เข้าสู่ระบบแชร์
10– Adaline
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด:
2025-04-02 08:21:47
บทที่เกี่ยวข้อง
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 11– Adaline
“The day before your birthday, why did you have tears in your eyes while running out of that hotel?”I’m unable to breathe for a moment, then when I finally find my rhythm, my heart’s palpitation is so ragged that it makes me feel dizzy.My hands shake on my thighs, and I curl my fingers to keep them steady as my angry and tearful eyes bore into Michael’s expecting ones. “I thought you wanted to get to know me?” I ask.He nods. “I do.”I mirror his nod, although mine isn’t really a single nod—I nod in quick successions like I’m trying to collect my thoughts. “And that’s the question you decide to lead with?”Michael’s brows form into a crease, his eyes laced with genuine confusion. “Why? Is anything wrong with it?”Inhale. Exhale. Maybe he truly doesn’t know what significance his question holds, maybe he doesn’t realize that this question of his struck so deep it opened old wounds. Still, it doesn’t make it any less painful. “You should’ve at least started by asking what my favori
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-04-03To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 12– Michael
Her shoulders are stiff—no, her entire stance is rigid. and the way her father’s eyes dart to mine from across the room—it tells me everything I need to know. Firstly: They’re talking about me.Secondly: It’s not a good conversation.I’d bet my last dollar that my beautiful wife is spinning a desperate tale about how I drugged and dragged her to Las Vegas against her will, trying to use it as an excuse to claw her way out of a fate that has already been sealed.But Adaline doesn’t realize a few crucial things.For one, her father will never, in a million years, have the balls to call off this engagement. He’s a businessman before anything else, and business deals—especially the ones he makes with men like me—are not so easily undone.And the most delicious part? A few minutes ago, Adaline Daniels became Adaline Black.Everything leading to this moment was orchestrated. The second I decided I wanted Adaline to become my wife, my future, the game began. I moved pieces, played my hand,
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-04-04To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 13– Adaline
Flashback: Dreamstate“Stroke the line just like that, little princess,” mom says, keeping her hand on mine to guide me. “You’re shaking, princess. Steady your hand, okay? You got it.”I huff out a frustrated breath, hating that I can’t even get something as simple as this right. Mom strokes my hair softly, and leans down to plant a kiss on the top of my head. “You’re frowning, baby, what’s wrong?”I shake my head and put down the paint brush. “I’m not perfect at this, mom.” I tell her.“And who says perfection is expected of you?”I purse my lips, blinking slowly. “But you’re perfect at everything, mom.” Mom smiles warmly, her hand going under my chin and lifting my head so that she’s looking into my eyes. “Who says I’m perfect?”“I see it,” I confess, “and dad says it all the time.”“Between you and I, baby, your dad isn’t very smart.” She laughs as she pools a stool close to mine and sits. I laugh with her, my shoulders quaking. “I am far from perfect… no one is perfect, do you k
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-04-05To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 14– Adaline
I’m having another dream—not a nightmare, a dream. A good one judging from the way something gently tickles my skin. I exhale shakily, a foreign sound eliciting in my throat as I turn in bed. The gentle tickling doesn’t stop. I draw my brows into a furrow and slowly pry my eyes open. I'm still very sleepy. I feel like I’ve not had enough sleep yet. I turn again or try to, but it seems something is weighing my limbs down. When did the covers become so heavy? I groan, blinking up into the ceiling. Everything is blurry, my mind working too slow to register my surroundings. Shifting my hand to the other side of the bed and patting, I call out groggily, “Michael?” No answer. Of course he wouldn’t be here, the man doesn’t sleep. The tingling sensation intensifies and the feeling… oh gosh the feeling… my stomach ties into knots and summersaults, drawing a moan out of my throat before I can even stop myself. And it’s now that I realize the feeling is precisely happening between my l
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-04-06To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 15– Adaline
I’m starting to doubt the statement: ‘perfection doesn’t exist.’Because I’ve been gifted with a perfect man. A man who doesn’t just have a beautiful face, but knows how to make a woman happy both in the bedroom and outside of it. The breakfast plans he spoke about? It’s happening on the rooftop. I didn’t even know the house has a rooftop—a rooftop that’s overseeing the entire ocean.“I still can’t believe my father punched you in the face,” I smile as I glance at Michael from across the table.Michael looks at me like he’s playfully offended. “Do I look ugly with the bruises?” He asks.“It’s a good accessory for that pretty face,” I tell him with a chuckle. “Although, I didn’t imagine you’d be so concerned about your face, Michael. Isn’t that a bit vain?”He drops his fork, throws his head back and hoots with laughter. It lasts for a moment, and I stare at him in awe until he stops and returns his gaze to me. “I’m a very vain man, baby girl.” He tells me.“Yeah?” I muse. “Yeah.” He
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-04-06To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 16– Adaline
