***Grace was gasping for air, her chest tight as she struggled to breathe. With a frantic shake of her head, she tried to shake off the haunting image that had gripped her mind. She hit the buttons for the seventh floor instead of the tenth, her movements driven by sheer fear.Rushing out of the elevator, she found herself hyperventilating, her heart pounding in her ears. Then, without warning, she stumbled, crashing to the hard floor below with a loud thud. The sound echoed down the corridor, drawing the attention of those nearby. Security and staff from the seventh floor quickly came running to help her, their faces filled with concern.“Ma! Are you okay?” they rushed her with questions but she was too out of breath to answer“Oh my God, she's hyperventilating," a woman exclaimed beside her. "Quick, someone get me a bag, and please, call 919," she heard the woman urgently request.A bag was promptly placed over her mouth, and although the voices sounded muffled, she could feel the
***As Grace's eyes locked with Mrs. Vera's, she felt the heat of anger emanating from the older woman like a blazing fire.Mrs. Vera wasted no time as she stormed towards Grace with a chilling intensity, her words dripping with malice. "You slut; I explicitly warned you to stay away from my son. It seems your mother didn't raise you with an ounce of sense," Vera hissed, her hand reaching out aggressively, aiming for Grace's throat, only to be abruptly halted by Noah'."Don't even think about it, Mother," Noah's voice sliced through the air, cold and cutting as he stepped in to protect Grace."Seriously! Are you talking to me right now, Noah? Do you even know what you are doing right now? How could you even stoop so low and... Vera attempted to regain control of him, but Noah brushed her off with a causal indifference that cuts deep, showing the underlying rift between them. Family bonds be damned."James?" Noah's called out, his voice devoid of warmth or emotion."Yes, boss," James r
***Grace looked at Noah, bewildered. What did she miss? When did he propose, and what was he talking about? As she began to ponder, the car suddenly came to a stop, jolting her forward with a little force. "Why are we stopping?" she questioned, feeling a knot of anxiety form in her stomach.Noah let out a sigh and turned to face Grace, taking her hands gently in his own. "Look, Grace, I know you don’t trust me much. Not just because I'm a man, but because of my social standing. And I know you probably won’t have much trust in what I'm about to say to you. But I want you to know that it's not something I just came up with as an excuse. It's something that took me months, to come to terms with. Before I met you, Grace, I was living a life that wasn't my own. I had no control over my decisions. But since you...the crazy, stubborn Grace Bush...came into my life, I've had to learn how to stand up for myself, how to make decisions that give my life meaning and p
***"Ah.” Noah sighed as he held Grace's trembling body in his arms. Yes, he sensed something had gone wrong, but he wasn't sure what. Grace, panting, remained still, trying to collect herself. She didn't push him away, just stayed there.Noticing her reaction, or her non reaction he signed again. The moment she saw the ring he brought out, the light faded from her eyes, and it was replaced by a terrified expression as she stared at him, as if she'd seen a ghost. Mrs. Hail was right—Grace was far from okay. What he still couldn't figure out was why the sight of the ring scared her.“You know," Noah began in a calm voice, "for a second there, when I saw the terrified look on your face, I almost believed that I was holding a murder weapon and not a ring," Noah said, and in that moment, he heard her chuckle.Grace sighed. She knew what she had just seen was nothing but an illusion, something her guilty mind had conjured up when she came in contact with anything resembling an object from
****Noah took a deep breath as he parked outside his family home. Once full of joy and light, it now felt as dark as a house haunted by angry ghosts.He stood outside the door, contemplating whether to knock or just walk in. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to enter. As he opened the door and stepped inside, the servants' terrified expressions confirmed his suspicion: his mother was in a foul mood, probably drunk. Great. How would he talk to her? Noah knew she had no choice but to listen to him. She needed to hear what he had to say, whether she liked it or not.Without wasting much time, Noah marched to the inner room, his mother's favorite spot, the mini bar. He walked over to where she was sitting, pretending not to see him."Mother, you..." he began, but before he could finish his sentence, a heavy bottle of vodka went flying past his head. Thank God for his good reflexes—he would have had a split skull, if not worse."Wow, Mother, if I didn't know better, I'd think you w
***As Grace sipped her tea, her eyes on the clock hanging by the door, she felt anxiety. Noah was coming back to her tonight; she was sure of it. The message he sent merely confirmed it. She didn’t need to read it to know what it said. His words were already imprinted on her heart.Regret weighed heavily on her. She had spent half her life second-guessing her choices. If only she hadn’t decided to study outside Canada, her father might still be alive. The memory of him jumping in to save her haunted her. If he hadn’t made that sacrifice, he and her mother would still be together, and he might have been the loving father to the children they never had.The ache of loss was something Grace knew too well. She had already lost one of the most important people in her life and now stood on the verge of losing another. