"I know I should have told you this before, but I was afraid of being turned down," Damien said, holding Bella closely, the words he had left unsaid now spoken. The woman went slack in his arms, too stunned by the confession to struggle further."You... Do you mean that? You love me?" she asked, her voice trembling."Of course I do. I never stopped.""But I... I was so mean to you back then. You were trying to help me, but I cut ties with you, all for Vaughn." Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of all she had sacrificed—her husband, friends, family. She cared about Damien immensely but never dared to hope that he might still have feelings for her.Bella turned in Damien's arms and buried her face in his chest. "I love you, Damien. I'm sorry I didn’t realize it sooner.""That's fine, Bell. I'm just happy to have you back, safe and sound. I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to set you free.""Okay.""Let's go back to your place first. I think..."Bella heard the click o
This idiot has completely lost his mind. Asking a married woman to be yours—what kind of scandalous hobby was that? Bella was so angry that she considered headbutting Eric just to see if he would pass out from the impact. What a fragile son of a bitch!"I am married!!""It didn't stop you from sleeping with another man, did it?"Bella's mouth fell open. How the fuck would Eric know this? Does that mean Vaughn already knows as well? Oh God, it wasn't a trending topic on social media, was it?! She could already imagine the headlines. No, she would have been swarmed by paparazzi the moment she got out of her house if that was the case.Eric was still looking at her, closely taking in her features. The pouty lips, large doe eyes, and smooth skin—not bad at all."Do not worry; I might be the only one who knows, and your secret will be safe with me, unless... well, you know the rest.""Are you threatening me, Mr. Winter?""Yes. Do you like Chinese food? There's a restaurant close by; we can
She opened her mouth to respond, but Dylan sealed her lips with his. The kiss was surprisingly soft. Just a simple brush of lips, but the sensation of a wet tongue sliding across her bottom lip was enough to make her shiver. Bella pushed Dylan away fiercely.The man was a wall of muscles—not the sort of overpowering build that could be overwhelming, but he had a good build, a sign of constant workouts. Just now, when her hand brushed his chest, she felt the warm skin beneath. Though her strength wasn't nearly enough to push Dylan, he was kind enough to stumble back, more to give her some space than due to the shoving."I am not that kind of person!" She found herself clarifying this fact over and over again. Just earlier, Eric had propositioned her, and now Dylan was doing the same. What they had in common was that they were both using her to get back at Vaughn. This was just a game to them.But this was Bella's goddamn life they were playing with! Yes, she was married to possibly the
"I want to see him! I'm not leaving unless I do!"The secretary felt her irritation soar higher with this woman's behavior. She'd worked in the company for only a few weeks after the boss's last secretary had quit her job all of a sudden. She couldn't understand, for the life of her, why someone would want to give up a job working for America's most generous billionaire. The pay was good, and the boss was kind and easy to deal with.But there were some days when the middle-aged woman was tempted to bang her head on her desk. And it was all because of this blonde bitch. She knew who Jessica Page was—a famous model and sister-in-law to Mr. McCoy. Though Martha had never met the boss's wife in person, she'd heard from her coworkers that the woman was kind and down-to-earth. Her sister, on the other hand, was a bitch! She thought being related to Mr. McCoy meant she could treat his staff disrespectfully."Ms. Page, please understand that the boss is currently busy with work. If you have a
Damien has been acting weird lately. On the days they are together, he clings to Bella like a second shadow, and on other days, he seems to disappear off the surface of the Earth, not even leaving her a text to ease her anxiety. Bella worries, but she knows better than to push things at this point. He is a busy man as well; it's understandable.She attends her horrible classes and spends her leisure time dreaming of freedom—of a divorce. Vaughn doesn’t contact her either, thank God for that. She saw on the news that he was cooperating with Eric's company on a project. How totally bizarre was that? Two businessmen who hated each other’s guts working together? It sounded too unreal.At this point, Dylan Snow seemed to be the only normal aspect of her life. They hung out once in a while, and their friendship was proving to be a wall she could lean on.“Hey, how are you?”Bella cringed, not even needing to look back to know who it was. Silas Walker, the latest thorn in her flesh. She didn
And damn, that revelation made him anxious. Vaughn prided himself on his ability to manipulate others; he was a businessman, after all. With money, he could get whatever and whoever he wanted. But now... even with half his fortune on the line, billions of dollars laid on the table, just begging to be taken, his woman didn't even glance at it a second time.Was I that much of a monster?Vaughn wasn't the kind of asshole who lied to himself—he knew he wasn't a good person. And honestly, he'd never cared before. Good people didn't get what they wanted. Just look at Bella—kind, gentle, and good—yet she was stuck with a monster like him. Goodness made people stupid; it made them ignore all other signs and signals. It was what made her marry him, despite the fact that he hadn't exactly hidden his flaws back then. She must have noticed how he got around her sister—the inappropriate touches must have been obvious. But she believed he was good enough not to break her heart. That was her mistak
'What am I doing? 'Bella thought to herself as Vaughn's kisses trailed to her neck, his fingers slowly working the loose ends of her dress. He had never kissed her like this before—slow and loving, almost as if he thought she would slip out of his grasp at any moment."Vaughn..." Her words were cut off when his lips pressed against hers once more. He backed her against the sofa, his fingers slipping through her dress to caress soft skin. Things were escalating so quickly that Bella feared if she didn’t do something now, she might not get the chance in a few more minutes."Vaughn!" Her trembling hands came up to push her husband's chest.The billionaire pulled back with a small frown, but he didn’t give her the distance she so desperately needed."What’s the matter?""I don’t want to do this!""Come on, it’s just sex. We’ve had sex before, remember...?""It’s not just sex! It’s sex with a man who literally betrayed and destroyed my life! I’d be crazy to let this happen!""Your body...
