ACEIA'S POV The crisp autumn breeze filled the air as I stepped off the plane in New York. It had been five long years since I left this city, leaving behind a past shrouded in both pain and hope. Clutching my daughter's hand tightly, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement mingled with anxiety as I made my way through the bustling airport."Mommy, why are we here?" Alison tugged at my hand, her big doe-like eyes brimming with curiosity.I smiled down at her, ruffling her golden curls. "We're here to visit your grandma, sweetie. She's not feeling well, so we have to take care of her."As we neared the hospital, my heart raced with anticipation. I wondered if fate would play its hand once more, bringing Hudson into my life once again. But deep down, I knew I couldn't let him know about Alison. Not yet, at least.For now, we would stay hidden, living in the shadows of secrecy.Entering the hospital room, I found my mother lying weakly in the bed. Her eyes lit up as they met min
As I accepted the daunting responsibility of running our family company, the weight of the world seemed to settle on my shoulders. And to add to the complexity of it all, my mother insisted that we live with her during this time. I don't know what she was thinking, but she had this whole dream of a big, happy family under one roof. And apparently, I couldn't argue with a woman who had her ways.So here we were, in my parents' house, with breakfast spread across the table. The clinking of cutlery against plates filled the air, drowning out the silence that had settled over us like a fog."Mommy, can I go with you to your workplace?" my daughter, Alison, piped up innocently, her big blue eyes shining with curiosity.As I hesitated, my mind raced to form an appropriate response. "As much as I'd love to have you, sweetheart, mommy will be very busy," I managed to say, my voice betraying the internal turmoil. "Maybe some other time."The silence that followed felt heavy, unbroken by anythin
"Really? You want to make it up to me?" I said, laughing sarcastically. "Do you forget you have your own family, Hudson? So stop saying this stupid shit."I said and was about to walk when Hudson held me. "I let you go before because I saw how much you wanted to, but that doesn't mean I don't care for you anymore."I shook the hand that Hudson was holding. "Well, I don't care anymore, Hudson; I'm a lready move so please let's be professional. Because even though it's the end of the world, I would never fall for you again."Because of what I said, Hudson untold his hand that was holding me.After our confrontation, I didn't see Hudson again; maybe he went back to Spain to visit his family. Well, if that's the case, I could say that Alison and I can wonder around New York without being afraid that Hudson might see us."Mommy! "I instantly shifted my gaze to Alison."Yes, baby?" she inquired, smiling."Can we go to the mall, please?" Alison exclaimed enthusiastically as she clapped."Of c
ACEIA'S POVAlison was trying to reach for the doll, so she dropped the toy that she was holding. I saw Hudson, who's in the same store too, and I didn't know what he was doing there. He was about to walk out when he saw my daughter struggling to reach the doll.He stopped for a bit to stare at Alison before handing her the doll she wanted. He also picked up the toy that Alison dropped and handed it to her."Fuck," I whispered and hurriedly ran closer to it.Hudson bent down so he could look at my daughter up close. He just stared at her while Alison was thinking about whether she should get the doll or not."Alison Haven!" I called in panic.Hudson and Alison looked at me. Alison was smiling, but Hudson was serious. His dark eyes pierced into me. It was like he was telling me something. I already knew what was running through his mind."Iook, mommy, he also has green eyes like me!" Alison said happily."Yeah, he is, sweetheart. Let's go," I stammered before grabbing her hand to pull h
ACEIA'S POVI didn't look at Hudson; I just waited for him to go near the table. I'm not ready to face him after what happened in the mall."Hudson, son. I'm glad you came," Mr. Hendric said, and then he gestured his hand towards me. "I was talking to Aceia; if you want, you can join us here—""I'm sorry, Mr. Hendric, but I need to talk to some associates; it's needed since I'm taking over the business," I said, then immediately stood up from my seat.I didn't wait for Mr. Hendric to answer; I just walked without any destination in mind. I just wanted to avoid Hudson.When I saw the mini bar that was in the left corner of the venue, I immediately went there to drink to clear my thoughts.———HUDSON'S POVI saw Aceia drinking a bottle of pina colada. I wondered why this woman was drinking, because, as far as I knew, Aceia doesn't drink. To find out, I decided to approach her."It seems like you just lied to my father to avoid me," I said, but it seems Aceia didn't hear anything, so I sn
ACEIA'S POVI immediately ran out of the room so that I could go home already, and when I found the door out of the house, I immediately turned it open, but I stopped when suddenly someone spoke."Where do you think you're going?" The nostalgic owner of that voice stopped me. I immediately turned to face him. I gasped when l saw Hudson only wearing an apron and khaki shorts.With a taunting look on Hudson's face, he asked, "enjoying the view?"Because of what I heard, I immediately averted my eyes and said, "In your dreams, anyway, why am I here at your house?""I brought you here because you were drunk last night," Hudson said, as if it were nothing."You should just drop me off at my parents house. You don't have to take me here." Hudson didn't answer my question; instead, he handed me something."Here, drink it to get rid of your headache, and also take a bath because you stink already. I have prepared your clothes in your room. You can use it," Hudson said in an authoritative voice
ACEIA'S POV"I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to peek at you. I didn't know it was an adjoining room," I explained quickly, but Hudson didn't seem to hear anything and just stared at my face. Its eyes are scrutinizing. "You didn't tell me that you renovated the house..."It's a big deal, right? I mean, because we both see each other's bodies when we are still married?"Nothing changes about you, Ace; you still have beautiful lips. You are incredibly beautiful." It seemed that Hudson was not in his own manner as he stared at my lips.I tried to break free from Hudson's grip, but his arms were like steel. He seems to have no intention of letting me go. My whole system was in a panic because of our body contact, and now my nervousness was increasing because of what he was saying."I want to know something, Aceia," he said, focusing his gaze on my eyes."Do you miss me?" My eyes widened at Hudson's question. His face is too thick to ask such a question. "Do you miss me touching your body be
HUDSON'S POVI was busy reading some reports because I went back to Spain to see my son. That's why, when I came back to New York, I had a lot of work to do.My secretary sent me an email. It was my schedule for the day. And I forgot that I have a meeting with Mr. Christenson at exactly 3:00 PM. I looked at my wrist watch, then I saw that it was 2:30 PM, so I immediately got my coat that was on the stand.When I was driving, my phone rang, so I answered it without looking at the caller ID: "Vasco speaking, who's this?""Mr. Vasco. Mr. Christenson changed the place where you were going to meet. He says you can meet him at their house." His secretary said,"Okay." I didn't wait for my secretary to answer. I just ended the call and then did a u-turn.It didn't take long before I arrived at Christenson's household. I parked my car and then walked towards the house.I was in the middle of walking in the living room when I heard a shout. So I immediately went to where the shout came from, an