Justin’s POVI was mad at myself. I hated myself that I’d yet again failed to keep the promise I made. I’d failed to forget her like I’d promised to, as every memory I’d tried to keep away had now come rushing back in. And yet, I hated myself even more for not recognizing it was her until she left. I should have known from her voice. I should have known from her laughs. I should have known from her eyes. I should have known from her lips but no, I didn’t. Two years wasn’t enough time to forget everything about a person you’d loved all my life, so why didn’t I notice she was the one? Did she also not realize that it was me behind the mask? Or was she aware of it and chose not to let me know? Did she even think of me during those two years? Or unlike me, had she forgotten about me completely? If so, who invited her to my party? And why the hell did she decide to come? Who was her date? Who did she come with?I had so many questions with no answers in sight. “Let’s get you home, budd
Justin’s POVI stirred awake, regaining consciousness as the morning sun seeped in through the windows. I tried to open my eyes but couldn’t because of the ray of blinding sunlight directly shining in my eyes. “I should have shut the windows before going to bed.” I inwardly reprimanded myself. Suddenly a thought came to my head. “How the hell did I get in my room?” The last thing I remembered was getting a ride home from Jace and then going downstairs to the wine cellar and then afterward everything was blank. A dull ache throbbed in my head, reminding me of the consequences of my excessive drinking. ‘Why the hell did I have to go overboard?’ I inwardly groaned, regretting my choices from the night before.And then slowly I started to remember. It had been my birthday and the last person I’d expected to see had attended. My eyes remained closed because I was too lazy to open them, but when I felt a hand suddenly swing around my waist, I froze, and my eyes snapped open immediatel
Ayva’s POV"Liv, where's he at? Is he alright?"I glanced over at Olivia, who was sitting in the hospital waiting room with her head down, and her face resting in her hands. As soon as she heard my voice, she lifted her head, revealing red and puffy eyes from hours of crying. It was heartbreaking to see Olivia so visibly distraught, with her disheveled hair, swollen face, and mismatched clothes."Ayva," she sobbed, rising to her feet, and I immediately pulled her into a hug. "My baby's not doing well." She cried into my shoulder.I met Olivia a few weeks after I moved to New York. I was trying to decide on a drink at a local coffee shop when she unexpectedly chimed in and recommended one to me. It ended up turning out to be a favorite of mine, and now I order it every time I visited that shop. We crossed paths again on my first day at a fashion company, where we ended up sharing a workspace. That brought us closer together, and we became inseparable.Olivia was the reason I was in LA.
Ayva’s POVI couldn't find my necklace, not that day or the day after. I tried retracing my steps, hoping to remember when I lost it, but it was all in vain. The last time I remembered having it was at that party, which means the only place I could have lost it was in the taxi I took to the hospital. It made me realize that I might have lost it forever.As that thought sank in, tears welled up in my eyes, but I quickly fought them back. That necklace had been a part of me for two years, providing comfort and support whenever I wasn't feeling well. And now, I had lost it. While I could easily get a new necklace like that, I knew it wouldn't hold the same sentimental value.Liam was still at the hospital, although he was starting to get better. He was able to have a short conversation with Olivia earlier that morning. After he fell asleep, I asked Olivia to go home and freshen up while I stayed to watch over him.“Thank you so much Ayva, you are the best.” She’d said, even though what I
Justin’s POVI was mad and cranky. Aside from the fact that I barely got any sleep because Bri wouldn’t stop crying all night, I also found out that Jake had been released from prison after only serving two years of jail time. After everything he’d done, he only got two years. Clarkson had woken up from a coma a few weeks ago and after getting interrogated by the police, he gave an entirely different story. He even claimed that Jake was never on the rooftop that night, and that immediately ruled Jake innocent of those charges. And so all he was charged for was kidnap and assault. And yet he only served for two years all thanks to my dad. I would never understand why Frederick had decided to help a man who’d harmed his son get a shorter jail time.When Bella asked me for a ride that morning, I’d told her no, because I had other plans that day than be her chauffeur but when I found out that she wasn’t just going anywhere but the hospital because Bri had a fever, I cancelled my plans
Justin’s POVWas?Ayva was in love with me? How did I never know that he feelings for me were than strong? But, was that enough of a reason for her to up and leave? It didn't make any sense to me."I... I don't get it," I stammered, my mind spinning with confusion. "I mean, was that enough for you to walk away like that?""I needed space. I needed it for myself. And I didn't want to mess up what you had with Bella," she explained."But it doesn't add up," I protested, trying to make sense of it all. "You were in love with me, and instead of telling me, you vanished into thin air and cut off contact with everyone?""And what would telling you have changed?" she snapped, her frustration evident. "Let's not forget that you turned me down the one time I tried to open up about my feelings. You were engaged, so there was no hope for me, and I couldn't keep hanging around, hoping for something that wasn't gonna happen. I did what I thought was best for me, and you don't get to question that
