DAMIENThe restaurant is dimly lit, with the soft flicker of candles casting warm shadows across the table. It’s our first real dinner together since the honeymoon began, and something about tonight feels different. As soon as Anna steps out of the hotel room, I feel my breath catch in my throat.She’s wearing a sleek, fitted dress that hugs her curves in all the right places, the fabric shimmering under the restaurant’s lighting. The deep green colour makes her dark skin glow, and her hair is swept to one side, cascading down her shoulders in waves. I’ve never seen her like this—so effortlessly beautiful, so radiant.I feel a strange, undeniable pull toward her for the first time. My chest tightens, and I find myself staring a second too long, my eyes trailing the curve of her waist, the gentle sway of her hips as she walks toward me. The way the dress clings to her body… I can’t help it. Desire creeps into my thoughts, something I haven’t allowed myself to feel for her until now."D
ANNAI wake up feeling the weight of last night pressing down on my chest. The soft light filtering in through the curtains does nothing to soothe the chaos swirling inside me. Damien is still asleep next to me, his breathing steady and calm, but all I can think about is how I let things get so far.How did we end up here?I carefully slip out of bed, making sure not to wake him. My body feels tense, every muscle coiled with anxiety. I need air, space, anything to get my mind off the feeling that I’m spiralling out of control. I grab my phone from the nightstand and tiptoe out onto the balcony, the cool morning breeze hitting my skin like a splash of reality.Once outside, I dial Lola’s number without thinking twice. She picks up on the third ring, her voice groggy but curious. “Anna? What’s up? It’s early. Are you okay?”I don’t know where to start. The words are stuck in my throat, tangled with all the confusion and panic that have been building up inside me. “Lola, I don’t even kn
DAMIENI stand outside the villa, my mind racing with everything that’s happened. The air is thick with tension, and I can feel it pressing down on me like a weight I can’t shake. Anna is inside, and I know I need to talk to her. I need to explain that I’m not playing with her emotions, that everything I’ve begun to feel off late is real and new to me. But after what she said to me this morning, I’m not sure how to approach her without making things worse.My hands tremble slightly as I open the door and step inside. Anna is sitting on the edge of the bed, staring out the window, her arms crossed tightly against her chest. She doesn’t even look at me when I walk in," Anna," I say softly, trying to break the silence. My voice sounds strained, even to me. "We need to talk."She finally turns her head, her eyes narrowing as she looks at me. There’s a coldness in her gaze that I’ve never seen before, and it sends a chill down my spine."Talk?" she echoes, her tone biting. "What’s there to
ANNAI’m sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the ocean waves crashing against the shore through the glass doors of our hotel room. The silence between Damien and me has stretched out for hours, thick and heavy. I want to say something but don’t know how to start.He’s standing near the window, his back turned to me, hands shoved into his pockets. He’s tense, his shoulders stiff, and I can feel the weight of everything unspoken between us pressing down on my chest.“Damien,” I finally say, my voice softer than intended.He turns slightly, his eyes meeting mine with a questioning look, but he doesn’t speak.“I can’t do this anymore.” The words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them. I look away, unable to meet his gaze any longer. “I’m so confused... I don’t know what’s happening between us, and it’s messing with my head.”He walks over to me slowly, sitting beside me on the bed. The closeness makes my heart race, and I hate that even now, after everything, I can still fee
DAMIENThe gentle hum of the plane's engines fills the first-class cabin, but my mind is elsewhere. I glance at Anna beside me, noticing how pale she looks. She’s resting her head against the window, her eyes half-closed, breathing shallowly. Something's off, and it hits me with a pang of worry I didn’t expect.I lean in closer, my voice soft. “Baby, you okay?”She blinks slowly, her hand coming up to press against her temple. “I don’t feel too good,” she mutters, her voice weak. “I think... I might be getting sick.”My chest tightens. I wasn’t prepared to feel this much concern, to care this deeply. I reach out without thinking, gently rubbing a hand on her knee. “You need anything? Water? Maybe some ginger ale will help?”Anna shakes her head, eyes still closed, her hand resting limply in her lap. I don’t miss how her skin has taken on a faint sheen of sweat, or how she’s trying to keep it together.“Hey, baby, look at me,” I say gently, shifting to see her face more clearly. She op
ANNA The soft hum of the plane is the only thing keeping me from spiralling deeper into my thoughts. I sit there, staring out the window at the endless clouds, trying to focus on anything other than the storm raging inside me. The nausea from earlier has mostly subsided, but it’s nothing compared to the swirling emotions in my chest. Damien is sitting beside me, unusually quiet, and it’s making everything worse. The tension between us is suffocating, even as he tries to improve it.“Anna,” Damien says softly, breaking the silence. His voice is hesitant like he’s treading carefully. “Are you still feeling sick?”I turn to face him, his eyes full of concern. The genuine worry on his face makes it hard to stay distant, but I force myself to hold back. “I’m fine,” I reply, my voice flat. I don’t mean for it to sound cold, but it does.He doesn’t drop it. “You don’t look fine, baby.”There it is again that word. Baby. He’s called me that a few times now, and each time, it feels strange. F
ANNAAs the plane finally touches down in Seattle, I feel a mixture of exhaustion and anticipation. The last few days in the Maldives have been a whirlwind of emotions, and now, returning home feels surreal. I can’t shake the feeling that everything has changed—between Damien and me, between myself and the world.We disembark, and my first thought is how cold Seattle feels compared to the Maldives. I pull my jacket tighter around me as we walk through the private terminal. Everything is a blur, and I almost don’t notice the sleek convoy of cars waiting for us.But then, I stop. A Rolls-Royce? Followed by a couple of SUVs? My eyes widen, and I turn to Damien, who is walking beside me like this is just another normal day."Is this... for us?" I ask, my voice laced with disbelief."Yeah," he replies casually like he’s used to this level of grandeur. "It’s ours."I blink, trying to wrap my head around the idea that I’m about to step into a car that costs more than a house. "Is this... nor
DAMIEN“Damien!” she shouts, her voice sharp, almost furious. It echoes down the driveway, stopping me in my tracks.I turn, heart pounding, and see Vanessa storming toward me, her face a mask of anger. Anna’s figure stiffens just ahead of me, frozen mid-step. I see her hesitate, and instantly, she rushes inside the house, not saying a word.I can feel the weight of Vanessa’s gaze as she closes the distance between us. The knot in my stomach tightens, and I know whatever’s coming isn’t going to be good.“Vanessa, this isn’t the time,” I say through clenched teeth, glancing back at the house where Anna has disappeared.Vanessa doesn’t care. She’s livid, her eyes narrowing as she steps closer, not giving me an inch to breathe. “You think you can just brush me off like I’m nothing?” she snaps, her voice low but seething. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Damien? You can’t just cut me out of your life!”I sigh, trying to keep my voice steady. “Vanessa, you showing up like this isn