“Mom!”Diana looked up from the book she was reading and couldn’t help but smile when she found her daughter standing at the door.“Oh my God, Carmen! How did you—? When did you—?”Carmen, a woman in her mid-thirties, rushed inside and hugged the older woman.“I can’t believe you got yourself in trouble again,” Carmen scolded, pulling away. “And for whom? That…monster?!”“Carmen!”“No!” Carmen shook her head. “I’m not going to listen to anything you’re saying. You always asked me not to question your weird relationship with Simon, and I didn’t. But this has gone too far. You got hurt because of him, for God’s sake! This is unacceptable.”Diana shook her head, cupping her daughter’s face. “I’m absolutely fine, sweetheart. See?” She pulled away and hoped her daughter could see how great she was. Sure, her head hurt a bit, and there was weakness every time she tried to stand on her own, but that was it. She was sure it was only temporary. “A few days of complete rest and I’ll be fit as a
Elena stepped further inside. Ever since she had asked the question about what Simon had done, Diana and her daughter had been eerily quiet. It kind of frustrated her a little, but she wasn’t going to express it, mostly because she still wanted to know what was going on. She wanted to know what they were talking about and what Simon had done to make this young woman so damn angry.Diana spoke first after a while. “It’s nothing that you need to worry about—”“Are you sure about that?” Carmen chipped in, mostly under her breath, but because she was standing closer to Elena, Elena heard it all.She turned to look at the young woman in front of her. She could tell from the striking resemblances in their faces that they were related. Because Diana had talked about her family members while they shopped for wedding stuff, Elena had a good guess about whom she was talking to.“You’re Diana’s daughter, aren’t you? Carmen, if I remember correctly?”Carmen nodded sternly. “Yes. Carmen it is. You
For the entire ride back to NYC, Elena kept to herself. She either sat alone, pretending to sleep, or watched something on the screen to pass the time.To her relief, Simon didn’t try to disturb her either. He stayed busy working with his PA or just talked on the phone, trying to catch up on all the work that had been delayed for one reason or another.Once the plane landed, Simon and Elena drove in the same car. This time, she could feel Simon’s eyes on her and his fingers drawing soft patterns on the back of her hand. But Elena stayed quiet, as if not ready to talk just yet.It wasn’t her fault, though, and God knows it wasn’t easy either. Before boarding the plane, she had assumed she would just take his hand in hers, look him in the eyes, and ask him about everything that happened between him and Carmen. But seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours, and she couldn’t gather the courage to actually talk.She wondered what would happen if she wasn’t satisfied with w
The mention of Carmen was enough to make Simon grow completely still.Now, he at least knew why Elena had been so distant all day.He should have seen this coming.Back at the hospital, when he heard about her arrival to visit Diana, he should have known they might run into each other.And he did, but he was so deeply consumed with the news of becoming a father that everything else seemed pale in comparison.Shit. Diana was right. He should have been open with Elena about his past long before this moment arrived. He couldn’t lose her now, not at any cost.Perhaps that’s why he held on to her a little tighter and took a moment to collect his thoughts. When he was ready, he met her gaze once again.“I’m assuming you met her—Carmen, I mean?”“Yes,” she nodded. “While I was checking up on Diana, Carmen was in the room.”He cleared his throat. “And she said something to you.”She shook her head. “No, she didn’t. But I heard them talking. And why does it matter anyway? Just tell me what hap
He was so busy talking, so busy explaining his actions, that he failed to notice how the silence of the room grew more deafening with each passing moment. When Simon finally stopped and looked up, his eyes met Elena’s, and the shock and hurt he saw in those hazel eyes took his breath away.Shit. She did hate him now.She blinked at him a couple of times and then, in the slowest, saddest, and most disgusted tone, she said, “I cannot believe you.”He had no idea what to say to that.Elena pulled her hand away from him and got to her feet. He rose along with her, and when he reached for her again, she stepped back, creating distance between them.“Elena…”“You… you… how could you? I don’t believe this, I…” She ran her hands through her hair. “Simon, why?”He felt the panic rising inside his heart. This moment. This was the moment that would either make them or break them. He could feel it in his veins.“I told you… I was different then. I didn’t care what anyone else thought or what I th
The next morning, Carmen had just stepped out of the airport, pushing Diana’s wheelchair towards the car waiting for them, when a sleek black car rolled up in front of them.The windows of the car slid down, revealing the man sitting inside. The moment Carmen’s gaze fell on Simon, her brows snapped together, and a frown formed on her lips.“You. What the hell do you want?”Simon stepped out of the car, leaning against it and crossing his arms over his chest. His face was molded into a mask of stone. “Just came to make sure that you and your mother returned safe and sound.”“How kind of you,” she mocked, then gestured to her car behind them. “As you can see, we’re just about to leave, so if that’s all you wanted to see, then goodbye.”She started to push, hoping to round the car and reach the one waiting for them, but she couldn’t.Simon spoke just then. “Actually, I’d like to have a moment to speak to you. Privately. If you can spare that for me, that is.”Diana had her eyes glued to
Simon looked down at his hands, at the ring he still wore, and sighed.“I know. And for that, I am sorry. I should have never hurt you.”Carmen looked at him as if he had grown another head out of those brawny shoulders. She scoffed. “You don’t mean that.”He looked up, his dark eyes gentle, so much so that she almost forgot the monster she always thought him to be. “I do.”She blinked, her breath stuck in her lungs, a sense of vertigo washing over her. “I don’t… I don’t know what’s happening right now. Is this one of your games again? Are you trying to make fun of me?”Simon looked taken aback. “No. No, Carmen. Of course not.”“Then, what is this? Why are you saying all these things? What’s the point?”“I just wanted to let you know that I’m not proud of my actions. And I regret ever hurting you. I never wanted to break your heart. I’m sorry.”She couldn’t believe her ears. This was not the Simon she knew. The man she knew was cruel, selfish, and manipulative. He was cold and calcula
A month passed, and all anyone could talk about was the upcoming wedding of Simon Walsh, the business tycoon, and Elena Matthews, the stunning actress with a few superhit movies under her belt. Shows were being organized, and interviews with all kinds of celebrity friends and family were conducted. The media went wild, trying to dig up every juicy bit of information, every scrap of gossip, anything to add spice to the story.Every time there was an interview with the couple or a photo shoot, people couldn’t stop gushing over the pair and their undeniable chemistry.Everyone was speculating about how and when the two had met and how long they had been dating. There were all kinds of rumors and theories. Some even claimed to have spotted them together at beaches, concerts, high-end restaurants, and other fancy places, but the truth was no one had a clue.Which was the beauty of the whole thing—it was a mystery no one could solve.Though, a few people did know the truth.Finally, the day