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she sank into the sofa, exhaustion pulling at her. For the first time in what felt like ages, her mind and dreams found a rare moment of peac
****Grace sat on the sofa with a cup of warm milk and a plate of chocolates in front of her, ready to indulge while watching a movie. It was a romantic film, not her usual preference, but she decided to watch it anyway. Perhaps that was a mistake. As the movie played on, it reached a scene where the protagonist was intimate with his lover. A strange feeling twisted in the core of her stomach. She tried to ignore it and focus on the film.When the characters began to make love, a sudden rush of sexual hunger, one she had never experienced before, overwhelmed her. She felt as if she were watching herself and Noah, lost in a passionate embrace. She moaned softly at the realization, she quickly turned off the television in a flustered panic.Grace attempted to return to her work, but she was never the same. Her mind kept replaying the scene over and over, as if it were reminding her of a suppressed part of herself. It was a stark reminder of her long-forgotten perversion, the kind that s
***Noah groaned in frustration as he moved to the door, grabbing a chair pillow to cover his raging hard-on. Grace stood behind him, breathless, trying to calm her throbbing heart. She could practically hear its pounding and wondered if he could too.As Noah turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, a young man in his twenties, wearing a red and black outfit, stood there with a wide smile."Hi, someone ordered pizza?" he said."Pizza...?" Noah turned to Grace, who instantly gasped."Ah, shit. I forgot about that," she murmured, hurrying to the money she had left on the table. "Before you came in, I had ordered some food. I was too lazy to cook," she explained as Noah stepped back, allowing her to deal with the delivery guy.In any other situation, with any other guy, this interruption might have killed the mood. But not for Noah. If anything, his desire was stronger than ever. If he could take her right there in front of the pizza guy, he doubted she would ever forgive him. His h
**** Five years laterGrace sighed as she stared at her rounded belly in the mirror. For the first time in her life, she felt pure joy.Reflecting on the past, despite the rush of their marriage, they took their time with the preparations, thanks to Noah’s mom and hers. Both of their mothers chose the house they eventually bought.A year into their marriage, she became pregnant and gave birth to healthy twins, a boy and a girl. Although she was initially scared, her family was there to suppor
One more chapter to go.Dear Reader,As I turn the final page of Perfect Love, I want to express how much your journey alongside these characters has meant to me.This story was about exploring the idea of love in its purest form, amidst the imperfections of life. I hope it inspired you to believe in the beauty of love, even when it’s not perfect.Writing this book allowed me to delve into the intricacies of human emotions, and I’m grateful for every moment you spent with these characters.Thank you for allowing me to share this story with you. May the essence of Perfect Love lingers in your hearts long after the last word.With all my love,Clara J. Stari
***Grace watched Noah hurry upstairs. Excitedly, she brought out her phone, but then it suddenly buzzed in her hand, snapping her back to reality. It was her mother calling—perfect timing.With a deep breath, she answered, “Hey, Mom,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “How are you doing?”“I’m okay, honey, everything is fine. What about you? Is everything okay with you, dear?” her mother’s concerned voice came through.Grace smiled, tears of joy and anxiety welling up in her eyes. “Yes, Mom. Everything is just fine. I have some wonderful news...” She began to say."That went well." Came a sudden sharp voice, cutting her off.Grace jumped up from her chair, her phone slipping from her hands in shock."Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed, turning to see James. "James? What the hell? You’re still here?" she questioned, shaken.She had thought he left when she didn't hear his voice anymore.James was dumbfounded by the question and just stared at her for a while before speaking. “You a
***Grace smiled as she kept glancing at Noah’s mother sideways.Although they had both talked about a few things, Grace hadn’t expected their relationship to improve to the point where they were smiling and happily chatting, or even cooking together. This was someone who once didn’t even want to see her face and had fought against her presence in the company and with her son.Someone who would’ve gone to any lengths to end her relationship with Noah, and now she was smiling and having petty conversations with her?Grace shook her head slightly, still amazed by the change. She