Outside a church, a distraught young man watched helplessly as a newlywed couple emerged to applause and showers of confetti. Unable to tear his gaze from the radiant bride, their eyes met briefly before she smiled shyly and looked away. "Why? Why couldn't you have waited?" he cried, thumping the steering wheel in torment. He had only just discovered she was engaged after being overseas that past year. How could she have forgotten him so utterly? True, they had not seen each other since childhood when their parents sent them to strict single-sex boarding schools, forcibly separating them. But in their treehouse hideaway, he had pledged to make her his wife one day, and he fully intended to honour that. Although mere children then, he had loved her immediately with a conviction that had not wavered in all the intervening years. Through army service and jobs abroad, he never stopped yearning for and planning their reunion. Yet somehow he had left it too late and now lost her foreve
Keeping his distance, Christian watched the girl intently as she peered around anxiously. Soon an irritated man strode over, barely acknowledging her before grabbing her case and striding off without a backward glance. The girl trailed dutifully after him, still clutching her ticket distractedly. In the next queue, Christian noticed the blonde woman from the hotel also checking in solo. Her eyes met the other man's briefly in apparent recognition. Yet he seemed oblivious, focused only on his boarding pass.Christian observed it all closely as they boarded. The couple took seats in First Class whilst he and the blonde woman were seated in Economy. Next to the wide-eyed girl was an empty seat. As the lights dimmed, Christian understood why as the man slipped into it nonchalantly. Unable to resist, Christian made his way forward to glimpse inside the First Class cabin. Curled up asleep with a book lay the man's new wife, looking so sweet and innocent. It was his first view of the woma
Upon returning home, Adele's first move was contacting James' younger sister Christie. Only a year apart, the girls had been friends though Christie was far more astute than her appearance suggested. Adele knew securing her blessing was essential to ensnaring James. Dialling a number, she adopted her sweetest tone. "Hello Christie, it's Adele! I wondered if you fancied meeting up?" "Hi Adele! Funny you called actually. I'm just shopping if you'd like to join me for a coffee?" Christie responded brightly. "Wonderful! See you shortly," Adele smiled before turning to the naked man lounging on her bed expectantly. "I must go. The hunt begins!" He raised an eyebrow sardonically. "So soon? You must succeed this time I take it?" Adele laughed throatily. "Oh yes! Daddy is getting quite impatient, so from now on, I must play the blushing virgin convincingly!" Her lover snorted inelegantly. "You? A blushing virgin? That will take some acting!" Adele swatted him playfully. "Hush you! B
Isabella awoke with a start to see her grandparents arriving. Jumping up, she hugged them warmly. "I didn't expect you tonight Grandfather! You really mustn't drive so late." Her grandfather chuckled indulgently. "Well your grandmother has been cooking up a storm again, convinced you girls are being starved here!" Isabella laughed, circling her grandmother affectionately. "Please don't fuss Mima! We eat very well, just tired from studying. Marta and I hope to win that prestigious publishing internship." Marta stepped forward, blushing as Mr. Sardino embraced her. "It's true Sir," she admitted shyly. "We work very hard." Mr. Sardino studied both girls fondly. "You do look pale and drawn," he mused worriedly. "Very well, no more late night revision then! Now come, Mima wants to feed you both up..." The two girls exchanged rueful smiles. Mr. Sardino was very protective, investigating everyone in Isabella's circle thoroughly. But he approved of studious, gentle Marta and treated
Christian was the eldest son of a wealthy, eminent family, with a beloved sister just eighteen months his junior. The pair were the closest of allies, not just siblings, but friends and confidantes too.So Christie greeted her brother joyfully that day, leaping into his arms despite their brief separation. Laughing, Christian caught her exuberant embrace."Get down now Christie!" he scolded without heat, swatting her affectionately. Still she smothered him in kisses until finally releasing her hold."Well?" she demanded eagerly. "Did you succeed?"Christian sighed heavily. "I arrived too late. She's wed another." Christie gasped. "What?! But you were with her!" "I followed the honeymoon trip," Christian admitted. Seeing his sister's astonished expression, he added defensively, "I wanted to be sure I'd really lost her and that she was content.""And is she?" Christie asked gently. "With that beast?"Christian had
