Stolen by the Man I Shouldn’t Love

Dianna found herself in her cramped kitchen, gazing at the device in her hand. She had just uncovered twenty eight missed calls from her sister, Dianna. Instead of calling her back, she moved to the fridge and retrieved the leftover boiled rice she had prepared that morning. She must have silenced her phone during work; the day had been a whirlwind of dashing out the door, getting caught in the downpour, and accepting a ride from a coworker. Now, back in her apartment, the missed calls loomed heavily in her thoughts.After taking a deep breath, Dianna finally decided to return her sister’s call. The phone connected, and Clinton's voice greeted her immediately.“Daphne, you've called me twenty eight times?” Dianna grabbed a fork, her fingers trembling slightly. “Daphne, I told you I'm not coming home for the get-together party.”“Dianna, it’s Clinton.” The fork halted mid-air as Dianna felt her stomach plummet.Clinton was the last person she wanted to speak with. “Why are you using Da

Dianna pressed her hands to her chest, taken aback by the unexpected tension. She opened the door to find Clinton standing there, still in his wedding suit. Their eyes briefly locked before his gaze dropped to her pajamas. “Why are you still awake? Is there something you need?” she asked, attempting to keep her voice steady. His eyes lingered on her outfit, and she noticed a flicker of a feeling—anger or maybe sorrow. “Why are you wearing your sister's clothes?” he questioned, his voice icy. “Hey, please stop it. I’m not wearing her clothes,” Dianna quickly refuted, feeling a lump rise in her throat. His face set into a hard expression. “What do you mean? Do you think I'm dumb? First, you took her family, and now you’re taking her shirts?” The accusation hit hard, and tears began to form in her eyes. “What are you trying to say? The clothes are mine,” she shot back, raising her voice as she met his stare. For an instant, his eyes left the fabric, locking onto hers, revealing

A knock sounded at the door, startling Dianna awake. Her heart thumping in her chest, she sat up with a start, dazed. And then there was the sound—the whimpering of Phillip. His shrill whimpers tugged at her heartstrings as she hurtled towards the door, bewilderment clogging her brain.Why was he crying? Was he hurt? Did he fall? These were all questions that flashed across her mind as she opened the door.Clinton stood there, Phillip in his arms, his small face smeared with tears."What's wrong with him?" Dianna asked at once, reaching out for the child."He just woke up crying," Clinton answered bluntly as he transferred Phillip into her arms.As if he was aware of her being there, Phillip's sobs gradually gave way to soft hiccups. He held on to her, his small hands wrapping around her nightwear.“Why were you crying, my champ?" she whispered tenderly, scooping him up with Clinton standing behind her. The room felt more cramped with Clinton there, his eyes flitting about the room b

Mabel was different. She was kind to Dianna and pretty soon made her comfortable as well. She shared Dianna's food with herself so that both of them could eat lunch together.She possessed a very good sense of humor, making Dianna smile every time."You know you can drop that sheepish grin," Mabel joked."Your tale is intriguing," Dianna shrugged, still forcing food into her mouth.Mabel shook her head, causing her blonde hair to fall over her face. Dianna took her time observing Mabel’s features. She was beautiful—the kind of beauty that made men turn and stare."If you don't stop staring at me like that, I might think you are gay," Mabel joked."I might as well give it a thought," Dianna replied, making Mabel roll her eyes."Flirt," Mabel teased."Want to see something?" she asked after they finished eating.Dianna nodded, and Mabel took her hand, leading her away.They stopped in the middle of an array of roses."A garden?" Dianna asked, looking around in awe."Yes. This is my mum'

As soon as Dianna entered the living room, Clinton’s eyes met hers from across the room. His gaze lingered on her.His eyes trailed slowly over her, from head to toe, pausing just briefly enough that she noticed. When their eyes met again, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he turned away as if brushing off a thought.“Looks like Clinton’s more affected by you than he wants to show,” Mabel whispered in her ear before walking off toward Kelvin, leaving Dianna with that thought lingering. Affected by her?She glanced at Clinton again, but his attention was already elsewhere. Maybe Mabel was reading his expression wrong.Before she could cross the room after Mabel, Ruth stepped into her path. “I am really sorry, Dianna, for everything you've been put through. I should have prevented all this.”“None of this is your fault, Ruth. It would have happened eventually, regardless.” Dianna smiled at her.Ruth pulled her into a warm hug, taking her by surprise, and she could feel the genuine care radia