"Are you going to talk to Mom about...you know?" Maverick asked, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. I stopped myself from playfully rolling my eyes. Children are indeed innocent; what was the point of whispering when we could all hear him? Dwayne chuckled, playing along by lowering h
(ARIELLE'S POV) The car soon pulled up at the restaurant's parking lot, and Ashley killed the engine. The sound of the engine dying was a clear indication that we had arrived. I glanced up from my iPad, taking in the familiar sight of my establishment. The parking lot was already filled up with ca
(ARIELLE'S POV) I reeled back in shock as he was the last person I expected, but at the same time, I was grateful for the interruption. Why he was here or how he got into my meeting room didn't matter, all that did was the fact that I was going to get a breather from the pervert seated a few meter
But those memories were quickly replaced by the remembrance of the last time I was here– the push from Sofia, my fall, and the subsequent dramas. I swallowed tightly, pushing the painful memories aside. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. As we approached the front door, I turned to Jared.
(ARIELLE'S POV) Jared seemed like a wild beast that had lost its sanity. His kisses were without any pattern, seemingly driven only by animal instinct. “Ja... Jared...” I gasped, barely able to catch my breath. I pushed against him with every ounce of strength, but it was useless. Instead, I tore
(JARED'S POV) After Arielle left, I buried my face in my palms, feeling a tide of frustration and guilt was over me. I couldn’t follow her. At least. I knew I shouldn’t. She needed space, and for once, leaving her alone felt like the least I could do after everything I had said. I exhaled sharpl
(JARED'S POV) I felt something snap and twist inside of me. The news hit me harder than I expected, and for a moment, my anger towards her evaporated. Sofia kept talking, her voice small, apologetic. “Jared… I wasn’t supposed to interrupt you with all this, it’s my mum—she asked me to—” But sh
But to my surprise, she spoke up, breaking the silence. She spoke without her usual edginess. Her voice was calm, almost with an understanding that I hadn't expected. "I know you're probably wondering why I'm here," she began, offering me a weak, nervous smile. "Jared, I don't want you to feel re
(ARIELLE'S POV) I felt Jared freeze on me, and then he relaxed, accepting the hug. We stayed that way for seconds, no words uttered, just silent communication. A few seconds later, I disengaged from the hug feeling much better. It felt like the soothing balm I needed. And without a word, I grabbed
(ARIELLE'S POV) After I left Dwayne at the bar, I had left for the location Jared and I were meeting, and we had both boarded the jet together. We sat side by side with each other, and I awkwardly realized that it was the first time in months that I had been in such close proximity to him, and I fo
(DWAYNE’S POV.) Arielle walked up to the entrance of the bar and stopped, her face etched with uncertainty. We held each other’s gazes in silence. The wind whipped her hair up to her face and she held it away from her eyes. I fought the urge to reach out and pull her under the shade of the building
(DWAYNE’S POV.) For moments after Arielle spoke I remained silent, clenching and unclenching my fists in fury. I gritted my teeth so hardly they might have turned into fine power under the pressure. Nothing made sense. Jared opened his mouth to speak and closed it. Arielle remained silent herself,
(DWAYNE'S POV)I strode into the room, my eyes locking onto Jared. The anger burned low in my gut, rising with every step, threatening to snap its leash. I had known. My instincts had screamed at me, warning me that something was off. And of course, Brown had tipped me off just in time—restless, pacing, sensing an intruder before I even stepped onto the property. Jared. I knew he would do this. Bypass me. Come straight to Arielle. Because he knew exactly what he wanted—to take her away. To convince her to take the risk. Arielle stood calm, as if she had already processed the weight of the conversation before my arrival. She turned to me, her voice measured. *“We were… discussing a possible new treatment.”* A treatment. Right. That’s what he was selling. I barely kept my expression neutral as I shifted my gaze back to Jared. “We already heard the diagnosis, Jared. And you were there when the doctors said it—Arielle’s body isn’t in any condition for experimental procedure
(ARIELLE'S POV) In Flåm, a small town in Norway, I experienced the most peaceful autumn and early winter of my life. When I first arrived with Dwayne, the country was bathed in autumn colors—burnt orange, deep crimson, and golden leaves that drifted lazily through the crisp air. There was a stillness here, a kind of quiet that softened the weight pressing on my soul. I had forgotten what it felt like to breathe without pain, to exist without the ache of memories gnawing at my mind. Three months passed. Winter arrived, blanketing the town in a hushed white serenity. The air grew sharper, filled with the scent of frost, and the world around me slowed. The cold should have bitten into my skin, but strangely, I felt nothing—neither the chill nor the warmth of the crackling fireplace inside my little ranch. My heart had been numb for so long, it didn’t know how to thaw. Dwayne wasn’t by my side all the time. In fact, our one-on-one moments were so rare I could count them on one hand
Regaining my composure, I exchanged a concerned glance with Mrs. Meyers before following Maverick. My heart pounded in my chest, a terrible weight pressing down on me with each step toward Arielle’s room. We found him there—his small arms wrapped so tightly around his mother that his little fingers turned white from the force of his grip. He buried his face into her, as if holding her close could somehow fix everything, as if his warmth could pull her back from the abyss she was slipping into. But Arielle didn’t react. She didn’t move, didn’t acknowledge the desperate embrace of the little boy who loved her more than anything in this world. She just sat there. Silent. This was what I had been trying to avoid, I wanted to shield Maverick from this, from watching his mother fade away in front of his eyes. But it seemed I was doing a bad job. I stood there, helpless. I wanted to pull Maverick away, tell him that everything was going to be okay, that I would fix this so
(JARED'S POV)I remained in that position, rocking Arielle gently, until her trembling subsided and she fell asleep in my arms. I gently laid her down on the bed, making sure not to disturb her. As I stepped back, the door went open and Mrs Meyers stepped in.“What happened?” She asked, her eyes bearing concern as they landed on the scattered remains of the herbal tea package on the floor.I hesitated, conflicted about my response. “It's nothing,” I said finally, trying to wave it aside. “It just slipped from my hand.” I didn't want to hurt her but telling her the truth.Her eyes narrowed slightly in disbelief, but she didn't press the issue. Instead, she nodded and said, “Alright, I'll have it cleaned up.”I tried to protest, but she waved me off. “Was there any progress?” Her gaze drifted to Arielle, who was still sleeping peacefully.I shook my head, feeling bad about being the bearer of the bad news. “Not much.”She nodded, but I saw her eyes cloud over with disappointment. I felt
She turned to me, eyes burning with rage and something deeper—something more painful. Something I had never seen before. “I do not need your pity or acts of charity. Do you think I don't know how you see me now? You think I'm a broken and useless woman, don't you?” I was momentarily tongue tied as I gaped at her in shock. “Arielle, I–” “Do you think throwing money at this will fix it?” Her voice cracked, but the fire in it was unrelenting. “Do you think you can just buy back the part of me that’s already dead?”I took a step forward, my hands held out in a placating gesture. “I'll find a solution, I promise I will, Arielle, please...” “You don’t get it.” She took a shaky breath, hands curling into fists. “I don’t care about expensive ingredients. I don’t care about world-class chefs. I don’t care about any of it because none of it matters anymore!”She was screaming now, and it made my chest ache. She never yelled. Not like this. I tried to steady my voice, to hold on to reason, be