(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) "Mommy, Uncle Dwayne and I are taking the dogs out for their evening walk. We won’t stay long, love you!" Maverick's voice rang out from the porch. I was in the kitchen, trying to get dinner together while he was out with Dwayne, who had just shown up a few minutes ago. "Alright,"
I checked on the pasta—it was cooked perfectly—and then pulled the chicken out of the oven. As I did, I made a mental note to bring up Jared with Dwayne again, and this time, I wasn’t letting him bail out on me. Minutes later, I was done cooking, and I set the table, after which I sat back to wait
(ARIELLE'S POV) "Thank you, still," Mrs. Harrison said, her eyes persistent. I nodded, smiling warmly. "You're welcome," I said, realizing the older woman had no intention of backing off unless she heard those words. She smiled, seeming to relax now. "And Mrs Harrison," I called, my voice takin
Her words slapped me directly to face my own past. I used to believe my marriage with Jared was something special. I was just a chef, and he was a billionaire. Nana Jean had always been supportive of us, but honestly, no one else really was. His family had doubts, especially his mother, though she
(ARIELLE'S POV) 7pm, the Grand Imperial Hotel. "You’ve got to pull yourself together," I said to myself, splashing cold water on my face. The afternoon had passed in a blur—probably because my mind kept drifting. Stephen had handled everything, and I arrived 20 minutes early. Now, I found myself
The man, who had remained silent up until now, finally spoke, his tone calm and controlled. “It’s more convenient this way.” That was clearly the wrong thing to say. Margaux’s irritation flared, but Ashley quickly stepped in, trying to ease the tension with a forced cheerfulness. “So, ladies, how a
(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