NOVA I stood on my front porch for a long time before I decided he wasn't returning. I must have imagined that determined look on his face, and those words he uttered. Dashiell would never say those words. I know how much Lilith meant to him. She was his first love and the reason he despised me those years ago. He felt I was robbing him of the opportunity to wed the woman he loved, which was why he never liked me. “Mummy? Why are you standing here? Where's Mr Dashiell?” River's question interrupted my thoughts, stepping out of the house with Willow in tow. "Um—" “Mum, is it true he looks like me?” Willow demanded, her voice low as she stared up at me, blinking. My heart skipped at the question. I couldn't think of the right response to give to that, so I just nodded, hoping they wouldn't pursue the matter any further, but they did. “Really? I thought I looked like you! Uncle Brion said I did.” “Yeah, you do.” I squatted in front of her, smiling as I reached out to pat her ha
DASHIELL When I returned to the house, there was no one there. I knocked on the door for a long time until their neighbour told me she saw them leaving a few minutes ago. It seemed I was late. I didn't take off immediately. I sat on their front porch, waiting, hoping they would return on time, but that wasn't the case. I stayed until it got late before I left. I couldn't call her because the number I saw in her file was linked to her office. She didn't leave any personal number, probably because of me. She must have known I would look for it, which was why she didn't put it. Lilith called me on my way home, but I ignored the call. There was nothing to talk about. Not at the moment. She was calling because of the breakup, and I wasn't in the right mind to speak to her. I will just let matters die down a little before I visit her. I still owe that to her. Having wasted five years of her life, the least I could do was to talk things out with her, to let her know the reasons for my d
“You are talking back to your mum because of her?” She wasn't ready to let things slide. “Do you know who you are talking to?”I could feel the headache coming. Rubbing my temple, I choose my words carefully. I had no desire to argue with her, it just wasn't in any plan of mine. “I had a long day in the office today. If you don't mind, I'm going to rest.” I got up from the armchair and turned my back to her, praying she wouldn't say anything else. I just wasn't in the mood to quibble with her. Had I ever been? Conversations with my mum always took a toll on me. Which was why I wanted to escape as fast as I could, to prevent the argument from escalating. “What of Lilith?” I stopped in my steps at her question. I didn't expect to see one from my mum, at least not about Lilith. “We broke up,” I announced. Lying didn't seem like the right step to take. She would get to hear it sooner or later. Letting her know of it sooner was the right thing to do. “You split????” Her voice ec
LILITHDid he think he would get rid of me easily? That was the greatest joke of the century. I was here to stay. Giving up on him wasn't in the agreement. I spent my youth on him. For 9 years, I clung to him without letting go, only to be tossed to the side because of a fucking stand-in? I knew Dashiell only slept with her that night because of her hair. Had she not been blonde, he wouldn't have done that. To have a stand-in take over the real person's relationship was unheard of, something I wouldn't condone. I will make Nova regret the day she met Dashiell. I didn't succeed in killing her off as I planned five years ago. The abortion was just a cover-up. I had already paid those men to get rid of her. My plans were solid, with no loophole, but that brat spoiled it. She was lucky enough to escape, and I hoped, for my sake, that she would stay hidden, but she didn't. Returning to Paris was the mistake she made. She would have been better off hiding. Now, I will stop at nothing t
DASHIELLWith my hands in the pocket of the black slacks I threw on, I stared at the school, wondering what I was supposed to do. I didn't think things through when I visited the school. I even thought it would be like a walk in the park, with my legs taking me down the path with no destination in mind, but it wasn't so. Standing in front of the school humbled me. I could only stare at the structure, with no idea of what I was supposed to do. I needed to visit the kids, but couldn't think of how to do it. The security man who opened the smaller gate for a parent didn't look that friendly. With his lips in a thin line, and his gaze flickering around like that of a hawk, he didn't seem approachable. I leaned on my car and held my arms, my thoughts back to the kids and how to meet them. Leaving wasn't an option, not if I wanted to get to Nova's heart. Being free and friendly with the kids, and getting close to them will make everything easy for me, which was why I took the first step t
I fixed my gaze more on the number on the door as I strode down, trying to locate room 13. The security man was kind enough to point out their classroom, letting me know most of the teachers were in the building behind the colourful one I stepped into. Only a few stayed back to take care of the children as they went for their break. Though most of the kids were seated in their classes, I could hear sounds coming from the end of the hall. “How may I help you, sir?” I almost jumped out of my skin at the question. With my heart thumping loudly in my chest, I turned to see a young teacher smiling up at me, her brown eyes shining with mirth. She seemed amused by my reactions to her question. “Who are you?” She asked, forgoing her initial question. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she gave me an appraisal, the mirth in them vanishing the more I kept silent. Clearing my throat, while mentally beating myself for being shocked by a youngster, I smiled down at her, noting how young her act
