I hear my phone alarm go off and realize that I had fallen asleep on Joshua's chest. It was already morning. I lazily open my eyes. Joshua was still asleep. I serenely admire his face. His breathing was calm. A silly smile spreads across my lips as I witness how peaceful he looks.Slowly, Joshua wakes up. His gaze falls on me."Why are you staring at me?" he whispers, a sleepy smile appearing on his lips."Because I can," I retort playfully."Silly..." He pulls me into a hug, burying his face in my neck. The silly smile on my lips only grows wider."You can stare at me as much as you want... whenever you want... always," his muffled voice against my neck sends shivers down my spine.He lets go of the hug, sitting up and painfully getting out of bed. He puts on the white shirt lying on the floor and comes back to the bed to give me a kiss."Will I see you later?" he asks, still close to my lips, and I nod my head. "Have a great day, beautiful," he whispers and steps back, going to the
Why was she so cruel? What had I done to deserve that treatment? I felt powerless in the face of her poisonous words, unable to react at the moment she spoke them. Now, the words echoed in my mind, fueling a storm of emotions within me, filling me with fear and anxiety. I confess they left me in a dilemma. I didn't want to give in to her demands, but I also didn't want to face the consequences of her threats. That girl was capable of anything and she could seriously harm me. I let out a long sigh."Are you okay?" Hannah whispered to my left, from the auditorium seat, after hearing my audible sigh.I diverted my attention from the lecture to look at Hannah."Yes," I nodded. I wouldn't tell her about my problems with Madelyn."Are you sure?" she asked suspiciously. "You've been acting a little strange since you came back from the bathroom. Did someone bother you?""No, it's just that... Not everyone here is pleasant, and I didn't get along with someone," I replied."Oh, I see. That happ
Nathan returns with the order that Madelyn had placed."Do you need anything else?" he asks the woman at the table behind us."No, thank you," her voice sounded sweet, unlike what I was accustomed to facing."Okay. Just let me know if you need anything," Nathan returns to the counter and I watch his path, stopping my gaze at Gregory, who was also giving me a curious look from the other side of the counter, surely because Madelyn was in his café.I stand up from the couch and walk up to the counter where Gregory was standing."You're... ""Surprised to see Madelyn Chapelle in my café? Yes. Definitely yes," he says incredulously. "She never comes here. Not after I bought the place.""What do you think she's doing here?""Based on what you told me about her, would it be naïve of me to think she only came to try one of the best cappuccinos in town?"Our gaze was focused on her. I lean against the counter, intrigued. Looking at her, seeing her alone, with a downcast expression on her face,
Joshua, three years ago.Several times he caught himself looking at the watch on his wrist. He seemed anxious. His gaze always turned to the arrival hallway. He seemed to be waiting for someone. The longer the minutes passed, the more restless he became."Why is she taking so long?" he muttered, tapping his foot lightly on the floor. "She should have arrived fifty minutes ago." He checked the time on his wristwatch again.Joshua turned to look at the large flight schedule board. Maybe he had arrived too early, or at the wrong time. Analyzing flight by flight, time by time, he realized that the plane Madelyn was on had already landed, but she hadn't shown up yet. Getting more nervous, Joshua started pacing back and forth in the airport lounge, extremely restless.A female voice sounded among the people, causing him to quickly turn towards the direction where the voice was coming from, thinking it was his girlfriend. Without success. It wasn't Madelyn."Joshua!" It was Samantha, a frien
I take a deep breath as I watch him leave. I couldn't understand why he was so upset. What could have happened between him and Madelyn to make him act like this? What kind of relationship did they have? This was something Joshua should have told me or already told me, instead of storming off like he did today."Are you okay?" I hear a soft voice. I turn my head to the side, glancing briefly at the woman behind me. She was the last person I wanted to talk to at that moment."I don't want to intrude, but... I overheard part of the argument between you two," Madelyn approaches, standing beside me. I observe her movements from the corner of my eye, seeing her putting her hands in the pockets of her red coat and looking vaguely down the street."I'm sorry for what happened. I guess coming to this dinner was a terrible idea," she said sadly. "Joshua has always been a bit explosive, especially when it comes to being the last to know something. But in the end, he just needs some time to cool
The end of the day was already approaching. I packed up my things to leave the office. Samantha was also getting ready to leave."If you need help finding a great hotel, I have some references," she said with a sly smile on her face. I didn't even want to imagine Samantha's references, and I let out a brief laugh. I grabbed my bag and walked to the elevator. I saw Joshua approaching and joining us. A sudden silence fell over us.The three of us waited patiently and silently for the elevator to arrive on our floor. After a few minutes of waiting, the doors opened, and Samantha stepped back."Oh! I just remembered that I forgot to check something," she said, taking a few steps back."What did you forget?" I asked."Something," she said, casting a suggestive glance in my direction and smiling cunningly. It was obvious that she did it on purpose just to leave me alone with our boss. I entered the elevator after Joshua.I let out a sigh. There were still a few floors to go before we reache
