Ayva’s POV“OMG! He’s hot as fuck!” Exclaimed Sabrina, one of Eleanor’s friends said. “I heard that he and his wife are looking for a girlfriend to spice things up in their relationship. I’m considering approaching them because, damn! I’ve got to have a taste of that bloke.” We were gathered in a cabin on the upper deck of the yacht. After I walked away from Justin, I bumped into Cassie, another English-speaking friend of Eleanor’s. She told me that Eleanor was looking for me, leading me to find myself in a room with five other women, gossiping about the men on deck whom they found appealing or unappealing. “And where do you intend to place your boyfriend in this arrangement?” Eleanor asked Sabrina. Sab shrugged. "He doesn't need to know about it. Who knows, maybe he'd be open to a foursome if I bring it up. He's unaware that I'm aware, but," she leaned in and whispered, "He's into orgies and such."“That could actually work. I’d say go for it.” Claudia encouraged. “Ayva,” Lauren
Ayva's POV It'd been almost ten minutes of searching and I still couldn't find Justin anywhere. He wasn't in the lounge where I'd left him and neither was he at the poker table where many of the men were gathered. I couldn't ask anyone around if they'd seen 'Justin' because I didn't expect anyone around to know who he was. I left the upper deck for the middle deck and after searching through and couldn't find him, I went down to the lower deck and when I still couldn't find him, panic settled in me. I couldn't help but think about what Claudia said. 'Wild vixens are lurking around ready to pounce on him.' The cabins were the only places I hadn't checked and I couldn't help but think the worst. What if he was in one of those cabins? What if he wasn't alone? My heart suddenly skipped a beat and my palm started to get clammy. ‘No no. It can't be. Justin wouldn't do that to me. I trust him. Maybe I just didn't search thoroughly enough. Yeah, that's it. I just need to do o
Ayva’s POVI was restless.It’d been almost two hours since the party ended. I kept tossing around the bed, trying to find the right position to fall asleep, but I couldn’t find it. I glanced at the little wall clock for the time. It was just a few minutes past 4 AM. I couldn’t tell if the reason I was finding it difficult to fall asleep was because of the grunts and moans coming from the cabin next to ours or if it was because the queen-sized bed felt too big for me alone. Justin was in the living room on the couch. He’d refuse to share the bed with me because he’d made a promise not to touch me and ‘he didn’t want to be tempted.’ I’d scoffed when he said that because that was my intention. I wanted to tempt him and get him to do the deeds with me. I tried to make him understand that I was fine now but he wasn’t fully convinced. His words were,“I might hurt you again. And I’m afraid of that.” His voice had sounded so raw and filled with guilt that I knew then that there was nothing
Justin’s POV“Where are we going?” Ayva asked for the umpteenth time that night and again I replied,“You’ll find out soon.” My eyes were set on the road even though I wasn’t driving. With Ayva seated next to me, the road was the best place for me to stare unless I was trying to lose my composure and make her see how jittery I was. Ayva had always been beautiful all the years I’d known her but that night, there was something different, something more out of this world about her beauty. I’d taken her to a beauty salon earlier where she had changed her hairstyle and got her makeup done. The long white dress she had on added an elegant touch to her soft, angelic look. Her hair was up in a hairdo that displayed her neck and sexy collarbone adorned by the star necklace I’d given her years ago. A necklace she never took off. Ayva suddenly placed a hand on top of mine that was sitting on my thigh. My heart skipped and as I stared down at her smooth, silky hand, I started to wonder if she’
Ayva’s POVMy heart skipped a beat as Justin went down on one knee. I felt all color drain from my face and I was so sure that there was no difference between me and a ghost. A series of emotions passed through me. I was flustered, shocked, confused, and dumbfounded. What the heck was going on?Why was he on his knees? Why was he looking at me like that? What was the ring in the box for? Who was it for? Me? Why? I blinked multiple times with the thought that if I was dreaming, it should wake me back to reality but, it wasn’t a dream. Justin was still on his knees, he was still holding the black box, the shiny jewelry sitting pretty in the box was still staring at me!“Justin what is… I mean is this… no, how can I… this can’t be… I mean, what is going on?” I spluttered, my mind was a jumbo mess. I was utterly shocked and dumbfounded. ‘Why is he pro… I mean is that even allowed? When he’s still legally married to someone else?’ He chuckled, “I’m not proposing, Ayva.” “You’re not?”
Ayva’s POV “Is something wrong? Are you okay?” Justin asked as I stared out the window of the plane after landing at LAX. There was a shift, and I felt different, unlike when we arrived at Santorini, I wasn’t excited. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied, though not completely true. I was fine to some extent, but a lingering sadness hung over me. The past week had given me a break from reality, but now I had to face it again, picking up where I left off.Why couldn't life always be like it was in Santorini? Why couldn't I stay carefree forever, without any worries?“Something is wrong, Ayva, I can tell,” Justin said. I turned from the window to look at him. He searched my face, a bit unsettled by my expression. “It’s me, isn’t it? I did something to offend you, didn’t I?” I shook my head, he couldn’t be any more wrong. He’d shown me a different life, a happy, stress-free one I never thought possible. Perhaps the reason I felt that was way because I was selfish for wanting to stay in that p
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
Ayva’s POVI stared at the woman standing in front of me. She looked different from what I remembered. Her eyes seemed to sparkle more, and her skin radiated a healthy glow. Despite the angry red marks on her face, she looked happy and beautiful.As I observed her, a question lingered in my mind: was I truly happy? Maybe if I’d asked myself that question an hour ago, I might have answered yes, but now, I seemed to struggle with the answer. I felt… strange, numb, and— My body, my soul, they felt different things. My body seemed so out of touch with reality, almost as if it believed I was in a world that was not as tumultuous as my own, as if my world was not filled with turbulence.‘Do you even know that while you were away with that woman, Bella was at the hospital fighting for her life? She slipped on the stairs and bled so much. It was a miracle she didn’t lose your child’When I remembered those words, only one thought crossed my mind. If he hadn’t been with me, would he have be
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