“Oh.” I relaxed back, puzzled at how I reacted to the news. Had I not known better, I would have thought she was mine. Well, she will be, soon. Should everything work out between Nova and me, I will have to adopt the kids as mine. We will be one happy family, a family I will never let go of, regardless of what we encounter in the future. “What are you doing here?” His gentle question caused me to peer down at the cute boy, who had abandoned his painting, and now had his eyes fixed on me. “I came to visit you,” I responded, smiling down at him.“Really?” His eyes sparkled at that, only for his face to morph into a frown as he relaxed back on the bench he was sitting on. “Why are you here? Mum said we shouldn't speak to strangers.” “I'm not a stranger, am I?” I grinned at him, loving the charming gentleman he turned out to be. Nova certainly trained him well. I will give that credit to her. “But I don't know who you are,” he argued, a cute pout coming over his face as he stared at
NOVA“That will be all for today.” I got up from my chair, and checked the time on my wristwatch, frowning at the thoughts of my kids waiting for me to pick them up. Brion travelled to the States this morning and might be back on Friday, or Sunday, depending on how long it took for him to sort things and get his arse back. I only pray it doesn't extend to next week. The others rose with me, smiling as they walked to the exit, conversing with each other. It had been an overall good day, with the tour around the gallery and our lunch break in an eatery across the road. Miss Benita, the new intern in the design department, was the one who suggested the studio when she heard of the meeting, and it helped a lot. Getting the position was difficult, but I pulled it through with some connections. Working for Dashiell had some advantages, and that included getting away with most things. Not like my feelings for Dashiell had changed or anything. I just stating facts. In this city, all you ne
It took the kids weeks before they got used to staying in Dashiell's house. As he promised, Dashiell was the best father to them. Most times, I'd yell because of how much he was spoiling the kids. He was making it impossible for me to caution them when they did something bad, so I had to draw the line between what he could do and what he couldn't. Brion started dating Benita a few weeks after I moved out. It started after the kids' birthday and the opening of my company. They met and bonded over a couple of drinks. At first, they were drinking buddies before they clicked. Who knows, I might be a godmother soon. I was so happy for him, grateful he found someone he loved. I feared he would stay single all his life because of how much I broke his heart, but he proved me wrong. He showed me how strong and capable he was, something I was super proud of. Amaya went to work full time, though she always made time to visit the kids. Once a month, the kids go to the house to stay with their
Brion didn't talk to me that day. He left me in the sitting room and took a walk around. He didn't return to the house that night. I stayed up with the kids expecting his return, but I didn't see him. He sent a text though, knowing I would be waiting, letting me know he wasn't returning that night. He asked me to go in and rest.After that day, our relationship became strained. Because of him, I didn't tell the kids about Dashiell because I was waiting for him to come to terms with my relationship with Dashiell. He was the most important person to me, and I wanted his blessings before I could pursue anything with Dashiell. It took him a week to do that. All the while, I kept the news of my pregnancy from Dashiell. As much as I loved him, I knew I would leave with Brion if that made my friend happy. I might end up resenting him for taking me away from the man I loved, but that didn't mean I was ready to see him heartbroken. He was my best friend, and I would do anything for him. With
I didn't know how to break the news to Dashiell. I wanted to keep it a secret, to wait for the perfect moment to break it, but no day seemed like the right time. Because of the amount of time he spent away from the office, there was work for him to do and meetings for him to attend, which was why he hardly stayed in the office. The only times I had seen him in the office for the past two days were each morning and some evenings. Aside from that, we had only spoken on the phone. Deciding to tell Brion and the kids about the pregnancy before him, I left the office early. I wanted so badly to tell Benita about the good news, but wished Brion and the kids to know about it before any other person. Brion had already put the children to sleep when I arrived home. Greeting him, I walked to my room to change before I joined him in the sitting room. I didn't know how to break the news to him because I knew he still had feelings for me. The news will make him realize he didn't have any chanc
