It was coffee break and I was occupied by my usual group of ladies, but today, we had a new lady in our midst—Kayla brought along her daughter; Hazel. She was the sweetest, most adorable little girl I’d ever met. She was well-mannered and social for her age. She took a liking to me, clinging to my side.“Children like good people,” Kayla said, her eyes tingling as she watched Hazel sit in my lap. Her eyes held mine as she clutched her lunch bag, her innocence melting hearts.“Gosh, she’s so adorable. Can I keep her with me for the whole day?”“You might have to ask her permission.”I leaned in to close, my fingers brushing Hazel’s soft skin. “What do you say, Hazel? Want to ditch mommy and hang out with me?”She nodded without hesitation and I grinned at Kayla.“It seems she had made up her mind.”As break ended, Hazel’s tiny hand held mine as we headed back to the office. I was about to walk into my office but was stopped by a familiar figure from the corner of my eye.Even with his
How did we end up here— trapped in an elevator that could fall at any point? “I’m scared,” Hazel whimpered, her body trembling as she clung to my chest. I soothed her by rubbing her hair.Honestly, I was scared too— Terrified out of my mind. Every muscle in my body was taut with fear.The elevator shook, a loud creaking sound reverberating off the walls as if the cables holding onto it were roaring. The sound was eerie— reminding me of the approaching doom. We had to get out of here. If the cables snapped with us in it, we wouldn't stand a chance.My heart raced as I moved carefully, trying not to jostle the elevator. Slowly, I shifted, lowering myself to the ground until my back pressed against the cold wall. I pulled Hazel closer, placing her in between my legs and wrapping my arms around her small body.“We’re going to get out of here soon, okay?” I said, not sure how we were going to get the hell out of here. It wouldn’t be long before people noticed the elevator was faulty, th
ESTELLE’S POVIt felt like an eternity since we had been stuck in the elevator. The air around us thickened as beads of sweat trickled down my skin. I had peeled my jacket, trying to find some relief from the heat. Somehow, Hazel had managed to sleep off because my phone battery was low, so she couldn’t play games anymore. I had to end the call with Adonis a while ago, though he had been against it. While we had been on the call, it felt like he was here with me, holding my hand, trying to get me through it.But now, an emptiness hung in the air around me and Hazel, and we were all alone again in the cruel darkness.Just as I shut my eyes, a sharp screeching sound of the cables resounded through the elevator. The sound cut through the silence like a blade piercing flesh, causing my heart to lurch as terror ripped through me. Hazel suddenly jerked awake, as she trembled. Even with the darkness, I could tell the look of terror on her face.“It's going to be okay, honey,” I soothed her
I wasn’t unconscious for too long.The second my eyes adjusted to the surroundings, the blinding lights above me were a sign that I was still in the hospital.Amelia was the first person I saw. She was by my side, her hands on mine as I regained consciousness. I didn’t realize she wasn’t the only one until her gaze shifted to my right side. I followed.My chest warmed immediately at the sight of him.Adonis sat straight on the chair by the side of my bed, his arms crossed as he leaned back. His head was slightly tilted upward, his eyes closed. From the faint movement of his chest, I could tell he was asleep, though his brows were knotted like he was having some kind of nightmare.“He never left your side,” Amelia said. His eyes opened slightly and met mine. He had the same expression he’d had while asleep, but his brows relaxed as warmth swirled in his eyes.“Hi,” I muttered with a small smile. He leaned in, his body brushing mine as he placed a kiss on my forehead. My skin tingled
Chapter 1“You’re pathetic. You can’t even give my son an heir.”My mother-in-law’s harsh words echoed through my mind as I held the pregnancy test strip in my shaky hands.For the first time in two years, it showed two lines.A series of emotions flooded through me, but my happiness was over the skyscraper’s roof. After two years of marriage, after all the emotional abuse from my mother-in-law, I finally conceived.I was finally having a child for Eric.Leaving the office for home to rest and wait for Eric to return, I was dying to tell him the thrilling news in person.Seated in my car, as my chauffeur; Trevor drove, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Eric.[I have good news. I can’t wait to tell you.]After waiting for minutes in silence, I glanced at my phone and my heart sank when I saw he hadn’t replied to my text yet.He never took this long to reply unless it was business, which wasn't because he went to meet his friend at the bar, leaving me at the office to finish his
Helpless on the ground, my body shook violently as I cried.“She's so pathetic. Just look at her,” Barbara’s voice echoed.I managed to get back to my feet and gazed at the man I called husband.“I thought you loved me. How long has this been going on?” the words came out of my mouth and I winced at how miserable I sounded.“I never did Estelle. I've been using you all these while.”Each word was a blow to my heart and it felt like a thousand needles had been pierced into me. It hurt so bad that I couldn't breathe properly.Of course, he never did. How stupid I had been. All the bad treatment, his bad attitude. His red flags had been waving around from the beginning, but love blinded me so much that I missed it.My tears were starting to cloud my vision, and I blinked them away, letting them stream down my cheeks.I remembered the reason I got into this marriage in the first place. We did it so we could strengthen both our companies by merging. I was the market genius, and Eric had th
6 months later.“What’s taking him so long?” I muttered to myself as I glanced at the large clock hanging on the wall. For an hour, I'd been waiting in the lobby. Clutching my Hermes bag tightly, I approached the receptionist again, noticing her growing annoyance. I couldn't blame her; it was my third time coming up to her."He'll be here soon. Please be patient, Miss Corsetti," she said before I could speak. With a sigh, I retreated to my seat.My phone beeped, diverting my attention. It was a text from both Amelia and my best friend, Jade. Funny how they both messaged at the same time.[How's the interview going?]Even funnier that they both asked the same question.Deciding to reply after the interview, I tucked my phone back into my bag when a shadow fell over me, signaling someone's approach.“Miss Corsetti,” I looked up at the receptionist, “Mr Sandoval is waiting for you in his office.”My heart momentarily skipped a bit, and I wasn't sure if it was because of the interview or
“Are you sure you’re making the right choice?” Amelia asked me for the 100th time.Sighing, I applied the brightest red lipstick I had, packed my luscious raven hair in a bun, and then let it down, indecisive.“In a bun, or laid down?” I asked her, completely ignoring her question. I watched her reaction from the mirror, noticing how her shoulders dropped and her facial features creased in worry.“Laid down makes you look like a sexy boss,” she said, smiling softly and I couldn't agree more. I let my wavy hair down and applied a dark eyeshadow that complimented my emerald green eyes.When I was done with the makeup, I walked up to the bed where she sat and pulled her into a tight hug.“I have to do this, Amelia, or I’ll never live in peace with myself.”“Maybe you’ll get peace if you move on from this.”But that was the thing; I couldn’t move on even if I wanted to. Eric didn’t just break my heart, ruin my life, and take almost everything from me. He left me with a burden… one that w