Henry's POVThe sound of my phone startled me, dragging my attention away from the half-finished whiskey glass resting in front of me. The bar around me buzzed with quiet chatter and the low hum of music, but my world had been muted lately—dark and unfeeling. Until that phone rang.I blinked at the caller ID; Barbara L.Barbara? It had been a while.I answered, straightening in my seat, my voice gruff. "Hello?""Henry?" Her voice was warm. Familiar. Slightly amused, as if she had expected my surprise."Barbara. Wow. Been a minute. How are you?""I should be asking you that," she laughed gently. "It’s been what? Almost two years since we caught up?”I rubbed the back of my neck. "Something like that. Work's been a mess. Life's been... a mess.""Tell me about it. Hospital shifts never get easier. But hey, I thought about you recently. I didn't even know I still had your number. Just wondering how you’ve been, you know?"I smiled faintly. "Still alive. Right now, I'm trying to figure o
Orrin’s POVEvery muscle in my body screamed with rage. Not just at Bridget, but at myself—mostly at myself. How had I let this happen? How had I been so fucking stupid?What now? My mind was a storm with thoughts crashing against each other.Every second I stood here was a second she was slipping further away with her trust in me fracturing beyond repair. My chest tightened. I glanced back at the woman who had just threatened me with my nude.Bridget was still there, adjusting the sheets with that satisfied smirk that made my skin crawl.“Okay,” I said, swallowing the bile in my throat.“Okay, Bridget. You win. But just… let me go to her.”Her green eyes narrowed, cold and calculating. Her lips pursed as she stepped closer, her voice dripping with venom. “Go to her? Now? You’re kidding me, right? Orrin, I was about to cum.”The words hit like acid, burning through what little control I had left. My stomach twisted, nausea rising as I fought the urge to retch. I didn’t respond—I
Orrin's POVI had never known time could stop.Not in the poetic way people described heartbreak or passion—no, this was real. Palpable. The moment my eyes met Aaliyah’s across the room, and realization hit me like a wrecking ball, time didn’t just slow down—it shattered.The look in her eyes was pure devastation. Betrayal, heartbreak, confusion... it was all there. Raw and Undeniable.She didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to because her face already said it all.My limbs moved without permission as I threw the sheets off and stumbled from the bed. I yanked my pants up with shaking hands, my heart slamming into my ribcage.And then she ran. She was gone before I could even utter a word.The weight in my chest crushed the air from my lungs. Suddenly and slowly, the images in my head hit one after another. The wine. Bridget smiling over the rim of her glass. Her hand brushing mine. The way she leaned closer, asking if I was fine, whispered something I didn’t quite catch. I remembere
Aaliyah's POVThe second my eyes locked on them on that bed, I froze.I couldn’t breathe. It felt like deja vu. But this time, it was worse than last time.The soft moan I heard seconds ago still rang in my ears, seared into my mind like a branding iron. I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, paralyzed. Time felt like it had stopped, like the world had paused to punish me with this sight—with Orrin, the man I trusted with every fiber of my being, moving in sync with Bridget, the woman who had smiled in my face just hours ago.My hands trembled.My lips parted, but no words came out.It was like a knife tore through my chest—blunt, clean, and utterly cruel. My heart crumpled under the weight of betrayal. And yet, the room didn’t seem to care. The bed creaked under them, his hands gripped her waist and he was still buried deep inside her. The sight made my stomach twist.I took a step back. Then another.Hot tears slipped down my cheeks before I even realized I was crying. My mouth
Orrin’s POVMy eyes fluttered open.The world around me slowly came into focus. I was on a bed, soft, unfamiliar and the sheets tangled around my legs. My head throbbed with a dull pounding that made me wince, and a wave of nausea rolled through my stomach as I tried to piece together the last few hours. Where the hell was I? How did I even get here? My body felt heavy, sluggish, and as I shifted, I realized I was only in my boxers and a rumpled white office shirt with the buttons half-undone. I managed to raise my head to scan the room. A bottle of wine, two glass cups with one still filled with wine. And then, my suit pants hanging from the lamp stand.I must've drank myself to stupor. That explains the nausea and my throbbing head.I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, groaning as the movement sent a stab through my skull. My feet hit the cool floor, and I steadied myself against the bedpost. My legs were shaky as I forced myself upright. The sound of running water caugh
Orrin’s POVThe moment her lips touched mine, I meant to pull away.I meant to.But something strange happened.Her kiss wasn’t rushed or wild like before when it came suddenly. It was slow, intimate, filled with a kind of sweetness I didn’t expect. It stirred something buried deep, something primal. My hand, once rigid against her shoulder, loosened and my eyes fluttered shut against my will.I shouldn’t have let it happen.But fuck—I did.Her lips moved over mine with that dangerous confidence, that familiarity that made my chest tighten. She knew how to kiss me. She remembered. Against my will, I found myself leaning into it, my lips parting as a low groan escaped me. It was enjoyable, too enjoyable. Her tongue brushed mine with a tenderness that made my chest tighten. I didn’t want this, didn’t ask for it, but my body betrayed me, savoring the heat, the pressure and the way her hands slid up my chest. Damn it, what was happening to me?She pulled back on her own in a ragged b