Romans de Sally

Evelyn's POV He’s in a grey T shirt and black trousers, a black face cap pulled low on his face. I start walking toward him with slow, careful steps. As I move, my heart begins to race. I glance around, hoping he’s alone. We meet halfway, right between two parked cars.“Whatever you are doing ma’am, be very careful”Those are his first words and in a low deep tone. He does not smile. His eyes move constantly, scanning the space around us like he’s afraid someone might appear out of thin air.“What is happening? Is Leonard with you? Does he want to kill me? Why should I be careful?”The questions tumble out of me before I can stop them. Fear sharpens my voice. He blinks, then looks away from me, his gaze sweeping the parking lot again before he finally faces me.“I’m alone.” He licks his lips, nervous. “Clara is looking for you. She’s not exactly sick. Mr Sinclair doesn’t know this. I’ve always known you were here but I didn’t tell anyone. Now she’s become more serious than ever. She

Evelyn’s POVThis new message is from Melissa, but my hands start to shake as I read her words. Let’s meet tomorrow. Don’t tell Lionel.I stare at the message for a while, reading it over and over again as if the letters might rearrange themselves into something less alarming. My chest feels tight, and for a second, I almost drop my phone. Why would she say that? Why would she not want me to tell Lionel?I swallow hard and type back. Why?Then I pause.No. Maybe I shouldn’t ask. Maybe it’s better if I just go and hear what she wants to say to me. It could be business but I doubt. My fingers hover over the screen before I erase my question and replace it with a single word: Okay.I hit send.After that, I toss my phone on the bed and just sit there, staring at nothing. The silence in the room is thick and very much uneasy. I suddenly feel like someone’s watching me, like there’s a camera hidden somewhere, or eyes peeking through the curtains. I turn around on impulse to check, but of c

Evelyn’s POV“What is it?” I ask Lionel, who’s still staring at me like he’s just lost a bet. His gaze doesn’t waver—it’s steady, intense, and unsettling.“Lionel?” I call out again, softer this time.His hands drop from my shoulders to my palms. He holds them gently, his thumb brushing over my skin as if trying to calm both of us. Then he exhales, long and heavy. “So,” he begins, voice low, “there’s something currently going on in my life, and in a way, you’ve become involved. I don’t want anything to happen to you because of me.”I stare at him, confusion twisting in my chest. “What are you talking about?” I pull my hands away from his hold. “You’re scaring me right now, Lionel. What do you mean something is going on in your life? And what does that have to do with me?”He sighs and rubs the back of his neck like he’s trying to massage courage into his words. “It’s nothing serious,” he says, but his eyes flicker—betraying the lie.“Nothing serious?” I repeat, my voice sharp. “You’re

Evelyn’s POVBefore I can stand up and open the door, Lionel is already walking toward it. “Don’t worry, I got this,” he says, his voice calm and confident as he strolls past Maya and me like he owns the house.We both watch as he opens the door. At first, I think it’s just someone delivering something, but then Lionel starts sneezing. Once. Twice. Then again, louder. He tries to talk, but it’s like his nose and mouth are waging war. The sneezing doesn’t stop—it’s so bad he staggers back from the doorway, waving his hands helplessly.Then I see her—a woman standing outside, smiling awkwardly, holding my little puppy like it’s made of gold.“Oh my God,” I whisper, jumping to my feet and rushing toward them. “My puppy!”Lionel is still sneezing uncontrollably, his shoulders jerking, his nose red. He tries to say something but can’t get the words out, just keeps pointing at the woman like she’s the cause of all his misery.“He asked me to look after the dog,” the woman says kindly, step

Evelyn’s POVThe moment I hear the voice on the phone, I know instantly that it’s Leonard—the husband who has refused to give me a divorce. But I can’t let him know that I recognize him. He needs to believe I’ve forgotten him, that I’ve moved on—because I have— that his shadow no longer hovers over my life. That way, he loses his power over me.I swallow hard, masking the tremor in my throat, and ask with as much boldness as I can gather, “Who’s this?”“It’s your husband. Where are you? Come back home,” Leonard says in that low, intimidating voice of his. I almost laugh. Home? Wherever he’s calling home isn’t my home and never will be again.“Why?” I ask, my tone sharp. “What will happen if I don’t?”My eyes flicker. I glance at Lionel sitting beside me, then at Maya across the room. Their brows crease with curiosity, their eyes silently asking questions I don't want to answer. I force myself to keep a straight face, ignoring their concern.“That is no way to respond to your husband,

Leonard’s POVClara is two months pregnant, and this morning she woke up with pain that ripped the air from my lungs. I had never moved so fast in my life. One minute she was clutching her belly, whimpering like a wounded animal, and the next, the driver was tearing through the streets, honking like a madman as he drove her to the hospital while I kept screaming at him to move faster. Now I’m standing in the antiseptic hallway, the fluorescent lights glaring down at me like a thousand judgmental eyes. The smell of disinfectant burns my nostrils. I pace in tight circles, my fists clenching and unclenching, as voices and footsteps echo in the distance. Every second feels like a damn hour.Finally, the double doors swing open, and the doctor walks out. His face is unreadable—calm, too calm. My heart slams against my ribs.I’m on him before he can take another step. “What’s wrong? What happened to her? Is she okay?” My voice is sharp, desperate, words tumbling over one another as I trail