Ayva’s POV“I’m still not in support of this date. Can you not go out today? I have a bad feeling about this.” Olivia said in distaste, our eyes meeting in the mirror as I carefully applied my mascara to my lashes. “It’s not a date. We’ll only be having coffee.” I told her for the nth time. “As friends, Liv, just friends.” I quickly added. A week had passed since Justin and I had that conversation on the rooftop. It was also the last time I’d seen him. That day, I hadn’t expected him to follow me up there. After he ignored me, I’d told myself that I deserved it, that I had no right to have expected him to acknowledge me, I’d thought he hated me but when I saw him behind me on the rooftop, I thought that maybe I was wrong about him. I confessed my feelings for him that day, freeing myself from the burden of unrequited feelings. I’d realized over the years that not expressing my emotions and facing his rejection head-on had made it nearly impossible for me to move forward. I couldn't
Justin’s POVI was in a hurry. I’d just spoken to Jace on the phone and he’d just told me the worst news I could ever imagine. I was such a selfish bastard. The whole day I’d been mad, thinking she’d stood me up. I was mad that she’d kept me waiting at the coffee shop for hours, not knowing that she was in the hospital, fighting for her life. “What did Jace say?” Bella asked when I picked up my car keys and headed out of the house. I didn’t reply, I wasn’t in the mood to start that conversation with her.“Are you going somewhere? Did something happen?” She continued, following me outside the house to the garage. “I’ll be right back,” I told her just as I hopped into my car. “Justin—” she was about to say something, her worry etched on her face. But I never waited to hear it because I zoomed off, leaving her behind.I’d just be preparing for bed when I received that call from Jace. “Ayva’s at the hospital, she got into an accident. Can you come now? She’d refused to talk to anyone
Justin’s POV“Mom!” I warned with a glare as I tried to caution her. She continued glaring at Ayva whom I’d now pulled to stand behind me, shielding her from any other impending attack from my mom. “Oh my, oh God! What is happening? My son has- oh lord! I no longer recognize the man I birthed.” She staggered, but Emily held her before she could fall. “Where is he? What happened to my son?” She cried out dramatically, attracting unnecessary attention from passersby. My jaw ticked, “Mom, this is not the time or place for this.” I gritted through my teeth. “Oh Emily what has happened to your brother? How could he be so cruel to me?” She continued, ignoring my warnings. “Stop this now or I’m going to leave.” I kept on clenching and unclenching my teeth, trying to keep the anger and irritation o felt away. “Now he’s threatening me. He’s threatening his own mother. He’s not my—” “Mom!” I barked, gaining more eyes on us. She looked stunned and so did Emily. And their shock was because
Justin's POV"What do you mean by that?" I inquired, casting a skeptical glance at Samantha.She approached my desk, placing an iPad on the surface. I eyed her suspiciously before picking up the iPad.True to her words, there was a video of Bella on live TV. I was taken aback. What was she doing there? She had mentioned feeling unwell that morning, causing me to arrive at work late, yet there she was on TV, looking nothing like she had described earlier.The presenter was asking her questions, but I couldn't hear clearly as the iPad's volume was low. I quickly connected my AirPods to the iPad to listen to what she was saying."Oh, that's all false. My husband and I are stronger than ever. All the divorce rumors are just tabloid trash," Bella claimed. "Did I mention that we also have plans to renew our wedding vows?"We do?"Really?" The presenter seemed surprised by the news. Well, that made two of us. "That's great news, Bella. We heard rumors about Mr. Mount having a mistress. Ther
Ayva's POV"Ms. Wesley, Ayva, are you still here?" Martinez's voice jolted me out of what I was reading on my phone.I blinked multiple times, sat up in my chair, and nodded. "Of course, I am. What were we talking about again?" I said, placing my phone down on the desk with the screen facing down. I intertwined my fingers together as my elbow rested on the desk."I said the only way to prove his identity is false is to confirm if he's truly Allison's father," Martinez said. "But you know we can't use DNA samples acquired illegally, so he has to be aware of the DNA test.""But then he'd know what I'm onto," I said, and Martinez slowly nodded. "There has to be another way," I mumbled. Although I'd yet to scientifically confirm if Aiden was truly Zion like Justin had claimed, since that day that he said it, I'd been unable to shake off that idea from my head. As days went on, I slowly accepted that Justin might be right.It'd been two months since I decided that we needed to take a break
