When Noémie Rochester wakes up naked in bed with her boss, with no recollection of the previous night, she's more than just shocked—she's heartbroken. Never had she imagined, in the worst of her nightmares, that her boss, with whom she had been in love for three long years, would do something so awful to her. To avoid all the questions, confrontations, and humiliation, she runs off as far as she can. But little does she know, there's more than meets the eye. The truth is not as straightforward as it seems, and their lives are about to become more twisted in the precarious game of the unknown. {Excerpt} The cold water poured down her naked body, washing away all the evidence of what had happened to her—what he had done to her—all night. However, what it couldn't wash away was her aggrieved heart and the pain in her chest. The shock of being betrayed by a man she was willing to go to any extent for. "I loved you, Mr. Halest," she sobbed, collapsing on the floor as the water pounded on her head. "And you ruined me!"
View MoreDisclaimer: This book contains content that may be triggering or sensitive to some readers. Please be aware that it addresses topics such as violence, sexual assault, mental health struggles. Reader discretion is advised.
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The glittering rays of the sun sneaked through the flimsy curtains and fell on the beautiful face of Noémie Rochester. Her closed eyes fluttered at the harsh intrusion of the warm light while an uncomfortable sensation crawled up her stomach, making her wince slightly in her sleep and turn to the other side.
She rubbed her temples as a soft ache began to pound in her head, and a pungent smell of alcohol assaulted her nostrils.
Noémie tried to breathe through the thick musky scent enveloping the air around her, but something felt oddly amiss. Something felt… wrong.
Not to mention, she was freezing. The air conditioning in the room had dropped the temperature far too low for her comfort, sending a shiver down her spine.
Tugging the warm sheets closer to her body, Noémie opened her eyes to the glaring sunlight. It took several blinks for her vision to adjust to the brightness, but once her eyes focused, she pulled herself into a sitting position and looked around, her gaze wandering carelessly at first.
The room was a disaster.
Clothes were scattered across the floor. A glass lay shattered in pieces. An empty bottle of rum sat ominously on the nightstand, and broken knick-knacks littered the carpet.
What the heck happened here? she thought, her forehead creasing with worry as she tried to piece together the events of the previous night.
One thing was certain—this wasn’t her room. But whose room was it?
The pounding in her head had grown violent, and the dull ache in her abdomen felt eerily similar to the cramps she usually experienced during her period. Yet, the raw pain between her legs added a disturbing mystery she couldn’t ignore.
And then it hit her.
The memories came rushing back like a bolt of lightning, striking her with terrifying clarity: the coffee, the sudden drowsiness, the sensation of being carried, and the blurry image of a man moving over her body.
No.
“No. No, no, no, no, no!” she gasped, her eyes widening in sheer panic. Despite the soreness in her thighs, she scrambled out of the bed—nearly tripping over the tangled sheets in her haste—and forced herself to confront the grim reality she’d been trying to avoid.
Her heart raced erratically as her breathing grew shallow and uneven. Panic coursed through her veins, rendering her limbs weak.
And then she saw him.
A naked man lay beside her on the bed, his arm draped over his eyes, his body partially covered by the white sheets. A deep frown marred his face—one that sent a chill straight to her panicked heart.
Noémie’s legs felt like they might give out, but she pushed through the fog of fear. The first thing she did was locate her clothes. After hastily dressing, she grabbed her heels and handbag. Without sparing him another glance, she fled the room.
She didn’t stop until she was out of the mansion, her bare feet pounding against the pavement as tears blurred her vision.
The mansion belonged to her boss, Mr. Halest. She had come here last night to deliver urgent files for his approval so she could mail them early in the morning. What had happened to those files, she didn’t know—and right now, she didn’t care.
Her chest heaved as she ran, the ache between her thighs a cruel reminder of what had transpired. The sunlight felt like needles on her skin, and the shame burned deeper with each passing second.
A car screeched to a stop in the driveway, narrowly avoiding her. She stumbled backward, her wide eyes meeting the driver’s furious glare.
“Noémie?” someone called from behind her, but she didn’t look back. She couldn’t.
She ran.
By the time she reached her apartment, her hands were trembling as she fumbled for her keys. Frustrated tears blurred her vision, but she managed to get inside. As soon as the door closed behind her, she slid down to the floor, pressing her back against the wood.
Only then did she allow herself to break down.
Hot, silent tears streamed down her face, soaking her shirt. Her chest ached with a grief so intense it felt like her heart might shatter.
How could he?
Her boss—the man she had admired and respected, the man she knew was grieving the loss of his wife and unborn child—how could he do this to her?
Disgust bubbled up inside her, threatening to consume her. She tore the clothes from her body as if they were infected, throwing them straight into the trash before stumbling into the shower.
The icy water cascaded over her trembling form, washing away the remnants of what he had done to her. But no amount of water could cleanse her tormented heart. No amount of scrubbing could erase the betrayal.
“I loved you, Mr. Halest,” she sobbed, collapsing onto the shower floor. Her voice cracked as the tears came harder. “And you ruined me.”
