I was married for a whole ten years, but my husband and I lived completely separate lives. He was head over heels for his secretary, while I had a bunch of younger guys on the side. I thought things would stay the same. Until I met a guy who didn’t care about my money but actually wanted my love and to marry me. It really hit me hard. So I told my husband I wanted a divorce. He lost it, wrecking the entire house and yelling at me, “How dare you take him seriously!?”
On the day I became his Mate, my best friend was attacked by rogues on her way to our ritual. Afterward, he embraced her tightly in his arms and blamed me. “Raina, it’s all your fault. You owe her.” From then on, the balance in his heart tilted entirely towards her. Later, as I lay dying from assassination, I made a final mind link with him for help. But he impatiently cut off the mind link. ‘Can’t you understand? She needs me. I can’t leave her right now!’ He didn’t know I was dying. In my new life, I decide to grant his desire. I’ll leave him understandingly, as he wished.
On my birthday, my boyfriend bought me a cake and celebrated the occasion with me in the classroom. When I closed my eyes and made a wish, someone suddenly pressed my head into the cake. I felt a sharp pain in my face. There was a blade hidden in the cake. When I opened my eyes again, something dazzling was shining on me. Someone laughed and took pictures of my face covered in cream and blood. My boyfriend who once took great care of me sat on the desk, laughing, and snapped his fingers. “Your dream ends now. Caitlyn, welcome to the real world.”
My dear teacher in high school thought I was a b*tch. She hated me so much and humiliated me endlessly. But, sheesh… Her baby boy, the handsome, straight-A student, loved me so much that he could even offer his soul to me.
Book One: BlockedBrit The first question Brit always got when people found out she played ice hockey was “Do you have all of your teeth?” The second was “Do you, you know, look at the guys in the locker room?” The first she could deal with easily—flash a smile of her full set of chompers, no gaps in sight. The second was more problematic. Especially since it was typically accompanied by a smug smile or a coy wink. Of course she looked. Everybody looked once. Everyone snuck a glance, made a judgment that was quickly filed away and shoved deep down into the recesses of their mind. And she meant way down. Because, dammit, she was there to play hockey, not assess her teammates’ six packs. If she wanted to get her man candy fix, she could just go on social media. There were shirtless guys for days filling her feed. But that wasn’t the answer the media wanted. Who cared about locker room dynamics? Who gave a damn whether or not she, as a typical heterosexual woman, found her fellow players attractive? Yet for some inane reason, it did matter to people. Brit wasn’t stupid. The press wanted a story. A scandal. They were desperate for her to fall for one of her teammates—or better yet the captain from their rival team—and have an affair that was worthy of a romantic comedy. She’d just gotten very good at keeping her love life—as nonexistent as it was—to herself, gotten very good at not reacting in any perceptible way to the insinuations. So when the reporter asked her the same set of questions for the thousandth time in her twenty-six years, she grinned—showing off those teeth—and commented with a sweetly innocent “Could’ve sworn you were going to ask me about the coed showers.” She waited for the room-at-large to laugh then said, “Next question, please.” *** This was it, the call up of her life. And Brit was sitting in the parking lot of the arena, unable to force her fingers off the steering wheel. “Get it together,” she muttered. “Or you will suck on the ice.” Harsh, probably. But the truth. Still, the words were enough. Enough to get her body in motion, to pop her door, and walk around to the trunk of her ten-year-old Corolla. Her gear was shoved inside the small space like a sausage threatening to burst from its casing. Brit grabbed the strap and hauled out her bag before slinging it across her shoulder. “You know they have guys for that.” The voice made her jump, and her gaze shot up, then up some more until she stared directly into the eyes of the captain of the San Francisco Gold, Stefan Barie. The slight tinge of a Minnesotan accent made her shiver. Uh-oh. And seriously, only a hockey fan would find a Minnesotan accent sexy. He smiled. “It’s the coldest-winter-is-summer-in-San-Francisco thing.” When she frowned, he cocked his head. “The wind chill.” What? “You know? Mark Twain?” Her brows pulled together. “I know who Mark Twain is, and I’m familiar with the quote. Though it’s a common misnomer, and Twain didn’t actually say it. Still, it is windy in the city . . . I just don’t know why you think I’m cold, and it’s not—” She shook herself. What was the point in her rambling? “Never mind.” This was what her mind did. Every single time. It drifted, focused on mundane details she then couldn’t prevent from bursting free. No surprise that once they were free, her conversations were punctuated with awkward pauses. Like the one happening now. Brit sighed. Give her an interview any time. Let her spout off sound bites to the camera and no problem. It was the real life human interactions that were terrible. “No,” Stefan said. “Tell me. What is it?” It was only because he seemed genuinely interested that she answered. “It’s not summer.” “What?” Another sigh. Yep. Way to go, genius. “It’s technically fall. Summer has been over for six-and-a-half days.” There was a moment of quiet, a long, uncomfortable pause during which neither of them spoke. Then surprisingly—shockingly—Stefan laughed. Her heart gave a little squeeze, her brain said, Uh-oh, but then before she could really panic, he spoke, “You’re absolutely right. Now come on.” Snagging her sticks, he nodded toward the arena. “I’ll show you the ropes.”
Oh no, this wouldn’t do.This. Would. Not. Do. Brit stared up at the obviously hastily created sign—black squiggles of Sharpie and crumpled computer paper tended to highlight that fact. This would not do. “Okay then. See you on the ice,” Stefan said, handing over her sticks and walking down the hall. Brit dropped her bag to the black skate mat laid across the concrete floor, pushed open the door, and peered inside the room, just to make sure it wasn’t full of her teammates, that this wasn’t a lame joke for the new girl. It wasn’t. Hot rage slid through her that she tried to swallow. She needed to be on her A-game. Needed to focus. And this wasn’t the players’ fault. Apparently, management had decided to go for this little endeavor on their own. Likely, they were trying to keep things PC in order to avoid a potential lawsuit. But this was Brit’s future. She fumbled for the switch and flipped on the light. Her heart sank further as a wave of disappointment welled up. It was exactly as she’d feared. A single bench. One equipment rack. Yup. Getting dressed by herself was sure going to help her integrate into the team. The locker room was the heart of any hockey team, where joking and ribbing and plenty of cursing took place. It was where she’d always felt most comfortable, and where she’d been able to find at least a few allies. How was she supposed to receive coaching sequestered by herself? Should she just watch the team bond and draw up plays without her? Miss the talk about D-pairs or changes in the system? She wasn’t the first woman to sign a contract with a professional men’s hockey team, but she was damn sure the first to have earned a chance at the backup goaltending spot. Which might someday lead to a starting position. A major step of which was connecting with her teammates. Brit let the door slam closed, shouldered her bag, and walked down the hall. She heard them before she saw them. “Chin up,” she murmured and pushed into the room. It took a few moments for the guys to notice her. Silence fell, stifling, hot, embarrassing. Not that a little embarrassment would stop her. Spotting an empty bench and rack, she walked across the room. Her bag hit the floor with a thud; her sticks clacked together as she set them against the wall. She could have heard a pin drop, could practically smell the smoke coming out of her teammates’ ears. Not about to let them get the drop on her and having been through this more than her fair share of times, Brit knew it was best to get the awkwardness over. She unzipped her bag, hung up her gear, then toed off her shoes and stripped down. All the way down. “Everyone get that good look,” she said into the quiet locker room. Her gaze slid around, meeting each of the guys’ in turn. Some were obviously confused or shocked, a couple were irritated by her or her interruption, and some were typical men—if their eyes glued to her breasts were any indication. Others—like Blane, her teammate now three times over—were familiar with her methods. He didn’t even blink at her nakedness, just kept his eyes on hers and nodded in greeting. “Get it out of your system,” she told the interested ones, “and get over it,” she said to the irritated section. She was here to stay, and if they had a problem . . . well, they could suck it. To the rest, she said, “Now let’s play some fucking hockey.” With that, she snagged her sports bra and underwear and started getting dressed. “Style points, sweet— I mean, Brit.” She grinned up at Blane, who was half-dressed and standing in front of her, and feigned indifference, even though her heart was pumping with jitters. This may not be her first professional hockey rodeo, but it was still the NHL, where the best came to play. No way she wanted to screw that up. “You know how it is,” she told him. Her anxiety eased when he stepped closer and gave her a quick hug. It was nice to have him there, especially since the two of them went way back, having played together in juniors. “Ten points out of ten.” His voice dropped. “You okay?” “Now I’m fine.” She was. And as soon as she got onto the ice, she’d be even better. “Good.” Her lips twitched. “Good for you to catch that sweetheart.” Blane grimaced, tapped his nose. “Hasn’t been the same since the first time I made the mistake of using it.” She’d been young with a chip on her shoulder the size of a redwood. Blane had made the mistake of trying to prove to his friends he could get in her pants. The result had been a broken nose for him and a month-long grounding for her. But they’d gotten that nonsense out of the way, had settled into a warm and easy friendship. “I’d say sorry—” she began. “But I wouldn’t believe you anyway.” He grinned. “Glad you’re here,” he said and crossed back to his spot to finish getting dressed. Brit grabbed her pelvis protector, pulled it on, then snagged the black and gold striped socks that had been in the other dressing room. Just as she was about to slip one over her foot, a soft voice interrupted her. “Well done,” Stefan said. She turned to look at him, not having noticed he was in the stall next to hers, and her heart gave a little tremble. Which she ignored. Obviously. He raised two fingers in silent salute before continuing to get dressed. Slowly, noise filtered back in through the room, lewd jokes punctuated by awkward pauses as the guys glanced toward her for her reaction. “You’ll have to do better than that,” she called after a particularly bad one. “I’ve heard that lame excuse for a joke before.” Stefan snorted, and her eyes flashed to his. Was it pride in his gaze? Annoyance? She couldn’t tell a damned thing. She’d just knelt atop her pads and begun strapping them on when Coach Bernard came in. He hesitated for the briefest moment, as though surprised to see her, then plugged an iPad into a cord in the corner of the room. The image on the tablet’s screen was projected onto the far wall, and he ran through each of the drills in turn. “Move it,” he told them. “Ten minutes.” On the way out, he paused near Brit, glared, then inclined his head to an open door just off the main part of the locker room. “When you’re finished.” She nodded, tied the last couple of straps, and stood. Leaving her chest protector and helmet on the shelf above the bench, she walked to Bernard’s office. Her pulse raced, and her palms were sweaty. His expression had said this chat wouldn’t be concerning her welcome party. The buckles on her leg pads clinked when she hesitated on the threshold. Bernard glanced up from a stack of papers on his desk and waved at her. “Come in.” Brit shuffled her way inside, waited. Bernard studied her, his face completely impassive, and yet there was something under the surface. It wasn’t dislike exactly, but she got the feeling he hadn’t been one hundred percent on board with her being there. Well, tough. She’d prove herself to him as well. Just as soon as she figured out a way to end this god-awful silence. A minute went by. He stared at her as she stood there, half-dressed and awkwardly taciturn. Eventually, she cleared her throat and asked, “You wanted to see me?” “Yes, Brittany—” “Brit,” she interrupted automatically. Bernard didn’t say anything for another long moment, only regarded at her with a raised brow. Her gut went tight as she stared back. Last thing she wanted to do was get on the wrong foot with management and, between her locker room striptease and interrupting the coach, she had the feeling she was off to a very bad start. “Brit,” he finally said, “I think you’re a good player, don’t doubt that. But I’m not sure you being here is the best thing for the Gold.” Ouch. The Gold were the NHL’s newest expansion team, a controversial addition—and an unnecessary one at that, some thought—in the already professionally crowded, but hockey-hungry Bay Area. As with most expansion teams, they weren’t very good, which wasn’t unusual, but the owners were running out of patience, and the team had gotten some bad press last season: carousing, the odd DUI, then a scandal involving one of their top players and a rape allegation. Couple that with losing the majority of games . . . Rumor had it, if the team didn’t improve this season, the owners might sell. “You think I’m a publicity stunt.” A way to clean up the Gold’s image rather than a valuable addition to the team. It wasn’t something she hadn’t already thought of. Bottom line, though, was it didn’t matter what management’s motivations were. This was her chance to play at the highest level possible. To be the first woman to do so. It was a really big deal, no matter the pushback she would have to withstand. God knew, she’d already endured plenty of it from the media, from other players in the league, from her own mother, who worried she might be in over her head. Outwardly, she held onto a shield of confidence, pretended all of the naysayers had no freaking clue. But inside? She did wonder if she was good enough. Only time would tell. Still, Brit knew one thing. And it was a big one. She knew she could deal with pretty much anything if it meant she could play hockey. The sport was in her heart, in every single nerve ending and cell. She never felt more at home than when she was on the ice. “Maybe you’re a publicity stunt. And maybe it’ll work out.” He shrugged, like it wasn’t her future he was so casually dismissing. “But my experience tells me not.” “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence.” She didn’t bother trying to keep the sarcasm from her voice. Any bridges she might have worried about conserving had been burned long before she’d even set foot in the locker room. Bernard sighed. “You’re talented. I’ll give you that much. Your glove hand is one of the fastest I’ve ever seen. But you’re shorter than the male goalies and weak on your upper blocker side. That will need improvement if you want a chance at a start.” “Noted,” she said. “I’ll work on it.” And she would. “Good.” A beat of quiet. “See you on the ice.” With a nod, she left the office, knowing that despite Bernard’s lack of confidence in her abilities, he had spoken the truth. She was shorter. Her blocker side—the hand that held her goalie stick and was protected by a large rectangular pad—was her biggest weakness. It wasn’t as if she could grow six inches on the spot, but . . . she could work on her technique, bust her ass, and practice hard. Harder than she ever had before.
