Novels by Elle

Ella’s eyes opened slowly. She blinked against the dim light in the room. For a moment, she had forgotten where she was. Then everything started rushing in like a force she couldn’t pull.The flight. London.She sat up and rubbed her eyes before reaching for her phone on the nightstand.6:12 PM.“What?” She sat up straighter and stared at the screen. She had fallen asleep in the afternoon. Now it was evening.Outside the window, the rain had stopped. The sky was dark blue, and the streetlights below were already glowing against the wet roads.Then she remembered Ethan had slept off too. She turned towards the couch. It was empty. Ethan’s suit and tie were gone. So was he.“Ethan?” she called, even though she already knew he wasn’t there.The room was quiet.An unfamiliar sting pulled up her chest. Was he eager to leave the room just because she was around? Does he hate her company so bad?Ella immediately pushed the thought down. She wasn’t going to allow anything to ruin her evening.

A doorman opened the car door as soon as they stopped, and Ella stepped out into the rain again, pulling her coat closed as Ethan led the way inside. A staff member helped them with their suitcases.At the front desk, a young man in a tailored uniform greeted them with a polite smile.“Mr and Mrs Blackwood. Welcome.”He typed something into his computer, then looked up again. “You’re booked into the Kensington suite for your stay. I hope you enjoy your time with us.”He slid two keycards across the counter.Ella’s smile stayed fixed in place, polite, automatic. Underneath it, her mind was already racing.She leaned in slightly, angling her head toward Ethan, her voice dropping to barely more than a breath against his ear.“You booked one room?” She whispered. “I thought you said we’d be staying in different rooms.”Ethan didn’t turn to look at her. He reached for both keycards, his expression giving nothing away. “That’s the contract, besides, we’re not home.”“Ethan.” Ella’s voice ca

Ella blinked, then let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “London?” She said the word slowly, realizing she didn’t have a passport. Her eyebrows rose. “I don’t have a passport.”“I’ve got it handled.” Ethan stood up and slipped his phone into his pocket.“Handled how?”“I already arranged it.” He glanced up, then something unreadable flickered across his face before it vanished. “You don’t need to worry about it.”Ella’s mouth opened, then closed again. Of course he’d already arranged it. Just like the suitcase Hannah packed without asking her a single question. Just like everything else in this marriage that seemed to happen around her instead of with her.She tightened her grip on the suitcase handle and said nothing else.Hannah took their suitcases to the car. They followed suit in silence. The driver was already waiting by the open door, loading their suitcases into the trunk. They slid into the back seat and stared out the window, watching the house shrink behind them.Neither of

Ella was halfway through raising a fork full of eggs to her mouth when Ethan's voice cut across the kitchen.“Get ready we're going for a business trip,” he said, his voice bold, like he was reading off tomorrow's schedule.The fork froze mid way in her hand. She just looked at him for a second, forgetting about the food. Then she put the fork back down, the eggs slipping off.“Business trip?” Her voice came out sharper than she meant it to.Ethan didn’t look up from his phone. “Hannah had packed what you’ll need.” He said, ignoring her question. “Get ready, we leave in three hours.”“Three hours?” She pushed back from the counter, the stool legs scraping hard against the floor. “You can’t just drop this on me three hours before we leave, Ethan.”“And why am I going with you?” Ella folded her arms across her chest. “I’m pretty sure my presence is not needed.”“You’re my wife.” Ethan said flatly. “It wouldn’t look right if you weren’t there.”Something tight pulled in her chest. It was

“Let’s get straight to the point,” Ethan said, staring at the man sitting across from him. “I’m sure you’ve figured out why I’m here.”He slid the printed documents the investigator had sent him across the table and watched as Mr Wright’s eyes dropped to the papers.For a moment, the older man said nothing. His eyes moved slowly over the documents, his fingers tightening around the edges of the papers. He began going through the pages, one after another.Ethan said nothing. He leaned back in his chair, his expression calm as he watched the father of his wife read through the pages.“Where did you get this?” Michael asked as he continued glancing through the pages, his expression unreadable.“That’s not why I’m here,” Ethan said, his tone leaving no room for the questions to continue.“Don’t act dumb,” Ethan added, his voice low and sharp. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, his eyes fixed on Michael. “You know exactly why I’m here.”Michael's fingers tightened around

The next morning came slow and steady. Ella had already woken up, she was torn in between Ethan’s words to her yesterday and the fact that she still absolutely cared for him.“Urggh,” She muttered as she placed her hand in her hair, aggressively tugging at it. “What have I gotten myself into.”For a few seconds, she lay still, staring at the ceiling as her mind went back to Ethan words to her. He was cautious with his tone but she sure noticed the anger in it.“You don’t get to hear a few things about my past and suddenly think you have a place in it.”She could still remember the words loud and clear, the way he had said it and how the word had pierced her heart into pieces. She wasn’t angry with him. At least, she didn’t think she was.Mostly, she was embarrassed. She had allowed herself to care too much. That was the problem.Still she wanted to check how he was doing, if the pain on his side has lessen but how would she when the man she was taking care of sent her out. Who does th