~Aaron~Her green eyes flared with anger while the lady sitting next to her clasped her hands together in excitement.I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing myself to look away as I focused on memorizing the faces of her coworkers. Up until now, I hadn’t fully understood why I decided to buy out the company.It was for Joan. But I had never been the type to act on impulse. Yet the moment the thought crossed my mind, I acted. And now? I owned a company I had no real use for.All to get the attention of a woman. Not just any woman—the one who had captured my heart.The meeting ended earlier than expected, and as the employees filtered out, murmurs filled the air.“Ms. Madison, can I talk to you for a second?” I called out, and everyone froze. Whispers buzzed through the room. The lady from yesterday nudged Joan, winking before walking off.One by one, the others followed until we were the only ones left.Joan crossed her arms, pressing her lips into a thin line. Her green eyes, once so e
~Joan~I took a sip of the lemonade in front of me, glancing around the small Chinese restaurant where Brielle had asked me to meet her.She’d insisted we meet after work, claiming she had something important to tell me—something that couldn’t wait until we were at the office.I’d picked a seat facing the entrance so I could see everyone who walked in or out. I sighed, setting my glass down and glancing at my watch.9:25 PM. So much for meeting at 9.She didn’t drag me out here just to bail on me, right?Just as that thought crossed my mind, the door opened, and someone stepped inside—someone I knew all too well.Rhoda.She scanned the restaurant, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. Digging into her purse, she pulled out her phone, her lips moving as she mumbled something before bringing it to her ear.Then her gaze landed on me.Our eyes locked.Her brows knit together, her brown eyes widening slightly before her expression hardened and she looked away. I swallowed, my throa
~Joan~“Nice to see you're here,” I slurred as I finished the last of my drink. Denzel scowled, pulling out a chair and sitting across from me.His eyes darted around, landing on the empty vodka bottles scattered across the table before meeting my gaze again.“Are you drunk?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. I waved him off lazily.“A little bit. But I'm still sober,” I muttered, signaling the waiter. I’d stumbled into this bar and just kept ordering drinks.Then I called Denzel to come over. I never told him where I was, but he showed up anyway… he works with the boss after all.My chest tightened painfully as Aaron crossed my mind.“You can't be drunk and sober at the same time. How many bottles have you had?” His voice was calm and soothing, but it wasn’t the voice I wanted to hear right now.I was going crazy.Denzel waved the waiter off, placing both hands flat on the table.“I’ll take you home now. Where do you live?” he asked gently. I scoffed, my irritation bubbling up.“I didn’t
~Joan~The month passed quickly, and I still hadn’t reached out to Aaron. Somehow, though, he managed to stay in touch, sending me texts on how his day went and made it a duty to deliver flowers to my door, making it so goddamn hard to get over him.I never replied to any of them but I still found myself falling deeper. It was infuriating.He made sure to stay out of sight—I didn’t even see him at the office. Rumor had it he’d put Noah in charge of running the company and reporting back to him.What were the chances he’d pick someone exactly like him? Cold and handsome? None, right?But he did anyway.I stared at the message on my phone, my lips tugging into a slight smile.Unknown: Hectic day. I’m so fucking tired. Wish I could see you, talk to you, hold you. I miss you, kitten.“Unknown?” I jumped, startled, nearly dropping my phone. Brielle straightened up with a smirk on her face.I shot her a glare and slammed my phone face-down on the table. Her grin slowly faded.“Come on, Jo.
~Joan~I just stood there, frozen, staring at the woman who was supposed to be my mother. She blinked at me, her smile faltering slightly, like she wasn’t sure how to hold it in place.I shook my head quickly, forcing a small, polite smile."I'm Joan. Alessia's colleague," I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. She nodded and walked toward her daughter, leaving me standing there, feeling like a shadow. I watched blankly as the two of them spoke in Spanish, their voices a soft hum I couldn’t follow. Brielle chimed in occasionally.Luna De Luca. The name echoed in my head, over and over.Goddamn it… fuck.My fingers trembled slightly as I grabbed my phone, typing furiously, the screen blurring for a moment before I blinked the haze away. That’s when Shayne’s text popped up.Shayne: I have good news. We're releasing your book tonight, and the clients want you to work on book two. They totally loved it.My heart gave a little jolt, but I barely let the feeling register. I i
~Aaron~My phone rang the next morning. It was Rhoda. We’d barely spoken since Joan left the restaurant in tears.Rhoda had been upset with me for setting her up with Joan without giving her a heads-up. I never had the courage to explain myself, knowing it was just her way of pretending nothing affected her.Adjusting the towel around my waist, I swiped the green button to answer.There was a sniffle on the other end. I froze.“Aaron?” Her voice cracked slightly, and I straightened up.“Rhoda? What’s wrong?” I asked, walking toward my wardrobe and grabbing a pair of pants.“It’s Joan…” Her voice trailed off, and for a second, it felt like my heart stopped. Joan?“What happened to her?” I asked sharply, hurriedly pulling on my pants and zipping up.“Her apartment was broken into. Some guys attacked her—they beat her until she passed out. Her neighbor rushed her to the hospital and called me.”I bolted out of the room, grabbing a T-shirt on the way.“She’s not waking up.”No. No, no, no
~Aaron~I stayed at the hospital day after day, only switching shifts with Rhoda to go home, shower, and change. I didn’t bother going to the office. It was either home or the hospital—nowhere else. When I walked into Joan’s hospital room, the sterile smell hit me first—antiseptic, mixed with the faint metallic tang of IV fluids. The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound aside from Rhoda humming under her breath, wiping Joan’s forehead with a damp cloth.“Hey,” I muttered, my voice rough.Rhoda glanced up, offering a tired smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Hey,” she replied softly, letting out a long sigh as she dipped the towel back into the bowl of warm water, wringing it out with trembling fingers before dabbing Joan’s pale skin again.“How’s she doing?” I asked, lowering myself onto the edge of the bed since Rhoda occupied the only chair. I’d had the doctors move Joan to a private ward—I couldn’t stand the thought of sharing space with other patients. Wat
~Joan~It was dark, but I could hear the voices. Familiar ones. I wanted to open my eyes, but they were too heavy. I wanted to cry out for help, but my voice wouldn't come. Still, I could hear them."Hey, Jo. How are you doing today?" It was Aaron. I wanted to tell him I wasn’t okay, that everything hurt, but no words would come. His fingers brushed against my hand, warm and reassuring."Open your eyes for me, kitten. I fucking miss you." His voice was strained, thick with something raw. My lips wouldn’t move. When had speaking become so difficult?"I miss you too." The words echoed in my mind, but the darkness pulled me under before I could force them out.When I surfaced again, I had no idea how much time had passed. The room was silent now, still shrouded in that same suffocating darkness. My body ached in places I couldn’t name. I stayed still, listening, hoping someone would come.The quiet broke with the sound of a door creaking open. Then—soft, muffled sobs. Someone was crying.
♡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