ВойтиARIELLA I gave Asher a disapproving look. I mean, I kind of wanted to stay because...... ever since I can remember, my mother and I have never seen eye to eye. This was the first time in years that the two of us were talking without arguing. We were agreeing on something for once and talking abo
ASHER My mother continued staring at me in confusion, so I kept going. "I was hoping you would let me explain what happened eight years ago," I said quietly. "So I could explain why I did what I did...." She opened her mouth, and I already knew she was about to stop me. Probably tell me she didn
ARIELLA My mother snapped, putting her teacup down a bit too forcefully. Tea splashed across the table, but neither of us cared. "I am going to talk about him," I said firmly. "He is my father." "Stop this minute." She raised her hand at me. "Mom, I'm not twelve. I'm not sixteen anymore. I'm an
ARIELLA When Luca and Asher disappeared upstairs, the room somehow became even colder. Even quieter. Neither my mother nor I looked at each other. Neither of us spoke. The silence stretched between us. It had been years. Probably eight years since the last time I had seen her. Years of me pictur
ASHER You really think after that little tantrum I'm going to drink tea made by that woman? At this point, I wouldn't put poisoning above her. "Come on," Luca insisted. "It's fine." Then he grabbed Ariella's free hand. Actually grabbed it, and started pulling her toward the house. I immediately
ASHER "Aren't you happy to see me?" Luca asked Ariella, wiggling his eyebrows dramatically. I immediately shot him a warning look. Then leaned closer and whispered, "What the fuck are you doing here?" He didn't even have the decency to look guilty. Instead, he smiled, then winked at me. The b
ARIELLA I looked up at Asher, a small, secret smile playing on my lips even as I kept him in my mouth. I didn't slow down. I didn't want him to regain his composure. I wanted the raw, unfiltered version of the man who claimed me. "I’m going to come in your mouth," he warned, his breath hitching.
I went towards the kitchen. Maria was in there, and the moment I walked in, she turned towards me. “Is he here?” she asked. “Yeah, he is.” “So, you’re leaving, huh?” “Yeah,” I said softly. “But, why don’t you come with us?” “No.” She shook her head. “I think you guys need this moment. Just the
ARIELLA When Asher arrived, I had already packed my bags. I’d already had that talk with Leon and Maria. I told them we were leaving, that Asher was coming to get us. Leon was super excited, almost too much. Every five minutes, he’d ask, “Is dad coming? Is he here?” and I had to keep telling him t
ARIELLA I should have known the moment the plane began to descend, the ocean below was too familiar, the curve of the coastline too. The island. The same island Asher had taken me to before. The one where he had built that sprawling, luxurious hotel that rose out of the cliffs like a secret only







