~Joan~I thought getting a job would finally make me happy. Instead, I found myself calling in sick, that I got the flu. Once I left Aaron’s office, I went straight to the convenience store, grabbed a few bottles of beer, and headed home. I drank until I was numb, cried until my eyes felt dry, took a scalding shower, and curled up in bed. Still, nothing felt better. I kept trying to figure out what was wrong, but the answers wouldn’t come.Even as evening fell, I didn’t move. My phone buzzed with texts and calls, but I ignored them all. I knew it wasn’t him. It would never be him again. He had meant it when he said we were done, and my heart—God, my heart—felt like it had shattered into a million pieces.If I thought I’d been in love before, it was a lie compared to this. Aaron made me fall hard, so fast I couldn’t stop it. And then he crushed me.It was over now. I knew I had to let myself mourn what could have been, but I felt so drained, so empty. I wanted to close my eyes and
~Joan~I returned to work the day after. I felt terrible, like I’d been dragged through hell and left to crawl my way back. No one needed to tell me I looked it too.“Hey, you good?” Alessia asked as soon as I stepped into the office. Our office. By “ours,” I meant mine, hers, a guy whose name I didn’t know, and another woman who, until now, I hadn’t even acknowledged.They hadn’t properly introduced themselves when I started. The signing-in process had been a whirlwind, and Alessia was the only person I’d actually had the chance to meet.And for that, I was fucking grateful.I nodded, dropping my bag onto the desk and sliding into my seat. Alessia pursed her lips, her gaze lingering on me a moment longer than I liked, before she turned away.The other woman in the room, blonde and bubbly, clasped her hands together and stood. Alessia’s expression brightened up immediately, her eyes narrowing as if she already knew what was coming.“Brielle, don’t do anything funny,” she warned.The b
~Joan~The next few weeks dragged by slowly, and there was no word from Aaron or Rhoda. Speaking of Rhoda, I’d sent countless messages and called more times than I cared to admit, but she never responded. Maybe she still needed space. Still, it hurt. Rhoda was the closest thing to family I had ever since I left Boswell Child Care. She’d been there for me in ways no one else had.And maybe that was why I was staring at my phone again, scrolling through my old chats with Aaron.Unknown: Change that hair color.Me: Hello to you too, Thompson.Unknown: The hair. I mean it, kitten.Me: Keep this up, and I might start thinking you’re obsessed with my hair.Unknown: I am.A small smile tugged at my lips despite the ache in my chest. That conversation played in my head like it had just happened yesterday. I could still remember how Aaron had texted me for the first time. I never figured out how he got my number, but he’d driven all the way to my house that night just to convince me to chan
~Aaron~I pressed hard on the brakes, bringing the car to a sudden stop. The sound of a gunshot tore through the air, freezing my blood. I stepped out, shutting the door behind me with more force than necessary, my heart hammering in my chest.Louis had let me know the second Joan left the house. I'd promised her a bodyguard before everything spiraled out of control, and he’d been keeping tabs on her to make sure she stayed safe. Maybe I’d had him report a little more than necessary about her daily schedule. That was the only way I could know she was okay—or at least that’s what I told myself.Tonight, she wasn’t okay.Louis had followed her here, keeping his distance until I arrived. I stared at the abandoned building in front of me, my stomach twisting. What the hell was she thinking, meeting Matthew here alone?Speaking of Matthew, the bastard had outplayed me. The moment Denzel informed me about a new text on Joan’s phone, I’d told him to hack into it. That’s when I knew Matthe
~Angelina~“Ma’am, Stefan is here to see you,” my housekeeper said. I glanced at her and nodded.“Let him in,” I replied, noticing her eyes widen as she took in my appearance. I raised an eyebrow, amused, as she hurried out and shut the door behind her.I stood up from my bed and walked over to the mirror, turning slightly to admire the way the white lingerie contrasted against my skin. A small smirk tugged at my lips. I knew I looked irresistible. Stefan wouldn’t know what hit him.A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I flipped my hair over my shoulder, letting it cascade down my back, and walked to the bed, sitting down as seductively as possible.“Come in,” I called, my voice low and inviting. The door creaked open, and Stefan stepped inside, shutting it behind him.“Good mor—” His words faltered as his eyes swept over me, landing on the curve of my body. I smiled at his reaction, standing and walking toward him with slow, deliberate steps.“Good morning to you too, Mr.