Meanwhile in Paris, some time earlier… Isabella sat motionless, eyes downcast, watching her grandfather's shoes pace relentlessly before her in the hospital ward. One question echoed through her shocked mind, how could this happen? Finally his polished Oxfords halted a metre away. Santiago's voice was strained with the effort to remain calm. "Tell me Isabella, was it love? Or hate? Explain what drove you to such an action."Numbed, she raised her head slowly. His expression mingled disappointment with frustrated incomprehension. Isabella's thoughtsThree months had passed since that night when I gave myself to a stranger!Three months of disappearing!Three months in which I became someone else!Free, determined, joyful. In that, little by little, my dreams were beginning to come true. And here I am, in front of my grandfather's inquisitive gaze.“Answer me, Bella.” He insists. “ But, first think very well, wha
Bella was left reflecting on everything that happened, until she saw her grandfather enter with a nurse, who took the serum and said that she could leave. Noticing her grandfather very quiet."How are you feeling Bella?" Mr. Sardino asked softly."Grandpa, I'm sorry I fainted. I didn't mean to scare you." he replied, sitting down."Come on, we have to go." she said, helping her granddaughter.So they did, but instead of leaving the hospital, she walks hand in hand with her grandfather until she finds a solitary place and that's when he sends her to sit down and begins to walk in front of her, until he tells her the terrible news."You are pregnant!"Then they return to their apartment, where their grandmother is anxiously awaiting them when she hears what has happened. When she sees her, she asks her how she is feeling. She tells her not to worry, that she's fine. But her grandfather sends her to sit in the livi
Her grandfather was very excited and expressed his joy with a big smile. Grandma hugged and kissed her in the same way. Then they hugged each other. Isabella smiled nervously, but seeing them so excited, she began to feel excited about the news of her twins as well. Although she was still terrified of the responsibility it meant. “We're done,” the doctor announced. “Would you prefer to continue with me or do you have another doctor?” “We will continue with you, if possible,” replied Grandfather as they left the room together. Isabella got dressed, still frightened. One child already filled her with fear, but the thought of having two terrified her even more. If one was already enough to fill her with fear, two made her feel terrified! She was a single mother of two children - two children! The echo of those words resonated in her head as she did the things the doctor told her to do. Finally, she sat down in front of the doctor, who was writing
After my visit to Isabella's grandparents' home, I find myself deep in thought. Life, in its unexpected way, has led me to meet people I would never have imagined. Who could have predicted that my new assistant and editor, Isabella, would be someone I knew in my childhood? The irony of the situation is overwhelming. I can't deny that Isabella has a special charm, and her children are adorable. I wonder how I had the courage to say I was their father. Why did I do it? They both looked at me with such cute, eager, expectant little eyes, that I didn't have the courage to tell them I wasn't their daddy. I felt so good when I said, "yes, I am their daddy." Their looks filled me with a strange emotion that prompted me to utter those words. For a moment, I wished with all my heart that it was true. Will I ever be able to have children? It's a question that haunts me constantly. I remember the looks on Isabella and her children's faces as I told them I was their father. Their eyes sparkled
As he watched her, his gaze was filled with intense hatred. "How could I let her escape my control?" he thought, fixated on how he should have kept her by his side forever. However, as he continued to press his body against hers, Luis noticed a change in Isabella. Her eyes reflected determination and strength, nothing like the scared girl from before. And as he held her, she smiled, not with fear, but with a fire in her eyes that unnerved him.Time seemed to stop as tension built between them. Luis struggled to keep her under his control, while she resisted with a ferocity he had not expected. In a moment of carelessness, Isabella raised her knee and hit him hard in his private parts. Pain coursed through his body, forcing him to let go, writhing from the impact. She took the opportunity and pushed him, causing him to fall to the ground. She ran towards the elevator, adrenaline pumping through her system.Luis tried to get up to follow her, but the pain stopped him. He screamed in fru
Christian said firmly, taking Isabella's arm in a possessive gesture. As he watched them walk away, Luis was filled with a mixture of hatred and frustration. He needed to understand the dynamic between the two of them, so he set out to find out more details. How do they know each other? What relationship do they have?"I should find out about those two," he told himself, his fists clenched. "I can't let Isabella come and interrupt the plan I have with Adele. If necessary, I will discover her secrets."With that purpose in mind, he returned to the reception, where the secretary greeted him with a professional smile."Good morning," Luis said."Good morning, Luis. How can I help you?" the secretary replied."Do you know what the woman who came in with the boss does?” Luis inquired.The secretary, apparently intrigued by his question, answered him with a touch of sarcasm. “Do you mean Isabella?”Luis looked at her, smiling. "Yes, her. When did she start working here and in what position?