The moment we boarded the jet, Michael had leaned down, whispering apologies into my ear. And when I cupped his face, kissed him softly and told him I understood, he disappeared into one of the rooms and hasn’t come out since then.“You seem tense, Adaline,” Kate points out as she comes and sits beside me. “Do you maybe want to go and look for him, know how he’s doing?”I look at her and smile softly. “I’m sure it’s nothing serious. Maybe he just needs some time to handle business.”Kate smiles back. “But you’re worried. And you should… maybe show him that you care, or make sure everything is okay instead of sitting here and wearing a scowl on your face.”I lean back into the seat and pop my thumb between my teeth, chewing on it as I think. The pilot’s voice as he announces how high up we are from the ground jolts my mind back from the thoughts. I guess I should go and see Michael, check on him to be sure whatever is going on back home isn’t really serious. Standing, I stride into
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-04-07To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 17– Michael
My Adaline must really hate me now. That’s the only thought in my head as I stare at the speeding car. But she has to understand that I’m doing this for her. I’m trying to protect her. I cannot fail—she’s my responsibility… was my responsibility before she became my love. So, maybe I can endure losing her love or affection or whatever the fuck she feels for me that makes her stare at me with the softest gaze, but I cannot endure it if anything happened to her. She’s a Black now. My wife. “They’re ready, boss,” My right-hand, Ken, tells me.“Well, what are we waiting for…” I’m already climbing into the car before the words fully make it out. The car ride, as expected, is unnervingly quiet. It’s quiet, but not calm. How can it be calm when my mind is raging with very unpleasant questions? I want answers. I have questions.Actually, I have one question: Why?I want to know why they’d go after my woman, why they’d go as far as setting Jameson’s building on fire, specifically Adalin
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-04-08To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 18– Adaline
I’m irritated and I have my reasons. Firstly: Michael’s PA, or guard, or… whatever he is to Michael—has refused to give me my phone. His excuse? He’s acting on direct orders from his boss.Secondly: when I finally was able to get my hands on the landline, I called my father multiple times, and he didn’t answer even one call. Then I called Michael. The infuriating man didn’t answer my call either. Hours later, I’ve still not heard from both of them. No, from three of them. Kate apparently joined the ‘avoid Adaline’s call by all means’ team. Fuck them. I’m pacing the living room, my eyes moving around the space, my mind convincing me to relax and take in the beauty of Michael’s home. I don’t let it. Is it a beautiful home? Yes. But that is the least of my problems.I do what I always do when I’m nervous: chew on my nails.It’s not until late into the night that I hear the sound of cars screeching to a stop in front of the manor. I stop my pacing and stand, my wide eyes to the door
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2025-04-09
บทล่าสุด
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 34– Adaline
I’m waiting outside the company building, beside my father’s car as I wait for him to round up his brief meeting with his secretary and drive me home. My apartment isn’t very far from the family’s estate. Dad initially refused my request of moving in on my own, but when I threatened him with going to my grandmother from my mother’s side and giving up the career path he chose for me, he finally agreed with the condition that he drives me to and from work. I’m scrolling endlessly on my phone when I hear his approaching footsteps and the click of the car as the driver unlocks it. I stare up from my phone, my eyes meeting Dad’s for a brief moment. He simply eyes me as he rounds the car, climbing in—that’s all the acknowledgement I get from him.Someone is in a mood. I climb in and settle at the edge of the seat, still scrolling on my phone. The energy isn’t really helping my already frayed mind. I steal a glance at Dad, rolling my bottom lip between my teeth and nobbling for a moment
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 33– Adaline
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”Then I walk out. And it’s not because I’m over him. But because I need to get away from him before the tears brimming my eyes start streaming down my face and he sees the effect he has on me. I run into the rest room, and lock myself inside one of the toilets, unbuttoning my shirt as I gasp, chasing my breath. I tell myself that Michael is not here. That was just a brief moment of mental relapse. But who am I kidding. He was there. He is here. Tears wet my cheeks and I wipe them off, sniffing while I gently slam my head into a wall until I’m able to calm my racing mind. And by the time that happens, my thirty minute lunch break is already over. Frustration is a little word to describe how I feel as I rush to the company cafeteria and get a coffee before rushing back to my office. I bring the cup between my lips, taking a slow sip as I open my office door and step in. My brows knit. My eyes narrow. And I stop dead in my tracks.What the…Mich
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 32– Adaline
Three months later.It’s been exactly three months since Michael left. Three months without a message, or call, or visit, since he disappeared like he doesn’t exist.And somewhere between heartbreak and healing, I made peace with it. Even if it felt like my insides were ripping apart, even when my pride was crushed, I accepted the burn and moved on.There’s no use dwelling on the silence, on dwelling on someone who means nothing to me.I think of him sometimes. More than I’d like to admit. In the mornings, when I’m brushing my teeth and I glance up at my reflection. At night, when the world goes quiet and there’s nothing but the hum of my laptop, I remember the way he used to look at me with those creepy eyes that someone found a way to make me feel giddy.But it doesn’t matter now.Michael made his choice, and I’ve made mine.I buried myself in work, picked up the pieces of my pride, and continued my studies—online. I’m studying to become an accountant. Dad thinks it’s a good career
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 31– Michael
