The following day, Preston and I had our engagement party.The banquet hall was packed, buzzing with guests offering their congratulations.Meanwhile, Rowan stood quietly in a corner. His gaze lingered on me for a long while before he slipped away without a word.I glanced around and noticed nearly everyone had arrived. Then, I caught Claire's eyes and gave her a subtle signal. She nodded in return. Without warning, the slideshow of Preston and me vanished. Confused murmurs swept through the crowd as the screen went black.A moment later, it lit up again. This time, with footage of Preston and Naomi in bed, wrapped around each other."But aren't you afraid Yolanda will find out you set her up to sleep with Rowan? And that the baby is his?" came Naomi's voice.As soon as the words landed, every eye in the room turned to Preston. By then, the color had drained from his face.Frank, on the other hand, looked like he might collapse from rage. That was when I stepped onto the s
That night, Rowan and I shared another round of wild passion. It was in the wee hours of the morning when he carried me out of the bathroom for the second time. Unbelievably, he was still not satisfied.I clutched my sore waist, nearly in tears, and tried to push him away. "That's enough. I thought you were the celibate type. What got into you tonight?"Rowan narrowed his eyes and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "What do you think?""Because you're in love with me."I slipped into my silk pajamas and blinked at him, waiting for his answer. A faint smile tugged at his lips. "You're right. I am."His answer came so easily that it caught me off guard. "But why?" I asked. "Our lives barely intersect. If you ever had a chance to meet me, it could've only been…"My eyes dropped to the scar on his hand again. It looked like it had been left by a fire. Then, an absurd thought crossed my mind. "Wait… Don't tell me—"Rowan nodded before I could finish. "Yeah. I noticed you back in
After a full day at the amusement park, I was completely drained. Thus, I headed to the curb to call a ride home.That was when Rowan appeared out of nowhere and snatched my phone before I could react."There's no need to book a ride. I'll take you," he explained, casually spinning his car keys around his finger. I couldn't win the argument, so I got into the vehicle. As I fastened my seatbelt, my gaze landed on a university badge on the dashboard. "Wait. You went to this school?" I asked, pointing at it. Rowan nodded."No way. I went there too! What are the chances? I don't think I ever saw you around," I commented with a smile. He picked up the badge, running his thumb slowly over it. "Maybe you did, but you just don't remember."I was still trying to make sense of his words when a pink necklace suddenly appeared in front of me. "One of the staff members gave this to me earlier at the park," said Rowan. "I thought it'd look good on you. Consider it a little something
A sinking feeling hit me the moment I heard those words. Before I could respond, Preston scooped me up and walked toward the bedroom. A jolt of panic shot through me."But we just slept together last night," I said quickly. "If you keep this up, I won't be able to take it."I tried everything I could to stop him, but he seemed intent on proving something. Without another word, Preston pinned me down. His ragged breath warmed my cheek as he murmured, "What's the big deal? You like me, right? You wouldn't say no to me."He ignored the panic flashing in my eyes and began unbuttoning his shirt. Just as he reached the last one, his phone rang."Pick it up. What if it's something urgent?" I urged. Preston glanced at the screen and clicked his tongue, clearly irritated. Then, he answered, offering a few half-hearted responses.…When he finally hung up, frustration crept across his face. "There's a problem with the project. I might be gone for a few days.""I see," I responded, f
Rowan's hand was still resting on my waist. Startled, I shoved him away, threw on a robe, and hurried out of the bathroom to face Preston. Without missing a beat, he yanked me behind him, shielding me with his body. Then, he spat, "Rowan, Yolanda is my girlfriend. You'd better know your place."The second their eyes met, the air crackled with hostility. I quickly stepped forward to explain. "Preston, it's not what you think. I thought it was you outside the door, so I asked Rowan to hand me a towel. I slipped and nearly fell. He only caught me, that's all."As I spoke, I clutched the robe tighter around me, guilt written all over my face.Rowan glanced at me, then said coolly, "The floor was wet. I'm sure you wouldn't want your girlfriend getting hurt."Once Rowan finished speaking, Preston drew a long breath. Only then did his expression ease slightly. "Is that so?" he responded. "Guess I misunderstood. If there's nothing else, you can go."…After Rowan left, Preston sl
It was already noon when I finally woke up again. After getting dressed, I headed downstairs. Preston was in the living room, sipping his coffee. His disdainful remarks from the night before echoed in my mind. The moment I saw him, my gaze sharpened with resentment. Preston noticed me staring at him. He instinctively reached up to cover the love bites on his neck, but thought better of it and let his hand drop. Instead, he grumbled, "Do you know what time it is? Why are you just coming down now?"Suppressing the discomfort gnawing at me, I forced a smile. With one hand on my lower back, I strolled over and sat across from him. "It's all your fault," I whined. "You were way too rough last night. I could barely keep up. And now, my back hurts."As soon as I said it, Preston's grip faltered. His coffee mug tilted, and a few drops splashed onto his shirt. I grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the stain for him. "What's wrong?" I asked, playing dumb. His fingers tightened around