LOGINARIELLA The room was still dark, the faintest hint of early morning barely touching the curtains, and for a second I was too lost in the feeling of him even to think properly. By the time he finally pulled back, I was breathing hard, completely flushed, my chest rising and falling rapidly. I tri
ARIELLA "What do you mean?" “Tonight..... My mother humiliated me in front of everyone. Creating problems for you publicly... in front of everyone.” I looked away from him. “I know how these people are. I know how they talk and you have a reputation to uphold. I am supposed to....” Asher's enti
ARIELLA My voice cracked completely after that. “She is my mother." I began, trying to hold it together. "She's the only relative I have left, the only parent I have left, and I know my dad loved her. And as much as my mom was... that to me...” I swallowed painfully. “She was there for my father.
ARIELLA Leon had been a very welcome, loving, and warm distraction from all the emotions and the pain I was fighting inside. He had occupied my mind when I helped him to bed, when I read him a story, and when he fell asleep and I just sat there on his bed, watching him sleep, seeing him taking in
ARIELLA Asher helped me into the car carefully, like I might shatter if he moved too fast. The second I sat down, he followed after me, pulling the door shut behind him before anyone else could touch it. Outside, I could still see movement near the ballroom entrance. Men collecting phones and Guar
ARIELLA Asher lifted his hand slowly toward my face. For one terrifying second, I thought he was going to wipe the spit away himself.... Instead, he took out a handkerchief from inside his jacket and placed it gently into my hand. Like he knew I would break completely if he touched my face right n
ASHER When the flight landed back home, I was tired and a little frustrated, but I was also determined, determined to fulfill the promise I had made to Ariella and Leon. I had to work fast. I had to be diligent. I had to be careful. On my way there, I watched the cameras at home. I just wanted to
ASHER I sit straighter, my pulse quickening. “And I told myself, I was going to tell you, and you were gonna help me.” She shakes her head. “And they told me the hard truth, opened my eyes, Asher.... That you weren’t Don yet. He was just teaching you the ropes by then. And you didn’t really have a
ASHER After what felt like forever, her thoughts began to quiet, leaving only soft hiccups. I gently plucked at her hair, whispering, “It’s okay, dear Ariella. I’m here. You’re not alone. It’s okay. I’m here. I’m so sorry.” She tilted her head toward me, looking through swollen red eyes. “I didn
ASHER When I woke up the next morning, I was exhausted. My head pounded with a headache so sharp it felt like a punishment, and my body was heavy, as though every muscle remembered last night. I caught the image of myself in the mirror, my knuckles bruised, the faint ache in my neck a reminder of







