ARIANA'S POVAs the reception wound down, Josh's words echoed in my mind. My mother was here. I felt a mix of surprise and anxiety. Robert, sensing my unease, offered to come with me.“I'll go with you, Ari,” he said, his hand warm on my shoulder.I shook my head gently. “No, Rob. I need to do this on my own.”He nodded, his eyes full of understanding. “I'll be right here if you need me.”I took a deep breath and walked outside, my heart pounding in my chest. My mother stood by a water fountain, looking as elegant as ever. She wore a stunning dress that shimmered in the evening light, her hair perfectly styled. She turned as I approached, a hint of a smile on her face.“Ariana,” she said, her voice cool but not unkind. “Why wasn't I invited to your wedding? Or did my invitation get lost?”I swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. “I didn't think you would want to come after everything.”She sighed softly, her eyes studying me. “I was only trying to honor my husband's will, Ari
ROBERT'S POVAriana's words hung in the air, their weight sinking into me. Pregnant. She was pregnant. I couldn't help it; I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly as joy bubbled up inside me.“I can't believe it,” I whispered, kissing the top of her head. “I'm so happy, Ari.”As I held her, memories of the past rushed back. The day we lost our baby still haunted me. It was my fault. I had been reckless, and she had paid the price. I had never been able to forgive myself for what happened that day.The pain and guilt I felt back then came flooding back, but I pushed them aside. This was a new chance. I had to focus on the future, not the past. I had another chance to do it right now and I was going to seize it.“I promise I’ll do everything to protect you and our baby,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “You won't go through that pain again.”Ariana pulled back slightly, looking up at me with those beautiful eyes of hers. “I know, Rob,” she said softly. “I believe you.”Her t
ARIANA'S POVThe room was dark and the air stale. I could tell that the sun was up but the last thing I needed was the sun shining its rays on my loneliness so I kept the curtains drawn. I was seated on a white leather couch in the sitting room cradling my baby bump and sighing for the umpteenth time. Something weighed heavily on my mind. But I did not want to believe it was regret. I did not want to cast my mind back to the events that led to the now: me, pregnant, sitting in a dark room all alone, my husband gone.“I'm gonna be fine”, I whispered to myself. “You hear that baby?” I said, directed at the baby bump. “We're gonna be fine”. Even as I whispered those words, I knew that what I truly wanted was the company of my husband. I wanted him to be sitting right there with me, the curtains open, letting in the sun and the two of us holding hands while whispering sweet nothings and looking forward to the birth of our son.Just so my husband could look at me with approval. With l
ROBERT'S POVI have been an unhappy man since the day I lost her. I lost her in the wedding with Ariana, her sister. It was for business reasons but I’ve never thought about it could make my life become this way. I mumbled a goodnight to my secretary and other staff as I exited the office building. The last thing I wanted was to go home to Ariana, the one who’s my wife, but also the one who always reminds me of her death.Ariana was the workaholic heiress who controlled an entire department of her parents’ conglomerate. She was pretty, tough, and passionate about everything. She’s good. But she’s not Flora.The lady whose smile lit up my world. “How perfect should I do to get your attention? To drag you back from her so that you can face reality? To face me and our baby?” She once shouted to me with tearful eyes.“You are so wrong, Ariana. Flora’s not perfect. She’s just kind, naive, and caring. Compared to you, she’s just a normal person with a normal personality you can see ever
ARIANA'S POV I knew I was panicking and that if I did not calm down, I would not be able to do anything. I did not want to believe Judith, Rob could not still be pining after Flora after all these years! Flora was dead. That much was certain, why should her ghost still haunt our relationship?If Flora’s back, what more could I do to make him love me? If Flora’s back…No, it can’t be true. I saw her dead, with my own eyes. I began to dial my best friend's number. I haven’t called her for a long time from my side. We had a deal. A deal not to contact each other after Flora’s demise, and now, she might just be alive.I shouldn't call her. It could jeopardize the whole thing.But she's the only one who understands…I held my breath as I clicked on Barbara’s number.It rang, and on the second ring, she picked.“Hi Barbara,” I said softly“Ari,” she whispered “I’ve missed you so much,”“Me too. I don't know what to do anymore. There’s a problem, Barbara. ”“What's the matter, Ari? What'
ROBERT'S POVOn the drive down to a hotel, I could not keep my hands off Emily. I was like a starved man finally in front of a banquet and I was eager to start feasting. When we arrived at the hotel, I quickly paid for a room. The moment we were left alone in the room after being shown, I pulled her and we fell into the bed… I sighed now and turned on the bed cuddling Emily. I knew she was not Flora but just for tonight, I pretended she was. Emily stirred in bed and turned to face me, her almond shaped eyes with their hazel color almost bringing me to tears.“I have to go”, she said.“So soon? Thought we would be together all night.”“I've got work tomorrow,” Emily replied, sitting up in bed and beginning to get dressed.I wanted to grab her and pull her back to me, I wanted to savor this moment with Flora's look alike just so I could be catapulted to that far away time when me and Flora had had the best time of our lives but I said nothing and simply began to get dressed too. “I'
ARIANA'S POV I felt as though I was dreaming. Everything was surreal and I could not make sense of the past or the present.All I recalled was hearing Barbara and Rob's voices shouting my name as I ran down the streets angry and hurt and suddenly, I was floating and the whole world was blurry. What has gone wrong? Where was I? Was I stuck in a bad dream? It had been a few weeks to their wedding and the two families; the Stones and the Vanderbilts were both in a frenzy. The marriage was a form of amalgamation. It would make the two families partners and increase their wealth. The Vanderbilts, my family, were the second richest company in Chicago. The Stones were the richest family in Chicago and Rob Stone had made his family so. I was chosen to be the one he would wed because of my knowledge about the business world.Then, Rob had been a tall, young man, 6 '5, handsome, and one of Chicago's most elite bachelors. Apart from that, he had a head for business and was fast advancing
ARIANA’S POVI had been in the hospital for over a week now but I knew I did not want to go home. Without my baby, home was not going to feel like home anymore. Not after what had happened, I knew I was going to spend all my time hating Rob. I could not forgive him for the loss of my baby. As I laid on the bed mulling over the events of the past days that had brought me to this moment, Dr. Josh walked into the hospital room with a few resident doctors in tow, and a nurse. They seemed to be talking about something funny, and Dr. Josh's smile was very bright. It was as if the gray cloud looming over my head disappeared with his appearance.“How are you today?” He asked, benting to examine me.“Vital signs are okay,” He announced, “you should be able to leave the hospital in two days”.My heart skipped a beat but I kept my eyes focused on his smile that seemed like 1000 watts of light.I bet no one can stay calm when they see this gorgeous smile.I cleared my throat, and said, “Yes, I