A man stood next to Brit’s stall when she came out of Bernard’s office. Mid-fifties with close-cropped white hair, he wore a black tracksuit with the Gold’s logo and skates. A pair of gloves and a stick were propped next to her gear.“Brit,” he said, putting out his hand for her to shake. “I’m Frank, but the boys call me Frankie, so feel free.” Call him Frankie? Words literally would not form on her tongue. Because she already knew who the man was. Had researched each member of the Gold’s coaching staff before she’d signed her contract. But that didn’t stop her from being starstruck. Frank wasn’t just Frankie. He was Franklin Todd, renowned goalie coach and former professional player, and just about as close as she got to a hockey orgasm. Meeting him, talking to him was better than shutting down a cocky forward on a breakaway, better than stacking the pads and stealing an almost-guaranteed goal. He was her idol. Except . . . Her heart sank because he probably felt the same way as Bernard. She was an annoyance, a not-quite-good-enough player. Worse. She was a girl. Well, fuck that. Straightening her shoulders, Brit glanced up and forced herself to witness the derision in Frankie’s eyes firsthand. Except it wasn’t there. She stumbled for a moment before settling on “H-hi, Frankie.” He grinned, grabbed up his stick and gloves. “Hi, yourself. Don’t let Bernard get to you. He’s a hardass to every new player, and he especially doesn’t like rookies.” She shrugged into her chest protector and began securing it in place. It was strange to be considered a rookie at her ripe old age. In hockey, rookies tended to be in their teens, or sometimes their early twenties. Definitely not well on their way to their third decade. But that aside, she decided to ask the bigger question. “Why’d he agree to have me on the team?” If she’d been expecting a platitude about Bernard really liking her on the inside or some crap, she’d have been wrong. “He had no choice.” Okay then. “I wanted you and threatened to walk if management didn’t give you a contract.” Brit was dumbfounded for a long moment before she found her voice. “But . . . why?” She’d had her fair share of supporters through the years, her brother, some coaches and players, a small—very small—segment of fans who knew who she was. But why would someone she’d never met—someone she didn’t know—put his neck out for her? “I saw you in Buffalo.” She frowned, thought back to all the times she’d played in Buffalo. Only one game stood out. And not because they’d dominated. “But we got creamed.” Her team had lost 8-1, and she remembered each of the four goals that she’d let in with crystal-clear accuracy. The two periods she’d played had been some of her worst hockey ever. “I know.” Confused, she just stared at him. “You let in some soft ones.” Was that supposed to make her feel better? “But after you were pulled”—after the coach had taken her out of the game and let the other goalie play—“you stayed on the bench instead of going to the locker room.” Brit remembered sitting there, at first because she hadn’t wanted to make the walk of shame past her teammates, and then in sympathy when the score continued to rise. “Yeah, I did.” Frankie watched her for a long moment, his eyes fixed on hers, as though willing her to understand. She didn’t. Big deal. She sat on the bench. It isn’t like she’d done it for unselfish reasons. Frankie sighed, clapped her on the shoulder, and turned toward the hall that led to the ice. “Five minutes.”
I pretended to be my sister and looked after her blind fiancé for a hefty sum of five hundred grand. When he finally regained his sight, I vanished without a word. Fate brought us together again at a press conference. I was just a nobody journalist, and he had risen to power in the wealthy Sinclair family. “We heard your fiancée took great care of you when you were sick. Can we expect a wedding soon?” He smirked and flashed his engagement ring on camera. “Real soon.” As he spoke, I was the only one who noticed his gaze drifting towards me every now and then…
“Yes. Yes. Fuck yes.” His deep voice echoed in the dimly lit bedroom, accompanied by heavy breathing.On the bedside table, his phone started to ring, but he ignored it. Cordelia was annoyed at herself for enjoying this, but his deep, powerful thrusts into her body were too pleasurable. Only once a month would they have sex. Tonight, Elijah was particularly passionate, almost pushing her to the brink of passing out. And in the dark, Cordelia could close her eyes so as not to see how coldly he looked at her, despite his desire. She sank into the feeling of him moving inside her, and came to an intense climax, her whole body shaking with pleasure. Elijah came at almost the exact same time, then immediately separated himself from her body and answered the ringing phone. His indifference pierced her heart, as it always did. They’d been married for three years, and ever since their wedding day, rumors of his affairs with other women had never ceased. She pretended not to know about it, even defending him in front of others. But she maintained the image of their “perfect” marriage on her own. “Don’t cry. I’ll be right there.” Elijah’s voice was soft as he spoke on the phone to his mistress. Cordelia had done some sleuthing and knew her name was Ava. Elijah never spoke to Cordelia so sweetly, and her heart ached to hear it. Then he hung up and quickly dressed. “I won’t be staying here tonight,” he said in a flat tone. Cordelia stared at him for a long time. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a thick head of hair. His muscles were well-defined, matching his chiseled, handsome face. Before they’d married, Elijah was the man that all the socialites in the city fantasized about. Just one look at his charming smile, and they were enchanted. It was a pity that Cordelia figured out he was a jerk only after they were wed. When Elijah reached the bedroom door, she finally spoke, her voice intentionally emotionless. “Elijah… I want a divorce.” Elijah paused, his cold eyes turning back to her. “Didn’t I satisfy you tonight? What else do you want?” “I’m tired of this sham marriage. What’s the point of staying together?” Elijah sneered, “Fine, but you better not change your mind.” “Don’t worry,” Cordelia said with certainty. “I won’t.” With just a shrug at this news, Elijah left. And as soon as he was gone, reality came crashing down on Cordelia. He didn’t even put up a fight! She clutched the quilt tightly as emotions flooded through her, her lips trembling. Her only consolation was that at least she made the right choice: to leave. *** Early the next morning, Elijah returned to their villa, dark circles under his eyes from exhaustion. He sat at the breakfast table, rubbing his temples. “Nora,” he said to their maid. “Get Cordelia. I need her to massage my shoulders.” But to his surprise, Nora replied, “Mr. Hansen, Mrs. Hansen left early this morning. She asked me to give these to you.” Elijah’s eyes widened as Nora handed him a set of house keys and a divorce agreement. “That damn woman!” he cried, suddenly furious. Had Cordelia been serious? Gritting his teeth, Elijah took out his phone and dialed Cordelia’s number. It went straight to voicemail. He tried again, and again. No answer. Furious, Elijah slammed the phone onto the dining table so hard it shattered the screen. He never thought she’d do it. He wasn’t going down without a fight.
Cordelia stood in the sunlight of her dance studio, clutching her phone to her ear.She gazed at the city outside, her eyes filled with determination as she spoke. “Mom, for the past three years, you and Kevin have gotten what you wanted from my marriage to the Hansen family. I’m done!” Janice Deleon’s voice was loud and sharp, even through the phone. “You can’t just divorce Elijah! You two should try harder! Is there something you need to apologize to him for?” “No, stop telling me I need to apologize to him! I haven’t done anything wrong!” She clenched her fists, but it did little to ease the heavy pain in her heart she felt when she thought of her marriage. “Cordelia, why are you being so stubborn?!” her mother berated her. “You need to take my advice! I’m your mother. If you were as sensible as your sister—” Cordelia hung up the phone. She couldn’t stand to listen to her mother drone on about how she could never measure up to her half-sister. Now she saw she had half a dozen missed calls from Elijah. Why is he calling? she thought. Is he unsatisfied with the terms of the divorce agreement? She wasn’t going to cater to whatever his demands were. She was too busy today. Cordelia had always believed that women could live without romantic relationships, but they needed to have their own careers. So years ago she’d started her own dance studio, and it was thriving. Cordelia was giving a tour to a businessman who was interested in a sponsorship opportunity.” Today, she wore a one-shoulder dress, exposing her smooth shoulders and delicate collarbone, a shining diamond necklace adorning her slender neck. The businessman couldn’t take his eyes off her, captivated by her beauty. “Did I come at a bad time?” a voice suddenly called out. Cordelia whipped around. “Elijah? What are you doing here?” He was leaning against the door, faintly smiling as he observed Cordelia and the businessman, who were standing very close to each other, looking at a contract. “Are you busy, darling?” he asked casually. She couldn’t read his expression. “Alright, let’s call it a day. We can finish discussing this tomorrow,” Cordelia said to the businessman, shaking his hand. As soon as the man left, Elijah stormed over to her. “Will you stop this divorce joke already?” He was angry and impatient. She smiled bitterly. “It’s not a joke. I want a divorce.” “It’s not?” He closed the short distance between them, his eyes never leaving hers. With each step he took, she could feel her anxiety growing, but she tried to remain composed. Suddenly, he placed his hands on her waist and drew her into him. His voice was low and playful as he asked, “Why won’t you be a good girl for me?” Then he kissed her cheek, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine. Cordelia’s body stiffened. She asked, “What do you want, Elijah?” He chuckled, lifting her chin with his fingers so their eyes met. Then he said, “Let’s have a baby.”
