Novels by Patrick Esther

The evening air felt lighter than the house.Ammie didn’t realize how much she needed that until she stepped outside with Drake beside her. The tension she had been carrying all day slowly eased with each step they took.Drake glanced at her. “You’re finally breathing again.”Ammie let out a small smile. “Don’t get used to it.”“I plan to,” he replied calmly.She shook her head slightly, but this time, she didn’t pull away from the moment. She needed this—something that didn’t feel controlled, something that didn’t feel like a contract.As they walked past a small group of people, one of them paused.A phone lifted slightly.A quiet snap.Neither Ammie nor Drake noticed.But the moment was captured.Clear.Close.Suggestive.---By the time they reached the roadside, the post was already up.> “Isn’t this Mrs. Knight? CEO Adrian Knight’s ‘wife’? 👀”“Or is the contract marriage finally showing its true color?”Within minutes, it began to spread.---Across the street, Adrian saw them.

The day didn’t feel normal, even though everything looked exactly the same.Ammie sat at her desk, her fingers moving across the keyboard with quiet precision. Her posture was straight, her expression calm, her focus seemingly unshaken. To anyone watching, she looked perfectly fine—professional, composed, untouched.But inside, it wasn’t that simple.Her mind kept drifting back to the morning. To the kitchen. To the way Adrian had looked at her like he was trying to remember something she was desperately trying to forget. The tension between them hadn’t disappeared—it had only changed shape. It was quieter now, but heavier.Across the office, Adrian stood by the glass wall of his office, his hands resting in his pockets as he looked out over the city. But he wasn’t seeing any of it. His thoughts were elsewhere.On her.On the gaps in his memory.On the way she avoided his eyes.Something had happened. He knew it. Not fully, not clearly—but enough to feel it.And the fact that Ammie re

Light crept into the room slowly, slipping through the curtains in thin gold lines.Adrian stirred.Not fully awake.Not fully asleep.Just… suspended between both.His head felt heavy, like something had been running through it all night.He turned slightly on the bed.Paused.The room was unfamiliar for a split second.Then memory started returning in fragments.---A door opening.Soft footsteps.Ammie’s voice.Calm, but distant.“You’re drunk.”A pause.Then—A feeling.Not clear.Not sharp.Just… warmth.And closeness.Too close.---Adrian blinked slowly.His brows tightened.“…What exactly happened?” he muttered.He sat up slightly.Rubbing his forehead.Trying to piece it together properly.But the more he tried—The more it slipped.Like something important had been blurred on purpose.---He exhaled.“Why can’t I remember clearly…” he said quietly.Then silence answered him.---🚪 Hallway — Same TimeAmmie walked past his door slowly.She stopped.Her hand hovered near the

— Adrian Out with FriendsAdrian didn’t plan to drink much.That was the lie he told himself.But the more his friends talked, laughed, and teased him about work, Bianca, and “his complicated marriage situation”… the more he kept pouring.One glass became two.Two became more.And slowly—The control he always had started to loosen.---Someone laughed.“So CEO life stress is finally catching up to you?”Adrian didn’t respond.Just stared at his glass.Because if he spoke—He wasn’t sure what he would say anymore.---For the first time in a long time…He didn’t feel sharp.He felt full.Not in a good way.---🏠 Later — Adrian’s HouseThe door opened quietly.Ammie was in the living room.Dressed for a party.Blue had invited her earlier.She was adjusting her outfit in front of a mirror when she heard the sound.She turned.And froze slightly.Adrian.Unsteady.Eyes slightly unfocused.He paused when he saw her.Silence filled the space instantly.---Ammie frowned slightly.“You’r

Ammie didn’t wake up crying.That was the new thing.No tears.No panic.Just silence.She sat on her bed for a long time, staring at nothing.Then stood up slowly.Walked to the mirror.Her reflection looked the same.But she didn’t feel like herself anymore.---“Temporary…” she whispered again.Then shook her head.“I’m done thinking about that.”She picked up her bag and left.---🏢 Office — Morning WhispersThe office was louder in silence now.Staff whispered when she passed.But no one stopped her anymore.They had accepted the story.Or at least… what they thought the story was.---“Good morning, ma.”“Morning, ma.”Ammie nodded slightly.But today—It didn’t feel respectful.It felt like distance.---📱 Ammie & Blue — Phone CallAt her desk, Ammie finally picked up her phone during a short break.She stared at it for a second.Then called Blue.It rang twice.“GIRL!” Blue shouted immediately. “I’ve been waiting for your call!”Ammie let out a small breath.“…Blue.”Blue pa

Adrian didn’t move for a long time after Ammie left his office.The room felt… wrong.Too quiet.Too still.He exhaled slowly, running his hand through his hair.“What did I just do…” he muttered under his breath.That wasn’t part of the contract.That wasn’t part of the plan.That wasn’t him.---He walked back to his desk, but the documents in front of him no longer made sense.All he could see—Was her reaction.Shock.Confusion.And something else he didn’t want to name.---Adrian picked up his phone.Paused.Then dialed.“Bianca,” he said when she answered. “Come over tonight.”Ammie returned home earlier than usual.She didn’t go to the living room.Didn’t go to the kitchen.Straight to her room.She dropped her bag slowly.Then sat on the bed.Her fingers touched her lips unconsciously.“…Why would he do that?” she whispered.Her heart still hadn’t calmed down.Part of her felt angry.Another part…Didn’t.And that scared her more.---She stood up quickly.“No,” she said to h