couldn’t help but feel a bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, things would continue to get better—at least until she and Noah got married.Mrs. Vera, noticing Grace’s sideways glances, chuckled softly. “What’s with the looks, dear?”Grace blinked, caught off guard. “Oh, nothing, just... surprised, I guess.”Vera’s smile widened. “Me too. I don’t remember cooking being this fun,” she said.Grace nodded slowly. “Me
~~~~Noah and James exchanged worried glances as they walked through the open, kitchen door, bracing themselves for the worst. But the scene that greeted them was far from catastrophic.A few shattered glass plates lay scattered across the floor, a small pool of water spreading out from them. Grace, with a cut on her hand, was hurriedly picking up the broken pieces. His mother stood nearby, her face a mix of concern and irritation.“Everything alright?” Noah asked, stepping cautiously into the kitchen.“Just a minor mishap,” Grace said through gritted teeth, her voice steady despite the cut. She flashed a reassuring smile. “Nothing we can’t handle.”Mrs. Vera moved closer to Grace, squatting on the ground. “Let me help you with that,” she said, stretching out her hands, but Grace gently pushed her away.“No, it’s okay. I can take care of it. You might hurt yourself,” she said with a cornered look.“Oh,” was all Mrs. Vera could say.Irritated, Noah snapped, “But you are hurt.” He reach
***Later, Noah and James pulled up with a truck full of groceries. Grace saw them and grinned. "Wow, it's more than I expected," she remarked.Noah chuckled as he hopped out of the truck. "We might've gone a bit overboard, but better safe than sorry, right?"James, lugging a heavy bag of vegetables, nodded. "Yeah, we figured it's better to have extra than to run out in the middle of everything," he said as they walked into the house.Grace laughed. "You two are something else. I hope you didn't clear out the whole store."Noah winked at her. "Only half of it. We left some for the other folks."Grace shook her head, still smiling. "Alright, let's get this stuff inside. Dinner won't cook itself."Hearing him, Grace smiled. She and Mrs. Vera had already worked out some things, so she was confident. She turned to Noah with a wide grin. "You'll be surprised.""About what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow."Nothing," Grace said, brushing it off as she inspected the vegetables James was carryi
***Noah stared at Grace in disbelief, while James laughed uncontrollably at his expression.The way she was speaking, so assertive and unwavering, sounded like his mother, and he didn’t like the feelings that came along with it. Ignoring James' laughter, Noah turned to Grace.“You really want us to stay here?” he asked, still reeling. He had assumed she was joking, but the determined look in her eyes made it clear she meant every word.“Yep,” Grace replied, walking over to the kitchen, guided by the maids present.“And why the hell would you want that? There’s a big, comfortable house waiting for us, and you want us to stay in this gloomy place?” he demanded, following her into the kitchen. “Yes,” she answered firmly, turning to inspect the kitchen. Despite being swarmed with maids, the pots looked unused. She walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, finding it empty. She turned shocked eyes to Noah. “What does your mother eat?” she asked out of nowhere.The question caught hi
***After an hour of driving, they finally arrived at the Creed mansion. And what a mansion it was. As she stared at it, Grace wondered why it was even called a mansion; the place was as expansive as her entire neighborhood. It would probably take a day or two just to walk through it, she concluded.They drove into the compound, and judging by the way the guards and maids were acting, it was clear Mrs. Vera Creed knew they were coming.Without lingering outside, they went in. Noah seemed to be in a hurry, no doubt eager to get it over with, and Grace felt the same way.But the moment he opened the door, a heavy slap landed on his face."What the—" Grace began, but Noah shot her a look, signaling her to stay silent. He sighed as if he had been expecting it."Good to see you too, Mother," he said with an air of resignation, walking in.Grace, still stung by the harshness of the slap, bit her tongue and followed him inside, as did James.
***Grace took a deep sigh as she stared into space, her mind a mess. "I can't believe I'm going back to New York, or that Mother allowed me to go just like that," she breathed out.Noah took a deep, happy breath. He, too, was finding it hard to believe that the woman of his dreams was coming with him. "Yes," he managed to say, kissing her hand. "I love you," he whispered in her ear."And I love you too," Grace replied."Are you hungry?" he asked after a while."Yeah, thanks for asking," Grace replied with a smile."Sure, love." He called one host on the plane, and after a short wait, a mouthwatering snack was served.Grace devoured it without wasting any time, and he just laughed at the way she was eating.Now fully settled, she turned to him. "You never told me what happened between you and your mother," she said suddenly.Stunned, Noah turned to Grace, unsure whether to laugh or be serious. "You really do have a knack for knocking people out of their comfort zone," he said, shaking