“That’s crazy,” she said.“Is it?” And then he kissed her. She wanted to pull away, but something about his words had struck something deep inside her. Instead, she felt herself melting into his kiss, savoring the taste of his lips and his heady scent, a subtle blend of tea and bourbon. Elijah’s hands traveled down her body and slid under her skirt, and the memory of their lovemaking the night before made dizzy with sudden desire. But then Elijah’s phone rang, and in an instant Cordelia snapped back to reality. She knew who it was. His mistress. He didn’t want to have a baby with her. He was taunting her! She pushed herself out of his grasp. Impatiently, Elijah answered the phone call. “What? What’s the matter now?” he said into the phone. Standing so close to him, Cordelia could hear Ava’s sobs and whimpers from the other end of the call. “Elijah, it hurts so much,” Ava said. “Why haven’t you come yet?” Elijah glanced at Cordelia, and she took the opportunity to step farther away from him. She straightened her clothes. “I’ll be there soon,” Elijah said softly to Ava. He hung up and looked at Cordelia for a long beat. “We have dinner with my parents tomorrow night,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at six.” Cordelia’s mouth dropped open. “Didn’t you tell them we’re getting a divorce?” “Let’s put that conversation on hold for now.” Elijah suddenly looked worried. It wasn’t an expression she often saw on him. “My father’s been having some heart problems lately, and I don’t want to give him unneeded stress.” She sighed. “Elijah, I’ve already made arrangements for the divorce. I have no obligation to play along with your charade.” “Fifty thousand dollars for one dinner with my parents,” he countered. She paused and thought it over. She didn’t like to compromise her principles. But that was a lot of money. “Okay,” Cordelia agreed. “But if you lay a finger on me during the ‘performance,’ there’ll be an additional charge.” “Deal.” Cordelia held up her phone. “Send me the payment now.” She wasn’t going to be played for a fool. Elijah’s eyes widened at her boldness. He stared at her for a moment, then he took out his phone and tapped on it. “Done. See you tomorrow.” Cordelia smiled with satisfaction, but once the door closed behind him, a deep sadness settled over her. “Let’s have a baby? How could I even think for a second he was serious?” she scolded herself. Her heart ached, and she hated herself for even agreeing to the dinner. A few seconds later, her phone rang. It was her best friend, Imogen. “Cordelia, I need your help!” Imogen cried. Cordelia furrowed her brows. “What’s wrong?” “I sprained my foot, and I have a performance next Friday. Can you stand in for me?” Imogen pleaded. Cordelia quickly checked her schedule, “I can, actually. I should have enough time to practice before then.” “Thank you so much!” Imogen said gratefully, and then she laughed. “This isn’t too terrible a request, because my dance partner is very attractive. You think you can handle the heat?” Imogen knew Cordelia was in a loveless marriage. “Haha. It’ll be fine.” She was about to be freed from her loveless marriage. She could finally return to her old, happier self. Maybe she would flirt with this sexy dance partner. Why shouldn’t she? Elijah had cheated on her many times throughout their marriage, and she never had. Cordelia thought it would be interesting to see how Elijah reacted to her being with another man. In fact, maybe she would mention it at dinner…
Cordelia spent the next whole day dancing and rehearsing.At exactly 6 p.m., Elijah called her. “Where are you? I’m at the house to pick you up.” “Shoot, I lost track of the time,” she said, out of breath. “Don’t you dare try to cheat me out of my money!” he said, instantly furious. “We made a deal!” Cordelia became angry, too. “The only cheater here is you,” she said, and hung up. Well, this was going to make for an interesting family dinner. Cordelia quickly showered, changed into nice clothes, and touched up her makeup. Elijah had come to pick her up. His breath hitched as he caught sight of Cordelia walking through the studio doors. She was dressed in a sleek black V-neck dress, accentuating her curvy figure. With her natural beauty and the added touch of makeup, she looked absolutely enchanting, a woman that any man would fall for. Her expression was light, too, as if she had a secret. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Elijah. “Why do you look so nice?” he demanded as she approached the car. Cordelia looked at him like he was insane. “I dressed up for dinner, like I always do.” “Is there someone else?” he asked. “Is that why you’re in such a hurry to divorce me? You’ve already found someone new?” Cordelia was amazed by Elijah’s reaction. Did he care for her, or not? It was so confusing. Cordelia glared at him, and she retorted, “Oh, so you’re suspicious of me? Isn’t that rich. The cheater’s worried he’s getting cheated on?” “Why else would you be breathing so heavily when you answered the phone earlier?” Elijah replied hotly, his gaze intense. “Who were you just with?” “No one. Not that it’s your business.” Elijah grabbed her by the waist. “Tell me the truth! Are you seeing someone new?” She glared at him icily. “I was practicing dance, you idiot. Now let go of me.” Instead, he kissed her. Then he let her go. She gaped at him, stunned. “What is up with you?!” Elijah said, “I’m reminding you that we’re still married.” *** When they arrived at his parents’ house an hour later, Cordelia was greeted by her in-laws, Edith and Gabe Hansen. Edith was cold, just like her son, but Gabe greeted her with his usual warm smile. Elijah kept his arm around her, pretending everything was peachy. She forced a smile as she looked at him, but her eyes were devoid of affection. “Cordelia, you look well. How is the studio?” Gabe asked. “Terrific, Gabe.” Cordelia smiled. “Business keeps growing. I’m very fortunate.” “So you’re still not pregnant?” Edith abruptly asked. Cordelia, caught off guard, swallowed and lowered her eyes. This was a sensitive subject for her. “You two should see the doctor about it. It’s time. Elijah?” “Oh, sure,” he said, smiling at Cordelia. “We definitely should.” He was really doing a command performance of being dedicated to her. She gave him a fake smile in return. “I think it’s a wonderful idea.” She could play this game, too. “Good!” Edith cried. “We have one of the best fertility doctors right here in town. You two will stay here tonight and see him first thing in the morning.” Cordelia’s mouth opened in surprise. Stay here, in the same bed as Elijah? “We’d love to, Mother,” Elijah said with a grin before she could respond.
Cordelia wasn’t sure what to say. On one hand, she didn’t want to spend the night in a bed next to the man she’d gladly decided to divorce. But she’d taken the fifty thousand, and she had to pretend everything was okay. Who knows how much she’d get in the divorce settlement… She needed to hang on to as much money as she could. Cordelia gritted her teeth and smiled at Edith. “Sounds great, thank you.” Elijah smirked at her across the table. Cordelia wanted to kick him hard in the shins, but resisted. The rest of the meal she was quiet. Once dinner was over and they were in the bedroom, Cordelia looked around for an alternative. “I can sleep on the floor,” she said. Elijah laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’ll both sleep in the bed.” In their three years of marriage, they’d rarely shared a bed. Yet now, he acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world for them to sleep together. Satisfied with her silence, he turned and headed into the bathroom. Before long, his phone began buzzing. At first, it was a few message notifications, but then the calls started pouring in, one after another. Cordelia knew who it was, of course. Ava was a demanding mistress. Elijah poked his head out of the bathroom. “Can you pass me the phone?” “It’s right on the bed. Get it yourself,” Cordelia spat. He grinned mischievously. “Sure.” Then he stepped out of the bathroom, completely naked and dripping wet. Cordelia held back a squeak and quickly turned her head to the window, silently cursing him. Elijah chuckled as he picked up the phone, standing right in front of her. At the sight, Cordelia rolled her eyes and said, “Perv!” He laughed again and went back into the bathroom, leaving a trail of water in his wake. When he emerged from the bathroom again, he wasn’t dressed for bed, but to go out. “Actually, you can have the bed to yourself,” he said, gathering his things. “You’re serious?” Cordelia asked, shocked. “You’re going to leave me at your parents’ house to go see your mistress?” Elijah shrugged. “You said you prefer to sleep alone. Win-win.” “No, I prefer to not have come here and performed this stupid charade all night, and then again tomorrow, just because you don’t have the backbone to be honest with your parents.” “You get your money either way,” Elijah retorted. “I don’t see what you’re so upset about. I’ll be back in the morning.” Cordelia’s eyes filled with hot tears. How could he be like this? How could anyone be so cold? She turned her back to him, and after a second, he left. She listened to him go downstairs, her ears waiting for the sound of the front door shutting and his car starting. They never came. A few minutes later, Elijah came back upstairs. Had he rethought leaving? Maybe he wasn’t a complete monster, after all. He came into the room looking annoyed, and stood awkwardly in the doorway. Cordelia wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of asking why he’d returned. Eventually, he cleared his throat and said, “My mother is downstairs.” Cordelia still didn’t turn around. “I said I was going for a drive, and she insisted I come back up here and take you with me.” Cordelia laughed to herself. Had Edith guessed what her son was up to? Or had she accidentally hit on the most awkward possible scenario? “So,” Elijah said to Cordelia’s back. “Will you come downstairs?” Cordelia wanted to do anything but go for a romantic drive with Elijah. But then she realized she could benefit herself. “I want ten thousand dollars more.” There was a moment of silence. Cordelia could hear the anger in Elijah’s voice when he responded. “Fine.” So she stood up and followed him downstairs. “Oh, good,” Edith said when they appeared. “It’s a nice night for a drive.” Then she added, “Cordelia, come here. I have something for you.” She beckoned her into the kitchen and Cordelia followed. There, Edith grabbed Cordelia by the wrist. “You can’t let him walk all over you.” “What are you talking about?” Cordelia asked, taken aback. “We both know where he was headed tonight. You need to grow a spine and stand up to him.” Cordelia nodded, her face burning. Had Edith known all along? She returned to the front door and followed Elijah to the car. Edith was right; she hadn’t ever put up a fight all these years with Elijah. In fact, slapping him with the divorce had been quite out of character for her. It felt good to finally demand some respect from him. Maybe he would finally get the message now. Cordelia had been so lost in thought, she hadn’t noticed where they were. “Where are we going?” she asked. “To Ava’s.” Cordelia’s mouth dropped open.
