Novel-novel oleh Shirley South

Bella's POVCole had left for the office, and I had lied to him that I would be returning to mine when he asked. But instead, after he left, I ran to the bathroom, sitting there longer than I realized, perched on the closed lid of the toilet seat, staring at the floor. My fingers twisted together in my lap. I was restless.I still couldn't believe that I was pregnant. I wanted to deny it. For years, I'd carried the shame of being barren on my shoulders. Eric's family had blamed me, and I had judged myself. And now, suddenly, as if fate decided to mock me, I was carrying a life inside me, but it wasn't for Cole. And that was what made this worse.I closed my eyes, inhaling slowly, but the air was suffocating. I pressed my hand against my stomach, fingers trembling. For seven months, I had carried a child I hadn't known existed until days ago. A secret that could destroy the one shred of happiness I had managed to build.Cole didn't want children. He had told me that himself. Months ago

Eric's POVNo matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to forget Bella. It had been seven months since she left me. Seven months since I signed away the best thing that had ever walked into my life. Whenever I closed my eyes, all I could see was her. I rubbed my temple, trying to shake the memory of her, when the soft click of my office door diverted my attention."Mr. Damon?" my secretary, Clara, peeked her head inside. "There's someone here who insists on seeing you. He doesn't have an appointment, and I tried to reschedule, but he said it's urgent."I frowned. "Who is it?""A Dr. Leonard Hale," she replied, checking her notepad.The name struck a chord immediately. Dr. Hale. The fertility specialist. I hadn't seen the man in months, not since before the divorce. I had gone secretly to him for checkups, endless tests, and consultations that had yielded nothing but disappointment.I sat back in my chair, instantly masking the sudden urge of unease. "Send him in."Clara nodded and d

Bella's POVThe first thing I heard when I regained consciousness was the sound of beeping. The second thing I heard was a voice."Bella..."I twisted and turned. My eyelids were heavy and my throat was dry. My body was weak, but slowly, everything began to clear. I could see the ceiling clearly. I could smell antiseptic, and I felt the prick of an IV in my arm.Then I realized I was in a hospital. I blinked against the harsh light, and when my gaze was focused, I saw him. My husband, Cole. He sat at the edge of the bed, his hand covering mine. His eyes were bloodshot with sleeplessness. The man I had looked at as a perfect billionaire who seemed untouchable was now filled with fear before me."Cole?" I called out in my rasped voice.Instantly, he became relieved. His shoulders dropped, and he cupped my face gently. I nearly cried."Thank God," he whispered. "My love, you scared me half to death. I was so worried."I tried to sit up, but the sudden feeling of dizziness pushed me back.

Bella's POVThey say after every storm comes clarity. I don't know if I believe that, but what I know is that when I walked out of Eric's life, I walked into a void.I had nothing but my name. Everything Eric had bought for me, every property, every penny, was taken by his mother after the divorce. The only thing that was left, which I doubt he or his mother knew, was exposure. Eric had introduced me to the beauty world, to salon moguls and cosmetic CEOs. I'd been the silent wife sitting beside him, but I had listened, watched, and when the time came, I stepped forward. Building my brand behind his back.While I was married to him, I secretly built my beauty brand. People started noticing. And by the second week of my divorce, Belle's Beauty was at every beauty counter, every influencer's feed, and murmured in boardrooms. My company, my empire.One evening, standing at the Grand Marlton Hotel for the Investor's Forum, I wore a beautiful red dress, hoping to convince potential investor

Bella's POVThey say every love story begins with hope. But mine began with fire.I can still see the way Eric looked at me the night of the charity ball. He looked at me like I was the only woman in the room, though we were surrounded by hundreds. I was just a nobody then. A server at the event. Outside that, I was a quiet girl tucked in the corner, working on my small designs and dreaming of someday being seen as one of the greatest perfumers. But Eric saw me."Dance with me," he'd said as he walked over to me. He removed the tray from my hand and pulled me closer to him.I laughed nervously. "I don't even know you."But he smirked. Looking at me confidently as though rejection never existed to him. "Then consider this the first step. I'm Eric Damon."That was how it started. The billionaire CEO who could have had anyone chose me. Me, Bella Hayes. I thought it was fate. I thought it was love. He chased me with flowers, midnight calls, and promises of heaven and earth. He loved me ha