Bella blinked, startled. "Your... sister is Jess?" It was hard to imagine that the stubborn girl Dylan talked so fondly about was none other than Jessica—the woman who clung annoyingly to Bella's lover. "That's a surprise. I don't see any resemblance.""Yeah, she takes after our mom. Lucky her. By the way, are you familiar with Jess?""Well, not that much. She hangs out with Damien a lot, so we've met a couple of times." Bella tried not to let the bitter jealousy seep into her voice. She wasn’t sure if she pulled it off because Dylan was looking at her with those attentive eyes that seemed to see right through her very soul. She turned her gaze away, afraid that if she kept looking at him any longer, he might see how much bitterness she was masking."Didn't think they were back together."Back together? What the hell did that even mean? Her eyes darted back to him so quickly she went dizzy for a moment. "What?""You know, the guy I was telling you my sister's been dating—the rich boy.
Jessica's life had never been more challenging than it was at this moment. Don’t get her wrong; she’d always wanted her sister to get divorced, but what’s the point of that anymore when Vaughn didn’t even give her a second look? She’d never seen the man so obsessed before.The news of the divorce had taken the world by storm. Many people were in disbelief as Vaughn and Bella were viewed as the perfect couple. They’d been seen together acting all loved-up, and now they were separating?While Bella seemed to have disappeared completely from the public eye, Vaughn, unfortunately, was left to deal with the aftermath of the divorce. The paparazzi followed him like a second shadow. The blinding flash of their cameras and the inappropriate questions they threw at him pissed him off to no end. At this point, he might just work directly from home.But even while at home, there were still some people who came to bother him from time to time. Damien blamed him for his split with Bella, like Vaug
Bella met with the lawyer the next day. He was a middle-aged man who had been working with the Walker family for almost a decade. According to Ethan, he was one of the best lawyers money could buy."Ms. Page, you need to understand, if you insist on not filing for domestic violence, you'll likely end up with very little after the divorce. Your husband has such a good reputation in the public eye. Also, since you filed for the divorce, he has more advantage in this case.""It doesn't matter. I didn’t want anything to begin with. I want a smooth parting if that's possible."The man hummed in understanding. "We'll still have to meet up with your husband's lawyer. Your husband has asked that you speak to him in person.""Fine. Where?" Vaughn was probably going to try to convince her not to go through with the divorce. However, her mind was made up. If he came all the way to China for that, then she'd like to see the disappointment on his face when she rejected him. Also, she had some thin
Her words didn't garner the reaction she had been expecting. Her father and brother looked like they had anticipated her saying this."I have a lawyer ready. In two days, all arrangements to go to court will be concluded," Ethan said, assuring his daughter with a soft smile.He was usually a detached person who rarely showed such emotions. Ever since the tragedy years ago, he’d felt as though he had lost his reason to wake up every day with a smile. But now, with his daughter back, he vowed to honor his deceased wife by being a good and supportive father.Bella was surprised. She hadn’t expected Ethan to have already found a lawyer for her. She wondered if Damien had told him about the divorce earlier. Either way, she still felt uneasy about having to ask for their help.“I… thank you. You didn’t have to do this for me, but I’m grateful.”“This is what we must do. You are the daughter of the Walker family, and nobody is allowed to get away with bullying you.”“We’ll easily amass half
Bella's mouth fell open. She wanted to curse but couldn’t find it in her to utter even a single word. She felt completely drained. Jess took her silence as submission, and with one last hateful glare, she stormed out of the house, slamming the door hard behind her.Bella slowly rose to her feet and walked to her bedroom to strip off her clothes. Mindlessly, she walked into the bathroom to shower. Even the hot water didn’t manage to calm her down. Today was turning out to be one of the worst days of her life, and that was saying a lot, considering she had had a lot of bad luck in the past few years.She didn’t sleep a wink that night. Whenever she closed her eyes, even for a moment, her mind quickly flashed back to Damien and the conversation they’d had earlier. Bella wasn’t frightened by Jessica’s threat. At this point, she didn’t think her life could get any worse. But the fact that the woman was pregnant couldn’t be ignored. And Damien had so ruthlessly lied to her face for weeks. T
Bella blinked, startled. "Your... sister is Jess?" It was hard to imagine that the stubborn girl Dylan talked so fondly about was none other than Jessica—the woman who clung annoyingly to Bella's lover. "That's a surprise. I don't see any resemblance.""Yeah, she takes after our mom. Lucky her. By the way, are you familiar with Jess?""Well, not that much. She hangs out with Damien a lot, so we've met a couple of times." Bella tried not to let the bitter jealousy seep into her voice. She wasn’t sure if she pulled it off because Dylan was looking at her with those attentive eyes that seemed to see right through her very soul. She turned her gaze away, afraid that if she kept looking at him any longer, he might see how much bitterness she was masking."Didn't think they were back together."Back together? What the hell did that even mean? Her eyes darted back to him so quickly she went dizzy for a moment. "What?""You know, the guy I was telling you my sister's been dating—the rich boy.