“We’re going to your mistress’s house?!” Cordelia exclaimed in shock.“I had already told her I’d come over,” Elijah said impatiently. “She was injured in a fire at the hospital where she works, and she needs my help.” Cordelia shook her head. Of all the unsympathetic things Elijah had done, this was surely the worst. She felt as if something heavy had taken up residence in her chest. “Besides,” he added, “if we’re getting divorced, it shouldn’t matter to you.” He cut a sidelong glance at her as he said this. Cordelia kept her expression stony. She was angry and sad, but she wasn’t going to let him see it. They arrived at a luxury high-rise apartment building. Elijah parked the car and entered the building, Cordelia following close behind. She noted that he had a key and opened the door as if it was his own place. Meanwhile, her heart was racing. She was about to meet her husband’s mistress, of all things! Her stomach began to ache, and she felt like a joke just being there. As Cordelia entered the apartment, a girl with a sweet face came rolling out of the bedroom in a wheelchair. Her face was tearstained, but she smiled up at Elijah sweet as sugar as he strode over to her. “You finally came,” Ava said breathlessly. Elijah took a tissue from the counter, knelt by her wheelchair, and gently wiped away her tears. “Of course, I came,” he said caringly. Cordelia suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her throat tightened. She felt like she was drowning, watching the two of them. “How is the burn healing?” Elijah asked softly. “Let me see.” Ava unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her wounded shoulder without any hesitation. The burn wounds ran all along her skin, leaking some fluid. They looked horrifying. Elijah’s face turned grim. “Ava, you need to go to the hospital and let a doctor see this again. I’ll take you tomorrow.” “Okay,” she said sweetly, smiling up at him with big, helpless eyes. “If you say so.” She reached out and took his hand. As Elijah stood up, holding her hand, Ava’s glance fell on the room behind him, and the woman in the doorway. “Elijah…” she said, her face going slack with shock. “Who is that?” “My wife,” Elijah said. Ava gasped, stunned and upset. “Why would you bring her here, Elijah?!” she cried. “I had to. Listen, I came to make sure you’re okay. Let me put you in bed.” For a few seconds, Ava just stared at Cordelia. Then her expression shifted from shock to sweetness. “Okay, my darling,” she said to Elijah, fluttering her lashes at him. “You always look out for me so well. I know I’m your number one.” Ava looked at Cordelia through her lashes with undisguised provocation. But Cordelia didn’t give her the satisfaction of reacting, keeping calm and cool as Elijah took hold of the wheelchair and pushed Ava into the bedroom. Cordelia was glad when they disappeared. It was so hard, pretending she didn’t care. That she wasn’t humiliated to have her husband caring for his mistress right in front of her face! She took a seat on the couch, wondering how long she’d have to wait for them to finish their business. In the meantime, she took out her phone and messaged someone to check whether Ava owned this luxury apartment herself. Her heart dropped when she got the response: Elijah was the owner. So Elijah owned an apartment she didn’t even know about, and he’d moved his mistress into it. As Cordelia pondered this, the bedroom door opened and Elijah walked out. “I’ll come back again tomorrow,” he said gently to Ava, as he pulled the door shut after him. He walked over to Cordelia. “Let’s go,” he said, and Cordelia rose from the couch. She’d slid off one of her shoes while she waited, and now stumbled a bit, putting it back on. Elijah caught her before she fell. “Oh,” she said, surprised, hanging onto his arm. “Thank you.” “Elijah!” Ava’s voice suddenly called urgently. “Elijah, I need you!” Elijah sighed, released Cordelia, and turned back to the bedroom. Cordelia, intrigued about Ava’s sharp call, looked around the room carefully. Then she saw it. Perched at the top of the bookcase was a camera. The red light was blinking. “Hmm,” Cordelia thought, a plan forming in her mind. When Elijah finally emerged again, she was sitting on the couch. He nodded toward the door, and she delicately held out her hand for him to help her up. As Elijah pulled her to her feet, she deliberately fell into his arms. He caught her, their bodies pressing against each other. With a smile, Cordelia slid her arms around his neck. “I was just thinking about how hot things got the other night,” she murmured to him, and then, with a quick glance at the camera, she leaned in and whispered seductively in his ear. “Let’s do it again. Now.”
Elijah smirked at her words. It was rare that Cordelia tried to seduce him, and when she did, he had never turned her down. Indeed, it was perhaps because it was so rare that he found it so exciting. Tonight was no exception. He slid one hand down her body, and the other into her hair. “You want it, don’t you?” He looked at her, a fire in his eyes. Cordelia was actually a little excited by how inflamed he was by her words. She pressed her body against his. “I do,” she said with a saucy grin. Elijah gave her ass a squeeze and then pulled her toward the door. For the briefest moment before the door closed behind them, Cordelia heard with satisfaction a scream of anger from Ava’s bedroom. When they got into the car, Elijah leaned in to pick up where they left off, but Cordelia held up a hand to stop him. She straightened her dress. “You know what?” she said. “I’ve reconsidered. You brought me here to humiliate me. You don’t deserve to have me.” As Elijah stared at her speechless, she buckled herself in and didn’t even glance his way the whole drive back. When they reached his parent’s house, she informed Elijah that he’d be sleeping on the living room couch unless he wanted her to wake his parents and tell them everything. Elijah was frustrated but seemed too surprised by her behavior to put up a fight. Edith had been right—it felt good to stand up for herself. Cordelia locked the bedroom door and fell into a deep, contented sleep. *** Cordelia kept herself busy over the following days, completely ignoring all of Elijah’s messages, of which there were many. He’d never been so eager for her attention before. Cordelia, though, wasn’t falling for it. His kindness and attention would be short-lived, she knew. He simply wanted to know she was his, and then he’d move on to someone else. Annoyed at her phone constantly buzzing, she finally replied to Elijah that he should only contact her once he’d signed the divorce papers. After she sent the message, his texts immediately stopped. The next day, Cordelia met her lawyer at Ava’s apartment building. She wanted his assessment about whether it should be included in the divorce. As they walked up the stairs to the apartment, Cordelia heard a familiar voice. Elijah. She realized the door to Ava’s apartment was open, and she and the lawyer ducked out of sight as they listened. “I’ll see you again soon, darling.” Elijah spoke with a gentle tone. “Elijah, promise me you aren’t sleeping with her!” Ava cried. “Tell me you aren’t going back to your wife right now.” Cordelia almost laughed out loud when she heard Ava’s words. She had actually managed to sow the seeds of doubt in Elijah’s mistress! “Of course not,” Elijah said reassuringly. “Cordelia and I are done.” “I couldn’t bear it, I couldn’t,” Ava sobbed. “Promise me.” “Ava, I promise you. I keep promising you.” Cordelia, having lived with Elijah for three years, recognized the hint of impatience creeping into his voice. “It’s just that the two of you seemed so close the other night—” “Enough, Ava. I have to go.” Elijah’s tone was firm. This was different from the gentle tone Cordelia had always heard him use with Ava. Satisfied, Cordelia gestured to the lawyer that they should quietly slip away. As they snuck away, Ava took out her phone and showed Elijah the screen. “Elijah, there’s a ballet performance tonight. Can you take me to it?” “I already told you, I have to work tonight.” “But, I really want you to come with me,” Ava whined. “Please, please, please… Or are you going to be with your wife?” Tears sprang to her eyes. Elijah sighed. “Fine. We’ll go.” Ava grinned inwardly, delighted at getting her way. *** Night fell, and Elijah fulfilled his promise to Eva. He brought her to a VIP box seat. On the ballet show’s poster, the male and female leads were wearing masks. It was said that they were ballet stars, and their identities would be revealed during the performance. The gimmick was hyped up enough to create anticipation, and it was clear that the crowd was eager to learn who the dancers were. Backstage, Cordelia was getting into her gorgeous costume, her lips painted fiery red. It had been a while since she’d performed, and she was admittedly a little nervous. Imogen came in, leaning on a crutch. “The theater is packed! This is going to be a legendary performance!” Cordelia took a peek out of the curtains. The theater was indeed packed, with no empty seats. She said a little mantra to herself to keep calm. She was just here, she reminded herself, to help out a friend. No pressure! She scanned the audience. And then she saw, in the VIP box, her husband and his mistress. “Oh no!” Cordelia cried.
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The day I found out I was dying, James broke up with me. I have been James Evan’s “contract lover” for five years, until his true love came back. He canceled our contract and told me to get lost. I thought that after five years, his frozen heart would thaw for me. How wrong I was. So I packed my things and left. Without telling him… I only had three months left to live. —— James Evans’s private jet landed at LAX international airport at 7:00 PM. By 7:30 P.M, Amelia Garcia was taken to the Silver Tower Penthouse as requested. Per their contract, she had to be thoroughly cleaned “inside and out” without any traces of perfume or makeup. She strictly followed his preferences, thoroughly cleaned herself, changed into a silk pajama, and then went to the bedroom on the second floor. James was already working on his computer. When Amelia entered the room, he gave her a casual glance. “Come here,” he demanded. His voice was cold and emotionless, weighing heavily on Amelia’s heart. James was enigmatic, Ameilia didn’t dare to hesitate for a moment, worried that he might get angry with her, and quickly walked over to him. Before she could steady herself, he pulled her into his arms and lifted her chin with his long fingers. He lowered his head and kissed her ruby lips, the kiss was aggressive, without any traces of warmth. James might seem noble and restrained, but he showed no such thing when it came to sex. He was never tender with her. No sweet talk, no soft kisses. Just sex. He had been abroad on a business trip for three months, he probably wouldn’t let Amelia go easily tonight. As she had expected, he was rougher than usual. James didn’t stop his thrusts until she was too exhausted. … When Amelia woke up, she found herself alone in bed, but the sound of running water came from the bathroom. She looked in the direction of the water sound and saw a slender figure reflected on the frosted glass. Amelia was surprised because James usually left without waiting for her to wake up after their encounters. But this time, he didn’t leave. She struggled to sit up from the bed and quietly waited for the man to come out. A few minutes later, the sound of running water stopped abruptly, and James came out wrapped in a bath towel. Water droplets from the tips of his hair fell onto his bronze skin, slowly sliding down his abs, the firm and strong lines carrying a deadly temptation.His face was finely chiseled, exquisitely handsome, with sharp, distinct features. His eyes, almond-shaped in hazel in color, were aloof and distant, deep and unreadable. James’ charm armed him from head to toe, and so did his cold aura. In one glance, you can tell this man was not easy to get along with. Seeing that Amelia was awake, he gave her a cold look and said, “You don’t need to come anymore.” Amelia was stunned. What did he mean by “No need to come anymore?” James withdrew his gaze from her, turned around, and handed her a document. “I’m canceling our contract, you’re fired.” He said fired. Not break up. Because that’s their relationship, the employer and the employee. Nonetheless, his words stung. As soon as Amelia saw the document laid out before her, she understood. He didn’t leave early today because he didn’t want her to be his secret lover anymore. After being with him for five years, Amelia always knew this day would come, but she didn’t expect it would end so abruptly—No reason or explanation. Suppressing the sharp pain in her heart, Amelia slowly raised her head and gazed at James, who was now fully dressed. “The contract will expire in six months. Can’t we wait for a little longer?” she asked, somewhat pleading. The doctor said she only had three months left and she wanted to stay with him until the end of her life. James didn’t respond, just looking at her with a cold gaze, showing no regret at all, as if he was kicking away a toy he had grown tired of playing with. His silence was all she needed, it meant, his decision was final. After five long years of trying, Amelia had failed to thaw Jame’s frozen heart. She knew it was time for her to wake up from her illusion. Amelia took the contract and put on a fake smile, attempting to feign indifference. “Don’t be so serious, I was just joking.” she teased. “I’m glad this is over, I get six months off, how perfect!” Amelia added as if to convince herself. James paused as he adjusted his shirt sleeves, then lifted his cool gaze to size up Amelia. On her face, there was no sadness, only a hint of excitedness… or relief? James frowned and asked, “You’re glad it’s over?” Amelia nodded like she didn’t care. “Yes, I’m not young anymore. It’s time for me to get married and have children. I can’t always be with your contract lover, can I?” What a perfect lie. She laughed at herself in her mind, it was impossible for her to get married or have children, but in front of James, she had to leave with dignity and grace. She forced a smile and asked James, “Does that mean I can finally have a normal boyfriend once I leave here?” James’ eyes were filled with deep and unidentifiable emotions. After staring at her for a while, he put up his watch and turned to leave. “Do whatever you want.” Those were the last words he said before he left. Looking at his back, Amelia’s smile faded. James hated it when other people touched his things, including his woman, but he didn’t react when he heard she wanted to have a boyfriend. Seems like… He really is sick of her.
