**Jenna Colton**I couldn't believe Darlington would break up with me. We had been dating for five years before I traveled abroad for a modeling shoot in Los Angeles. I never wanted to cheat on Darlington, but with the level of temptation at work... Also, Alex, a colleague who worked as a makeup artist, was my friend. We weren't dating; we were just friends with benefits.I never could have believed that Alex would record me and forward the videos to Darlington without my consent. It broke my heart to see Darlington discover that I was cheating on him. But I didn't cheat on Darlington. I wasn't in love with Alex, so I couldn't accept that I had cheated on the man I loved.My mother blamed me. She told me she warned me about traveling instead of concentrating on my relationship with Darlington Briggs.How was it my fault that I should abandon my job as a top model in country Z because of my relationship with Darlington? I hadn’t been myself since I returned the previous weekend, and Da
**Jenna Colton**As I went downstairs in my father's enormous mansion, I found my mother present, donning a long blue gown. She had a make-believe smile on her face, a constant reminder that she had advised me to marry Darlington, but I refused.Alighting from the stairs as I entered the living room, I greeted her, "Good morning, Mom."Clearly, my mother wasn't going to work today."Jenna, where are you off to?" my mother asked, as she was the only one present. I hadn't seen my younger sister since I returned; Rita was still in school."Mum, I am off to see one of my girlfriends," I replied, moving over to the dining table to have breakfast first, as I couldn't leave the house on an empty stomach.My mother rose from the black couch in the living room and walked to the dining table to join me for breakfast."I warned you then that you should get married first; later, you can travel all over the world for your honeymoon. But you refused to heed my advice.""I'm sorry, Mom," I replied,
**Amara's POV** The following Saturday in the countryside where I reside with my parents, it was early in the morning when I rose from my bed to prepare myself, fully aware that Darlington was coming to ask for my hand in marriage.Our families had already agreed to a small wedding at the church located in our area. Although my parents were affluent, they opted for a simple ceremony between Darlington and me, foregoing printed invitations or online announcements about our marriage.As I got out of bed, I noticed my baby bump had already started to show, so I went to the bathroom to wash up and put on the simple wedding gown I ordered the previous day.Today is my wedding day with Darlington. Although our parents had already accepted the dowry behind our backs, it felt right for us to seal our marriage in the presence of God.I wasn’t quite sure how to feel. Normally, I would have preferred to walk down the aisle before becoming intimate, but I saw nothing wrong with proceeding now be
**Amara's POV**I woke up and prepared to return to the city. I took a bath with Darlington's help, and we dressed casually; I wore a long brown dress that my mother had arranged for me, while Darlington opted for a blue shirt and black trousers.The previous night, I was too lazy to explore his bedroom, but now that I had awakened with newfound energy, I looked around and noticed some childhood photos of him."You're still looking handsome here," I told Darlington, admiring a portrait of him in his graduation gown, along with another childhood photo of him and Samara."Thank you," he said, hugging me and kissing me on my right cheek. It was after 7 AM in his bedroom, and he added, "Let's go have breakfast; we’ll be leaving soon.""Okay," I agreed as I accompanied Darlington out of his bedroom, watching him grab his travel box, which contained our wedding certificate.We carefully made our way downstairs, considering my baby bump was becoming more visible.Mr. Joshua Briggs smiled at
**Darlington's POV**I quickly left the house with Samara, getting into my car to drive to the hospital."Has Jenna sent you the current location of the hospital?" I asked Samara."Yes, but do you think it’s right to leave only Amara at home? You both just got married, and you can’t leave her alone," Samara responded as I drove toward the hospital where Jenna's father was admitted."I know. I can't turn a blind eye to Jenna's family. Jenna and I may have our differences, but Bruce was my friend, and we're talking about his dad here," I told Samara, who sighed, understanding the predicament we were facing.Evening had already fallen, and I maneuvered my car to arrive at the hospital where Mr. Colton was being treated. As I pulled into the hospital parking lot, I said to Samara, "Why not call Jenna to find out where she is and let her know we've arrived?"I turned off the car and got out while Samara called Jenna to inform her of our arrival.Jenna soon emerged from the hospital. She wo
**Darlington's POV**As I entered the living room, it was already 10 PM when Samara and I returned. I told her to set up dinner while I went upstairs to my room to check on Amara. We hadn't eaten since we arrived from the village, and yet, I had to rush over to the hospital to see Jenna and her brother, Bruce. I was supposed to cut them off and focus on my wife alone, but I felt guilty and had to check up on them. Sighing, I approached the door, unlocked it, and went into the room.The room light was off as Amara was sound asleep on the bed. I approached the bed and carefully woke her up."Darling, you're back?" Amara asked as she lay on the bed, covered under