NatalieThe wait seems endless. Noah is being operated on, and I'm staring down at the floor. I haven't even touched the cola Frank bought me from the vending machine. Neither have I eaten anything.I pull my legs to my body, hugging them while other people receive good news about their loved ones.What if I won't receive good news about Noah?Fear and panic are crashing over me like a tidal wave, again and again, until it gets heavier to breathe. My heart is throbbing, but I can only sit deathly still as the tears fall."Why did I ask Noah to go to the pharmacy for me..." I whisper. Guilt is gnawing at me. "This is all my fault...""It's not your fault, sweetheart," Frank sighs. "It's no one's fault. Accidents happen all the time.""What if Noah won't make it?" I ask."I'm sure Noah will be fine," Frank says, but even he doesn't sound convinced of his own words. "Your dad and Cynthia are taking a flight back to the city tonight."I swallow plenty of tears. My brain can't focus on my
NatalieI'm woken up by high heels storming through the hospital, and without opening my eyes, I can feel the person is headed for me. And I must have spider senses, for Cynthia is coming for me when I open my eyes."You shouldn't be here, you dirty little slut!" Did Cynthia just call me a slut?Am I still dreaming?I blink life into my tired eyes, and it seems I'm not experiencing a nightmare right now. Cynthia is seething without us having spoken a single word until now. I'm still not fully awake and stretch my legs, gasping when the woman walks over to where I'm sitting. She casts me in her shadow.It's dark outside, and no one else is sitting inside the waiting room—it gives Cynthia the perfect opportunity to slap me, not once but three times across my face. Her hits rattle me to the core, and I lift my chin to stare up at her in utter confusion."What did I do?" I question, placing my palm against my chin. "Are you absolutely mad?!""How dare you!" Cynthia roars. She is weari
NatalieIt's been three weeks since I moved in with Frank and his wife, Carmen. They are a lovely couple and have ensured that I will be given the apartment next to theirs tomorrow. They spoke to the landlord and recommended me, which paid off in my favor. I'm incredibly grateful. I had to drop out of school recently, and now I have a part-time job at the mini-marker until the baby comes. Oh, and I'm pregnant. Twenty years old and soon a mother of one.It's scary, and I'm still freaked out about how life can take a turn, but I'm trying my hardest to stay brave.Frank walks into the living room. He has just come home from work; he works at the mini-market with me. "So... I have both good and bad news." Frank drawls.I'm drinking tea with Carmen, and I lift my eyes to face Frank. He is wearing a hard-to-read expression. Their living room is cramped, and he slouches down in one old armchair. "What's up?" I ask."Yeah, Frank, you can't just come in and say something like that; tell us
NoahIt's been months since I was in a car accident, more than a year since I lost my identity. The doctors claim I only forgot two years of my life, but I'm confident my soul is shattered.My heart is constantly aching. Something is missing from my life, and it drives me mad because I think it's a person, but no one will tell me anything in this fucking household!My mother treats me like glass and something fragile that needs to be guarded twenty-four-seven, but I'm a grown-ass man!Thanks to her, I'm frustrated every minute of the day. The only time when I'm not surrounded by bodyguards is when I hit the gym.I can't even relax in my bed!I'm trapped in a nightmare that keeps coming back night after night when I fall asleep. I wake up with a woman smiling at me from afar. Her hair is brown, and her face is round. She is gorgeous, but when I try to reach her, my feet won't budge. It breaks me apart, and I always wake up with a face drenched in tears.The car accident wasn't a simpl
NoahNatalie stood me up. She never returned to the park the day after I met her, and neither did she pop up the day after that. Am I insane for feeling disappointed?I'm probably crazy, but... I kept walking back to the park bench where I had met Natalie. Day after day, but she would never be there. Instead, I caught Natalie walking together with a man on the street. They were laughing at something. And while I know I had no right to be angry, I was beyond pissed off seeing them. It doesn't make sense. Natalie is a mere stranger, yet something snapped within me seeing her with that other man. He was good-looking too, not as tall as me, but he had stubble—so now I haven't shaved.Fuck.I'm losing my goddamn mind over this woman."Mr. Parker?"I peer up from my desk, not surprised to find Bianca, my assistant, standing in the doorframe. We recently bought this office, and I have yet to install a locked door."Yes?" I ask her. "The people who applied for my role during the summer a
NatalieI'm angrily doing my dishes but in silence. Emma is taking a nap in the other room. I don't want to wake her, but at the same time, I'm beyond pissed off. Linnea came over for lunch, and I'm seething. I'm cleaning my kitchen table while she is munching on her sandwich. She bought one for me too, but I haven't touched it yet. "I hate Noah." I'm close to breaking a plate in my hands. Even my eye is twitching. "I can't understand how I was EVER in love with that swine!"Linna snickers from the table. "In Noah's defense, you're a total stranger in his eyes—there is no wonder he didn't believe you. He is also a hot billionaire. I bet a lot of women have been trying to make use of that since his accident.""I know..." I sigh deeply, meeting her eyes. "But it still hurts. He remembers nothing while I'm stuck with the memories. I'm in love with a man who no longer exists..."Linnea gives me a sad smile. "Maybe Noah just needs time? His memories might return...""I don't expect they
NoahThe smart thing in my situation would probably be to listen to Elias, my mother's husband. He admitted to having a daughter but told me Natalie is filled with lies. I asked Elias what kind of lies, to which he never replied. My mother walked inside the room and took over the conversation. She claimed Natalie was a thief and told me to stay away.Yet here I am, waiting for Natalie to step inside my new office. I realize I could get a more luxurious place or work from home, but I wanted something in town to be connected to society.Now I'm sitting on top of Natalie's future desk, trying but failing not to smile when I see Natalie. She is holding our coffee while wearing shades and a jeans jacket. Her brown hair cascades down her back, and her delicious curves are framed by her tight leggings.My cock approves of her attire, but I repress the urge to fuck Natalie against the wall. Today I shouldn't be thinking with my second brain, even if Natalie is the type of woman I like; curv
NatalieBah, it feels great to have gotten so much work done today!I've spent most of the day arranging Noah's weekly schedule. Bianca didn't really do a great job being his assistant; everything was a mess. But now things are in order, and I feel pretty good about myself. I deserve a tap on my shoulder and a giant pint of ice-cold soda.The day should be over, but I don't want to leave before Noah comes out here and tells me it's okay. He disappeared into his office after splashing coffee over his suit, but that was over an hour ago.Noah can't still be showering, right? I know he has this little room in the back of his office, but the water isn't running anymore.Perhaps he fell asleep or something?I keep staring at his door and decide to just knock on it. I gather my shades and put on my jeans jacket. My hair flows down my back, and I reach out my hand, about to tap on Noah's door.But the door instead opens, and shrugging my shoulders, I head inside uninvited.I face Noah's des