(JARED'S POV) I was seated in the cafe, glancing at my wristwatch for what felt like the hundredth time. Arielle hasn't responded to my recent call or text. I was starting to get worried. Has she changed her mind about meeting me? Just as I was about to call her again, someone walked into my line
(ARIELLE’S POV) I returned home feeling a whirlwind of different things in my mind. My eyes were open, but not quite focused on anything in particular. It felt like I stood at a crossroads, burdened by the weight of past choices and the one glaring decision looming ahead. I sighed with relief, t
I shook my head sadly as my eyes welled up with tears. “Woah, honey. It’s okay,” my mother said soothingly as she sat beside me on the sofa and took me in her arms. “You’re okay. Do you want to talk about it?” she asked softly. “It’s all just so overwhelming,” I began. I narrated everything that h
(REBECCA’S POV) I showed up to work with a ready smile on my face, not for anything in particular —because the day was just as ordinary as any other. I moved through the motions of my role at the restaurant with efficient muscle memory for most of the day. “Who’s taking the order for table eight?
“Yeah,” Stephen concurred with a nod. He always agreed with anything she said. I could tell he was hopelessly smitten. It explained why he was hurt that Arielle had received an exceptionally good looking visitor the other day. I shook my head with a small smile at the thought. “Alright. That’d be a
(SOFIA’S POV) "Ms Sofia, this is Rachel from the card services department. Unfortunately, your credit card has been declined for the transaction you attempted today." My hand froze on the edge of the phone. “What the hell? Say it again??” “The payment could not be processed. Is there another card
A warning bell instantly went off in my head, a sign that all was not well. But I pushed it aside, deciding things were not serious. As long as I got help, whatever tone or name she used on me doesn't matter. “ I need your help, Mom,” I began. “I need you to talk to Jared for me. Please. You know
(SOFIA’S POV) I lay down on my back, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. The sound of the humidifier in the background was my only touch with reality. My mind flashed back to the past. The first man I ever married was wealthy — decades older, but wealthy. That’s what mattered to me at the time. He p
“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