Justin’s POV“What if she doesn’t want to see me? What if she’s still mad at me? What if she doesn’t wear the dress? What if she doesn’t like it?” I was a nervous wreck. I’d been standing outside Ayva’s apartment for over thirty minutes. I’d watch the time go from 6:30 to 7 pm and now, it was past 7 pm and I still couldn’t bring myself to walk up to her door. “Stop worrying so much,” Emily said to me on the phone. “Just go meet her, you’re late already. You don’t want her thinking you don’t keep to time.” If it were up to me, I never would have waited a day before seeing Ayva again. I’d wanted to call her the day before but Emily had been against it. She’d said “Give her time. Trust me when I say you’re the last person she wants to hear from right now.” Emily had instead made me divert all my energy into preparing for a date that I thought was too extravagant by the way. I mean what ever happened to sending her a bouquet and telling her I was sorry? Did I have to spend hours plann
Ayva's POVI lied, I wasn't hard to impress. I'd forgiven Justin since the moment I got the box and when he appeared in front of my door looking more attractive than the last time I saw him, every remnant of my anger melted away. The truth was I wanted to tell him that I wasn't mad anymore but I thought that'd be going too easy on him. I mean where would that leave our dinner and his will to impress me? And what if he did the same thing some other time because he knew I’d just forgive him again. Besides, I was having so much fun watching him stumble over his words and fiddle with the edge of his jacket. It wasn't often I got to see him nervous and jittery and so I wanted to make the most of that moment. I guess It was safe to say that Justin tried 'too hard' to impress me. Like he broke my impressing scale because tell me why he wasn't driving us to some fancy overpriced restaurant in LA like I’d expected but rather he was taking the road to the airport. "Where are we going?" I'd
Justin’s POVBy the time we landed at Santorini International Airport, Ayva was already fast asleep. She’d fallen asleep in her seat about seven hours ago and I’d had to move her to the room where she could comfortably sleep on the bed. I couldn’t fall asleep even though it was a fourteen-hour journey. I’d never been one who was comfortable enough in an airplane to close my eyes no matter how long the flight hours may be. “Ayva,” I tried to wake her, gently shaking her arm. She stirred awake, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked around, a disoriented expression on her face. “When did we arrive? Is this a hotel room?” She asked as she pulled herself to a sitting position. “No. We’re still in the jet.” I told her and she tried to get off the bed. I quickly caught her arm to hold her upright when she almost tripped on her feet.She pulled her hand out of my hold to walk around the room.“Oh my-, this is… it’s like a luxurious hotel in the air.” She marveled.As I wat
Justin’s POVI promised myself to make sure that I gave Emily all she wanted from me because, without her, I never would have seen Ayva look so happy. I never would have seen her smile so brightly at me, brighter than the morning sun. Who knew that a trip was all I needed to make Ayva feel like the happiest woman alive?We arrived at the hotel soon and after speaking to the receptionist and confirming the reservation I’d made online, she gave me the key card to the room, thanking me for choosing that hotel. “Just one room?” Ayva asked, her eyes narrowed and glimmering. “Would you have rather I got us separate rooms? It’s not too late to get another room if—”“No.” She quickly said, wrapping her arms around my left bicep. “No, this arrangement is perfect.” The room was vast and luxurious like I’d seen online. There was a large living room, a balcony, and a room. And like I’d wanted, there was only one king-sized bed in the room. There were so many things I wanted to do with her on
Justin’s POV“Can I have the key? I left something in the room.” Ayva asked just as we arrived at the reception. “I’ll be back real quick.” She said before running over to the elevator. I walked over to one of the green couches in the waiting area and took a seat, patiently waiting for her to get back. “Senhor,” a feminine voice called with a gentle hand placed on my shoulder. I looked in the direction of the voice, a look of familiarity shining in both of our eyes. “It’s you.” She said in Portuguese. Her eyes shone with surprise as if she never expected to run into me again after our little encounter that morning. She flashed me a wide grin and to be polite I gave her a small smile. She must have taken it as an invitation because the next thing she did was sit next to me. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried to be polite. “I don’t remember getting your name earlier.” She said. Maybe that was because I told you what it was…“I’m Alexia,” she said with an arm outstretched. I must have tak
Ayva’s POVThere were two things Justin did that made anger bubble within me. Firstly, he was still sitting so close to the lady, despite me standing right in front of him. He made me feel as though they’d been doing something important and I’d ungracefully interrupted them. Secondly, the way she looked at him. While Justin had no power over the way she was looking at him, he’d given her the access. He’d let her be so close to him that one may think he’d gone on that trip with her instead.I wasn’t someone who irrationally got jealous or was against my partner interacting with the opposite sex but something about that lady’s fondness with Justin ticked me off. Where did they meet? In LA or somewhere else? Could she have been one of those girls he used to have sex with during his whore phase? Jace did say something about Justin going wild those two years I was away. Did they meet then?Her eyes scrutinized me and I couldn’t help but feel a bit insecure under her stare. I mean sh
Justin’s POV"I forgot to ask, how's Ethan doing?" Ayva suddenly asked, catching me off guard. I felt a mix of surprise and relief that she decided to break her silence. It was the first time she had spoken to me since we boarded the cruise ship.Gabriel, one of the staff members on deck, had given us a tour of the ship, a journey that lasted about thirty minutes. Throughout the tour, Ayva remained silent, not sharing her thoughts on the ship's ambiance and facilities. Even when I asked for her opinion, she simply nodded. There was no excitement or joy, unlike the previous day on the jet. Most of the time during the ship tour, she was engrossed in her phone.I blamed myself for the situation.If only I hadn't stared at Alexia as she left. If only I had been more mindful of where my gaze wandered.I had attempted to address the issue multiple times since then, but each time, she found a way to deflect the conversation before it could even begin.When I tried to broach the topic at the
Ayva’s POVI was scared. I couldn't figure out if it was because it was the first time I'd seen Justin that angry with me or because he was walking away like he didn't want to be near me anymore. It felt like I was losing him.Maybe I went too far by calling him a liar. The hurt in his eyes when I said those words kept replaying in my mind."Justin," I called out, but he didn't stop. Panic started to set in. I was afraid he was going to leave me. Justin would never purposefully ignore me; I had upset him so much."Justin, please wait," I pleaded, the desperation clear in my voice. I was sure he could hear the fear in my words, but he kept walking, not looking back.My heart was racing in my chest, my palms were sweaty. Tears were welling up in my eyes, and my throat felt tight.I pushed myself to walk faster, to catch up to him. Somehow, I made it, managing to stand in front of him, blocking his path."I'm sorry for what I said earlier. It's just that you were sitting really close to
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