(ARIELLE'S POV) I walked numbly beside Ashley, my body present, but my mind wandering. We were leaving the hospital, and I was still dazed. The doctor had asked me to return in a few days to start my antenatal, but up until this moment, despite seeing my child through the scan, hearing its heartbea
(ARIELLE'S POV) "Leaving? What do you mean?" Ashley asked, looking stunned. "I...I can't stay here anymore. I need to get away from everything. From Jared, from Sofia, from all of this," I responded. I watched Ashley's face fall, and my heart broke even more. I knew she was not going to take the
(ARIELLE'S POV) It's been days, and my mood has improved greatly. I was finally adapting to the reality that I was indeed pregnant, and it was the best feeling I have had in a while. I visited the hospital for more tests and pregnancy supplements and resumed my antenatal sessions. Although my deci
(ARIELLE'S POV) "Italy?" Ashley repeated, her eyes wide with surprise. "Yes, the founders of the scholarship have their academy in Italy," I responded, excitement sparking inside of me. "What scholarship?" Ashley asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "The one Mr Stone, my manager, told me abou
(ARIELLE'S POV) The waiting period before my departure felt like a time bomb, ticking away with each passing minute. A few days before I left, I decided to visit my mother and inform her about my departure. After having a careful deliberation, I decided it would be a great injustice to leave her in
(JARED'S POV) It was a Saturday, and I walked out of the gym room after a strenuous workout. I was stunned to see Sofia slouched on the couch, flipping through TV channels. Wait, wasn't she supposed to be preparing for the Charity event? "Hey, aren't you supposed to be leaving for the charity even
(JARED'S POV) I instantly stepped on the brake pedal, reversing the car, and speeding off in the direction of the restaurant. On arrival, true to the reporter's words, the restaurant had been in a fire accident. My heart continued to thud as I approached the crowd of people compromising the fire d
(JARED'S POV) "What do you think your mother wants to talk to us about?" Sofia asked, breaking the silence in the car. We were on the way to my mother's place for dinner the next day, and Sofia wouldn't stop worrying about the motive behind the invitation. I shrugged. "I don't know." "I hope it'
“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