Novels by blessingbetty124

Arielle Tessa sat beside me, her body slightly turned, her eyes fixed on me like she was ready to sit through a movie. I tried. I really tried to change the subject. But Tessa wasn’t the type to let things go. Not when she knew something wasn’t right. Not when it involved me. “You might want to grab popcorn for this,” I said dryly. The words had barely left my mouth when a cough forced its way out. Then another. And another. It came harder this time. It was uncontrollable. Tessa shot up immediately. “Hey–hey, are you okay?”I waved her off weakly, reaching for my purse. My fingers fumbled inside until I found the pills. I didn’t even remember what they were for. I just needed the coughing to stop. I swallowed them quickly. Tessa returned with water, handling it to me with worry written all over her face. I drank…Then slowly, it stopped. Just like that. My breathing steadied. The room settled. “Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?” Tessa asked softly. “No. I’m

Arielle Joel’s car was gone. Completely gone. For a second, I thought I was imagining things. “Shit…” I muttered under my breath.“I think they left us,” Tessa said, frustration laced in her voice.I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I can see that.”I glanced back through the glass doors. The workers were watching us. Still watching. This was beyond embarrassing. I couldn’t believe Joel left us to deal with this shit. “You think Joel actually did this?" Tessa continued. “Or his boss told him to leave us stranded?” “Joel did this. Darius would never.” I said immediately.Tessa let out a short, dry laugh. “Darius would never? The same man who sued you?” She said. “You really think he wouldn’t leave you stranded?”My lips parted, but no words came out. Because she was right.A slow realization settled in my chest. The declined card. The silence. Joel disappearing…Darius never intended to pay. He set this up. And I walked right into it. My jaw tightened. Joel wouldn’t do this on his own. But

Arielle The manager gave us a place to sit while we waited. Jake and Joel were outside. We were already done picking outfits. Well…Tessa was. The last dress was what kept us there. I didn’t like the color, so the manager went to get other options for me. Suddenly, I coughed. It caught me off guard. I hadn’t coughed like that in a while. I coughed again. It felt wrong. The atmosphere was perfect, calm, even comfortable. Nothing should have triggered it. Whenever I started coughing like that, it usually meant one thing. I was about to fall sick. First, it would be a headache. Now this. “Are you okay?” Tessa asked, holding my arm. I nodded quickly. “I’m fine.”“Are you sure?”“Yeah.” I smiled. We leaned back in our seats, waiting. A few minutes later, my phone buzzed. From Emris. -/(Did you get my gift?)/-I stared at the message, unsure of what to reply.I hadn’t even checked what was inside. Everything about the gala had taken over my head. I locked my phone and dropped it

Arielle “Does this person have a name?” I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly. Joel hesitated. Then he shook his head. That alone told me everything. I knew he wasn’t being completely honest. He knew something. “He just said she’s dangerous. And that you two…don’t move along,” he added carefully. That’s all I know.”I hummed, walking toward the couch with two glasses of wine in my hands. Joel immediately stepped forward. “Let me help you with that.” “Thanks.”I returned to the kitchen to grab the tray of fruits I had prepared earlier, but before I could lift it, Joel was already beside me again. He took it from me without a word. Then his eye shifted toward the couch. He set them on the table. “Looks like someone left you a package,” he said. I paused. “What package?”He bent slightly and picked it up. “It says: From Emris, to Arielle.”Oh. I took it from him and started opening it by the counter, my full attention on the seal. The room suddenly felt quiet. I looked up. Joel

Arielle There was no way to tell if Tiffany had actually locked me out. The real problem, I didn’t have the key with me. “Fuck!” I muttered, gripping the handle again. I shook it harder this time. Nothing. “Tiffany?” I called, knocking. “Open the door.”No response. I knocked again. Louder this time. Still nothing. I pushed the handle down repeatedly, but it didn’t budge. And it was really late. The neighbors were probably asleep already. And here I was, making noise like a crazy person. I looked through the windows. No sign of her.Eventually, I gave up. I sank to the floor, my back against the door, feeling completely stupid. Sweat rolled down my face. The night air was cold against my skin. I felt really frustrated. Did Tiffany seriously lock me out…just because I told her the truth? I let out a dry laugh. I didn’t even get to see the gift Emris brought for me. Then it hit me. I hadn’t even started my project. I let out another dry laugh. Nothing in my life felt comple

Arielle “No,” Tiffany said suddenly. “Please don’t call 911. I don’t want him to go to jail.”My brows furrowed. Where else did she expect him to go? Back into her arms? No way.Emris was confused. He had already tied Blake’s hands and legs, his foot pressed firmly against him to keep him from moving. “Let the police handle him," I said firmly. “No!” She cried. “Please. I promise he won’t come here again.”I let out a frustrated breath, dragging my hand through my hair. Tessa has already pulled Summer away, handling her a glass of water. Emris brought out his phone.“You don’t get to decide,” he said. “I’m calling the police.”Tiffany lunged forward and snatched the phone from his hand. “Give me my phone back!” Emris snapped. “I don’t want him to go to jail,” she said again, her voice trembling. “You’re fucking joking, right?” Emris chuckled. “No,” she said, pausing before speaking further. “Because I’m pregnant!”Everything stopped. “What?!” I said, stunned. No one said a w