Novels by Beth

ZOE’S POV I woke up with my heart full and a soft smile on my face. My entire body could feel how important today is. It still feels surreal. I lay there for a moment, listening to the hum of the AC, the birds outside and the calm breathing beside me. Owen stirred and turned slightly toward me. “She’s one,” I whispered, almost afraid to say it out loud. “I can’t believe Ava is one today.” His eyes opened slowly, still heavy with sleep but when he smiled, it was warm. He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “After everything, the fear of losing the pregnancy, her arriving too early, the moment the doctors were trying to get her to breathe, the weeks she had to stay in the NICU.” “Now she is here. Growing stronger every day.” I said softly. “She’ll keep growing,” Owen said quietly, “Healthier. Even more perfect. She’s our little miracle.” “Yes,” I said, smiling as my chest filled. “She is.” He pulled me closer and kissed me softly, then loud knocking broke the moment. “Mom! Dad!

CHLOE'S POV Zoe’s voice came through the phone,“How’s school?” she asked.I smiled and rested on the kitchen counter. “Good. It's a lot of work, but good. I’m surviving.”She laughed softly. “How's Jamie and Ava? I asked. “They're fine,” Zoe said. “Jamie is at Austin's. He kept asking if you’re coming for Ava's birthday next weekend. He said he hasn’t seen you in a long time.”I paused.“Chloe,” she said gently, “are you still planning to come? Or… you’re not comfortable coming back yet?”I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed in. “I haven’t even held her yet,” I said. “I wouldn’t miss Ava’s first birthday for anything. I’ll be there.”Zoe sounded relieved. “I'm happy to hear that. I’ll tell Jamie. We’ll be expecting you.”Just then, Liam entered the room, he started to ask about dinner and I quickly motioned for him to be quiet.Zoe heard it anyway.“Are you with someone?” she asked.My throat felt that. “Just… a course mate,” I said quietly.She hesitated. “Okay,” Zoe said,

OWEN'S POV Zoe stayed quiet through most of the flight.Now she brushed Ava’s back again and again.I closed my laptop and turned to her. “Hey,” I said softly. “You can breathe, you know.”She smiled weakly. “I am breathing.”“Barely.”She exhaled slowly and looked at Ava sleeping in her arms. “I’m just… worried.”I already knew about what. Still, I asked, “About my father?”She nodded. “Owen, what if he won't accept me?” Her voice dropped. “He refused to come to our wedding. What if nothing’s changed?”I squeezed her hand lightly. “A lot has changed,” I said. “Time has passed. And Ava’s here now.”“That doesn’t make it certain.”“He hasn’t met you,” I said firmly. “That’s the problem. He made his decision without knowing you. But once he meets you, gets to know you, he’ll love you.”Zoe looked at me, clearly uncertain. “Are you sure?”I smiled and spoke softly. “Of course I’m sure. You’re beautiful. You’re smart. And you’re holding the most beautiful girl in the world.” I leaned clo

OWEN'S POV It was late in the morning, I sat on the couch with my laptop open, finishing some work but my mind wasn’t on it. It was on Zoe. She sat beside me with a book resting on her belly. She turned the pages slowly. She looked peaceful. Strong. Like the past months had finally been kind to her. Things had been going well for months. That should’ve been enough to calm me. But I kept watching her. She shifted, then stood up slowly. She paused halfway up. She touched her belly and closed her eyes. I got up at once. “Zoe,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “Are you okay?” She looked at me and smiled softly, “I’m fine,” she said. “Braxton Hicks. This happens now.” I nodded but my chest still felt tight. “You sure? Or should we go to the hospital? Just to be safe.” She shook her head softly. “It’s still early. The doctor said this could happen. I promise, I’m okay.” I wanted to insist. But I let it go, since she sounded sure and I didn’t want every moment to be full of fear.

OWEN'S POVComing back to Sydney should have felt like relief.The island was beautiful. The rest of our honeymoon was smooth and peaceful. The kind of peace that makes you forget everything else.But that kind of peace doesn't last. I’d learned that already. It shatters the moment you start believing it will last.Zoe moved more easily now. She walked through the house with steady steps, her shoulders relaxed and her face brighter than before.We were unpacking. I paused and stared at her.She smiled when she noticed I was staring.“I’m fine,” she looked at me and said.She seemed fine, so I wanted to believe that. But I couldn’t fully relax. Not until the baby is born.“I know.” I said softly.*******************Austin brought Jamie later in the day.As soon as Jamie saw Zoe, he ran to her and hugged her tightly.“I missed you so much,” Zoe whispered into his hair.“I missed you too, Mommy.” Jamie said.“Are you okay now?” he asked and moved back to look at her face. “You're not s

OWEN’S POVI felt the bed shift beside me. I thought it was just Zoe turning in her sleep. Then I heard my name, very softly.“Owen…”There was something in her voice that woke me up instantly.I sat up and faced her. She stood at the edge of the bed, holding the sheets with one hand and the other on her stomach.Her face was pale and she looked scared.“What is it?” I asked as I climbed out of bed.She didn’t respond immediately. She looked down.That’s when I saw it.Blood.Running down her leg.My heart seemed to stop for a moment.Fear hit me hard, but I didn’t show it. I couldn’t. Zoe was already panicking, I had to stay calm.“I’m here,” I said quickly as I moved toward her. I put my arms around her to keep her standing. “Hey. Look at me. Breathe.”She started crying, holding onto my shirt.“I don’t want to lose the baby,” she cried. “I can’t lose our baby, Owen.”“You won't,” I said firmly, even though my heart ached. “You won't lose anything. You're both going to be fine.”I