After ending the call, she purposefully stowed away her phone. She had teamed up with Luis, forming an unusual alliance with a singular goal: to make Christian fall in love! She needed him to be her husband to liberate herself from the clutches of her father, who offered her no respite. She yearned to swiftly realize her aspirations of eloping with her true love to a secluded haven, where she could vanish without a trace, consuming her every thought. Weary of being a compliant puppet, subject to her father's caprices.She was convinced that once her father amassed a fortune through his ventures, he would finally leave her be. Recognising that her financial situation was far from ideal, she understood that they had banked on her union with Christian to yield prosperity. However, a fiery outburst had derailed those plans, and her father was unwilling to forgive her. What kind of novel idea was brewing in Luis's mind? That question gnawed at her, yet it also kindled hope that he held the
Adele entered her father's office, where he was engaged in a conversation and gestured for her to wait. She stood still, feeling scared in the centre of the room. As the call ended, her father walked around the desk and suddenly delivered a forceful slap that sent her tumbling face down onto the floor. He glared at her with intense hatred."You couldn't even handle that properly?! You had him under your control, with his memory loss! No one knew about your affair with another man! And now he's rejected you, he's rejected you! I don't know if he'll recall what you did, but everyone knows you cheated on him, and he's turned away from you!""I'm sorry, Dad! I swear I don't know what came over me when I did that foolish act. Give me some time. If I fell in love with him once, I can do it again, especially now that he has no memory. I've met Luis Ibáñez, who now works with him and they're becoming close friends. He promised to help me locate Christian. I'll show up without raising any susp
The revelation left me momentarily speechless. Christian seemed so different from my recollection, yet the connection was undeniable."Why does your face look so different now?" I blurted out.Christian's response was staggering. He had undergone extensive facial reconstruction following an accident that had left him severely injured. I struggled to process this newfound information."I can't say that I truly know you," I confessed. "We didn't exchange many words during the flight. I was engrossed in my book. You kindly escorted me home when taxis were scarce, but we didn't keep in touch afterward. You mentioned being friends with my grandparents and called me 'Bella.'" Christian appeared intrigued by my account and inquired with genuine interest:"Are your grandparents still alive?""Yes, they reside with me," I confirmed. "Why do you ask?"Christian's suggestion that my grandparents might aid in triggering memories from his past intrigued and exhilarated me."Perhaps they could assi
On the other hand, Santiago revisited his mother, parking his car at a distance this time. Waiting until nightfall, he crept through the garden surrounding his parents' house, reminiscent of his youth when he would sneak away from home. Eavesdropping by his bedroom window, he overheard a conversation between his father, mother, and daughter."Mima is right, Grandpa. That car she mentioned was Dad's; I remember it clearly. Yes, Mima, Dad is on his way to see you; he adores you.""Bella, don't get your grandmother too excited. If it were Santiago, he wouldn't need to keep his distance; he knows our doors are always open to him. Even if I was upset, I would never stop him from visiting his mother.""Mima says he's scared of you; that's why he hasn't come.""And what would you have me do? Should I leave so he can visit?""She didn't say that, Grandpa. Can you go talk to him? Maybe it's as I said; Dad feels guilty for missing Mima's surgeries and doesn't know how to face us now.""Coming,
Santiago acquiesced to the request, although his thoughts lingered on the prior accusations. Nonetheless, Eva persisted, unveiling a new revelation that triggered alarms in Santiago's mind. "You make the call, but kindly refrain from any altercations with my mother or, even more so, with Isabella. Are you certain Isabella is coming? I understand she works in France, so it's peculiar that she would abandon her esteemed position there. Perhaps she's merely visiting." Eva spoke with a mischievous glint in her eyes, prompting Santiago to suspect she harboured concealed intentions. "She's back for good. Your father informed the doctor. I overheard their conversation distinctly, and you know what?""What?""She's back for good. She's neither wed nor engaged!" she disclosed with a gleam in her eye, leading Santiago to suspect she was plotting something."How do you know? Perhaps she has a clandestine partner in France," Santiago posited in an attempt to counter Eva's insinuation. Unfazed,
Eva was taken aback. It was the first time Santiago had threatened her with divorce, and that couldn't be a positive sign. Dr. Alfonso undoubtedly had something to do with this, she was sure. Santiago was beginning to realise what she had been doing to him for years, she reflected. However, his recovery was rapid. She concealed her embarrassment behind a hypocritical smile that barely touched her lips."Don't be like that. I'm sorry for what I said before. You know that if she doesn't love me, I don't love her either. But that doesn't mean I wish her harm. It wasn't today, it was yesterday when I saw her. She appeared to be emaciated, although not entirely bad," Santiago explained. Santiago sank into the chair slowly, his gaze fixed on Eva. Something was being concealed, he sensed it, and was determined to uncover it. He vowed to rise early and visit the doctor without delay; he promised himself not to let any more time pass before seeing his mother and daughter. Yet, a nagging conc