Ayva's POVA grin broke out on his face, he never expected me to do that. I never expected me to make the first move either. "Was that you trying to kiss me?" He had a permanent smile on his face and as beautiful as he looked with it on, I wanted to smack it away from his face 'cause I knew he was teasing me. "Shut up." I frowned, trying to hide the embarrassment I felt. He barked out a laugh, and I threw him a playful glare. "You're cute." He grinned, before pinching my cheek. "I'm not!" I exclaimed, horrified by the word he'd described me with a whatever happened to beautiful. Or pretty? "I'm in my thirties. And I'm older than you. You can't call me cute." "Yes, I can. You're tinier and you act like a woman in her twenties." "Well excuse me for acting immature. One minute I was twenty-four and the next I was told I was now thirty-something years old. How else am I supposed to process that age jump when at heart I still feel like I'm twenty four." I blurted before I could reali
Ayva's POVWhen it felt as if my lungs would collapse, pulled away to breathe. I looked up at Justin to see that he wasn't as affected by the kiss as I was. He wasn't as breathless as I was and that made me wonder if he'd felt what I felt, the electrifying feeling that spread all over my body. We continued to stare at each other as if there was nothing more important in the world as if we were both the only thing worth looking at. "I love you." I blurted out before I could stop myself. Seriously I think that kiss and Justin's overall presence in general was making me say things that I shouldn't."You do?" He asked with a raised brow, there was a small smile plastered on his lips and I couldn't tell if it was genuine or mocking. I nodded and waited for him to say it back and when he didn't, panic set in inside of me. I know he'd told me he loved me once but that was a long time ago.What if his feelings for me had changed since then?"You-you love me too, right?" I was forced to as
Ayva’s POVHis skin felt hot against mine, burning me with a heat I never thought a man as cold as him was capable of."Ayva,"A chill raced down my spine. I could never get tired of hearing him call my name. I could never get tired of hearing him speak. His mouth claimed mine again in a hot searing kiss. Yes, it was exactly where I needed them to be. They had far more important things to do than talking. There were places, and things I needed them to be and do. Things that would leave me panting and pleading for more. "Please...""Soon."My hand grabbed him and rolled over until I was on top, straddling his waist. "What are you doing?" He demanded. "What do you think?" Pressing a heated kiss to the corner of his mouth.I kissed him again, passionately pouring all my heart and soul into him. Then, slowly, I let my lips wander down to his exposed chest, kissing every ridge of his muscles, trailing his perfectly sculpted body with just my lips. When my hands moved to the waistband o
Justin’s POV It was around 2 am when I was jolted awake by the sound of my ringing phone. With half-closed eyes, I tried to find it from the direction the sound was coming from with my free hand. My other hand which served as Ayva’s pillow felt numb and I couldn’t even complain about it because I’d do it every day. I was finally where I’d always wanted to be, and even though I could touch and see her sleeping peacefully right next to me, it still felt so surreal. I still found it hard to believe that what happened had really happened. It felt like a dream and I hoped that if it was, I never woke up from it. I found my phone and it was Jace calling. I’d at first wanted to ignore his call but when I realized that he probably hadn’t gone to sleep yet because of me, I decided to swipe answer to tell him that I wouldn’t be able to make it back home that day. Gently, I pulled my arm from under Ayva’s head, carefully placing a pillow under her head. “Fuck!” I cursed under my breath
Justin’s POVSomething was tickling my face. At first, I didn’t pay any attention to it because I wasn’t ready to wake up yet but when it persisted, it started to bother me. And then a thought occurred to me, an ant was walking on my face. My eyes snapped open that instant, my hand reaching up to catch the ant before it could escape but there was no ant, just the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen sleeping peacefully beside me. I’d never been a morning person but that morning I was in a good mood. I was the happiest I’d ever been in the morning and I knew that was as a result of Ayva, lying next to me. If only every morning could be like this…‘Soon.’ I told myself. In a way it was me consoling myself of having everything I’d ever desired. ‘Very soon.’As my fingers reached up to touch her face, a smile appeared on my lips as I realized that the ant had indeed been Ayva and that she wasn’t asleep but rather pretending to be. I lowered my head to kiss her forehead, then I moved to
Ayva’s POVI was in the shower when I heard the bathroom door open. Quickly I put my face under the shower to rinse off the soap lather before opening my eyes. I drew back the shower curtains a bit to peep and just as I’d known, it was Justin that had walked in the bathroom. I was going to say something about how I wasn’t going to take a shower with him but then I saw that not only did he not seem like he wanted to take one (he had his briefs back on), but he also looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but then. “Is something wrong?” I asked, with my head poked out while my body remained shielded behind the curtain. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit insecure about my body. “Yeah, I— need to leave. My clothes, I can’t find them anywhere.” His eyes scanned the bathroom, searching for his clothes and I felt a dull pang in my chest. “Did something happen?” I asked again, I was worried. So worried that I didn’t realize that I’d just stepped out of the shower without covering my body.
Ayva’s POVBy the time I reached Justin’s car, I was a panting mess. In my defense, I’d taken the stairs because the elevator had decided not to respond when I needed it the most, and well I’ve never been the most athletic person in the room.Surprisingly the roof of his convertible was down. I knocked on the window in the driver seat and he winded down a second later. He looked a little surprised to see me which made me know that he hadn’t heard me screaming at him to wait for me. That means that if I hadn’t pushed myself to run faster, I wouldn’t have caught up with him. “What are you—” Justin started to ask when I said,“Get… get out of the car, I’ll- I’ll drive.” I tried to catch my breath, holding on to the car to keep myself upright. He raised a brow. I pulled the door handle, luckily the door wasn’t locked. “I can’t let you drive when you’re like this,” I told him. His lips were set in a straight line and his gaze, questioning. “And what exactly do you mean by ‘when I’m li
Justin’s POV I returned to my car to see Emily trying to poke her head through the window. “I thought you said Ayva was waiting outside. Or was that just an excuse to leave quickly?” She eyed me suspiciously, pointing her index at me. “She left,” I murmured, tuning my fingers through my hair in frustration. Her eyes narrowed at me infinitesimally. She had this accusatory look in her eyes and I was forced to ask, “What?” “Why do I have a feeling that you’re the reason she left like that?” She asked, her eyes still holding that accusatory stare. I was going to tell her that I couldn’t be the reason why because I didn’t remember doing anything to offend her but I didn’t get the chance before Emily spoke again. “Why didn’t she come in with you? Why did she choose to wait here?” “She didn’t. I asked her to.” I frowned and I had a very good reason for that. One was the fact that I knew she hated hospitals and the other was my mom. Given the fact that the last time they crossed pat
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