One True Love
Roxanne Ally McBeal never imagined her life would fall apart so quickly. After a year of marriage to Archiver Mathew Montenegro—the enigmatic CEO of Montenegro Inc.—she suddenly found herself signing divorce papers without a single explanation. Heartbroken and blindsided, she ran away, desperate to heal the wounds he left behind.
But fate has a cruel sense of humor.
Years later, Roxanne returns to the Philippines for a major project assigned by her boss. She thought she was finally ready—stronger, steadier, over him.
Until she saw Arch again.
The man she tried so hard to forget now stands in front of her with a request she never expected: pretend to be his wife. His grandmother, whom Roxanne deeply cares for, never knew about their separation—and with her worsening condition, Arch is determined to keep the truth from her.
Roxanne wants to say no. She should say no. But for his grandmother, she can’t walk away.
Now she’s back in the very place where her heart first shattered, living under the same roof as the man who broke it. Every stolen glance, every accidental touch, every unspoken memory threatens to pull her back to a love she’s terrified to feel again.
How long can Roxanne play the role of Arch’s wife before the act becomes real?
What happens when old feelings return stronger than before?
And if she falls for him again—can she survive another heartbreak?
One thing is certain: pretending has never been this dangerous.
Lire
Chapter: CHAPTER 20: FRACTURED LINESRoxanne McBeal gripped the steering wheel of her SUV as she navigated the predawn streets toward the Montenegro Inc. construction site. The clock on the dashboard glowed 5:15 AM, and the chill seeping through the vents clawed at her skin despite the heater blasting on high. She'd barely slept, her mind replaying yesterday's charged encounter with Arch Montenegro;the way his piercing blue eyes had held hers a fraction too long during the project review meeting, the subtle brush of his fingers against hers when passing a blueprint. Routine inspection, she repeated like a mantra. Just verify the foundation pours before the crew clocks in. But her pulse thrummed in her ears, betraying the lie. This wasn't routine. Not with him.The site sprawled on the outskirts of the city, a colossal beast of progress amid the foggy industrial sprawl. Chain-link fences topped with razor wire encircled the perimeter, fluttering with faded warning signs that whipped in the wind. Floodl
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-12-26
Chapter: CHAPTER 19: (Closer Than Business)CHAPTER — Closer Than BusinessRoxanne arrived at the Montenegro Inc. headquarters earlier than usual, a mixture of nerves and anticipation twisting her stomach. The office smelled faintly of coffee and polished wood;comforting and familiar, yet charged with something else today. Something she couldn’t name.She straightened her blazer and smoothed her skirt, telling herself again and again: it’s just business. Nothing else matters.She passed the glass-walled boardroom and paused. Inside, the table was already set for the day’s meeting. Laptops hummed quietly. Notepads were open. Coffee cups lined the edge like sentries waiting for orders.And at the head of the table, naturally, was Arch.He didn’t look up immediately, too engrossed in the papers in front of him. But the moment he sensed her presence, his head lifted, and their eyes met.That familiar pull hit her chest. The same pull from the site visit. The almost-kiss. The brush of his thumb on her wris
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-12-22
Chapter: CHAPTER 18: PRETENDING NOTHING HAPPENEDRoxanne sat at her desk, tapping the tip of her pencil against the architectural plans she had spread across the table. The office was unusually quiet, save for the occasional click of keyboards and the hum of the air conditioning. Everything was supposed to be normal. She told herself that a hundred times already. But her mind kept drifting back to the Montenegro Inc. site visit.The way his hand had hovered at her waist, the way his eyes had searched hers, the almost-kiss she could still feel pressing at the edge of her memory — it was impossible to erase.And yet, she was professional. She reminded herself. She was an architect. He was the CEO. Business first, everything else later.She straightened the plans on her table and forced herself to focus.Then, the door opened, and Arch entered.He moved through the room with his usual calm authority, but there was something in the tilt of his jaw, the tightness in his shoulders, that betrayed him. He looked at h
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-12-17
Chapter: CHAPTER 17: LINES HARD TO CROSSThe elevator ride to the top floor felt longer than usual.Roxanne’s fingers tightened around the rolled-up blueprint tubes in her arms as the digital numbers climbed. She kept her eyes forward, pretending her pulse wasn’t betraying her — pretending she didn’t remember everything that happened days ago.The silence.The closeness.The mistake neither of them has dared to name.When the elevator doors slid open, the familiar cool scent of Arch’s office floor greeted her — clean, sharp, laced with something earthy and expensive. His scent. His world.She swallowed hard.“Professional,” she whispered to herself. “You’re here to work. Nothing more.”Her heels clicked softly against marble as she approached the double glass doors of the CEO’s office.The frosted nameplate read: ARCHIMEDES LAURENZ MONTENEGRO.CEO.Her boss.Her almost.She knocked once.“Come in,” his voice called.Deep. Controlled. Too calm.She pushed the door open.Arch was
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-12-10
Chapter: CHAPTER 16:THE MORNING THEY COULDN’T ESCAPERoxanne woke up slowly, as if surfacing from the deepest part of a dream she wasn’t ready to leave.Warmth.That was the first thing she felt.A strong, steady warmth wrapped around her waist, pulled tight to her stomach. A weight draped over her hip. A heartbeat pressed against her back.It wasn’t a blanket.It was him.Her eyes flew open.Arch was behind her, still asleep… and holding her.Not loosely.Not accidentally.He was holding her like she was the only thing keeping him anchored.Her breath caught. She didn’t move. Couldn’t move. The events of last night crashed back into her chest —His confession.His hands.His voice breaking.His mouth on hers, desperate and gentle and everything she should’ve pulled away from but didn’t.Their bodies tangled on the bed.His arms finally closing around her like he’d been waiting years to do it.Her lips tingled at the memory.She pressed her eyes shut.What did we do?She swallo
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-12-10
Chapter: CHAPTER 15: THE NIGHT HE FINALLY BROKE The condo was quiet again, the lights warm and low, shadows stretching softly across the walls. Roxanne stood there with her heart pounding against her ribs, watching Arch breathe, watching the slight sway of his body as he leaned back on the bar stool. He wasn’t drunk enough to lose himself completely, but he wasn’t sober either. He was in that dangerous space in between — where people say the things they’ve been desperately trying to swallow. And Arch… he wasn’t swallowing anything tonight. Roxanne could see it in the way he stared at her. His pupils dark, his breathing uneven, his emotions sitting right beneath the surface like a storm ready to burst. She should have walked away. She should have escaped before something irreversible happened. Before the fragile line between them snapped. But she didn’t. Instead, she whispered, “Arch… you should rest.” He lifted his head slowly, eyes dragging up her figure like he didn’t want to miss a single inch. “R
Dernière mise à jour: 2025-12-07
Se connecter
