(ARIELLE'S POV)I shot Jared a confused look, expecting some sort of explanation, but he just brushed me off.What the hell? Don't tell me Jared agreed to accommodate Sofia in our home without informing and discussing it with me?“Agreement?” I repeated, this time, my voice was firmer and demanding.
“She’s pregnant!” Jared exhaled heavily. “She can’t be alone right now. What if something happens in the middle of the night? She needs people around her.”“Doesn't she have a family? I understand she's divorced, but what about her family? Parents? Relatives? They are people she should be with and n
(ARIELLE'S POV) I was roused from sleep by a gentle tap. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Jared peering down at me. "Dinner is served, Mrs. Smith," he said, his voice warm and teasing as he pressed a light kiss to my forehead."Dinner? I was startled and sat up. "What time is it?" I inquired, loo
Jared didn’t seem to mind the attention. But I saw the frown when she touched him. His eyes met mine in those fleeting moments, and for the briefest second, I guessed he wasn’t entirely at ease with the way Sofia was behaving.I felt anger gnaw at my chest like worms would do to our intestines whene
(ARIELLE'S POV) I knew what I was about to do was wrong, as it went against my principles, but I couldn't help myself. My hands moved involuntarily as I typed in a password. Jared had mentioned in the car that his password was my name, right? Well, it was time to find out. I typed my name, and to
(ARIELLE'S POV) I felt Jared's body tense beside me, his arms freezing in place. I knew I had said something I couldn't take back. The question was, how would he respond? “Oh, I think I might have used your shampoo accidentally,” Jared spoke up after a while, trying to sound nonchalant. I felt
I saw anger flashing in Sofia's eyes, while I watched the exchange in amusement. “On the contrary, I think Arielle is selfish. Letting you drive her to work even when you're running late, and also coming to pick her up after work every day. She's stressing you out, and she should stop and learn to d
(ARIELLE'S POV)At the close of work, Jared was already waiting outside the restaurant to drive me home.“Your Mr. Perfect is here,” Rebecca announced, her head peeking through my office door.“Go away, Rebecca,” I replied smiling.“Alright, alright,” Rebecca giggled and left.Stepping outside, I ca
It was evident in the way she switched her weight from one foot to the other and opened her mouth to speak multiple times without saying anything. Nana Jean leaned forward in her seat, her face mean and sober in the manner of an old Catholic nun. “The diagnosis is Early-Onset Memory Degeneration S
(DWAYNE’S POV) The air in the room around me was electric with underlying animosity. They might have put on their best acts, but I wasn’t fooled. And truthfully, there was nothing they could do to change the state of things. The board members sat quietly, their gazes eluding mine like it was a life
I’d almost turned around to leave when I caught sight of it, sticking out from underneath the stack of papers on the desk. I looked closer at the letterhead and identified the name of a hospital—medical reports. Was this the result of ye MRI scan?, I wondered to myself. I knew better than to look. I
(ARIELLE’S POV) My time in Germany finally reached its end. After conducting a series of tests and feeding me with supplements and a great deal of other tablets, Dr. Ellen and Dr. Julian agreed that their procedure was indeed successful. They made their discovery public and what followed afterwards
“Did you get that yourself? Why didn’t you let the paramedics check you?” I inquired with a mix of concern and relief. “Paramedics? What paramedics?” Jared asked, his smile dampening a bit with confusion. “I was in a meeting with my associates… back at the hotel. Yeah. I was on a call…” he explaine
(ARIELLE’S POV) When I woke up, I learned from Ashley that Jared had to leave earlier because of some business. But he’d yet to return and I was due to leave for my hotel. “Any sign of him yet?” I asked Ashley as she stepped into the room. She’d left earlier to get me something to eat on the docto
(JARED'S POV) I left the hospital hesitantly, my mind hazy with worry. I was tired myself. I sat behind the wheel and looked into the rearview mirror. I let out a sigh and steered the car onto the road. I struggled to maintain my concentration as I drove. I resorted to driving slower than usual, a
(JARED’S POV) For the rest of the evening, I couldn’t help but feel guilty about forgetting Maverick’s birthday. It beat my imagination how I’d forgotten something as important as that. I never forgot important dates, especially not my son’s birthday. I smiled through the call and even instructed
He took deep breath, and slowly knelt down on one knee. He let go of my hand momentarily and the other arm which he’d had behind him the entire time produced a velvet box. He gently opened it and nestled right inside the box, sitting on a black velvet pad, was a diamond ring, resplendent and breatht