After James left, Andrew, his assistant, walked in with the pill. He handed the pill to Amelia and said respectfully, “Ms. Garcia, please take it as usual.” This was a birth control pill. He didn’t love her, let alone allow her to get pregnant. After having sex, Andrew would always come with the pill and he would stand there watching to make sure she took it. Staring at the pill, Amelia’s heart started to hurt. She wasn’t sure if the pain was caused by heart failure or James’s cruelty, but regardless, it was so intense that she struggled to take a breath. “Ms. Garcia…” Seeing that Amelia didn’t take the pill, Andrew urged her with a nervous expression, afraid that she would cause trouble on the last night with James. Amelia glanced at him, took over the pill, and put it in her mouth. She didn’t even drink water with it and forced it down. Andrew let out a breath of relief, then he took an apartment deed and check from his briefcase and placed them in front of Amelia. “Ms. Garcia, this is Mr. Evans’ compensation for you. In addition to real estate and luxury cars, he also gave you 5 million dollars. All yours.” How generous. Too bad, he never knew what she truly wanted. “I don’t want it,” Amelia looked up at Andrew with a smile and said. Andrew was stunned and confused. “Do you think it’s not enough?” Hearing this, Amelia felt heartbroken. Even Andrew thought she was doing it for the money, let alone James. He offered her such a high breakup fee. Was it because he was afraid she would pester him again for more money in the future? Amelia picked up the bag beside her with a bitter smile, took out a debit card, and handed it to Andrew. “This is all the money James paid me over the years, I never spent a single penny. You can give it all back to him. Oh and the pin number for this card is his birthday.” Andrew was dumbfounded. Did Ms. Garcia really never use any of Mr. Evans’ money in the past five years? Amelia didn’t care whether Andrew believed her or not. She placed the card on the pile of documents Andrew brought for her. Then she turned around and left the Silver Tower Penthouse … Winter was cold in Arcadia. Amelia walked alone on the empty street. Her thin figure was cast on the ground by the street light, looking gaunt and fragile. She tightened her beige coat, gritted her teeth, and walked back to her apartment in her high heels. She pushed the door open. It was huge inside, taking up an entire floor. Despite the luxurious decorations, the apartment couldn’t seem to dispel the chill that permeated Amelia’s heart. She sat on the sofa, stared blankly at the surroundings for a moment, then Amelia began to pack. This apartment was also given to her by James. Since he did not want her anymore, she would not take anything that he gave her. Amelia took out her suitcase, opened the closet, and put all her clothes into the suitcase. She didn’t bring many things here, and after a quick pack, she left the apartment with her suitcase. After getting into the car, she sent a text message to Andrew. [Andrew, the password of Hudson Apartment is 0826.] Andrew was smart. He immediately understood when he saw the text message. Not only did Ms. Garcia not spend a penny from Mr. Evans, but she also didn’t want the apartment Mr. Evans gave her. She had packed her stuff promptly and efficiently, she was nothing like the girl from five years ago. The crying girl who begged Mr. Evans to purchase her virginity for a million dollars. Andrew returned to the company, handed the things back to James, and told him what Amelia said. With an indifferent gaze, James glanced at the items on his desk. Then, his cold gaze was fixed on the debit card. “There is an added one million dollars in there?” he asked Andrew coldly. “Yes.” Andrew nodded. Before Andrew returned to the company, he went to the ATM to check the balance on the card. Other than the money that Mr. Evans transferred to Amilea every month, there were another million dollars in it. Obviously, this was the money Amelia had returned to James for buying her that night. James frowned. After pondering for a while, he stretched out his hand, picked up the card, and snapped it in half He pushed the pile of deed certificates and other things towards Andrew and said in a cold voice, “Get rid of it then.” Andrew opened his mouth and wanted to say something nice for Amelia, but James had already turned on his computer and started to work. Andrew sensibly shut his mouth, picked up the pile of documents, and left the office.
Amelia took her suitcase to her friend Eva Miller’s residence. She gently knocked on the door and waited. She and Eva were both orphans who grew up together in the same orphanage. They were like sisters. “Amelia, if anything happens to you, come home.” Eva said when James took Amelia away five years ago. Because of Eva, Amelia was able to easily move out of the apartment James bought for her. She still had a home to return to. Eva soon opened the door. A wide smile appeared on her face when she saw Amelia. “Amelia, what are you doing here?” Amelia tightened her grip on the suitcase and said with somewhat embarrassment, “Eva, I need a place to crash.” Only then did Eva see the suitcase in her hand, and the smile on her face instantly froze. “What’s wrong?” Eva asked Amelia with a worried expression. “I just broke up with him.” Amelia forced a smile to hide her pain. Eva looked closely at Amelia and saw past her pretense in a matter of seconds. Her heart ached for her best friend. Amelia was thin and pale, her eyes sunken. Eva hugged her tightly. “Don’t worry. I’m here for you.” Amelia couldn’t help but tear up at Eva’s words.She hugged Eva and patted her gently on the back. “I’m fine, Eva. Don’t worry.” Eva knew that Amelia was just trying to comfort her. She knew how much Amelia liked James. In the past five years, Amelia had worked hard to earn a million dollars and return it to James. She was so naive and innocent to believe that as long as she returned the money back to him, his feelings for her would change. Maybe if she gave him back the money, they could… be something more than just “employer and employee.” But in the end, she couldn’t be more wrong. Eva remembered that rainy night five years ago… If it weren’t for Ryan Jones, she wouldn’t have met James. If that accident never happened, Amelia would have had a happy life. But the past is in the past, and there’s no time machine. Amelia didn’t want to burden Eva with her sorrow. After gently pulling back from the hug, she smiled and said, “Girlie, aren’t you going to let me in? It’s freezing out here!!” Eva was relieved to see Amelia still as strong and energetic as before. She believed that Amelia would soon recover from this breakup. For orphans like them who had no one to rely on, being abandoned is a walk in the park for them, right? Nothing would drag them down as long as they were still alive. With this in mind, Eva felt better. She took Amelia’s suitcase and led her into the house. “Amelia, don’t say things like you need a place to crash or anything like that. This is your home too. You can stay as long as you want!” After that, she turned around, fetched clean pajamas, and handed them to Amelia. “Go take a shower. I’ll make you something to eat, have a good sleep. Don’t think about anything else, okay?” “Okay.” Amelia took the pajamas and nodded. Eva had always been like this. She was unconditionally good to her, like a beam of light that sliced through the darkness in her life. It was a pity that Amelia suffered from terminal heart failure, and her life was soon coming to an end. If Eva found out that she was going to die, with such a kind and gentle heart, she would cry. Amelia didn’t want to make her cry. She looked at the busy figure in the kitchen and slowly walked over. “Eva, I want to quit my job.” Eva nodded in agreement and said, “Yeah, you should. You have been working hard for years. God, you must be exhausted. Quit your job and take a good rest at home. Don’t worry about the money anymore, I got your back.” “Okay,” Amelia responded and felt her heart warm. Then she turned around and went to the bathroom with tears in her eyes. Fate had never favored her. If she and Eva were meant to be apart from each other, she should use the last three months of her life to be with Eva, to keep her company. The next morning, Amelia put on some makeup to cover up her pale face and lips, and went to the company to quit her job. Just as she sat down and was about to turn on the computer to write her resignation letter, her colleague Bella came over. “Amelia, have you read the email?” Amelia shook her head. She spent the whole weekend in James’ penthouse, so she didn’t have time to read the email. “Lily sent a letter of appointment saying that the chairman’s daughter will come to take office as CEO today,” Bella explained. Amelia had no impression of the chairman’s daughter, so she was not interested. She was about to quit anyway, it didn’t matter to her who was going to take over the CEO position. Bella on the other hand was very intrigued, “I heard she had just returned from studying abroad, so she doesn’t have much work experience. Is she even qualified for the job?” Another colleague, Olivia, sneered and said, “Who would dare question her? She is the long lost love of Mr. Evans.” Hearing this, Amelia froze on the spot.