I rise, adjusting the cuffs of my shirt as I crush the end of my cigar into the ashtray. Without another word, I step out of the office, Caleb following behind me, and head down the hall toward the underground VIP lounge—the place where real conversations happen. Where the masks come off and the deals get bloody.The underground lounge is a little quieter than the main club, but there’s still music here, although more tame so we can hear each other speak when talking business rather than screaming at the top of our lungs. I push open the door and step inside. It’s a haze of smoke, perfume, and poor decisions.Three men—Jorge, Luis, and Santino—are lounging on the dark velvet couches like kings on thrones. Shirt buttons open. Cigars burning. Their suits wrinkled from how tenaciously the dancers are grinding on them.They’re laughing so loud and throwing cash into the air like they’ve never received a lap-dance from a naked woman before. Luis slaps a dancer’s thigh while Jorge pops ope
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 30– Michael
Today’s been nothing short of chaos—going from one meeting to the next, shaking new hands while cutting ties with old ones. And in all of these, the only person I’ve thought about is Adaline.I want to know what she’s doing, how she’s doing..It’s maddening not knowing.I thought about dropping everything and going to her. I thought about showing up at her door, giving her the clarity I know she needs. She craves communication, she always has because it makes her feel in control of situations even when she’s not. So I’m certain that the silence I’ve left behind is slowly driving her out of her mind.But I didn’t go.Because I need more time.Just a little more time.Maybe it’s cowardice. Or maybe it’s protection. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Not yet.Maybe this is for the best.I flick my lighter, watching the flame curl out like a tongue, licking the end of my cigar until it chars and glows red. I take a long drag, the smoke filling my lungs. I pull the cigar away, exhaling slowly,
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 29– Adaline
It’s almost noon, and I can’t say my day has gotten better.From the moment I woke up—after just a few hours of sleep that can be considered “adequate,” yet somehow still exhausted—with a splitting headache, to now, sitting in my mother’s art room, pretending to work on a piece… nothing has changed, everything has just been going downhill.I haven’t made a single decent brushstroke. My eyes aren’t even on the canvas—they’re fixed outside the window, watching the rain pelt the ground aggressively. Of all the days, it chose to rain today.The rain had better wash away this worry of mine before I completely crash out.My fingers shake around the brush, making it slip from my hand for the millionth time today, falling straight onto my shorts and staining them red. A low groan rumbles in my throat and I collapse back into the seat, slouching and pushing my lips out into a pout. My jaw clenches hard. My teeth feel like they’re grinding to dust.This isn’t how I envisioned my day.But it’s
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 28– Adaline
I’m done packing my bags—just the necessary things I’d be needing for my stay at Michael’s. I don’t know how long I’ll be there before I have to come back home, but I’m sure I won’t be lacking anything.If there’s anything I need, Michael can sort it out.I zip up the box and stand in front of the mirror, adjusting the sleeves of my dress and smoothing out the fabric. My fingers twitch slightly with nervousness as his words echo in my mind.The things he wants to do to me, how he wants to do them… I inhale a deep breath, shaking my head to rid myself of such thoughts before focusing on styling my hair.The door creaks open behind me.I glance toward it, half-expecting Michael to walk in and tease me about taking too long.But it’s not him.It’s Kate.“You look happy,” she says with a soft smile, stepping inside and closing the door gently behind her. “Happier than you were yesterday…”I nod, my lips curling faintly. “Yeah… I took your advice and spoke to Michael about how I feel. And
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 27– Michael
It’s been long minutes since I returned to Jameson’s office and quite frankly, steering my mind away from Adaline’s bare ass splayed on that island has been a hassle.And all I’ve done since coming in here is chug one glass after another of scotch.Jameson, although matching my reckless drinking pace, has been staring at me with narrowed eyes, seemingly wondering how my mood went sour after I went to meet Adaline.I groan and slam the glass down on the table for the… I don’t know, I’ve lost count.“You’re in a mood,” Jameson points out, taking a slow sip of the remaining drink in his glass.His eyes are already hooded, but the man is just as stubborn as his daughter. “You think?” I ask.He lifts his shoulder in shrug. “Just saying, my man. What happened?”“What happened is that your daughter is an infuriating woman. I’m this close to admitting she’s too much for me to handle.” I bite out, a growl in my voice.Actually, what I mean to say is that his daughter is beautiful, so beautifu
To Hate, To Love, And To Wed 26– Michael
“Adaline?” The door creaks as I push it open, walking into what I suppose is her room on hesitant steps. “Are you in here?”There’s no response. I walk further into the room, my eyes sweeping across the space. Adaline has the same taste as her mother.White everything—from the walls, to the sheets, to the curtains. And anything that is not white is either beige or black. Classy and mysterious.“Adaline?” I call out again, refocusing my mind on why I’m here. There’s still no response but I can hear the shower running. The door leading into her closet is open, so I take that as an invitation and step in.One step. Two steps. “Adaline?”When she doesn’t respond, I stop in my steps, a scoff leaving me. Smart girl. She’s luring me—into her bathroom.Fine, if that’s the game she wants to play, then I’ll oblige her.Anticipation pulses like a roar in my head as I wrap a hand around the door knob, twisting it slowly, taking my time with it so she feels exactly how I feel.Desperate.Needy.T