a duvet."Yes, I'm back. You should wake up to get something to eat."Amara yawned and stretched, then she looked at me just as the light turned on. "What did Jenna and her family say? Did you see them?" she asked, and I didn't want to lie to her."Jenna looked sick, and it worried me seeing her in that state. She has slimmed do
Amara Nicholas:I overheard Darlington's conversation with someone on the phone, but as the good wife that I am, I decided not to bother myself with it and went into the bathroom to ease myself. When I stepped out, I went to the bedroom to join Darlington. Since we had just returned from the village, I didn't want to argue with Darlington. I'm in love with him, so that means I must trust him to make our marriage work.As I lay on the bed beside Darlington, he wrapped his arms around me, cuddling me. I knew he was finding it hard to sleep and feeling guilty, but I didn't want to discuss his ex with him. I believed he would find the time to explain to her that he was officially married to me and not just through our parents' arrangements, and that she would move on.Slowly, I succumbed to sleep, and the next morning, I awoke to the smell of breakfast."Good morning, sweetheart," I said to Darlington as I rose from the bed and looked at him. He had a tray of breakfast for me—noodles and
Amara Nicholas,"Hello, Mom," I said as I answered my mother's phone call."Amara, how are you doing? I called to check on you and your husband. How about Darlington?" My mother asked."He's gone to work," I replied."Okay, how about my grandchild? I hope he's kicking fine," Mom said."Yes Mom, my baby and I are fine," I assured her, and she gave me a brief update on how everyone was doing."Do take care of yourself, okay? And remember to register at the hospital for your pregnancy care," Mom advised me, and I replied, "Okay.""Sup, Esther," I spoke to my friend just as my call with my mother ended."Hello, Amara, how are you doing?" Esther inquired."I'm fine. I came back to the city yesterday," I told her."Wow, that means we can catch up then. When will you be free?" she asked, and I knew Esther was feeling bad about being kept in the dark regarding my marriage."Esther, I cannot hang out now. Unless you want to come and visit me. I'm at my husband's house," I said, and I could hea
Jenna's POVThe day of my wedding arrived. I dressed elegantly in a white wedding dress and accepted Collins Kingston as my husband.Collins was nice; he wore a black tux and tried to make me happy, but he wasn't Darlington. He could never be Darlington Briggs. I had to take my husband's permission to invite Darlington and his wife Amara to our wedding, but Darlington didn't want to attend.He only sent me a wedding gift: a big box full of baby clothes.After our wedding, I decided to focus on my career as a model and my husband. It was a private wedding, and it went successfully. Though I was heartbroken not seeing Darlington Briggs around.I had hoped Darlington would grace the event. But throughout the reception, I never saw him and knew that I was married to Collins now and not Darlington.I let go of the remaining feelings that I harbored for Darlington Briggs.A few days after our wedding ceremony ended, my husband and I traveled to California for our honeymoon. That was where I
**Amara Nicholas.**I wasn't happy when I came to Darlington's office and saw Jenna Colton with him again. Darlington assured me that he had nothing to do with Jenna, but upon seeing them standing close, I felt they wanted to kiss each other but quickly separated the moment they saw me enter the office.Jenna also appeared sad when I saw her leaving. She didn't tell Darlington goodbye, and she kept her face downward and fled the top floor where Darlington's office was.I was relieved when I saw that, and I told Darlington that I went to get some of my baby's things and would be heading home. So, I just dropped by his company to see him.Darlington smiled as he cupped my face and told me he was through with his office work. So, we went home together.Upon getting home, I saw the news trend on the television showing the engagement video of Jenna Colton that had gone viral.I couldn't believe my eyes as it hadn't been long since I last saw Jenna in Darlington's office, shedding crocodile
Jenna Colton. "Huh!" My jaw dropped as I saw Collins with a golden ring, down on one knee in front of everyone, proposing to me. We stood in the hallway, not disturbing the others who had come for emergency treatment. Since it was no longer clinic hours, the hospital was less crowded than it usually was in the morning when a lot of outpatients filled the lobby and hallways. "Aww!" My eyes welled up with tears as I saw some fans pulling out their phones to record me. They awaited my response, and since I wanted to get out of the hospital ward quickly, I said yes, knowing that this was a new chapter of my life. Since Collins was ready to marry me, not minding my flaws and wanting to have me as his wife, I had to accept his ring. So I told him, "Yes. I accept." Collins slipped the engagement ring onto my left finger, and tears of joy welled up in my eyes as I hugged him heartily just as he rose. He was taller than me, and he didn't press to kiss me. We just hugged. "Congratulations
