LOGINJonathan"s POV
I shut the door behind me hurriedly, running back to finish the meal I was enjoying But the room is empty. I ran my hands through my dark hair, my jaw clenching. Where did she go? And who was she? To hell with that slut who ran away. I scanned the room if she had stolen anything, but everything was still in place. I reached for the drawer beside my bed and pulled it open, bringing out a bottle of lube before lying back on the bed. I gently apply the lube on my cock and begin to wank it. "Fuck" I curse under my breath, recalling how she had swirled her tongue over my cock. It was clear she had no experience, but her mouth felt so good! I could not deny that it was the tighten hole I had ever had my cock into, in my 45 years of living. Morning comes with a headache and a sense that something is wrong. Not the type of wrong that comes after a night with a hangover. It was quiet. Like I missed a detail. The hotel room is spotless, not a trace left behind. Whoever she was, she's gone without a sound. That's the first thing that bothers me. Women who come through Capri don't leave like that. They linger, ask questions, or demand for something, like money, reassurance, or food at least. This one takes nothing. I sit up slowly, pressing my fingers against the bed. My phone buzzes on the bedside. Capri. "You alive?" he asks when I answer "Barely" I mutter He laughs. "Well, good morning". I hesitate "Who did you send?" There's a pause on the line.. Capri doesn't pause often "What do you mean?" "I mean," I say evenly, "she didn't behave like your usual arrangement". Silence follows "She disappeared, she didn't even ask for money". ''I didn't order anyone" he answers, "there must be a misunderstanding. I'm coming to your room right now." We're alone this time, standing near the balcony "You never sent anyone?" I ask. Capri exhales "I was going to" I turn to him slowly… "I ran into Bella at the gala," he admits. That gets my full attention "She didn't say much," he continues. "She didn't have to. She asked one question, if you were in town. And I knew" "Knew what?" "That even without a confirmation, she'd come looking for you". My jaw tightens. "So you canceled?" "I didn't even place the call," he says carefully. "Didn't want anyone showing up, asking questions, or worse, being seen by Bella." I look away, angry but still feeling guilty "You've been gone for five years," Capri adds. "But she still looks for you. I wasn't about to be the reason she walked into something she wasn't ready for." "Something's not right" I whisper, loud enough for him to hear. "I spent the night with someone yesterday, she was so tight, so naive but rode me like a hungry lioness", I say slowly "She cries like a baby and her moans sound beautiful. I felt alive" I let out a breath "So whoever I spent the night with, was never meant to be here?" Capri nods. "Exactly." Confusion is written all over my face. Across my mind flashes the lady again, her voice, her moans, the way she was never the one I was waiting for. "And Bella?" Capri asks "She found me, and we talked. Just like old times" "We were outside for a while, and when I got back, she was gone" I close my eyes and suddenly the weight of the night presses heavier. And then, I feel it. The hunger for her. "She's not meant for you. Don't even think about it" Capri says flatly. "You'll never meet her again, and even if you do, it wouldn't last." I stare at the city's lights, my thoughts elsewhere as my jaw tightens. "You didn't even focus on Bella," Capri continues. "She's your daughter. She's the one who needs your attention. You've got a daughter who's waiting on you and you're chasing shadows." I stay quiet. Capri doesn't push further. He knows when to stop. And so since I can't have the girl I yearn for, I might as well pay attention to my daughter and try to be there for her.Jonathan’s POV“Are you seriously taking that with you?”I looked up from the small box in my hand.Capri stood by the door, staring at me.“Yes.”He frowned.“Why?”I glanced at the box.“I bought it for someone.”“Rachael?”I didn’t answer.Capri laughed under his breath.“Of course.”I slipped the box into my jacket pocket.“What’s that supposed to mean?”“It means you’re predictable.”I rolled my eyes.“We’re already late.”“We’re not late.”“We’ve been standing here for twenty minutes because you can’t decide whether to take a gift to a married woman.”I looked at him.“Can you stop saying it like that?”“How else should I say it?”I grabbed my keys from the table.“It’s just a gift.”“Then why are you hiding it?”“I’m not hiding it.”“You literally put it inside your jacket.”“Because I don’t want Bella asking questions.”Capri stared at me.“Exactly.”I sighed.“She’s her best friend.”“And you’re her father.”“I know.”“Then act like it.”I looked toward the staircase.Bella w
