silence natasha preston

"You’re making a mistake," James smirked, lounging beside Chloe. "You’ll never find someone better than me." Betrayal shattered Sarah Winters’ world. She thought she had it all until she walked in on her fiancé tangled in bed with her best friend. Humiliated but determined, she refuses to be a victim. If James and Chloe think they’ve won, they’re about to be proven wrong. Elliott Remington is a billionaire CEO, ruthless in business, and completely uninterested in love. Under pressure to marry, he needs a wife to silence his father and secure a critical deal. Sarah needs power, status, and a way to erase the sting of betrayal. They signed a contract for marriage. One year. No emotions. Strictly business. But playing pretend isn’t so simple when lines begin to blur. As jealousy ignites, hidden pasts unravel, and unexpected feelings surface, Sarah and Elliott find themselves trapped in a game where the biggest risk isn’t losing control. It’s falling for each other. And when the truth about Sarah’s past comes to light, the stakes become even higher. Revenge brought them together. Love was never part of the plan. But when the contract ends… will they be able to walk away?

Parce que la fille de son premier amour avait été enfermée dans la voiture et avait succombé à un coup de chaleur, mon père, dans un accès de rage irrationnelle, m’a attachée et enfermée dans le coffre de la voiture. Ses yeux, dénués de toute pitié, se sont posés sur moi avec un dégoût palpable. « Je n’ai pas de fille aussi vile que toi », m’a-t-il lancé, « reste ici et paie le prix de ta faute ! » Je l’ai supplié de me pardonner, ma seule requête étant de pouvoir respirer l’air frais à nouveau. Mais sa réponse était aussi glaciale que l’acier : « Personne ne peut la laisser sortir à moins qu’elle ne soit morte. » La voiture, garée dans l’obscurité du garage, offrait un silence lourd. Pendant des heures, puis des jours, mes appels désespérés se perdaient dans l’indifférence totale du monde extérieur, ne pouvant pas percer l’épaisse solitude de cet endroit. Le temps s’est étiré dans une lente torture, et ce n’est qu’au septième jour que mon père, enfin, s’est souvenu que, malgré tout, j’étais sa fille. Mais il ignorait alors que j’étais déjà morte, engloutie par l’obscurité de ce coffre, mon âme éteinte à jamais...

“I've sacrificed so much for our sake, to get this duplicitous act from my husband and my foster sister!” My heart clenched at the sight of their naked bodies.  I lacked words to say, My heart felt crushed under the weight of their sinful act! I was about to give Liam the most exciting news of our lives on our third wedding anniversary. The insemination procedure was a success, and I was pregnant with his child.  That day turned out to be the opposite of what I expected it to be. I ended up being humiliated in the presence of my foster sister, I was asked to sign the divorce papers, and was also sent out of my matrimonial home that same day.  **** “Mrs Sophia, there was a big complication from the final procedure we carried out on you.  “What's wrong? I managed to say, without minding the tension coming from his voice. After a few minutes of silence…  “A mistake occurred during the insemination procedure, leading to the incorrect sperm being used and….” he took a deep breath. "You're carrying the child of the CEO Williams Corporation.” My eyes widened in shock. “Whatttt!! This was just the beginning of my twist of fate with the ‘Cold and Callous Billionaire’....  Ethan Williams. 

Living with my aunt and her family was meant to be a temporary, quiet arrangement just helping out and keeping to myself. On the first day of the new year, while everyone else was out celebrating, I stayed home, enjoying the rare silence and catching up on sleep. But when we ran out of water, I reluctantly stepped outside to fetch some, and that’s when I saw him. He stood by the gate of the house next door, effortlessly commanding attention with just a glance. A smirk played on his lips, and a flicker of amusement danced in his eyes behind his blue-ray glasses. At that moment, he was impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, I felt disheveled and barely awake, my hair was a mess and still shaking off sleep. But he didn’t seem to mind. There was something about him an air of mystery that made me wonder who he was and why he was there. Before I could look away, he spoke, “Hi.” Caught off guard, I managed a quick, “Hi,” while trying to pull myself together. “Can I know your name?” he asked. I hesitated but replied, “I’m Clara,” and kept walking. “Can I have your number?” he called after me. “Just as friends.” I almost refused but reluctantly agreed, entering my number into his phone. “There,” I said, handing it back. “I’ll call you,” he promised with a smile, as I turned to leave. What began as a chance encounter soon became an inexplicable connection. He had secrets, but there was something about him that saw through me, understanding things no one else did. The man I met next door wasn’t just a fleeting stranger,he became the reason I started questioning everything I thought I wanted.