**Jenna Colton:**I walked out of Darlington's office to leave the Briggs group and saw him and Amara holding hands as he hugged her to his shoulder and walked ahead with her into his office.I immediately bolted from there like a flash, not sparing another glance their way. I went back downstairs, entered my car, and drove home.My phone rang in the car, but I was in no mood to pick it up.I cried as I found my way home. Soon, I arrived at my father's compound and wanted to drive in, but I recalled my mother would be at home. I then navigated the car and drove to the hospital to see my father.I arrived at the hospital where my father was admitted. I parked my car in the parking lot, and my phone rang again.I wanted to ignore the call as my crying could have made my voice break, and I didn't want to inform my mother about it or make her aware of my broken heart.I took up my handkerchief, wiped my face, and finally got out of the car as I proceeded into the hospital to check with th
**Jenna Colton** I awoke in my room to a fresh start of a new day. I decided to visit Darlington at his company to see him directly, rather than just talking over the phone as we had been trying to do. I knew that Darlington had blocked me, but I still wanted to see him. It had been a week since Darlington told me off and asked me to move on, but I didn’t want to adhere to it. Also, Lily’s brother had invited me to one of his clubs to meet with him, but I didn’t want to visit him. I desired to meet with Darlington first to know if there was still any hope of our relationship rekindling. After finishing my bath, I got out of the bathroom and dressed in a blue sleeveless dress, wanting to look pretty as I paired it with black shoes. I stepped out of my closet and went to adjust my hair in front of my room mirror. I wanted to look presentable before Darlington, so I exited the house, holding onto my car key and my black purse. So far, my father had been improving in his health, but
Amara's POV:I awoke in the bedroom to a brand new morning, and Darlington was preparing to leave for his office. I hadn't expected the wedding gift he bought for me the previous night. I thought he was trying to reconnect with his ex, but he proved me wrong by telling me he had blocked Jenna and didn't want to have anything to do with her again.I smiled as I observed Darlington stepping out of the bathroom and walking up to the luxurious king-sized bed to meet me.He sat on the bed, water dripping from his wet hair, and drew nearer to me. "How are you and my baby doing?""I'm fine; our baby and I are good," I replied, a cute blush on my face. Darlington smiled and said, "That's good. I'm going to the office today. You remember that your dad wants to partner with me. Although he mentioned he would like you to be present, he hasn't spoken about the date for signing the partnership deal.""Does my dad want to come and visit us?" I asked Darlington as I watched him dry off his wet mascu
Jenna's POV:"Seriously, Jenna. You're very funny. Do you know that my brother has been your fan since forever? He really likes you and told me that you're his kind of woman. Hot and spicy," Lily teased me."That's enough of the teasing, Lily," I shouted at her. "I know you want me to move on from Darlington too, but I guess you haven't honestly been in love.""Oh, really? Tell me what love is all about," Lily inquired. I shook my head and went to pack my handbag that my younger sister, Rita, had brought from home."I don't have time to teach you about love. But I know what I want, and what I want, I shall get."Lily's eyes widened as I looked at her, and she burst out laughing once more. "Hahaha, how do you plan to win Darlington back? Tell me. Do you intend to kidnap him and force him to marry you, or do you want to harm his wife and eliminate her to have Darlington all to yourself now?"I paused packing my handbag and looked back at Lily's face."None of the suggestions. I know wha
Jenna's POV:I was still in the hospital, awaiting discharge. Although my father's health had improved and he had been moved from the intensive care unit after waking up, he suffered from a stroke that impaired his left hand and left leg. The doctor informed us that, with time, my father would improve as the stroke didn't affect his vocal cords.I was saddened by this fact as I waited for Darlington, who had promised to show up. However, he didn't. I called his phone several times, but it was switched off.As it got late, I was free to move around my hospital ward. The doctor had treated me after I fainted, so I was no longer confined to the bed. I called Darlington again, knowing he would have closed from his office as it was already past 6 PM. However, Darlington phoned me and told me that he didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore and that he was now dedicated to his wife, Amara.I couldn't believe what Darlington was saying. I knew he was now officially married to Amara
Darlington's POV:"What's wrong, babe?" I asked Amara as I entered our shared bedroom. She didn't reply and instead walked back to the bed to lie down. She wore a long white nightdress and laid on her side, ignoring me and not welcoming me.I frowned, looking from my wife to my briefcase in my hands and the gift I had bought for her.It crossed my mind that she was sad, thinking I went to spend precious time with Jenna when I had been working hard in my office, sitting for hours in my executive chair and focusing on some projects. I would have felt more guilty if I had actually gone to see Jenna, especially since I had switched off my phone after I told her I wouldn’t be able to meet her."Babe," I called Amara's attention as I carefully dropped my briefcase on the couch in our cozy bedroom. I walked over to the bed covered with a white mattress to meet Amara."Babe," I said, sitting on the bed beside her, but she turned to the other side to look away from me, not wanting to speak.I