Rachael’s POVI stopped in the doorway.My eyes went straight to Aubrey’s hand.The small packet.My medication.For a second, I forgot how to breathe.Aubrey looked at me.She didn’t move.Neither did I.There was something about the way she was holding it that made my stomach drop.She knew.Or at least…She suspected.“Mrs. Brooks.”My voice came out quieter than I intended.Aubrey tilted her head.“You’re back.”I forced myself to nod.“Yes. I forgot my purse.”Her eyes dropped to the packet again.Then back to me.“What is this?”My mind raced.I couldn’t panic.I couldn’t let her see me panic.I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me.“It’s medication.”“I can see that.”“Why are you taking it?”I swallowed.I hadn’t expected this.I’d imagined keeping everything hidden until I was ready.I’d imagined telling Jonathan when I could finally explain everything.I’d imagined keeping this secret from everyone in this house.But Aubrey was standing in my bedroom with the
Aubrey’s POVA week was enough time to learn a lot about a person.Especially when that person believed nobody was paying attention.I had spent the entire week watching Rachael.Not obviously.I wasn’t foolish enough to make her feel hunted.Instead, I watched from a distance.At breakfast.At dinner.When she returned from work.When she thought everyone else was asleep.And the more I watched…The more convinced I became that something was wrong.She was careful.Far too careful.And careful people usually had something to protect.The first thing I changed was her freedom.It was subtle.I didn’t tell her she couldn’t leave the house.I simply made sure there was always a reason for her to stay.A family lunch.A meeting.An event she was expected to attend.Something that needed to be handled at home.And whenever she mentioned going somewhere alone, I found a way to stop it.“You don’t need to go yourself,” I told her one morning when she mentioned visiting the office.Rachael l
Aubrey’s POVI had learned a long time ago that people rarely told you when something was wrong.They showed you.In the way they avoided eye contact.In the way their hands trembled when they thought nobody was watching.In the sudden changes they thought were too small for anyone to notice.That was why I watched Rachael.I had been watching her since the wedding.At first, there had been nothing particularly interesting about her.She was quiet.Obedient when necessary.Careful with her words.And most importantly, she understood the position she was in.But lately…Something had changed.I sat across from Clinton in the living room, watching him scroll through his phone.“How long are you staying this time?” I asked.He barely looked up.“Not long.”“You said that last time.”“I have work.”I sighed.“Everything is work with you lately.”He finally looked at me.“And what exactly do you want me to do?”“Pay attention.”His eyebrows furrowed.“To what?”I leaned back into the sofa.
Rachael’s POVLife didn’t stop after the hospital.That was the strange part.The world kept moving normally while mine quietly changed underneath me.Days turned into weeks slowly.Carefully.And somehow…I learned how to survive inside the secret.I kept in touch with the doctor constantly after that.Mostly through texts whenever I couldn’t leave the house.Sometimes calls.Rare visits when opportunities appeared.Carefully planned.Carefully hidden.Every appointment felt like a crime.Every update felt heavier than the last.“Everything looks healthy so far.”“Take your vitamins regularly.”“Eat properly.”“Reduce stress.”Reduce stress.I almost laughed the first time I read that.Because how exactly was I supposed to reduce stress while secretly carrying another man’s child inside my husband’s house?Still…I followed instructions carefully.Took the vitamins.Forced myself to eat even when nausea made everything unbearable.Drank water constantly.Pretended I wasn’t terrified
Rachael’s POVA week had gone by since the hospital appointment.Seven days.And somehow…everything felt worse.Because now I wasn’t just afraid.I was aware.Aware of every strange feeling inside my body.Every wave of nausea.Every moment of exhaustion.Every tiny reminder that something was changing inside me whether I was ready for it or not.Pregnancy stopped feeling abstract very quickly after confirmation.It became physical.Real.Terrifying.And worst of all…lonely.I hadn’t told anyone.Not Bella.Not my mother.Definitely not Jonathan.And certainly not Clinton.So every thought stayed trapped inside my own head constantly until I felt like I could barely breathe beneath the pressure anymore.The doctor asked me to return after two days after the last time I was at the hospital.More tests.More scans.More confirmation I honestly didn’t want.But getting out of the Brooks house lately had become almost impossible.Clinton suddenly noticed everything.Where I went.How lo