Madelyn, three years ago."Where is he?" Madelyn looked around the airport for Joshua. "I knew I should have warned him that my flight would be delayed," she sighed. She took out her phone and walked towards the taxi stand, getting into one of the cars. "Why isn't he answering?" she muttered to herself as she gave the driver her apartment's address.Madelyn tried calling Joshua a few more times during the ride, but he didn't answer. The taxi driver soon parked in front of her building. Madelyn got out, paid the fare, and walked inside."Why isn't he answering me?" she wondered, getting frustrated. Joshua wasn't returning her calls or even picking up. Had something happened?As luck would have it, Madelyn saw him leaving the building. He looked furious."Joshua...?" she called out, confused. Why did he seem so angry? Madelyn shouted his name, but he didn't respond. He walked quickly towards his car and sped off.Confused and dazed, Madelyn hurried inside her apartment, intending to put
Numb, I watch Joshua, Jack, and the "real Madelyn" talk."And what do you intend to do?" Joshua asks."I'm not sure yet. But I'll do everything possible to get Emeraude to a rehab clinic," Madelyn responds, standing up next to Jack and Joshua."I think that's a good idea. Because enough is enough. It's been years of that girl interfering in my life. And now, since I know she's not you..." Joshua moistened his lips and quickly looked at me. "I just want her to pay for everything she's done."Strange that he interrupted what he was saying to look at me. His behavior actually made my heart beat faster. Had Joshua endured all these years of the girl's intrusions in his life because he still loved Madelyn? If he had said he wanted Emeraude to pay for everything she did only after discovering the truth, then perhaps Madelyn still meant something to him. Otherwise, he would have stopped her from tormenting his life from the beginning."She'll get what she deserves," the girl affirmed. "I hav
Some years before...Emeraude was still in love with Joshua, still nurturing the obsession she had felt since the first time she saw him, where she promised herself he would be hers, even though Joshua had gotten involved with another woman after some time. But that was no obstacle for Emeraude. The girl began to create plans to separate them. She set up situations for them to fight, created lies and rumors, and even tried to kill his girlfriend. She was determined to get what she wanted.However, the girl was arrested, where she would pay the price for her obsession. However, thanks to her sister, she only spent a few months in jail, as Madelyn believed there could be a better option for her to heal from her obsession. However, this did not happen, as Emeraude, even in prison, planned how to resume her mission to separate them as soon as she got out.And that was exactly what she did when she got out of prison. She began working on an even more elaborate plan than before. She did her
[...] Years later..."You are the most important thing to me."I smiled automatically as I remembered his words. I could keep them in my memory as if they had been spoken the day before. But it had been so long ago...“Grandma. Tell us more about you and Grandpa Scott. We love hearing your story!”“What's interesting about it?” The little boy, standing a little apart from us, interjected. He kept his arms crossed and leaned against the entrance of the room. His expression showed little interest in the subject. “It's just another cliché romance.” He said, shrugging his shoulders and snickering.“Joshua!” The youngest protested. “Grandma Ali and Grandpa Scott's story is not boring!” The short-haired little girl exclaimed. “But you are! Please, Grandma. Continue.” She smiled sweetly.The three little girls snuggled up a little closer in the three armchairs next to me.“The little Joshua is right.” I smiled. “It's a long story of... A cliché romance.” I chuckled softly. “But when it's hea
Some months later, after the wedding...After an eternity of hours, we finally arrived at the Seychelles Islands, where we would spend our honeymoon. We decided not to have a religious wedding and to have a simple celebration, just for our closest family and friends. Joshua and I agreed to make the most of our honeymoon, so we went straight to a house a few kilometers from the beach. And honestly, I couldn't feel my legs. It took Joshua's help for me to get off the jet and into the car. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to move.When we arrived at the house, I collapsed onto the enormous wooden sofa on the balcony. I was completely out of it. The trip hadn't lasted long, but for me, it had been an eternity. Joshua had given me some lectures during the car ride, telling me that I should have eaten something before flying, but I wasn't hungry.I unlocked my phone and saw the unread messages I had received during the morning while I still had internet, because the region we were in di