~Joan~I stared at the cup of latte sitting in front of me. Luckily, I’d woken up earlier than usual and decided to grab a coffee before heading to work.There was an espresso machine in the office, but the coffee tasted awful. I had to deal with it because I didn’t have any at home yet—not that I didn’t want to, but somehow I never got around to buying a machine.“Joan?” A masculine voice broke into my thoughts. I blinked, dragging my eyes away from the latte to meet a pair of familiar brown eyes.I furrowed my brows as he grinned, tucking his hands into his pockets. Recognition hit me, and I smiled. “Brown Eyes?” I said, and he nodded, chuckling softly before pulling out the chair across from me.“Can I sit with you?” he asked, and I nodded. He settled in, amusement swirling in his eyes.“Since you’re calling me Brown Eyes, I’m guessing you’ve forgotten my name,” he teased, taking a sip of his drink.I huffed, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Of course I haven’t. It’s Denzel
~Aaron~"Where is he?" I asked Louis as I stepped into the basement. Without a word, he led me deeper inside to where he had tied Matthew upside down. I hummed, walking toward the table where an array of tools lay in neat line. When I said I was into security and technology, I never specified which side. I worked in both—the good and the bad. And unfortunately for Matthew, he had walked straight into the bad. The side that dealt with murder, torture, and all kinds of necessary punishment.Not all my men knew about this dark side. Some couldn’t handle it, and that was fine. I only needed a few who could."Water?" I asked, and Louis immediately brought a bucket. I took it and splashed it over Matthew’s bloodied face. He had been unconscious, but now he jerked awake, coughing violently against the restraints. Guess Louis had done a thorough job before tying him up. Good.Matthew groaned, his breath ragged. One of his eyes was swollen shut."Son of a bitch," he spat. "What do you—" He cou
~Joan~“Who?” I perked up, looking away from my computer to Brielle, who leaned by the door frame with a dreamy smile.“A man. God, he looks so fucking good—tall, broad shoulders, expensive-looking,” she muttered, twirling a strand of her hair.I raised a brow, confused. “And you’re saying that man is looking for me?”She huffed, arms crossed. “Yeah. He is.”The office was quiet now; Alessia and Garrett had already left for the day, leaving just Brielle and me.“That’s surprising,” I mumbled, shutting my laptop and standing up.“Grab your bag. You’re done for today. Go home,” she said, waving a dismissive hand.I smirked. “Since when do you boss me around?”Her blank stare was unimpressed. “Since you’re always the last one here. I might not be your boss, but I outrank you, so go home, Jo.”Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my bag off the desk. “Got it.”As I reached the door, she spoke again. “If he’s single, can I have his number?” She batted her lashes dramatically.I snorted. “We’ll see.
♡Joan♡ Note: If you like reading with music, try Meryl Streep’s "The Winner Takes It All." It’s even better with headphones. Enjoy! 😊🤭 We left for Spain—not to visit Luna, but for a change of scenery. After a month of therapy, we were in a much better place. Healing wasn’t instant, but we were making progress. I stepped into the living room, taking in my surroundings while Aaron pulled our bags in behind me. It looked both familiar and strange at the same time, like a place I knew but hadn't seen in years. A small smile tugged at my lips. To think this was where it all began—months ago, maybe even a year. I walked over to the window where we’d first made love, my fingers brushing the glass. My scratches were still there. That surprised me. I half-expected Aaron to have changed the window, given his obsession with order. The fact that he hadn’t? Well, that made my heart do a little flip. "Got any memories there?" His deep voice came from behind me. I glanced at him over my
Hiii🤭 Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Well, there's just a chapter left in the bonus chapters. So I'd really like to know what y'all would want to see in there 🙂. P.S: Seeing Joan and Aaron get married and have their baby would happen in the second book. Do drop your thoughts and I'd work on giving everyone the happy ending they want😊
♤Aaron♤The doctor discharged us a couple of days later and suggested we go to therapy—to help us cope with losing the baby.He had no idea how much Joan needed it. She’d seen someone die right in front of her, been caught in a shooting spree, lost our child, and seen me covered in blood. Even though she wasn’t saying much, I knew it had left scars on her.I promised myself I’d go with her to every session.That’s why I was opening the car door for her, helping her in before getting into the driver’s seat and pulling out of our compound. It was our first meeting with the therapist. She stayed quiet, staring out of the window like she wasn’t really seeing anything. It had been happening a lot.A tight feeling grew in my chest, and my grip on the steering wheel hardened."Hey. You good?" I asked.She turned to me, her eyes dull, missing the usual spark.She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, looking away.My jaw tensed.The rest of the ride passed in