“Oh em gee, REALLY?” Bella’s jaw hung open in shock. She pulled Olivia close and whispered excitedly, “Didn’t you say that the CEO of the Evans Group wasn’t interested in women? Sounds like he might have a secret love! AND she’s the future CEO of our company!?” Olivia patted Bella’s hand with a smile. “You really should try to be more informed about these things, Bella. How can you work in the CEO’s office and not know all this hot gossip?” “Well c’mon, hurry up and tell me now, I’m all ears!” Bella said, quickly tugging on Olivia’s sleeve. Olivia lowered her voice. “Mr. Evans and the chairman’s daughter were childhood sweethearts. Rumor has it, Mr. Evans proposed to Ms. Moore five years ago. But she turned him down to focus on her studies, so they split up. They haven’t even contacted each other for the last five years. But as soon as Ms. Moore returned to the country, Mr. Evans personally went to the airport to pick her up. That’s enough to prove that Mr. Evans still has strong feelings for her.” Bella covered her mouth, widened her big round eyes, and almost exclaimed, “Oh my god! It’s like the perfect sweet romance!” Amelia’s heart ached in her chest, and gloom spread through her face. So the truth was… James terminated their contract early because his long lost love, his real love, had come back. But if he already had a childhood love, why did he buy her for one night five years ago? And after sleeping with her just once, he even forced her to sign a contract to continue their “relationship”. And whenever he touched her, he went so crazy that he couldn’t control himself and keep his hands off her, spending hours and hours in bed together. Amelia couldn’t believe it. Just as she was about to ask Olivia where she had heard this gossip, the elevator opened with a ding! The executive assistant of the chairman, Lily, and several department managers walked out first. Right after, a man in a luxurious suite with a cold aura followed. He had a face and body carved and chiseled by the gods, with the same aloof temperament. He seemed almost unreal, like he’d stepped out of an oil painting, a mix of elegance and coldness, always keeping a distance from others. Amelia would recognize that face anywhere. ‘James…’ Lily gestured to the people inside. “Mr. Evans, Ms. Moore, here is the president’s office. This way please.” ‘Why is he here?’ she thought, watching James turn and offer his hand to someone in the elevator. Then, a delicate, fair hand was placed in his, and a woman stepped out. The moment Amelia saw her face, she finally understood why James bought her for the night and made their contract, all those years ago. Except for a few minor differences, Amelia had almost the exact same face as James’ former lover. She used to think James would return her feelings one day and love her for who she was, but now she knew… she was just a temporary substitute. Her chest suddenly tightened, and pain swept through her body, turning her face pale. Bella immediately asked with concern, “Amelia? What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?” Amelia shook her head gently, and before Bella could say anything else, Lily led the two of them over. She quickly lowered her eyes and didn’t dare look them in the eyes. She couldn’t stop her hands from trembling on the keyboard as Lily introduced them one by one. “This is the president’s office. The assistants here are available to help you with anything you need, Ms. Moore.” Ms. Moore nodded, looked at everyone, and said softly, “Good morning, everyone. My name’s Emily Moore. Starting today, I’ll be your new CEO.” ‘Emily…’ Amelia couldn’t seem to get enough air into her lungs, and she felt lightheaded. Memories started flooding back of her and James, their bodies writhing and entwined in bed. Every time, he’d softly call out a name that she could never fully hear, and she always hoped it was hers—Amelia… Only now did she realize that he was not calling out to her, but to Emily… Amelia clenched her fists, and her long nails dug into her flesh, but she felt no pain. The suffocating feelings of humiliation and abandonment overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t fight her tears. She was so stupid to have fallen in love with James, a man who would never ever love her back.
After exchanging pleasantries, Emily took James’s arm and followed Lily to the CEO’s office. Bella craned her neck and looked at their backs with envy. “Mr. Evans personally picked her up and escorted her on her first day of work? That HAS to mean he still loves her!” Olivia patted her shoulder and said, “It’s not just that. She’s only just returned to the country and she’s already taking over as CEO, so the old shareholders may not be completely convinced she’s up to the task. By personally escorting her on her first day, Mr. Evans is warning everyone that she has the backing of the Evans Group!” “He’s so quick to show his love and support for her. Mr. Evans really is the perfect man.” Bella cupped her hand on her chin and sighed. Olivia’s eyes were also full of jealousy. “If she weren’t the chairman’s daughter, she wouldn’t have been chosen by the most powerful man inArcadia,” she said. Bella shook her head disapprovingly. “Don’t think so. Ms. Moore is accomplished too. She’s highly educated and classy, and obviously she also looks beautiful . Speaking of her looks…” Bella looked at Amelia and continued, “Amelia… don’t you think you look kind of similar to our new CEO?” Olivia also came over to take a close look. “Jesus… you do look a bit like her, Amelia. But honestly I think you’re way prettier!” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Amelia said abruptly, and then she got up and went to the bathroom. “What’s up with her?” Bella looked at Amelia’s thin back and asked worriedly. Olivia sneered and said, “Maybe she’s jealous because she thinks Emily is so much luckier than her, even though they practically have the same face!” Bella didn’t continue. Olivia had always been two-faced, so it was better not to talk to her too much. Amelia entered the bathroom and quickly took out some medicine to relieve the pain in her heart. She was so anxious that she swallowed it down without drinking any water. After calming down for a few long moments, she turned on the faucet, splashed her face with cold water, and looked up at her reflection. It was clear that Amelia’s illness was ravaging her body, her cheeks sunken and her skin dull. ‘But Emily…’ While she was in a daze, the bathroom door opened, and in came Emily, her high heels clicking with each step. Her face was soft and delicate, with a rosy glow, and she exuded an effortless elegance. It was like Bella said. She wasn’t just beautiful. She was educated, classy, successful… Everything that Amelia was not. When her eyes met Emily’s, she felt inferiority pierce through her chest. She quickly lowered her head, pulled out a tissue, and turned to leave. “Wait a minute.” Emily suddenly called out to her. Amelia froze on the spot. She felt a strange sense of shame flow through her, after spending so many years as this woman’s “substitute”. Emily walked up to her and smiled gently. ” You’re an assistant in the CEO’s office, right? Was it ‘Amelia?’” Amelia tried to calm her pounding heart, lowered her head, and nodded at Emily. “Yes that’s right, Ms. Moore.” “Nice to meet you again, Amelia.” Emily raised the watch on her wrist, looked at the time, and said to her, “I’m going to hold a board meeting in half an hour. Can you make me a coffee and send it to my office? I need a little ‘pick-me-up’.” Amelia was a little hesitant. James was still in the president’s office, after all. But she had not resigned yet, so she still had to do whatever Emily asked her to. Amelia had no choice but to nod, thinking she would ask Bella to bring the coffee in her place. “Thank you,” Emily said, and walked out with her head held high, the textbook image of a CEO. Her confidence and brilliance were a stark contrast to Amelia. She felt as though she was like a counterfeit Emily. Useless, something to be discarded. Just like James did to her Amelia stood there motionless for a while before she collected herself, exited the bathroom, and went straight to the break room. She made a simple coffee and went to ask one of the others to send it to the CEO’s office. However, they had already been called to perform other tasks, so she had to bring it herself. Amelia timidly knocked twice on the office door. “Come in please.” Emily’s gentle voice came from inside. After taking a deep breath, she summoned the courage to open the door and enter. When she opened the door, she saw Emily sitting on James’s lap. Although she was mentally prepared to see James, she hadn’t expected this sight. Her hands trembled, and she struggled not to spill the coffee all over the floor. Afraid that the two of them would notice her discomfort, she quickly lowered her eyes and pretended as if nothing was wrong. “Ms. Moore, here is your coffee.” Emily was a little embarrassed and said to Amelia, “Just leave it here, thank you.” Amelia nodded, put the coffee on Emily’s desk, and turned to walk out. She didn’t look at James once the whole time. After leaving the CEO’s office, Amelia’s legs buckled under her. She leaned against the wall to regain her balance. The way Emily sat so comfortably in his lap… It reminded Amelia of how James would position her in the same way, when they would have sex. Although the two didn’t do anything explicit, Amelia’s mind was flooded with images of them together before, moaning and grinding and loving each other. She imagined James’s hands touching Emily’s body while she sat in his lap, the same way that James had touched her first. But no… that wasn’t correct. It wasn’t her that James touched first. He had definitely made love to Emily in that position, and so many more, long before she ever came along. Because she… was just his substitute lover.
Amelia pressed down on her chest, trying to force her heartbeat to slow in fear that it would stop, and struggled to return to her desk. She wanted to quit as soon as possible. She couldn’t bear to see the two of them so happily in love in front of her every day, for her few remaining days on Earth. She was afraid she might even lose it, and walk right up to James in front of everyone at the office, weeping and asking him why he couldn’t love her like she loved him. After she finished writing her resignation letter, she went to ask Lily, who was in charge of the CEO’s office, to approve it. Lily never really liked her. She didn’t try that hard to convince Amelia to stay, and only said a few words before agreeing to approve her resignation. The whole process would take a month, and Amelia could not leave immediately, so she had to take half a month of annual leave first. She had worked at Elite International Corporation for five years, and the annual leave she had was 15 days. It would make sense for her to take a break before resigning. Seeing that Amelia was in such a hurry, Lily couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “I can approve your leave, but as soon as it’s over you’d better come back and finish your work before your last day.” “Okay,” Amelia replied. Then, she picked up her bag and left. As she hurried out of the company, she saw Kevin Harris, the president of the Harris Group. He was a well-known pervert in Arcadia, and he loved to play with women, regardless of whether they wanted to play too. Amelia was so scared when she saw him walking towards her, a snakelike smile on his face, that she quickly turned around. But Kevin was quicker. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. “Where are you going in such a rush, baby?” He lowered his head, leaned close to Amelia’s ear, and gently blew against her. His warm breath on her ear made her goosebumps rise, and she shivered in disgust. Amelia pushed Kevin away desperately, but he held her waist tight, unable to move. “You smell so good…” He pushed his nose into her hair and inhaled deeply, while his hands moved upward to touch her chest. Amelia pressed down on his hand and said coldly, “Mr. Harris, please behave yourself.” “Behave? Why should I?” Kevin said mischievously, nibbling on her earlobe. Kevin may have looked unassuming, but his words and actions repulsed Amelia to her core. She turned her head and showed disgust in her eyes. But Kevin didn’t care. In fact, it excited him even more. The more a woman resisted, the more he wanted to conquer her. Kevin lifted her chin with one hand and caressed her cheek with his fingers. “Mr. Harris, please. Have some dignity. We hardly know each other.” Amelia shook off his hand angrily . Kevin first targeted Amelia when she went to deliver documents to the Harris Group a month ago. Since then, he had often come to the company to harass her under the guise of business. Whenever he met her, he touched her inappropriately or harassed her with rude words. Amelia needed this job to earn money, so she couldn’t afford to offend Kevin, and so she always endured his harassment. But now that she was about to leave this company for good, she was no longer afraid of him. Unexpectedly, although she treated him coldly, Kevin was not fazed. He even pinched her face affectionately. “Maybe we aren’t close,” he hissed. “But if you accepted my offer to spend the night with me, we could get to know each other much better.” He was persistent, she gave him that. Amelia suppressed her disgust and pushed his body away. The more she resisted, the tighter his grip on her became. He kissed her hard on her cheek. The feel of his ice-cold lips on her skin almost made Amelia puke. Just as she was about to punch Kevin in the face, she suddenly heard a voice behind her. “James?”
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On the day before the wedding, I accidentally discovered his chat logs with his bros. “I’ve never seen such a gullible person.” “She is from a single-parent family, you know? She lacks love. ” “That’s why she will be always simping for me even for a little benefit.” …… I once really thought he was the one who saved me from the mire, but he was just making fool out of me. I thought it was love, but in fact all my sincerity did not get any repay.
