Novels by SM Vale

Kelly's POV. The moment we stepped out of the wedding hall, I stopped. Several expensive cars were lined up outside, while men in black suits stood beside them like they had been waiting for an important guest. I looked from the cars to Adrian, then back at the bodyguards.“Did you rent all these cars and bodyguards just to make them jealous?”Adrian glanced at me. “I didn't do it for them.”“Thank you anyway. Just tell me how much they are charging. I will pay you back.”He stared at me for a few seconds. “Why are you always talking about paying?”I blinked. “What?”“You just got married, and the first thing you want to know is how much everything costs.”I shrugged. “I'm used to paying for myself. I don't like owing people.”He stared at me. “Your work must have been paying well” “I work at Hawthorne Global Group. I'm a branch manager.”His eyebrows lifted slightly. “That's a good position.”“It is. I worked hard for it.”We got into one of the cars, and I settled into the seat be

Kelly's POV. I stared at myself in the mirror, barely recognizing the woman looking back at me. The wedding dress hugged my body perfectly, its long train spreading across the floor behind me. My hair was styled neatly, my makeup flawless, and the diamond earrings Thomas had once chosen for me glittered against my ears. I looked like a bride ready to marry the man she loved. No one looking at me would guess that I had spent the entire night preparing for his downfall.Natalia stood behind me, adjusting the veil with a bright smile. “Kelly, you look absolutely beautiful. Congratulations, girl. I still can't believe you are finally getting married.”I smiled at her reflection.“Thank you, Natalia.”She wrapped her arms around me from behind.“You deserve this happiness.”The words almost made me laugh.Happiness?This woman had helped destroy mine.For years, I had treated Natalia like a sister. I had used my salary from Hawthorne Global Group, where I worked as a branch manager, to su

Adrian POV I tried to pull her arms from around my waist.“Hey. You need to stand right.”She only held me tighter.Her tears soaked through my shirt, and every time I thought she was done crying, another sob escaped her.“I hate them,” she whispered.I sighed and looked toward the three men I had just thrown out of my way. They were already disappearing into the crowd.Whoever had hurt this woman had done a great job. She was so broken. “I know,” I murmured.She lifted her head, her eyes red and unfocused. “Do you know how much it hurts?”I frowned.“To love someone for two years,” she continued, her voice breaking, “while he has been dating your best friend for three years?”Something inside me went still.“I understand.”“No, you don't.” She shook her head. “They called me a cash cow.”My jaw tightened.A woman I did not know was standing in front of me, drunk enough to barely remain on her feet, yet somehow she had managed to tell me the story of her broken heart in less than a

Kellys POVThe hallway stretched longer than it should have. My heels clicked against the hardwood, each step sharp in the quiet of Thomas's apartment. In three days, I would walk down an aisle toward him, repeat vows I've memorized on index cards tucked in my bedside drawer. The rehearsal dinner had ended an hour ago. I came back to grab the earrings I'd forgotten on his dresser.Then I heard something unexpected. My hand froze on the sitting room door handle. The moan came again, softer this time, trailing off into a whimper that curled through the gap in the bedroom door left half-open. My ears had to be wrong. The building's old pipes groaned sometimes. Maybe that was all I heard.I pushed the strange feeling aside and turned to leave.But the sound came again, and curiosity got the better of me. I pushed the door wider. Then I saw someone familiar. If my ears were wrong, my eyes couldn't be wrong. From the back, I could tell it was Natalia, my best friend. "Ouch baby!""Fuc