♡Joan♡ I had no idea how much time had passed, but when I opened my eyes, someone was sitting next to me. Shoulders hunched, head bowed, my hand in his—and he was bloody. Damn bloody, all over. I swallowed hard, my throat dry and parched. “Aaron,” I whispered, and his eyes snapped up to meet mine almost immediately. They were bloodshot. I didn’t need anyone to tell me why. My own eyes itched and burned as I pressed my lips together to hide the tremble. “We lost the baby, didn’t we?” I asked quietly, as a tear slipped from the corner of my eye. I stared up at the ceiling. “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. If I’d maybe listened to you and—” “It’s not your fault,” he cut in. His voice sounded cold, detached—very unlike Aaron. In the four years I’ve known him, he’s never sounded this... broken. I don’t know. I glanced at him. His jaw was clenched tight. My eyes traveled down his body where he sat. His shirt was soaked in blood. How badly had they hurt him? Why wasn’t he being
♡Joan♡ He got me to the car, opened the door, and helped me in. His shirt was stained, and since it was a lighter grey color, the blood was obvious. Ironic, that we were both bleeding, both capable to take lives. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his palm resting against my cheek as he locked eyes with me. “You’ll be fine. The baby will be fine too,” he said softly, and a tear slipped from my eye. Another followed, until I was crying again. I didn’t want to lose our baby. What kind of mother does that make me, if I can’t even protect my child? “What if—” “Shush,” Aaron interrupted, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I’m going back in there to finish this, okay? If I’m not out in five minutes, press this button.” He pointed to a button just beneath the steering wheel. “The car will automatically drive you wherever you need to go once you input your location in the GPS,” he added, but I shook my head. He looked away, quickly typed an address into the GPS, then tu
♤Aaron♤ A gunshot cracked through the air. Missed. I spun around, heart pounding—where the hell did that come from? My eyes snapped back to Joan. She closed her eyes, and I lost it. I pressed the trigger, hitting the leg of the bastard holding her. His groan echoed as he collapsed to one knee. His crew flinched, but my men stepped forward, guns raised and ready. One wrong move, and they’d all be dead. Hell, they’re dead already for even laying a hand on her. And if anything happened to her or our baby… God help them. I shoved my gun into the back of my jeans and crossed the distance in seconds, catching her in my arms before the man could drop her like garbage. She felt a little heavy, too still. My chest tightened. I hated this feeling. The last time I felt this helpless was when she slipped into that coma. And now? If she slipped away from me… if I lost her or the baby… I wouldn’t survive it. Killing these bastards wouldn’t be enough. I’d want them to drown in their own bl
♡Joan♡ He starved me—true to his words. I didn’t know how long I’d been here, tied and aching. It must be the early hours of the morning by now. Aaron had to know I was missing. He’d be searching, but how would he ever find me? I didn’t even know where I was. My wrists burned from the rope chafing my skin, my head throbbed, and my eyes felt too heavy to keep open. God, I wanted to sleep. I longed to be safe in Aaron’s arms, but closing my eyes here felt like asking for death. The room was quiet, for now. But if I dared to fall asleep, who knew what could happen? I shifted slightly and glanced at the man hanging upside down across from me. There was barely any life left in him. How long had he been like this, tortured and tied up? I didn’t care—but part of me was curious. After all, this was the first time I’d met my father. “How long have you been here?” I asked, my voice quiet. He didn’t answer. For a moment, I thought he was already dead. My stomach twisted at the thought of
♤Aaron♤ "What's the plan?" Denzel asked, rubbing his chin. I paced the small room, scanning the men inside. Not just any men—these were hulking, sharp-minded, and intimidating figures. Their expressions alone could send shivers down anyone’s spine, enough to make a grown man hesitate and women step back in fear. And that's why they were my best and top. "Any update, Jason?" I turned to the man seated at the far end. He was calm, his fingers gliding across his laptop’s keyboard as he scanned through data. He barely lifted his eyes before responding. "I hacked into every CCTV camera in town, but it’ll take a while to sift through the footage and pinpoint her exact location," he said. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. Time was the one thing I didn’t have. The longer this dragged on, the worse it could get for her. "Start with the cameras near her last known location," Denzel suggested, his voice steady but urgent. Jason pursed his lips, humming under his brea
♡Joan♡My head throbbed, my skull ached, and it felt like it would burst open if I moved.My eyelids were heavy, but I forced them open. Darkness greeted me first, making me doubt whether I had really opened my eyes.Had I gone blind overnight? Where was Aaron? Why was the whole house in darkness?I tried to call for him, but something was blocking my mouth. A gag. My eyes widened as memories slowly crept back, piece by piece.I was in danger. My baby was in danger. We had been taken.I wriggled my wrists, feeling sharp pain where the restraints cut into my skin. My hands were tied behind my back. That explained the ache.I jerked against the chair, trying to break free. My heart pounded wildly, each beat louder than the last. The more I struggled, the deeper the restraints bit into my skin.That would leave bruises."Don't. It'll only hurt you more," a man's voice broke through the darkness, and I froze. My breath hitched. Someone was here.In books and movies, captors usually walked