The guy next to me was saying something. I didn’t know what he was saying, but I knew that he was talking to me. Drunk Ezra couldn’t understand English. Instead of paying attention to his words I payed attention to his lips. He had nice ones. As he talked to me I watched his lips imagining what it would be like to kiss him. Drunk Ezra was also reckless and I was feeling real reckless tonight. I had gotten into an argument with my ex-boyfriend. I know it was a cliche, but I couldn’t help myself. I was frustrated. Jaxon was… Insane, to say the least. He was insanely jealous and insanely selfish. He was materialistic and possesive and honestly I didn’t see how we’d lasted as long as we had. I turned to the guy, placing my arm on his shoulder. “You look hot, you want to take a walk?” I mumbled widening my eyes. I was told my eyes were my best feature. He smirked reaching over and pushing my hair out of my face. “Get your hands off of me, Lewis.” he said slowly, enunciating every syllable. I raised a brow. “I’ll take a walk with you.” The guy on the other side of me said and I rolled my eyes. I didn’t want to take a walk with him. “How do you know my name?” I slurred blinking my eyes rapidly trying to clear my vision. He laughed. “God, you must be plowed. It’s barely nine o’clock.” I was convinced I didn’t know this stranger. But I wanted to get to know him. So I turned my flirt on. “Listen, buddy. Are we leaving or not?” He gave me an uninterested look. “Definitely not. I’m going to pass.” Weirdly, I didn’t even feel the sting of rejection. The alcohol was really doing it’s job. “Fine.” I mumbled turning sloppily in my seat to the other guy. “You interested?” I wasn’t normally this loose but I was in desperate need of some male companionship today. “I am very interested.” The man said looking me up and down. “Not happening buddy.” The guy on my right said sounding annoyed. The man looked him over, most likely trying to decide if he could take him. Deciding that he probably couldn’t, he mumbled something under his breath before rising from his seat and walking away from the bar. “Pretty stupid to get plastered and try to pickup random guys at a bar.” The guy mumbled swirling his drink in his hands. “You know my name. Obviously you’re not a stranger.” I mumbled. He tossed his drink back, placing a few bills on the bar. “I wasn’t talking about me. And you must be near death to admit to flirting with me.” I narrowed my eyes, staring at him. He did seem kind of familiar now that I thought about it. Then again my own right hand was a stranger to me at the moment. “Call your friend to pick you up, Ezra. Don’t be stupid.” “What friend?” I couldn’t think of one friend I had. The guy shrugged. “Red hair, Legs up to her ears. Scrawny thing. Sarah- Sadie? Who cares. Give her a call.” I smacked my lips, childishly. “Can’t Call Stella.” I said laughing hard. “She’s throwing a party tonight. I’m supposed to be entertainment but I dipped out.” I laughed again. The guy raised a brow with an annoyed expression on his face. “Entertainment?” I nodded seriously. “I’m supposed to converse and contain. It’s an Alpha Phi Nu thing. But Jax is a part of Alpha Phi Nu so no thanks.” I laughed pointing to myself. “Did I say Nu thanks?” The guy actually smirked now. “Your going to hate yourself in the morning Lewis.” I groaned. “I hate myself right now.” He frowned. It was true. I did hate myself at the moment. For some reason, I always pushed people away. I did it with my foster parents, with my friends growing up, and now I was doing it with Jax. “Stop saying stupid shit.” The guy growled, snatching the remainder of my double shot away from me. I pouted as he chugged that too. He probably was right. In hindsight this was a pretty stupid idea. Damn it, I needed to stop letting Jax make me do stupid things. It was really unhealthy. “Hey?” I was brought out of my thoughts by the guy snapping his fingers in my face. “I said let’s go.” I chuckled. “Nice try big guy. I’m not going home with you.” He rolled his eyes sliding out of his seat. “Sure you are. Don’t pretend this isn’t a dream come true for you Lewis. You can sleep off your drunk on my couch.” I pushed his hand away when he reached for me. “I don’t even know you.” True. But that hadn’t mattered to me mere minutes ago. He grabbed my arm, pulling me off of my stool. “In the morning you’re going to wish I was a stranger. Let’s go, or I’ll call your pretty boy ex to come scoop you. I’m assuming you don’t want that.” He had me there. I didn’t want that. “Don’t blackmail me.” I mumbled following him out of the bar. “It’s not blackmail. Obviously I couldn’t leave you in there. And you said I was a terrible person.” He laughed to himself. “Look at me, doing nice things.” When had I said that? He was having a full conversation with himself now. “Not only am I being super responsible, and a gentleman, but to a girl I don’t even like. I’m a fucking saint.” I smirked as a Lyft pulled up in front of us, the driver a middle aged man with an awesome beard. The guy pushed me into the car before sitting next to me and slamming the door. When his leg brushed mine I felt heat travel straight to the center of my body. Not thinking I placed my hand on his knee. “Hey, stop that.” He complained, grabbing my hand and placing it in my lap. I laughed. “Such a gentleman.” I slurred allowing my head to fall onto his shoulder when it became heavy. “Don’t fall asleep in this car Ezra, or you’ll be waking up in it.” I didn’t listen. I fell asleep. *********************** My head was on fire. No, actually it was currently sitting in a vat of acid just sizzling away and there was nothing I could do about it. I was paralyzed. My throat was dry, I was ready to kill for a cool drink of water. I rolled onto my side, taking a deep breath before opening my eyes. The room was dark. There was a large TV on the wall that was shut off and what looked like a miniature basketball court sitting right next to it. I groaned. Great, my one night stand was with some man child. I couldn’t remember the night clearly. I remembered talking to some guy and getting into a car with him but after that… nada. I sat up in the surprisingly comfortable bed. Hmm… I didn’t feel better. The whole reason for my one night stand idea was to get over Jax. But my mind was still on him, even while I was in another man’s bed. Pushing myself out of the bed, I grabbed my purse off of the floor. I had planned for this, and I had come prepared. Walking a few steps to the closet, I realized I was still in my sleek black dress. Damn it. Did I even have sex last night? With a groan I walked into the adjoining bathroom and pulled my toothbrush out of my purse. I brushed my teeth before splashing water onto my face. Surprisingly, I looked good. My face was free of makeup, my skin was a little pale but it just made my catlike green eyes stand out more. My stupid hair was stick straight as usual. It never got tangled or curly or anything other than limp straight hair. Sometimes I hated it but at the moment it was working for me. My dress was still tight against me and after adjusting it a little bit, I looked like I was ready to go out all over again. I smiled to myself mentally preparing for the conversation I was going to have with the stranger who I definitely did not sleep with. When I walked back into the bedroom he was sitting on the bed and I almost threw up. “Oh my god.” I groaned pushing myself against the wall so that I was out of his vision. I hid my face in my hands. “Morning sweetheart.” He said with what I could tell was a cocky smirk. “How’d you sleep?” He said in a song song voice. Kody fucking Vincent. I hit my fist against my head a couple of times cursing myself. How could I be so stupid? How could I come home with Kody out of all the guys in that bar. “I’m going to kill myself.” I mumbled. Kody laughed. “You know Lewis, I had originally thought that all of your animosity towards me was just sexual frustration but I put that thought away months ago. I guess I was right all along.” This was just something I was going to have to deal with. I made bad decisions and I was going to have to pay for them. Sucking in a deep breath I walked the rest of the way into the room. Kody looked me over quickly, rolling his eyes and mumbling something to himself. He looked good. His blonde hair was covered in a bandanna and his grey wife beater was soaked in sweat. He had on Adidas track pants and he was barefoot. I chewed on my lip. He wasn’t entirely wrong about the sexual frustration thing. “Don’t start with me Vincent. I have a headache the size of your Ego.” He didn’t miss a beat. “You were trying to get a good look at my ‘ego’ last night Lewis. Wanna see it now?” I snorted looking around the side of his bed for my shoes, I had to get out of here. “Not if it was filled with morphine.” That was obviously the wrong thing to say. “It’s filled with something that will make you feel much better babe.” He said walking up to his window and snatching the curtains opened. When the light filled the room, my eyes widened. His face was marked. There was an angry red bruise sitting under his left eye. I raised a brow. Kody didn’t look like the type to get beat up. And the whole sweaty bruised combination was doing strange things to my sexual frustration. “Get caught with somebody’s girlfriend?” I asked nodding my head towards his face. He rolled his eyes. “You really don’t remember do you? Lewis, you couldn’t keep your hands off of me last night. You decked me when I calmly told you I wasn’t going to put out.” My face burned as I turned my attention away from him. Now that he mentioned it, flashes from the previous night were starting to invade my brain. “Don’t flatter yourself” was my weak comeback. Even I could hear the heat in my voice. I knew he could. Kody chuckled walking up to me, his eyes swirling with an emotion that made me uneasy. “You wanted me Lewis. The only thing keeping me from taking you, was the fact that you were drunk.” I definitely didn’t take him for the gentleman type. I pushed his shoulder back. “Back off from me Vincent. You missed your chance to ride this ride.” He didn’t move. “You’re not drunk right now, Ezra.” I swear, my name sounded so sexy coming off of his lips. I needed to leave asap. “In your dreams.” I mumbled attempting to walk past him when it became clear that he wasn’t going to move. He didn’t say anything as I walked past him clutching my heels in my hands. I looked around the room. The bed was messy and the floor was covered in discarded clothes. for some reason, that was turning me on. My sexual frustration was at an all time high. “Okay.” I said squishing my eyes shut and turning on my heels. “Okay Vincent. Let’s do this.” I quickly opened my eyes. I had ripped the bandaid off, now it was simply a waiting game. He didn’t even seem surprised by my outburst. He simply stood were he was, waiting for me to make the first move. “One time only. No strings attached. No one finds out.” I said when he stayed quiet. Our friends kind of ran in the same circles. “Who am I going to tell?” He said casually, still playing it cool. I knew he wanted me. He’d always wanted me, he just couldn’t stand that I had my own mind and didn’t bend to his every whim. And I couldn’t stand that he was a cocky little shit who had a perfect life. But yeah… I’d wanted him. Nodding my head, I walked up to him, deciding to dive right in. “So, are you a take charge kind of guy or are you secretely a sub?” He smirked as his eyes turned a shade darker.”You talk to much, Lewis.” He said before bending down to meet my lips.
