Novels by Simply_B

SEBASTIANThe meeting had been going smoothly.At least, until I dropped the news about the deal I'd just secured.“I've finalized the agreement with Hartwell International,” I said, sliding the folder across the table. “The contract will be signed by the end of the week.”A few of the board members exchanged impressed looks.“That’s a significant deal,” one of them said.“It is,” I replied.The discussion that followed was productive. We went over the numbers, the projected growth, and how the company would handle the expansion. Everyone had something to contribute, and for once, there were no pointless arguments around the table.Then, just as the discussion was winding down, one of the older board members cleared his throat.“There is one other matter.”I leaned back in my chair. “Yes?”“I heard a rumor that you may be stepping down from your position.”The room went quiet.I almost smiled. “I’m not stepping down.”He looked slightly surprised. “So the rumor isn't true?”“Not even

JORDANThere are moments in my life I wish I could bury so deep that no one would ever find them.Not because I’m ashamed of what happened.Because I’m ashamed of what I did.One of those moments was the day Gwen reached out to me.Gwen Hayes and I were what people would have called a power couple. One wrong seating arrangement in an art class had somehow turned into a full-blown romance.I loved her, and she loved me.And for a while, I genuinely believed we were meant to be.Until we weren't.Six months into our relationship, things started falling apart. We argued over things that shouldn't have mattered. We picked apart each other's flaws. Somehow, every conversation turned into another disagreement, and every disagreement left us a little more exhausted than before.I was frustrated. I was tired.And the worst part was that I had started thinking about ending things.But I couldn't do it.Because no matter how difficult things became, I still loved her.Then the pictures appeared.

ASHLEY/ SELENE “Shit,” Zara exclaimed. “I knew she was going to find out sooner or later.”I didn’t say anything. I simply dropped my bag on the nightstand."I mean, I get why she’s pissed,” Zara continued. “I’d be pissed too if my best friend had been dating my brother and didn’t tell me about it. But I doubt she’ll stay mad at you for long, so just give her some time.”She gently patted my back.“What did Jordan do? You said he was with you when Selene overheard.”“I don’t…” I swallowed hard. “Can you just leave me alone?”Zara looked at me for a moment before nodding.“Okay. Call me if you need anything.”She stepped out of my room, quietly closing the door behind her.I sighed and dropped onto the bed, the weight of the day finally settling over me.This wasn’t how I wanted Selene to find out about my relationship with Jordan. Now, it felt like I had been a terrible friend for hiding something so important from her.And yet, despite the guilt twisting inside me, I couldn’t stop r

SELENEI wrapped my arms around Sebastian, pulling him into a warm embrace.“How was work today?” he asked when I finally eased back.“Hectic.” I sighed, already making my way toward the passenger-side door. “We've been planning for the exhibition. I can't wait for it to be over.”“It'll be over soon,” he assured me as he settled into the driver's seat.“In two weeks,” I reminded him, climbing into the car.I reached into my bag for my phone, but my fingers found everything except what I was looking for.I frowned.Then it hit me.“Shit.”Sebastian glanced at me. “What?”“I left my phone in my office.”I sighed, already reaching for the door handle.“Just give me a minute. I'll be back.”“You sure you don't want me to come with you?”“I'll be back.” I shook my head. “Just wait here.”I stepped out of the car and hurried back toward the building.The office was already quiet when I entered. Most of the lights were off, and Ashley's desk was empty. She had already packed up for the day.

ASHLEY It had been three days since the night I agreed to go on a date with Garrett.The dinner had been nice. Nothing extravagant or overwhelming. We simply talked about his job, our likes and dislikes, and the things we usually wouldn't tell someone we'd only just met. He even told me more about his past relationships.The more I got to know Garrett, the more I realized he wasn't the kind of man I'd initially assumed him to be.He was actually a good guy.And maybe that was why I found myself enjoying his company more than I expected.I just needed to take my mind off Jordan. I needed to stop dwelling on everything that had happened between us and focus on whatever this new thing was that seemed to be brewing between Garrett and me.My phone beeped, pulling me from my thoughts.I picked it up and saw a message from Garrett asking when I'd be done with work.A small smile curved my lips.For the past few days, he'd taken it upon himself to drive me home from work. Even after I'd decl

ASHLEY“Your sister…” I spoke after a long moment of silence. “How… how is she now?”Garrett exhaled slowly and leaned back against the couch, his gaze dropping to the glass in his hand.“She’s good,” he said. “She… she went to therapy, and it really helped. We’ve never really talked about the past.”Something tightened inside my chest.I couldn't stop imagining a younger girl lying on the floor, covered in blood, while Garrett found her like that. The thought alone made my stomach twist.“I really hope she’s okay,” I whispered.“I hope so too.”I nodded, but the movement felt almost mechanical. My mind was still stuck on everything he'd told me.Four years.Four years with Jordan, and somehow there were still pieces of his life I knew nothing about. I had always thought I knew him—his habits, his temper, the things that made him laugh, the things that made him angry.But this?This was an entire part of him I'd never even known existed.“Judging by your reaction, I can tell he never

