LOGIN**Leylie’s POV**I stood by the window, staring down at the well-kept garden below. On paper, my life was finally stable. Maya was settled in a good school, and for the first time in years I actually had a significant balance in my bank account. I should have been happy. But I wasn’t.I wished I could turn back the hands of time to that night I slept with Hayes — before the coldness started. Maybe then I would have done things differently. Maybe I would have told him the truth right there in that private room instead of letting the lie grow bigger and bigger until it came impossible to come clean.Now every day was a fresh kind of torture. I hated being in this house with him and his ‘guest.’ I hated hearing their voices drifting through the halls, her breathy little giggles, and the subtle, constant flirtations she aimed at him like a weapon.A knock at the door made me jump. I turned just as the knob twisted.Hayes stood in the doorway, looking unusually hesitant. He had one foo
**Hayes’ POV**I didn’t sleep.I was in the kitchen early, leaning against the counter with a cup of black coffee that had gone cold a long time ago, I hadn’t taken a single sip. My mind was a complete mess. I had brought a stranger into my home because she had the face of the woman I had buried five years ago. I knew it was irrational, I knew it was dangerous, but every time I looked at Ellie, it felt like I was seeing a piece of Melissa again.The sound of small, light footsteps pulled me out of my thoughts, and made me straighten up.Ava was coming down the hallway.She usually ran straight to me for her morning hug, her little arms wrapping around my legs with all her strength. But today she stopped dead in the doorway. Her eyes were fixed on the woman sitting at the breakfast table, sipping tea and wearing one of my old gray sweaters that looked too big on her.Ellie turned around slowly, a soft smile forming on her lips. “Good morning, little one.”Ava’s eyes went wide. She mov
**Leylie’s POV**I kept glancing at the clock on the wall, my eyes burning as the second hand moved closer to nine in the evening.Ava had been in bed for over an hour, but I couldn’t bring myself to move from the living room.I sat on the couch, staring at the K-drama playing on the TV—it was my favorite, but I had no idea what was going on. My entire focus was on the driveway outside, my ears straining for the sound of tires on the gravel.What was taking him so long? My fingers twisted together in my lap, my nails digging into my palms until it hurt.The woman we hit… she was just a look-alike. A coincidence. His wife had been dead for five years, but the look on his face at the accident scene told a completely different story. He hadn’t seen a stranger that day. He had seen a miracle.Suddenly, the low rumble of an engine outside made me jump to my feet.Shit! Should I stay sitting here like nothing was wrong, or should I go to the door?I felt ridiculous, like a teenager waiting
**Hayes POV**This couldn’t be happening.I sat in the hospital waiting area, my shoes tapping against the white tiles, the sharp sound echoing around the room. I couldn’t stop it. I just couldn’t sit still.It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.Was that really her? Was there even the smallest chance that the woman lying in that hospital bed was Melissa? Or was this just some cruel coincidence that was going to destroy me all over again?We had lifted her into the back of the car and raced to the nearest emergency room, but during the entire drive I hadn’t taken my eyes off her face for even a second.I had just come from her gravesite. I had just laid red roses on a cold marble stone with her name carved into it. And now this.The accident five years ago still felt like yesterday. Melissa, Ava, my brother Felix, and his wife Vanessa had all been involved. I was at the office when the call came — the kind of call that rips your life in half. They told me everyone had died except for A
**Leylie’s POV**For the past few days, Hayes had treated me like I was invisible. Or worse — like I was something dirty he didn’t want to touch. Every time I walked into a room, he found a reason to leave it. If I tried to speak to him about Ava’s schedule, he answered in short, cold sentences without looking at me. If our eyes accidentally met, he turned away like the sight of me hurt him.It hurt. God, it hurt more than anything Finnian ever did to me.It was Saturday afternoon, and the house felt gloomy even though Hayes was home. I sat in the living room with Ava, trying to keep my mind busy while she watched SpongeBob. The bright colors and silly laughter on the screen were the only things stopping me from completely falling apart.“Leylie.”His voice came from behind me, sudden and low. I jumped so hard I almost fell off the couch. I hadn’t even heard him come in.“Yes… sir,” I answered quickly, voice shaky.I turned to look at him and my chest tightened. He looked exhausted.
**Leylie’s POV **I was still on the bedroom floor where Hayes had left me. I had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been an hour, or maybe a few minutes. My mind kept replaying every moment of last night. The way he looked at me, the way his hands moved over my body, and whispered my name, like it meant something. Everything felt so real, so warm, so perfect. And now, it's gone.Just like that.How did he find out? The question burned in my skull.Did Matthew tell him? It had to be him. He was the only one who knew both sides of me, and had a reason to destroy me.Bastard!I wiped my face with the back of my hand and tried to stand up. My legs felt heavy, and the area between them still ached from last night. Hayes was so much bigger than Finnian, but he definitely knew how to make a woman feel good. Then, my phone rang.The sound was muffled, and I furrowed my brow as I traced it. How did my phone end up out of my purse and on the table? I couldn't remember moving it.
**Hayes’ POV**I haven’t been myself since that private dance with Red. Every time I close my eyes, I feel the heat of her skin under my palms again, the way her body arched into my touch when I finally let my hands settle on her waist. The memory plays on repeat: the slow grind of her hips, the so
**Leylie’s POV**I rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me, fumbling to lock it with fingers that wouldn’t stop shaking. I pressed my back against the cold wood, chest heaving like I’d run miles, heart pounding so hard it hurt."What have I done?" I whispered into the empty room. "W
**Leylie’s POV**I sat on the dressing room bench, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face again—those dark eyes locked on mine, the way his breath hitched when I touched his jaw. What the hell had I been thinking? Why did
**Hayes’ POV**"Man, thanks for picking me up," Matt said as he slid into the passenger seat of my Ferrari, dressed like he’d been planning this night for weeks—black button-down, sleeves rolled, looking way more alive than I felt.He grinned, leaning back in the chair as if he owned the car. “I st