Five Weeks Later Macy was a perfect roommate most of the time. She was easy going and very funny and she never took anything too seriously. That was the problem at the moment. She wasn’t taking this seriously. She laughed leaning back on her bed, her heavily conditioned hair staining her ivory sheets. “You said it was the best sex you’d ever had.” She said in between laughs. I pursed my lips waiting for her to finish. “You said…” she broke out in another laugh. “You said it was the best decision you’d ever made.” Tears were actually coming out of her eyes now. “Oh my god. It’s killing me.” She clutched her stomach pounding her fist against the bed. I simply stared at her. I kind of wanted to fight her. “Are you done?” I asked after the chuckles died down a bit. She nodded her head, still chuckling. I walked over to her bed sitting down next to her and laying my head on her shoulder. “What am I going to do, Mace?” I groaned. She smacked her lips together. “Let me see it, you probably didn’t even read it right.” She said holding a hand out.” I groaned. “It’s one line or two lines Mace. I’m not blind.” Still, I handed her the stick closing my eyes and praying for her to tell me that there was actually only one line and I was just delusional. “Damn, bitch you pregnant.” She mumbled ending on a chuckle. I quickly snatched the stick back from her looking at it again, as if I hadn’t been staring at it for the past hour. “I can’t do this.” I said after a while, my hand subconsciously trailing to my stomach. Macy flicked me. “You can do anything girl. I know you. Strongest bitch I’ve ever met.” Tears welled in my eyes. “No, I really can’t do this. I can’t-” my breath caught and suddenly my lungs began to burn. I couldn’t breath. I sat up in the bed placing my hand over my heart. Was I dying? Was the baby killing me? It would make sense considering who it’s dad was. “Breathe, girl.” Macy said rubbing my back. “And be quiet unless you want Stella coming in here and yelling at us. If she finds out you’re carrying, you’re out of the house.” That was the least of my concerns. “I can’t have a baby, Macy.” I hissed. “I definitely can’t have Kody Vincent’s baby.” She smirked. “Looks like you can sis.” I stood up. “Dammit, we used a condom. I’m going to go over there and kill that son of a bitch.” When I headed for the door, Macy grabbed my arm. “I wouldn’t do that. We should go to the doctor and have you checked out. That’s usually the first thing they do in the movies.” “Before they tell the guy? I don’t think so. I’m going to go beat Kody into a pulp and then we’ll both go to the doctor. ” I said. “Me for a checkup and him to have my foot removed from his small intestine.” Macy laughed. “I can’t believe you have Kody Vincent’s child in your belly right now.” I closed my eyes taking a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go to the doctors. There’s a chance that the only thing I have in my stomach is your chipotle.” She widened her eyes. “I knew that was you.” She growled. **************************** “Okay, Mrs Lewis every thing looks fine at the moment. I agree with you on the date of conception. That puts you at a little over four weeks. I’m going to prescribe you some prenatal vitamins and schedule you a follow up but other than that everything looks healthy.” I simply stared at her. She raised a brow before continuing. “Both mommy and baby are doing fine sweetheart.” She said slowly, probably thinking I wasn’t understanding her. “I can’t be mommy.” I didn’t mean to say it out loud but somehow my thoughts materialized into actual words. The doctors face fell and sadness filled her eyes. “Hey, have you talked about options with anyone yet?” I shook my head. I didn’t want options. I wanted to not be in this situation. “Okay, well we have a person right in the building you can talk to. I can send you to her.” I shook my head studying the doctor. She was really pretty with blonde hair that stopped just above her shoulders and sparkly green eyes. She looked young and happy, like she had everything going for her. “What would you do?” I asked. She widened her eyes at my question before nodding her head. She put her clipboard down, walking towards the bed and sitting me before sending me a smile. “Does the dad know?” I shook my head. She nodded, not seeming surprised. “What about your parents?” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m a foster kid. I don’t have anyone.” I recognized the pity in her expression. “So it’ll just be you and this little person you created against the world?” She asked lightly. I didn’t respond. She stood back up clearing her throat. “I don’t know what I would do in your situation Mrs Lewis. I’d like to think I would make a decision I could live with and not regret.” She scribbled something down in a notebook. “Here.” She handed me the paper with the prescription. Her number was scrawled underneath it. “If you have any questions or you just want to talk, give me a call. I wanted to cry again because of how nice she was being. Instead I studied her name tag. Ana Miller. “Thank you.” I mumbled sliding off of the bed. “Thank you so much.” I wiped at my face as I headed for the door. “Your welcome. Don’t forget the follow up.” I nodded exiting to the waiting room were Macy was sitting smugly. “How’d it go?” She asked when she saw me. I grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.” I didn’t want to talk in front of anybody that went to our school. She nodded understanding. When we made it to her car, I burst into tears for what felt like the millionth time that day. “I’m going to be a college drop out, Mace.” I said. Macy tugged at my hair. “No you are not. I’m not going to let you. We can move out together and get an off campus apartment. We’ll get jobs and you can get a babysitter. And you can bet your ass Kody is going to be financially responsible even if he doesn’t want to be in this child’s life.” That just made me cry harder. I knew how important a father was in a child’s life. I had loved mine with all my heart. “Hey, don’t stress too much. It’s bad for our child.” That made me laugh a little and I took a deep breath wiping my face. I needed to get my shit together. Crying was not going to get me out of this situation. “Shut up Macy.” I said lightly. This girl didn’t take anything seriously. She shrugged. “I’m serious. We can get married, but you’ll have to take my last name.” I rolled my eyes. “How’s Jamie going to take the news.” Macy raised a brow. “Obviously we’ll be a throuple Ezzie.” I groaned at the nickname. “I’m going to do it, Mace.” I placed my hand over my stomach. A wave of protectiveness washed over me and I looked down at my flat stomach. “We’ll be fine.” And I wasn’t talking to Macy when I said that.
Now that I had accepted that I was going to have a child, the next hardest part was telling Kody. I didn’t want to. I wanted to pretend I had gotten knocked up by some other one nightstand and raise my child on my own, but Macy had guilted me into spilling my guts. I woke up early Saturday morning, sneaking out of the house before Stella could guilt me into running an errand for her. The sun was out which was rare. It was warm so I wore a white T-shirt with my favorite denim shorts. I tied my hair into a high ponytail allowing my fringe to escape. I looked cute but relaxed. The outfit was the only part of me that was relaxed. My hands shook as I walked across campus to take the shuttle. I didn’t have a car yet and I thought about how crazy it was that I was about to have a baby before I got a car. Or a career. Or a fucking clue. Don’t get me wrong, babies were always in the plan. The ten year plan. After college and marriage. I didn’t want my kids to go through what I had went through. But that was in the clouds now and this was real life. As I walked to Kody’s house I plotted. The measly tips I made working as a waitress at the local diner wasn’t going to cut it. I couldn’t drop out of school. I just needed a better job. I needed a plan. I had eight months to get it together. Taking a seat on the shuttle, I pulled out my phone and began to jot things down in my notes app. Things I needed in the next six months: An Apartment A better job To tell Kody that he had gotten me pregnant I tapped my finger on the screen as I tried to come up with more stuff that absolutely needed to be on the list. I was pulled out of my thoughts by the bell ringing on the shuttle. Collecting my bag, I made my way off of the bus and proceeded to walk the three blocks to Kody’s apartment. Everyone on campus knew where Kody lived considering he was wildly popular. It wasn’t a shock as to why. For one thing he was insanely good looking with pale blonde hair and a sharp jawline. His eyes were a cool blue and his eyelashes were thick, just one look had girls dropping their panties. If that wasn’t enough, he was rich. Not insanely rich or anything but he had more money than the average student at Winterbrook U. Surprisingly enough, he wasn’t much of a snob and you could barely tell he was loaded. But his apartment was one of the things he had splurged on. I trudged up the steps leading to his one bedroom that was located on the third floor. I had never been inside his apartment before our one night stand and I wasn’t excited to be going back. I didn’t want to look like a groupie. Making my way to his door, I raised my fist, briefly knocking before I could lose my nerve. The door was almost immediately pulled open, a stranger standing in the doorway. I took a small step back, thinking that I had knocked on the wrong door. The guy looked confused, reaching a hand out and scratching the back of his neck. “You’re not Pizza Hut.” he said with a smirk. I looked him over. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy Kody would hang out with. He was tall and kind of wiry with lean muscles. His hair was shaggy and his lips were baby pink. He was kind of adorable. “Uh, I’m looking for Kody.” I said, clearing my throat. The guy smirked, leaning against the door. “Is that right?” He looked me over, seeming to have an internal debate in his head. I clenched my teeth. “It is right.” I snapped. “And instead of ogling me like some sort of creep, maybe you could just let him know that I am here.” The guy tilted his head to the side. “Calm down, midget.” He said with a smirk. “If you must know, I was deciding if it was worth hearing Kody’s mouth to see some girl drama. I’ve decided it is. Come on in.” He stepped to the side while I scowled at him. Midget? I was actually pretty tall. I stood at five feet seven inches and I normally towered over all of my girl friends. Who was he to call me a midget? I stepped past him, rolling my eyes. I froze when I focused on Kody’s living room. It was filled with guys. It smelled like weed and I noticed a couple of blunts being passed around. Kody was sat on his couch, a blunt behind his ear. He had his eyes closed. He seemed relaxed. I wanted to smack him. When the occupants of the living room noticed me, the room began to quiet down. I opened my mouth to say something but I found myself speechless. I suddenly regretted my choice of outfit. “Kody, you have a guest.” The guy who had opened the door said with a smirk. Kody slowly opened his eyes. When they made contact with me he narrowed them before looking around the room. “Beast, clear it out.” He said quickly pulling the blunt from behind his ear and throwing it onto the table. “You heard the Cap.” A guy with dark olive skin said standing quickly. Now he looked like the kind of guy Kody would have out with and I didn’t miss the side look over he gave me. All of a sudden the living room began to clear out. I didn’t miss the stares I was getting or the mumbles. I chose to ignore them as I glared at Kody. This was going to be the father of my kid? “King, wipe that smirk off of your face and beat it.” Kody said rolling his eyes. The guy who opened the door stayed where he was. “Alright, but this is really my last job Cap. I mean it.” Kody glared. “Whatever. ” King sent me an amused look before walking out of the apartment leaving me and Kody alone. “Lewis. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Kody asked standing up now and walking over to me. I ignored his question. “What did he mean, ‘one more job?” Kody rolled his eyes, opening his fridge and pulling out a water bottle. “That’s none of your concern. Why are you even here?” I folded my hands nervously. “I actually needed to talk to you but-” “We decided that was going to be a one time thing, Lewis.” Kody mumbled taking a long swig from the bottle. God, did he have to make every action so damn attractive. “That’s not why I’m here.” I said. Kody smirked. “Sure. You came to my house in those short shorts because you wanted to talk about what, the history final?” He laughed. “Don’t be so transparent.” I raised a brow. “Are you high?” I asked because now that I thought about it, he was acting high. He walked closer to me, stopping with just an inch of space between us. I had backed up into the counter. He was definitely high. “I’m not high, Lewis. I’m just stating the facts. And if you want another round in my bed, your going to have to do much better than shorts and an unexpected visit. That’s such a cliche.” I pushed him away from me, stepping neatly around him. “Get your shit together Kody. I don’t want another round in your bed. Do you even hear how much of an asshole you sound like?” He shrugged taking another drink from his bottle. This was a mistake. I couldn’t believe I had let Macy talk me into doing this. “You know what Kody, ” I said tightening my bag on my arm. “Have a nice life. Good luck ending up like every single other smoked out teen in this town. ” I wasn’t going to let my child be around that. Not to mention whatever gang related activities were going on around here. He glared at me as I walked towards his door. “Screw you, Ezra.” He said. I ignored the expression on his face because it seemed like his feelings were hurt. But I couldn’t care about Kody’s feelings. “You already did.” I tossed back, slamming the door.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “397501”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #Playboy #rich #Obsession #Pregnancy #HatetoLove #OneNightStand #Romance