MERETNINE MONTHS LATERI used to think the strength of a marriage was measured by how little it was tested.I was wrong.Every marriage gets tested eventually.By distance. By disappointment. By temptation. By the quiet accumulation of things neither person knows how to say.The difference isn't whether the cracks appear.It's what you do when you finally see them.Some couples repair them.Some learn to live around them.And some realize the cracks were never meant to be repaired at all.So, what did I do when mine appeared nine months ago?I chose to learn to live with them.On the night Ethan gave me that ultimatum, I didn't sleep a wink. I spent every dark hour staring at the ceiling, trying to picture what my life would look like if I walked out that door and chose Adrian instead.We would be happy, wouldn't we?We'd travel to foreign cities, drink expensive wine, and lose ourselves in a life that felt thrilling and intoxicating.But as the morning light slowly bled into the roo

MERETGetting caught cheating must be one of the strangest forms of guilt there is.You know you've done something wrong long before anyone discovers it. You carry it quietly, tucked inside every lie, every deleted message, every secret smile you were never supposed to have.But somehow, none of it feels real until you watch the person you've betrayed look at you as though he no longer recognizes your face.I would never forget Ethan's expression.Not the moment he saw Adrian's lips against mine.Not the moment his eyes dropped to our hands, still tangled together as though there were nothing wrong with the world.And certainly not the moment I yanked my hand free of Adrian's grip, as if I'd only just remembered I had a husband at all.Before the anger came, there had been something else in Ethan's face.Something somehow worse.It was like watching a building collapse from the inside, all at once and without a sound.I had done that to him.Me.Now, I sat beside him in silence, watch

ETHANThere are some phone calls you answer without thinking.And then there are the ones that make you wish you hadn't.I was halfway through reviewing a report when my phone rang.I almost ignored it.The number belonged to an old friend I hadn't spoken to in months.“Is Meret in town, Ethan?” David asked, his tone unusually tense.I leaned back in my chair, frowning at the sudden question.“No. She's actually away on a business trip in Bay York right now. Why do you ask?”There was a heavy pause on the other end of the line.“Because... I'm at a finance group club in Bay York right now, and I just saw a woman who looks exactly like her.”“It's a big city, David. Plenty of people look alike.” I chuckled, trying to brush it off, but an uneasy knot had already begun forming in my stomach.“Ethan, hear me out,” David insisted softly. “I took a photo. I'm going to send it to you right now. Just check your phone and tell me if I'm losing my mind.”A second later, my phone vibrated.I bro

MERETI was in trouble.Deep, spectacular, completely irreversible trouble.Because I didn't want to go home.I didn't want to think about Ethan.I didn't want to think about my wedding ring, now hidden in my bag.I didn't want to think about what the end of these three days meant.I just wanted Adrian.We had spent the night wrapped up in each other, and somehow, morning had arrived far too quickly.I'd lost count of how many times he'd driven me over the edge. I'd experienced more pleasure in two nights with him than I had in three years of marriage.That realization should have devastated me.Instead, it made me smile.God.What was wrong with me?Adrian was an addict.The man hadn't seemed capable of staying away from me for more than a few minutes. If he was pouring wine, his free hand was on my hip. If he was taking a call, his other hand was holding mine. If he was sleeping, his arms were locked around my waist.And the worst part was...I loved it.I loved being wanted this ba

MERET"Where are we going?" I asked for the third time, struggling to keep pace with his long strides.Adrian glanced back at me, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eyes. “You’ll see.”"That isn’t an answer, Adrian."“It wasn’t supposed to be,” he replied smoothly, not slowing down for a second.I followed him down the marina, my heels clicking against the wooden planks of the walkway.Something about the way he walked told me he'd planned this long before our argument that morning."Adrian?"My steps slowed, then came to a complete halt as we reached the end of the pier.Floating majestically on the turquoise water was a massive, pristine-white yacht, its sleek lines gleaming beneath the afternoon sun.Adrian stopped and turned to look at me, a lazy smirk touching his lips. "We have this baby all to ourselves for the rest of the day."I stared at the vessel, completely stunned."You’re kidding."“No,” he said softly, holding out an open hand toward me. “Come aboard.”I looked at h

MERETAdrian Beaumont fucked me so good, I almost told him I loved him.I turned onto my side and stared at him.In sleep, his features seemed softer than I'd ever seen them. His jaw was relaxed, his lips slightly parted, his breathing slow and even. There was something strangely peaceful about seeing him like this, stripped of the sharp edges he wore so effortlessly during the day.A sudden warmth bloomed in my chest.My hand twitched, almost instinctively wanting to trace the arch of his dark brows. But the moment I lifted it, his eyes snapped open, sharp and dark.I quickly lowered my hand and looked away, heat creeping up my neck.“Were you about to touch me, Meret?” Adrian's voice was a low, velvet rumble, thick with sleep.“I was checking if you were breathing,” I lied, slipping out from beneath the heavy duvet before he could read the guilt on my face.“And here I thought you were making sure I hadn't succumbed to exhaustion,” he said, his voice dripping with dry humor as he pul