Cade “Hey, Cade, you’re back—” Merileen says at the door, but she stops short when she sights Katherine.Her expression changes instantly.I wasn’t expecting her to be here, but that’s how she is. She shows up at my place whenever she likes. I don’t really mind.“Eh… what’s happening?” she asks, observing Katherine before turning to me.I shrug. “Nothing. This is my wife. She’s the lady I told you about,” I reply, moving back to Katherine. I place a hand on her back and urge her to go in.“Hi,” Katherine says to Merileen with a curt smile as she walks past her into the house.Merileen’s eyes follow Katherine until she disappears inside. The moment Katherine is inside the living room and backing us, Merileen closes the door and pulls me aside.“What are you doing, Cade?” she asks, almost fuming. “Why did you bring her to your house?” she crosses her hands over her chest. “What do you mean by what I am doing?” I ask. “I married her, so I brought my wife home. Does it not make sense”“

KATHERINE I don’t say anything. I just stand there and maintain my facial expression.“You know what, you suit yourself,” he says, almost like he’s muttering to himself, before turning and getting into his car.I’m certain asking him to leave is the right thing to do. I can’t let him destroy everything I’ve planned just by asking me to marry him so he can help me.I let out a sigh and pull out my phone as Cade starts his engine. I want to call Derek and apologize. I’ll ask to see him so we can iron things out. At this point, all I need is to be his wife on paper. After all, the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t.But as soon as my phone lights up, the first thing I see is a published article.Lancaster Group announces their acting CEO…My eyes widen when I see my father’s name. I can’t remember ever being in a meeting where that decision was made. My heart starts to beat wildly, and then another notification comes in. An email from the board. An emergency meeting has b

CadeShe sucks in a breath before looking at me. “Why? Why do you need my help?” she asks and wipes her eyes.I tell her about my grandmother’s illness. My mother’s obsession with me getting married. The frustration I’m absorbing at home like a sponge that never gets squeezed dry. She stays quiet as I speak, only blinking occasionally, like she’s afraid she’ll miss something if she moves.“Help me get them off my back and I promise you that I’ll do everything within my power to secure all that belongs to your mother,” I tell her when I have finished my narration.Her brows knit together. “How did you even know about my family issue?” she pouts and her hair falls to her side. She’s beautiful and very interesting to watch. That thought annoys me more than it should. This is not about that. I look away and then back at her.“I have my ways,” I say simply.I continue before she can interrupt me. “Just for a year. Or at least a few months. Once my family has relaxed into our marriage, you

*CADE* I swipe across my phone to answer Merileen’s call. As I place the phone close to my ear, I catch a glimpse of Katherine in the car. She's seriously unsettled and I don't understand it. Yes, Jules, my private investigator told me everything I needed to know about her including her current predicament with her family but I don't get why she still wants to go back to them. I watch her for a second with the phone to my ear. She covers her face, her blonde hair falls over her. She raises her head. She falls it again. She holds her head together with both hands as if doing that will take away every pain she feels. She exhales.I wonder why her family brought her here and why I didn't ask. Something tells me they might be forcing her to get pregnant for that jerk I saw earlier—Merileen's loud voice calling my name draws me out of my head and back to the call. “Oh, I'm sorry. Something just caught my attention” I tell her. I hear her sigh before speaking “hmmm. I was beginning to

*Katherine*We walk in silence for a while, the sound of our footsteps filling the air between us and his hand still holding my wrist. My mind is a storm. Every breath feels like a question I can’t ask yet.When we finally reach his car—a sleek black Bentley—he opens the door for me but I don’t get in.I pull my hand out of his grip so fast my skin burns. I should snap out of whatever fantasy he just created for me. “What is this?” I snap “What do you think you are doing?” I ask him. “Taking my wife home” he answers with a sly smile on his face. My stomach drops.“No. I mean, how the heck did you get my signature on that document? Is it even real? How exactly am I your wife?” I glare at him.He rubs his brows, amused. Like I’m asking him something cute. “You make me laugh. Of course it's a document as real as you and I.” I continue to glare at him without saying anything. I guess he gets the clue when I don't speak after a few seconds. He tilts his head to the side. His jaw moves

*Katherine* This tall guy in a shirt and trouser starts walking toward us. Because I have short sightedness, I still can’t see his face until he is very close. The moment his features sharpen in my sight, recognition hits me like a slap. It is the guy from the clubhouse. If I forget everything else that happened that night, I can never forget that face. His black hair is neatly combed back. His face looks carved and sharp. He is wearing a black trouser and a white shirt that fits him in a way that makes me rethink every decision I have ever made.If I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed he was some wealthy corporate man sent from the sky to rescue me. My own strange version of a knight in shining armor. Except there is nothing shiny about my situation.I stare at him in dismay, wondering why he is here, why now, and if he even realises that I am the girl who hired him the night before.My father snaps, “Who are you? Didn’t your mother ever teach you to mind your business wh