Novels by Abby

Clara’s POVParis.Everyone dreams of it. The glittering lights, the sprawling mansions, the sweet aroma of expensive cigars and imported wine. I have all of it — the marble floors, the crystal chandeliers, the silk sheets that drape over my king-sized bed. I have closets full of designer clothes, shoes that have never touched the pavement, jewelry that could blind a room.And yet, I wake up every morning with smoke in my lungs and venom in my chest.I light another cigarette, let the bitter taste burn the back of my throat, and lean against the balcony railing. The city is alive beneath me — laughter, cars, lovers strolling hand in hand, living the kind of life I should be living. The kind of life they are living. Roman. Ariana. Their names are poison to me, and yet they are the only names that live rent-free in my head.Do I regret what I did? The kidnapping, the threats, the torture?No.Not even for a second.If I had to be reborn a thousand times, I would do it a thousand times o

Jena’s POVThree years.Three whole years.That’s how long it has been since I last held my daughter. Since I last saw her face in person. Since she walked out of my life and never looked back.People say time heals wounds, but they’re wrong. Time doesn’t heal. Time only makes the silence louder, the guilt heavier, the ache deeper. Every morning when I open my eyes, the first thought that slices through me is her name. Ariana.And then the guilt comes crashing in.I told her to abort her baby. I said words a mother should never say. Words that burned a hole in her heart. I thought I was protecting her. I thought I was guiding her. I thought… God, I thought I was doing the right thing.But I was selfish. I see that now.I wanted to save my marriage. I wanted to save the life I had rebuilt with Mark after everything fell apart. I thought if Ariana just listened to me, if she did what I asked, everything would stay together. That somehow forcing her to choose between her future and that

Lana’s POVRegret has a strange way of sitting inside you. It doesn’t just pass—it settles. It builds a home in your chest, in your bones, in the pit of your stomach until you can’t breathe without feeling it. That’s what it’s been like for me these past years.I thought I’d buried it all buried Ariana, buried Roman, buried the memory of Clara and that night. But nothing stays buried. Not when you close your eyes at night. Not when the silence creeps in. That’s when the voices come back, whispering. Reminding me of every mistake.I didn’t even finish school. I was supposed to. But my dad… of course, he fixed it the way he fixes everything—with money. He bought me a degree like it was a handbag. Just a transaction. A fake accomplishment to put on the wall and parade around. Everyone thinks I graduated, but the truth is, I didn’t even try. I couldn’t.Not because I wasn’t capable, but because every time I opened a book, I saw Ariana’s face. Every time I tried to sit in a classroom, I r

Bonus Chapter.Alex’s POVThe club was loud, the bass vibrating through the floor beneath my boots. Colored lights strobed over the dance floor, casting shadows across the crowd, but I wasn’t here for the music or the drinks. Truth was, I didn’t even know why I came out tonight. Maybe I was bored. Maybe I was tired of watching Roman and Ariana wrapped up in their perfect little world while I played the role of supportive best friend on the sidelines.I leaned against the bar, nursing a glass of whiskey, when I spotted her.Maddie.She was sitting alone in a booth tucked away in the corner, a half-empty glass in front of her. She looked different—messy hair, smudged mascara, her usual sharpness dulled by alcohol. But there was something about the slump of her shoulders, the way her eyes kept flicking to the rim of her glass as if the answers to all her problems might be floating there.I smirked without even meaning to. It wasn’t the mocking kind—more like a reflex whenever Maddie was

Ariana’s POVThree Years LaterThe auditorium was alive with noise—applause, cheers, and proud tears. But for me, everything blurred into the background. My eyes found only one thing: Roman, sitting in the front row, our three-year-old son against his chest.He looked breathtaking, as always. Dark suit, broad shoulders, and that controlled calmness that had always made him seem untouchable. But not today. Today, his eyes glistened with the softest pride, a pride that belonged not to Roman Sinclair, the powerful businessman, but to Roman, my husband, my everything.Our little boy—Ethan—squirmed in his arms, his tiny hands tugging at Roman’s tie. Roman smiled down at him, that rare, unguarded smile that melted me every single time. He kissed Ethan’s hair and then lifted his gaze back to me. Even from across the hall, I felt the weight of it—the warmth, the love, the unspoken words.“And now,” the dean’s voice boomed across the hall, pulling me back, “we present the graduating student wh

Roman’s POV8 Months LaterThe ringing of my phone pulled me out of a meeting, but I knew the second I saw the hospital’s name flashing across the screen that my world was about to change forever.“Mr. Sinclair?” the nurse’s voice came through. “Your wife… she’s delivered. Both mother and baby are healthy.”For a moment, I couldn’t speak. My throat locked, my chest tight, as if the air had been stolen from me. Then the words sank in. My wife. Our baby. Healthy.I didn’t wait for anything else. I walked out of the building without a word to anyone, leaving contracts, investors, and business behind. None of it mattered. Not compared to this. Not compared to them.The drive to the hospital blurred past in flashes of color and heartbeat. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles burned, but my mind was somewhere else entirely—on her. On the sound of her laugh, the way she whispered my name, the way she held on to me even when I didn’t deserve it. And now… the thought of her