Ayva’s POV"Ms. Wesley, Ayva, are you still here?" Martinez's voice jolted me out of what I was reading on my phone.I blinked multiple times, sat up in my chair, and nodded. "Of course, I am. What were we talking about again?" I said, placing my phone down on the desk with the screen facing down. I intertwined my fingers together as my elbow rested on the desk."I said the only way to prove his identity is false is to confirm if he's truly Allison's father," Martinez said. "But you know we can't use DNA samples acquired illegally, so he has to be aware of the DNA test.""But then he'd know what I'm onto," I said, and Martinez slowly nodded. "There has to be another way," I mumbled. Although I'd yet to scientifically confirm if Aiden was truly Zion like Justin had claimed, since that day that he said it, I'd been unable to shake off that idea from my head. As days went on, I slowly accepted that Justin might be right.It'd been two months since I decided that we needed to take a break
Justin’s POVI felt like shit. Seeing Ayva so broken, shocked, and disappointed in me made me want to disappear. I was beyond embarrassed.And the worst part was I had no excuse, nothing I could say to fix how she felt about me now, which just made everything worse.I’ve had my suspicions about Allison for years but didn't confirm it until a month ago when Amanda called Ayva to the hospital. I half expected Ayva to catch on when she was told she was a match with Allison. It seemed fishy that neither Amanda nor Aiden was a match, but Ayva was. And when I realized she hadn't figured it out, I promised myself I'd tell her when the time was right. If only I knew that jerk would beat me to it.Ayva wiped her nose with the back of her hand. I offered her a handkerchief, but she didn't take it, choosing to wipe her tears with her sleeves instead."What else?" She sniffed. "What else are you keeping from me? It feels like there's always something you're hiding." Her words hit hard. "Tell me
Ayva’s POV“Ayva, how did you-”“Answer my question, Justin!” I snapped before taking a deep breath to steady my nerves. I shouldn’t be getting angry with him, not when he was most likely the only one who could help me find her. “I…” I sucked in a deep air into my lungs. “I just want to know Justin. I need to know where she is and— please,” I grabbed his hand, my desperation evident in my eyes. “Tell me the truth, I promise I won’t get mad.” I wasn’t exactly sure I could keep that promise but it didn’t matter at that moment. I was ready to do anything, say anything to make him tell me what I wanted to hear. He sighed, casting his gaze downwards to his desk before looking up at me again. With a heavy breath, he asked, “How did you find out? Who told you about this?” I shook my head at him in disappointment. “Seeing as you’re avoiding answering my question, that means you knew about it. How long Justin? How long have you known this? How long have you… watched me suffer in silence. W
Justin’s POV"What do you mean by that?" I inquired, casting a skeptical glance at Samantha.She approached my desk, placing an iPad on the surface. I eyed her suspiciously before picking up the iPad.True to her words, there was a video of Bella on live TV. I was taken aback. What was she doing there? She had mentioned feeling unwell that morning, causing me to arrive at work late, yet there she was on TV, looking nothing like she had described earlier.The presenter was asking her questions, but I couldn't hear clearly as the iPad's volume was low. I quickly connected my AirPods to the iPad to listen to what she was saying."Oh, that's all false. My husband and I are stronger than ever. All the divorce rumors are just tabloid trash," Bella claimed. "Did I mention that we also have plans to renew our wedding vows?"We do?"Really?" The presenter seemed surprised by the news. Well, that made two of us. "That's great news, Bella. We heard rumors about Mr. Mount having a mistress. Ther
Ayva’s POVI suddenly shot up in bed, startled by a dream that had felt more like a nightmare and had sent cold sweat down my back. My breath came in short gasps, and I was drenched in sweat as if the nightmare had seeped into my waking world.Letting out a heavy sigh, I turned my gaze to the alarm clock resting on the bedside table. It had just ticked past ten. Despite sleeping for nearly ten hours, it felt like only ten seconds had passed since I closed my eyes.I fumbled around the bed, searching for my phone, and finally unlocked it. As I scrolled through my missed calls and messages, a text from my boss caught my eye. He’d asked if I was still interested in being a part of the company or if I’d simply removed myself. At that moment, his message held little significance to me; the thought of losing my job didn't faze me. Instead, my mind lingered on the absence of any message or missed calls from Justin, the one I had been eagerly anticipating.The disappointment that I felt was i
Ayva’s POVBella, with a stern look, asked me, “Are you going to tell me why you were in my husband’s room, why you are in my house, or do I have to call the cops for trespassing.”I felt her gaze pierce through me across the corridor. I guessed I had indeed trespassed. After all neither Justin nor Bella were aware that I was going to drop by."I'm sorry, I was just heading out," I muttered as I made my way towards the stairs.But Bella wasn't letting me off that easy. "I asked you a question," she stated firmly, making me stop and turn to face her. "I think I deserve to know why you were in my husband's room while he was sleeping."Her stress on 'husband' was clear, like she was reminding me she was still married to him and had every right to ‘interrogate me.’ "I mean, you've gotta be a whole new level of shameless to show up here knowing full well that his wife was gonna be home with him," she remarked, taking deliberate steps toward me. "For seven days, my husband was off with you