two bodyguards watching over her."Dwayne and I exchanged puzzled looks. What was this kid saying? We were trying to protect his mother, not guard her like prisoners. As if on cue, Mrs Meyers, who was almost dozing off on her seat, stirred and opened her eyes. She tiredly stretched her arms, and then her eyes landed on us."It's time for you two to leave," she announced, her voice gentle but firm. "You should go home, freshen up, and have a change of clothes and proper meals. I appreciate you both coming, but I just have to insist that you leave."Dwayne and I protested in unison. "We're fine–" but she held up a hand, cutting us off."I mean it, you two. You can't stay here all night. Besides, I'm sure you both have work to attend to tomorrow." She glanced at t
JARED’S POV)I arrived at the office, intent on doing a little work before returning to the hospital. But concentration never felt like a Herculean task like it felt for me today. The more I tried to focus on work, the more my mind remained restless. My thoughts kept drifting back to Arielle, wondering if she was okay. And the other times, it wandered to Oliver, and if he has been able to get the drug from Sofia.Two hours later, as I sat behind my laptop, fiddling with the keys, Oliver returned. "I got the drug," he said, his face in a smile as he walked in and closed the door behind him.I sat up in my chair, my eyes conveying my curiosity. "That easy?" I asked, my tone skeptical.He sighed, taking a seat in front of my desk. "Miss Sofia refused at first–wouldn't even open the door," he explained. "But then Miss Tiana intervened, spoke to her privately for a while and that did the trick because the next minute, she walked out smiling, the drug in her hand."I frowned, my eyes dilat
(JARED’S POV) I lowered my head in remorse, and when I stole a glance at Dwayne, he had the same sober look on. Fair enough, I wasn't the only one facing the brunt of Mrs Meyer's chastisement. I tried to say something, to apologize for our juvenile display at least, but Dwayne beat me to it. "Umm...we will go get some fresh air," he said, his voice collected. "We will give you and Arielle some space." My brows knitted in a frown, as I felt the urge to snap and demand why he'd decide for us both. But I got in touch with my emotions real quick, taking an inward breath as I realized he was right. We're both grown men, and this wasn't the time for us to be at each other's throats. Not when Arielle was ill. We owe her that respect and decorum. So I nodded at Mrs Meyers in agreement. "Yeah, well step out now." She rolled her eyes, eyeing us both. "You had better." We took that as a cue and simultaneously turned for the door, but we bumped into each other as we went. I shot Dwayne a dir