Vincent refused to say anything, feeling the need to punch someone to death.But then he stopped. Turned around. And shook his head. “You know what? I understand if you can’t trust Claire. I really do. But what I don’t understand is why it’s so hard for you to trust me. Five years ago, when Noemie refused to see your face ever again, I was the one who trusted you. I took your side. Not just because I thought you were innocent, but also because you are my brother. Brothers do that for each other, don’t they? They trust each other when no one else does.Forget about that. You didn’t trust me one bit when I told you about Linda…”“Don’t bring Linda into this…” Ajax warned, tightening his jaw, his dark eyes turning darker.“So what?” Vincent asserted, his chest steaming with swelling annoyance. “Are you going to deny that? I told you it was not an accident. You refused to believe me. You were wrong then, Ajax. And you’re wrong now.”“Vincent,” Ajax growled. “I will not say it again.”But
“What’s so funny, I wonder…” muttered Ajax with the same old bulletproof expression, as he pointed a sharp gaze at his splendid brother sitting across the office desk, grinning like a Cheshire cat while gawking at his phone.Vincent instantly dropped his phone shut, wiping the silly grin off his handsome face as if Ajax had been imagining things. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”Ajax merely rolled his eyes, scraping above his right eyebrow. “Whatever,” he huffed out, not wanting to have anything to do with whatever foolish endeavor his brother had been up to. Literally. Especially when that whatever included a certain red-haired girl he still wasn’t sure could be trusted. “I’m almost done here.” Shutting the laptop, Ajax pushed the chair back and stood up, going through the papers on the desk and sorting them into their respective files. “When are you leaving?”“I’m not,” Vincent grinned.Ajax conveniently raised an eyebrow.“Because I’m coming with you,” Vincent explained fu
Sana slipped the prescription into the file and closed it with a dramatic sigh, aware that she couldn’t stress Claire more than she already had. The young doctor decided to go with the joke. “Once the results are out, I’ll know exactly what junk you’ve been feeding yourself. And if the numbers are anything but my expectations, God shall have mercy on you, Claire Berkeley, because I most certainly won’t.”Once the nurse moved her outside the hospital building, the heated gust of the day felt like a slap in the face.“God, it’s hot!” Claire lamented, trying to shield herself from the cruel rays of the sun.“Tell me about it,” the nurse muttered while she helped her stand back on her feet once the cab arrived.Claire chuckled and waved the cranky nurse goodbye once the cab took off.Sinking into her seat, a few minutes were spent in pure silence, staring at her trembling fingers and feeling a lot more lost than she wanted to admit. A yawn slipped past her mouth by the time she checked he
“You’ve gained weight,” pointed out the woman in the white lab coat as she tapped the pen on the desk and stared at the woman sitting across from her.Claire grinned. “Isn’t that cool?”The doctor sighed, rolling her pretty hazel eyes. “I know you find it funny, but it’s not.”Claire had the sudden impulse to throw her hands up and toss another tantrum, but with her body still feeling lethargic after the four hours of torment she had gone through, she did not have the energy to even move a limb. “Come on, Sana. Don’t tell me you’re not even a little bit curious to know how the hell I made it happen.”Sana shook her head. “I’m curious, all right. But I’m worried too. Let’s hope nothing worrisome comes out in the tests. Or I’m taking you in for at least three days. No matter how much you scream or make that oh-please-give-me-a-break face, I’m going to bind you to the bed and have my way with you.”“Oh my,” Claire couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “Careful, Sana, you’re starting to
Ajax paused, not sure if he heard her right.Drawing himself away, he hopelessly searched for her eyes. “What?”Noemie chewed on her lower lip, opening her eyes ever so slowly. “I found out this morning. I wanted to surprise you, but then Lovette’s friend came over and the entire day went by chasing after them.”“Are you kidding me?” Ajax couldn’t believe those words were coming out of her mouth. “Noemie… how? When?”“I’m sorry. I could have done this better.” She looked apologetic and sad and perhaps slightly embarrassed. “I hope it’s not too soon. I don’t want you to take any stress…”The rest of the words Noemie planned to speak to him never made it out of her mouth. Not when his mouth crashed against hers for the slowest and most impassioned kiss ever. She knew in her heart that it was an answer good enough.Ajax squandered no time picking her up in his arms and using the secret door in the study—the one that connected to their bedroom—and carried her to the bed.Once he made sure
“It’s alright,” she shrugged playfully. “I don’t let it bother me.”It was impossible to hide the happiness she brought him—his heart was pounding too fast beneath his chest. With a soft kiss on her forehead, he pulled away. “I’ll check on Lovette first, then meet you downstairs for dinner. Sound good?”Noemie gave him a gentle push toward Lovette’s room, laughing softly. “Sounds perfect! Now go and try to be as quiet as possible. You don’t want them to wake up. It was a challenge handling the two of them.”———Something was clearly amiss during dinner.Sonia Halest never showed up, and it was only when Ajax took his seat at the table that the maid informed him his mother had asked for dinner to be brought to her room. At first, he thought she might not be feeling well, but his gut told him it had something to do with whatever they had been whispering about earlier. He had to find out what it was—sooner rather than later. It was starting to get on his nerves.Ajax was in the study, ma
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