'What am I doing? 'Bella thought to herself as Vaughn's kisses trailed to her neck, his fingers slowly working the loose ends of her dress. He had never kissed her like this before—slow and loving, almost as if he thought she would slip out of his grasp at any moment."Vaughn..." Her words were cut off when his lips pressed against hers once more. He backed her against the sofa, his fingers slipping through her dress to caress soft skin. Things were escalating so quickly that Bella feared if she didn’t do something now, she might not get the chance in a few more minutes."Vaughn!" Her trembling hands came up to push her husband's chest.The billionaire pulled back with a small frown, but he didn’t give her the distance she so desperately needed."What’s the matter?""I don’t want to do this!""Come on, it’s just sex. We’ve had sex before, remember...?""It’s not just sex! It’s sex with a man who literally betrayed and destroyed my life! I’d be crazy to let this happen!""Your body...
And damn, that revelation made him anxious. Vaughn prided himself on his ability to manipulate others; he was a businessman, after all. With money, he could get whatever and whoever he wanted. But now... even with half his fortune on the line, billions of dollars laid on the table, just begging to be taken, his woman didn't even glance at it a second time.Was I that much of a monster?Vaughn wasn't the kind of asshole who lied to himself—he knew he wasn't a good person. And honestly, he'd never cared before. Good people didn't get what they wanted. Just look at Bella—kind, gentle, and good—yet she was stuck with a monster like him. Goodness made people stupid; it made them ignore all other signs and signals. It was what made her marry him, despite the fact that he hadn't exactly hidden his flaws back then. She must have noticed how he got around her sister—the inappropriate touches must have been obvious. But she believed he was good enough not to break her heart. That was her mistak
Damien has been acting weird lately. On the days they are together, he clings to Bella like a second shadow, and on other days, he seems to disappear off the surface of the Earth, not even leaving her a text to ease her anxiety. Bella worries, but she knows better than to push things at this point. He is a busy man as well; it's understandable.She attends her horrible classes and spends her leisure time dreaming of freedom—of a divorce. Vaughn doesn’t contact her either, thank God for that. She saw on the news that he was cooperating with Eric's company on a project. How totally bizarre was that? Two businessmen who hated each other’s guts working together? It sounded too unreal.At this point, Dylan Snow seemed to be the only normal aspect of her life. They hung out once in a while, and their friendship was proving to be a wall she could lean on.“Hey, how are you?”Bella cringed, not even needing to look back to know who it was. Silas Walker, the latest thorn in her flesh. She didn
"I want to see him! I'm not leaving unless I do!"The secretary felt her irritation soar higher with this woman's behavior. She'd worked in the company for only a few weeks after the boss's last secretary had quit her job all of a sudden. She couldn't understand, for the life of her, why someone would want to give up a job working for America's most generous billionaire. The pay was good, and the boss was kind and easy to deal with.But there were some days when the middle-aged woman was tempted to bang her head on her desk. And it was all because of this blonde bitch. She knew who Jessica Page was—a famous model and sister-in-law to Mr. McCoy. Though Martha had never met the boss's wife in person, she'd heard from her coworkers that the woman was kind and down-to-earth. Her sister, on the other hand, was a bitch! She thought being related to Mr. McCoy meant she could treat his staff disrespectfully."Ms. Page, please understand that the boss is currently busy with work. If you have a