We got back together after that night. Dashiell stayed at home to recuperate while I worked. Each night, Amaya came over to take care of him while I went back to my kids until he fully healed. After a week, he was good enough to walk. Amaya didn't need to come over to help with his meals anymore. He could walk on his own and was even strong enough to return to work. That Monday, the buzz his return caused in the office made me realize some workers loved him despite how detached and distanced he was from them. Okay, the majority were females. Because of how handsome he was, most of them loved him and wished for a chance to be with him. Which was why they didn't like me at all. Work resumed, and everything returned to normal. We didn't talk about me moving back to his house as I promised, but I knew it would only be for a while before he asked me about it, and I wasn't prepared for it at all. I haven't spoken to my kids, and I have yet to tell them about my relationship with Dashiell
It seemed like the Nova who was acting like a saint downstairs, the one who cared about his health and wanted to take things slow, had been transformed. In her place was one who didn't care at all about anything else but getting her pleasure. My panties were soaking wet already, my pussy throbbing, eager to get down and dirty with him. I doubt I would be down to anything else that didn't include getting on my back with him between my legs, pleasuring me as if his life depended on it. The palm that was on my breasts drifted down. My breath stopped as he slid his hand into my panties. I was wet and ready for him. My responsiveness should have scared me, but it didn't. I didn't even think of how odd it was that I stayed for five years without being touched by another man, only for me to start feeling this damned aroused after just a month without his touch. Had he somehow made me a slave to his passion? I'd heard stories like this, but never thought someone would make a woman love them
“Fuck, Nova,” he growled, his voice getting deeper and sexier. I loved it. Everything about him was so tempting. I didn't think I would ever feel that way for him, but here we were, years after we got married, finally in love with each other. Back when I left the country, I never imagined such a day would come, but it seemed I was wrong all along. I rubbed my fist from the tip to the bottom, still looking at him. Even though his eyes were shut, I loved staring at his face, to know his expression. It was my way of knowing if he was getting into this like I was. I repeated the action once more, running my tongue around the tip of his dick, sucking it in. He groaned, cursing under his breath. Smiling around his dick, I wrapped my fists around him, stroking from the tip to the bottom. His scent, so musky and delicious, aroused me. I was wet and ready to have him make love to me as he promised, but at that moment, I needed to feel him in my mouth, take him deeper until he came. I wanted
I bit my lower lip, peering up at him through my lashes. I felt the flush go from my neck to my cheeks the more intense his gaze became, like he was staring into my soul, seeking answers I couldn't give with my mouth. He reached over to me and rubbed his thumb on my lower lips, his gaze fixed on mine. “What should we do, Nova?” His whispered voice washed through my body like a balm, reaching deep into my spirit. “You are sick,” was all I could manage to say. “You can't —”“It doesn't mean I can't satisfy you, Nova. My legs are yet to heal, but that didn't mean I can't pleasure you, can't make you moan my name as your pussy clamp down on my dick.”My breath hitched in my throat at his words. Gulping, I peered into his eyes. I didn't know how to respond to those words, to the desires swirling deep in his gaze as he placed his hand under my jaw and lifted my gaze towards him. “Dashiell —”“Do you want this just as I do?” He whispered, his breath fanning my face as he came closer. The w
Brion was discharged three days later. Unlike the past few days, he could stand now without being tired or helped. The doctors believe he will recover well at home. After getting discharged, I took him and the kids back home. Dashiell was still getting treatments. They would have discharged him with Brion had it not been for his legs. The doctors wanted to keep him in the hospital for a week more, to check on his recovery. I just prayed everything would work out perfectly. Two weeks later, I drove him back home. Amaya came over to stay in the hospital with him so I could return to work. We had been gone for days, and the shareholders were making snide remarks about it, so I had to return to take care of the office while he recovered. The past few weeks have been a busy one for me. There were piles of work waiting on my desk for me when I returned, and I had to also combine it with Dashiell's. Had it not been for Benita's help, I would have drowned in work. She was such a darling, h
The doctor removed the IV drip before I could visit Dashiell. Ben led me by the hand, keeping me steady as he took me over to the room. Brion and the kids hadn't been alerted yet, so they didn't know we were back. My phone was off, so I hadn't gotten a call from him — yet. However, I knew it was only a matter of time before he called the police to report about me.The moment I opened the door, my eyes locked with that of a shocked man. Emerald eyes bore into mine the second I stepped into the room. "Nova?” He whispered, his voice shaky. He looked like he was imagining me because he lifted his right index and rubbed furiously on his eyes before it landed on me. “You are real?”I nodded, as tears rolled down my eyes. Dashiell was a shell of himself. Just a few days in captivity, and he had gotten so lean, I hardly recognized him. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and his cheekbones jutted out sharply. I was frozen, staring at my lover, and imagining how much he had suffered to l