(ARIELLE’S POV)I paused, trying to assimilate Ashley's words. Slowly, I locked my gaze with hers. “You're kidding, right?”“Do I look like I am?” Ashley retorted, her voice firm and serious.I took a breath, trying once again to make sense of her suggestion.Divorce Jared? Somehow the very idea fel
(ARIELLE'S POV) The next day was Sunday, and I was grateful it was not a work day. When I roused from sleep, all I did was shower, have breakfast and watch TV as Ashley wouldn't let me raise a pin. “Hey,” she squeezed my shoulder gently, sliding onto the couch next to me. “What's up?” “Hey,” I
“Don’t mention it, girl.” She squeezed my shoulder affectionately. “You know you deserve the best. Always.” ******** And before I knew it, it was Monday. And Monday marked the beginning of a new working day. After showering, having breakfast and getting dressed in one of Ashley's dresses, she dr
(ARIELLE'S POV) At the sound of Jared's voice, Sofia quickly withdrew her hand and swirled around to face him. The coldness in her eyes was now replaced with warmth, and I wondered how she effortlessly switched personalities. “Nothing Serious. Arielle , here, just arrived and I was informing her
(ARIELLE'S POV) Ok. Here he played this ‘charming husband’ card again.I stood rooted to the spot, contemplating my response. Truth was, I had made no plans on returning to the house today. Even though I knew I was going to return eventually, it just wasn't today. “Jared, I don't think I want to
(ARIELLE'S POV) I watched Jared pause, his eyes widening like saucers, and almost bulging out of their sockets. But I was not fazed, I still wanted to hear his response.Silence hung between us.“What did you say?” he asked, his voice still tinged with shock, his expression frozen.“Do you still w
(ARIELLE'S POV) “You don't mean it!” Ashley exclaimed over the phone. “I can imagine the look of shock on her face.” The instant I got to the office and settled in, I got on a call with Ashley to fill her in on the event of the morning. She was surprised and happy, and it reflected in her cheerful
(ARIELLE'S POV) Jared and I paused, exchanging surprised glances. “What's that sound?” I asked, fear now crawling into my features. “I don't know–” Jared started to say, but paused like he recalled something. And then he was sprinting into the house , yelling “Sofia!” I was stunned for a moment
“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