"Oh. My. God!" I couldn't hide the expression of surprise and excitement on my face. Opening the doors to that studio was like stumbling upon paradise. A huge grin was plastered on my face as I surveyed everything around me. That place was amazing!My paintings were harmoniously displayed on every wall of that room under a covering. The panels, the easels, the original paints, the various types of brushes that I never imagined I could touch one day... Everything! Exactly everything that an artist needed was there.If the human ability to feel pleasure fit not only in the sexual sense, but in any scenario of excitement, I would say I was having an orgasm of happiness right there."This is simply incredible, Joshua!" Leaning against the door, with his arms crossed and a satisfied smile on his face, Joshua watched me."Every artist needs their space."I froze as soon as I saw Joshua's smile expand."What?" I asked, dumbfounded."It's yours.""What?!" My eyes automatically widened. "You'r
"Someone might be awake," Joshua whispered between short muffled laughs amidst our lips."Of course not," I assure him, pulling him against my body and into my house. His hands explored my hips even more. "They have a heavy sleep," I smiled mischievously.Joshua nodded in agreement and opened a sly smile, intensifying our kiss. I pushed the living room door open with my foot and wrapped my arms around his neck while his hands continued to slide lost between my waist and hip.Filled with excitement and fervor, I pull Joshua towards the couch, not caring about what was around us. "We're going to fall this way," I said as he almost lost his balance while being led to the three-seater sofa. "Are you in a hurry?" he asked teasingly."I want you," I replied without hesitation. "We have nothing to lose, do we?" I exhaled a playful smile."Is that so?" he bit his lower lip slowly. "If that's the case." He pulled me even closer to his body, where I could feel the bulge in his pants brush again
Slowly, I pulled my lips a few inches away from Joshua's. A silly smile emerged on his face, prompting me to share the same. I leaned our foreheads together and couldn't contain the happiness that flowed through me. That moment had been magical."Um..." My mother clears her throat. "We're going ahead, okay? And... Just don't come home too late, okay? Let's go.""That's the Joshua guy, right? He's so hot!" I hear my aunt say, and I end up chuckling."Let's go, let's go."I hear my mother dragging our family out of the ballroom.Joshua steals a kiss from me and presses his waist, spinning our bodies, reversing our positions. His eyes fix on mine. Slowly, his body moves to the rhythm of the romantic and calm music playing in the background, leading me to also move my body, starting a slow dance."I still can't believe you're really here.""I said I would come, didn't I?""But I didn't imagine it would be today. And... here." I glance around, seeing the ballroom slowly emptying out."I fo
One year later…I took a deep breath, trying to control my anxiety. I was one step away from achieving a successful career."You got this!" My mother said, holding my hand as we looked at my paintings displayed in the huge exhibition hall.It was the last day of college. An artistic exhibition event was taking place, where the biggest investors would attend. They would analyze all the works, and the best ones would be chosen to boost the author's career worldwide. This was my biggest chance to pave my long-awaited path.My entire family was present, including some friends too. I confess that I felt a little pressured by the number of people rooting for me, but at the same time, seeing the number of people who believed in me was very rewarding.Through the crowd, I saw Benjamin approaching, which surprised me."Benjamin?" I smiled.It had been a long time since I had seen or talked to him. Since I decided to focus exclusively on myself, I didn't have much time to keep in touch with him
I stretched in bed. For the first time in a long time, I woke up incredibly refreshed. The sun that invaded my room through the glass window barely covered by the curtain didn't bother me; on the contrary, feeling the warmth of the sun spread over my body was exceptionally pleasant.I got out of bed and lazily crossed the room. My sisters' beds were already empty. I headed to the bathroom in the next room. The smell of coffee was intoxicatingly circulating through the upstairs, contributing to my extraordinary morning good mood.I undressed, ready to take a shower.***I entered the kitchen. All the women in the house were already having breakfast, seated around the round table."Good morning!" I smiled. The tone of my voice sounded harmoniously cheerful."Looks like someone woke up in a good mood," my aunt commented, impressed. "What happened?"I shrugged. "I don't necessarily need a reason to wake up in a good mood." For some reason, the smile on my lips remained plastered on my fac
Benjamin's room was amazing, if I doubted, it would take three of mine. The blue color with white details around allowed the environment to become very harmonious. I sit on his bed."Sorry for what happened," Benjamin's voice sounds low and then he sits next to me. "My father drives me crazy.""It's okay. What would a 'family' dinner be without friction?" I try to make the moment more relaxed.Benjamin lets out a short nasal laugh."Thank you." He looks at me. I stare into his fascinating and friendly blue eyes. "Really. If it weren't for you... I think I would have been kicked out of the house today." He opens a small weak smile.Benjamin and I had spent a good time holding hands. He always made me feel better, so this time, I tried to reciprocate, even though it was a simple gesture.I look away from him."I still can't believe we're going to be siblings." I chuckle and rest my hands on the bed."Yeah... What bad luck." He says in an ambiguous tone, but then lets out a small laugh.