(SOFIA’S POV) I turned round another street corner, my mind occupied with nothing but pure rage and hurt at the way things turned out moments ago. Did it really take nothing for my whole life to collapse underneath me? Only after leaving the restaurant did I realize that I had left my car behind.
(ARIELLE’S POV) After the awkward interview with Stephen Stone — which Rebecca and Ashley didn’t stop teasing me for, I stepped out of the restaurant to get Maverick from school. If traffic and the weather were forgiving I’d make it just in time to redeem myself for picking him up late. I hurri
(JARED’S POV) “I hope I’ve made myself clear? Because I won’t be as nice the next time!” Arielle’s mother hissed through gritted teeth. One look at the fire in her eyes and I knew right away that she wasn’t joking about her threat. The spot where her palm has struck my cheek stung like it had be
JARED’S POV) I killed the engine of my car and sat still, deep in thought. There was a battle raging in my head as I sat in the car space. I stole a glance at my reflection in the rearview mirror. Arielle’s mother’s fingers were still clearly imprinted on my face like an awful tattoo born from the
(ARIELLE’S POV) I sat across from Mom at the dinning table. We’d just put Maverick to bed and decided to stay up a little longer just to catch up on each other’s days while we shared a bowl of fresh fruit salad. “It’s getting so overwhelming doing this on my own, mum. I mean, with things like toda
“He’ll find his rhythm. Kids are resilient like that,” Dwayne said with quiet confidence. Hearing him say that, so sure and calm, I almost felt like I was… reporting to someone checking in with me after a long day? It was a strange sensation, one that crept up on me so suddenly that I had to shake
(ARIELLE'S POV) A few days later, I was at work, with the incident with Jared pushed behind me, and long forgotten. I had hired Stephen the day after his interview, despite his cringe-worthy attempts at flattery. “Love at first sight,” he’d said, which I brushed off as nothing more than an embarr
(STEPHEN'S POV) As I walked into the dining area to discuss some document details with Arielle, I was completely unprepared for what I saw. There she stood, laughing softly with a strikingly handsome man. I tried to dismiss the thoughts swirling in my head, convincing myself he was just a custom
“I won’t be long in the shower,” he promised as he dashed into the bathroom. I picked up my phone and found a couple of missed calls from Michael Langley. A little frown crossed my face until I realized he might’ve worried after checking on me at my suite. I didn’t owe him any explanations of cours
(ARIELLE’S POV) I was awake—eyes closed, but very much aware of my surroundings. I could feel the gentle early morning breeze dance over my skin as it traveled across the room. The warmth of Jared’s skin against mine, his spring arms wrapped around me like a second blanket, brought back very vivid
(MICHAEL’S POV) I was on a zoom conference call with my strategy team back home when my phone rang. Normally, I’d just ignore it and let it ring out until whoever it was on the other end got the message. But when I looked at the caller ID, I thought better. “Jared. Is everything okay?” I asked my
“That bounce in his step? You’ll only ever find it in a man who’s in love. And you.. your skin has a different glow this morning. Plus you arrived an hour late for our appointment,” Ellen finished with a shrug. “Morning, Dr. Keystone,” Jared nodded as he walked into the room. “Good morning, Mr. Sm
(ARIELLE’S POV) I woke up in his arms, this time, fully aware and hardly willing to break the contact between our bodies. I slowly turned around to look at his face, to be sure none of it was a dream. Jared’s lips stretched in a smile and his eyes peeled open gradually. “Hey,” he said. “Hey,” I e
She opened her mouth to speak, but her words died away in the back of her throat the moment I slid myself into her. It felt like heaven. It felt like returning back to a place I’d vowed never to set foot in, only to realize I’d never really left in my heart—if I was being honest with myself. She
(JARED'S POV) When we arrived at the hotel, Arielle insisted on stopping by her room first for a quick shower and to change her dress. I didn’t object because I thought I could use the time to surprise her with a little culinary adventure. The poor chicken I put in the oven would have fared better
(JARED’S POV) It was all I could think about for most of the day. And I feared it bothered her somewhat too. It didn’t help my case the slightest bit that she built a wall between us, pushing me off every time I tried to broach the topic. Of course I knew that had to be the reason—our adventure of
“Sorry about that. I just wanted to go through everything we have to do first,” Julian explained, earning a little roll of the eyes from his ex-wife. I was glad that I didn’t need to be sedated for the tests they were about to conduct. Something about lying still and unconscious again with no defin