LYNETTE'S POV“A trip…?” I whispered softly, my heart racing wildly in my chest. “With him?”My eyes began to move from side to side as my mind spun with thoughts. A trip with Bradford meant… we'll ride on a plane together for hours, and then…we'll be in the same space for a few days, or maybe even more. My eyes widened more as the realization hit hard. Oh my God. How would I get through that without losing all the facade and composure I'd been putting on? Seeing him almost everyday during the stay while hiding his baby from him…there’s no way I'd be able to handle that.I squeezed my eyes shut and deadpanned myself.Why didn't I see this coming? Of course we might need to go to Santorini. His new resort is there. How could I have missed such a little but fucking important detail? I should’ve expected this. Prepared for this. I knew Bradford would never pass up on such a chance. And he didn’t even give me a heads up while signing the contracts. Well, of course he wouldn't. He d

NICHOLAS’S POVI shouldn’t have gone to see her.That single thought followed me all through the drive back, making me more unsettled than I was before I even left.I entered my office and closed the door with a loud bang, not caring that it might’ve startled Maya. I started pacing again, loosening my tie angrily as if it was responsible for the uneasiness in my chest.What was I thinking going there in the first place? That something had suddenly changed after three years? Because of one night?I let out a humorless laugh. Seriously, that was such a dumb thing to even—“Mr Evans?” Maya’s small voice cut in softly from the doorway.I turned and saw her standing a little behind the door, as if she was using it as a shield. “Is everything alright?”I paused. But I didn’t respond, I just stared at her.“Everything okay?” She asked carefully, walking in a little further, “The meeting is starting in half an hour, and you're yet to give me back the documents that required your signature.”

LYNETTE'S POV By the time I stepped out of King Atelier, my heart was starting to beat steadily, though the strange heat still lingered in my chest. Gabrielle was leaning against the car with one arm crossed over her chest and her phone pressed to her hair. She sounded excited as she finished up her call. When is she not anyway? She's excited almost all the time. She looked at me when she saw me approaching, I could already see the questioning look in her eyes, so I didn’t wait. I walked directly towards the driver's door, opened it, and slid inside, closing the door quietly behind me. I leaned back in my seat, closed my eyes briefly, and let out a slow breath. Get a grip, Lynette. It's unlike you not to be able to control your emotions. You've come across many rich, good-looking men, aside from living with one for the past three years, yet you've never felt like you were losing control of your emotions. So what's different about…him? The passenger door opened, snappi

LYNETTE'S POVI swallowed hard and forced a smile before taking his hand calmly, “You too, Mr King.”But the moment our hands touched, something shifted.His grip was firm, steady, deliberate.But the surprising part was that I couldn’t pull back my hand, even though my mind was screaming I should, instead my grip tightened slightly in response.Our eyes met, and they lingered. They lingered for a moment longer than they should’ve. His eyes were calm and unreadable, but there was something deeper there that made it hard to breathe normally.The room fell into a strange, suspended silence, like everything else had faded into the background.That wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to get lost in his eyes. I mean, this was supposed to be a professional meeting, not some sort of reunion. Yet somehow… I couldn’t look away.And I knew right there that keeping things professional was going to be more difficult than I thought. And now it was too late to back out.Then his thumb mov

LYNETTE'S POVI laid there still trying to catch my breath and wondering why the hell I just saw Bradford’s face in Nicholas’s. Then Nicholas suddenly got off of me. I thought he was going to use the bathroom, but the next thing I heard was the bedroom door clicking shut.I frowned and turned my head towards the door. He really left. Just like that?He didn't even say anything, or stayed for a few minutes to show that what we just had meant something at least.I forced myself to sit up, pulling the sheets around my body slowly, as if I could gather whatever was left of my dignity with it.I thought I saw something different…something soft in his eyes tonight, after a long time. I'd hoped we might even spend the rest of the night in each other's arms.My chest tightened painfully as the little hope I had dissolved into something cold.It seemed like it was all in my imagination.He felt nothing for me. He never did.My marriage was over, I was the one who didn't want to admit that unt

LYNETTE'S POV Nicholas turned slowly…too slowly, as if he was scared to look back, his fists clenched at his sides. His mother’s voice filled the room again. “I’m good, dear. How are you two lovebirds doing?” she asked in her usual teasing tone. Before I knew it, Nicholas moved very fast and closed the space between us in seconds. His hand shot out, trying to grab the phone, but I stepped back just in time, holding it slightly above my head. His eyes were wild now, jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful. “Hang up now,” he whispered harshly, giving me a deadly look. “Lynette…hang up.” His voice was tight with a hint of desperation in it. “Lynette, are you there?” his mother’s voice came again, warm and completely oblivious. My smile widened mischievously. I held Nicholas’s gaze for one more second. Then I lifted the phone back close to my mouth. “We're doing just great, Martha,” I said lightly. “I just wanted to say hi. Nicholas sends his regards, too.” Then I e