*Damien*The moment Scarlett stepped out of the office, Ivy broke down.Her hands trembled as she tried to wipe her face, her voice cracking. “I just I can’t stop seeing it, Damien. Every time I close my eyes… Ana’s face, the blood”Before I could react, she stumbled forward and wrapped her arms around me. For a second, I froze, caught off guard. Her body was shaking, her clothes still damp from the rain. She looked terrified. Completely undone.I sighed quietly and pulled her closer, one hand resting gently on her back. “Hey… it’s okay,” I murmured. “You’re safe now. You hear me?”She nodded against my chest, her breathing uneven. “I didn’t know where else to go,” she whispered. “I’ve been trying to sleep but I keep waking up… I keep hearing her scream.”Her voice broke, and I felt her tears soak through my shirt.I tightened my arm around her, slow and steady, letting her calm down. “It’s over, Ivy. What happened wasn’t your fault.”She pulled back just a little, her eyes glossy and

IvyI decided to go to Damien’s house. It was raining, the kind of heavy, biting rain that made the air feel like ice against my skin. Still, I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed my bag, threw on my clothes, and pulled a cap low over my head before boarding a cab straight to his apartment.The ride felt endless, fifteen minutes stretching like hours, every second dragging as the rain hammered down on the roof. When we finally pulled into his estate, I paid the driver and stepped out. My shoes sank into puddles, my clothes already plastered to my body by the storm.The garden looked different. Maybe because it had been so long since I was here… or maybe because the air itself carried a weight tonight. Something about it felt wrong.That’s when I saw them.Two men in sharp suits, standing stiff, their posture too precise. They looked like those hot FBI agents you see in movies, the kind that don’t miss a single detail. My stomach dropped. My heart raced so fast I thought it might rip through my

*Damien*I stood in my office, hands braced on the edge of the desk, staring down at the untouched glass of whiskey in front of me. The amber liquid glowed faintly in the late afternoon light, but I hadn’t taken a sip. Not yet.I hadn’t earned the relief.The weight of Ana’s death still clung to the air—heavy, suffocating. Her blood was no longer on the floor, but it was everywhere else. On my conscience. In my lungs. Beneath my skin.I had failed her.And Ivy.And Scarlett.I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to steady my heartbeat that always spiraled when I thought too long about what if.What if the killer had gone after Scarlett?What if Ivy didn’t make it out?What if this was only the beginning?I hadn’t slept since the night it happened.“Sir?” Malik’s voice came from the hallway, dragging me from my thoughts. “Scarlett’s in the garden. Do you want me to keep eyes on her?”I glanced at the clock. Scarlett had said she wanted some air earlier. She needed space, and after all t

*Damien*The Next Day“So, this is the easiest way to reach all of us at once,” I said, standing at the center of the main living space in the estate, now turned into a makeshift security hub.“We’ll tour the entire premises after lunch. That way everyone gets familiar with the layout.”After everything that happened… Ana’s death, Ivy’s tears, Scarlett’s fear I wasn’t taking any more risks. I'd doubled the security across the entire property. My wife deserved to feel safe. And I needed to feel like I could protect what mattered most.The truth was, I still felt like a monster.Ivy. That night. The sex. The chaos. The guilt.It clung to me like smoke after a fire, suffocating and unshakable. What I felt for Ivy whatever it was had morphed into a knot of shame and regret. I cared for her once, maybe more than I should have.But yesterday, when I saw Scarlett, heard her voice trembling in fear, saw her protectively cradle her stomach…It hit me.What I had with Ivy wasn’t love.It was lu

*Ivy*Police swarmed the hotel like ants on sugar blue lights flashing, yellow tape cutting off every corridor. Investigators, medics, cameras. It was chaos. Controlled, methodical chaos.And I stood right in the middle of it, crying.Or at least… pretending to.Tears rolled down my cheeks, my body trembling like a scared little girl. I could’ve won an Oscar."The man attacked both of you?" the officer asked gently, his pen ready."Y-Yes," I mumbled, my voice cracking as I sniffled. I dabbed my eyes with a tissue Damien had handed me earlier. The officer nodded, scribbling into his notepad."He was insane," I added, shaking my head, forcing my lip to tremble like I was still shaken to the core.He glanced at his notes. "You said he was a white male, approximately 30 to 40 years old. Dressed in all black. Wielded only a knife?"I nodded quickly. "Yes. I was so scared. Ana… she tried to protect me. And he...."I broke down again, letting out a sob for good measure. “She didn’t deserve t

Present Moment*Damien*The way Ivy’s voice quivered with fear hit me harder than any threat ever could. It reminded me of a truth I’d long buried beneath power and success—being a billionaire CEO of a massive company doesn’t just make me a target. It paints a red mark on the backs of everyone I care about.And now… this.The guilt twisted deep in my chest, sick and sharp. I should’ve been more careful. I should’ve done more. This never would’ve happened if I had better security, tighter control, fewer blind spots.This tragedy—Ana’s blood, Ivy’s trembling hands—it was on me.“Who was he? What’s his name?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.“I… I don’t know,” she choked out, tears cracking her voice like glass.Her pain gutted me. And worse? I knew she was trying to be strong—for me. For all of us. But it was me who failed her.I pulled her into my arms, holding her like I could somehow squeeze the fear out of her body and into mine. “It’s okay… You’re safe now,” I whispered int