We pulled away from the kiss just to catch our breath for a few seconds."You've often told me about the awesome blowjobs you gave your boyfriends. And if I remember right, you've only bragged to me about them, but never offered to give me one," he muttered. "That pisses me off a lot.""I always knew you were jealous of the guys I dated." I bit my lips.He stood and dropped his pants, then sat back with his legs spread open a bit as he rubbed his hard wood. "Prove to me how good you are."I got on my knees in front of him. Then I ran my hand up his leg, feeling him shudder as his cock stiffened even more. My hand gripped him tightly. His wood was bigger than any cock I've held, and believe me, I've held a lot of cocks.I began stroking him, pumping him. Derek closed his eyes as my warm hands gripped his cock. Soon, I coated it with my saliva. My tongue ran over the shaft, leaving not one spot dry. I covered the tip and sucked gently, taking in more, and kept a vacuum-like hold on him,

The weight of my body pressed against him was so hot. His breath brushed my skin, and the softness of his touch sent chills running down my spine. My heart was begging for distance, but my body had already made its choice.His hand rested on my face as he tilted my chin upwards. His eyes were locked on my mouth while he traced the corner of my lips with his thumb. Our breaths tangled in the narrow space between us. Our faces drifted closer until our lips hovered just a breath apart.But then he stopped, and that pause burned more than any kiss ever could.The air in my living room felt very heavy, and for a second, I thought I could hear my own heartbeat echo off the walls. Derek’s hand was still at my waist, his breath warm at the base of my neck, but his eyes had changed. He wasn't looking at me with hunger anymore. He was looking at me with uncertainty. And I understood why.He stepped back first, breaking us apart.“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said quietly. "I'm sorry."“You d

Later that day, after I returned home from work. I sat on my couch for what felt like hours, thinking about whether I should give in to the dangerous pull towards Derek. I was caught up between sense and temptation.This was all new to me. Something about the way he is now just makes me want to have him, and not in the same way we were years ago. I reached out, grabbing my phone from the coffee table beside me. I unlocked it and went straight to my mail. My fingers hovered over his contact number as I hesitated to copy it.I thought to myself how silly it was. How totally ridiculous it was to feed more attention to what's happening. And yet... the thought of him still being drawn to me, the thought of me still having that kind of hold over him felt dangerously and deliciously intoxicating.Later that night, after pacing around for what felt like forever, I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and exhaled softly. Then I whispered to myself."Fuck it, I'm calling him."I tapped on his

"You remember me?" I asked in a soft voice, unsure if I actually heard him say my name.He scoffed. "There's not a machine in this world that will be able to wipe you out of my head," he smiled, pressing me even harder against him that it felt like our bodies were merging as one. "You're unforgettable, Elsa."I immediately threw my arms around him, hugging him back. After a while, we pulled apart slowly, reluctant to let each other go, but we had to. I couldn't risk letting anyone see me with a bride's husband in that manner.I smoothed down my dress. "Okay, so if you actually remembered me, why then did you not say anything back there? You just walked past me like I was a statue," I asked, playfully frowning at him."I apologize for making you feel that way, Elsa. It was not my intention," he pleaded. "I really didn't think I'd meet you here at all. It was so unexpected that when I saw you, I didn't know what to do. I needed time to process everything so I could react properly withou

My stepmother loved watching me have sex. Whenever I had my boyfriend around, she would stand outside, peeking through the slightly opened door, watching me and my then partner make love.I always thought it was some kind of fantasy of hers to watch her stepdaughter. But it was something else.Years ago, after the death of my father, I was basically turned into Cinderella. The classic 'daughter turned into a slave in her own father's house'. My stepmother was jealous of me. She hated how beautiful I was and the attention I got from guys back then... it was humiliating.After a while, I got fed up with it, and because my father was dead and I was nineteen, I had no one to stand up for me. No one but Derek.Back then, he was a guy who lived next door. Your typical silent, mysterious, but sweet guy that every girl in the area drooled over. I just didn't see what they were thirsting for about him, but whatever it was sure made a lot of girls go crazy.One evening, he approached me, and th