ログイン“Annabelle,” Sophia said with a small smile as she turned around to find Alex’s younger sister beaming at her with a bright smile; her eyes, which were similar to her brother's, were warmer and of a deeper shade. “Hi, Sophia. It's been ages, and hello???” Annabelle took two steps back, and another, her gaze trailing lower. “You look gorgeous.” Sophia and Annabelle used to be as close as sisters, and the latter was the closest to a sister that Sophia ever had. But they eventually lost contact when Annabelle left for school a few months before Sophia and Alex married. Due to how tight her calendar and schedule were at that time, Annabelle was unable to attend the wedding. She was studying a five-year course in law at Cambridge, and by the time she first returned for holidays, Sophia was already gone. Alex never spoke about what happened, and the family learned quickly not to ask. “You too,” Sophia said, taking in Annabelle's appearance. She'd grown into herself. She looked taller wi
When Alex had mentioned the family dinner, Sophia expected it to be a small gathering with simply his grandfather, mother, and father, along with his siblings and then him. She hadn't been expecting a huge gathering where all the Carters she knew were in one place. The car stopped in the driveway, and the boulder-sized lump in her throat didn't give her the chance to look around the place. They needn't step out of the car before she sees them—all of them. Uncle Charles was present, along with Alex’s aunt, whom, honestly, Sophia had met only a handful of times. Along with Alex's cousins. Everyone was present. If there was anything that appeased her, it was the sight of kids running around the garden where the dinner table had been set. They were having dinner outside, by the garden… and the setup was beautiful. She could immediately tell from the moment Alex opened the door for her and held her hands in his, helping her step out of the car. Sophia bit down on her bottom lip, and
“Can you help me with my necklace?” Sophia stood in front of the mirror, and her gaze darted to Alex, who just stepped into the room, fixing his cufflinks. “Sure,” he said, walking over to her. She handed the jewelry to him and turned around to face the mirror, keeping her gaze on him as she swept her hair up. As soon as he was done with the necklace, Alex took a step back, his eyes trailing over her to admire the cream-colored dress she wore. “Do you think this dress is okay?” She asked him softly, “I don’t want to wear something too shouty, and I feel like the color of the dress is a bit bright. Should I wear something darker?” She heaved a breath. “This is the third time I’m changing my dress. I don’t know what to wear at all. Or maybe—” She turned around, heading towards her closet, but before she could take two steps away from him, his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back to stand in front of the mirror. “You’re on edge,” he murmured, drawing her closer as he le
“Come with me tonight,” he mumbled against her lips. “Please.” She nodded slowly, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. “Okay.” “Okay?” Alex looked surprised that she agreed. He simply wanted to ask her again, and if she had said no, he wouldn't have forced her to come with him. He just wouldn't go either. “Yes.” She pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. “I'll come with you. And the kids too.” The smile that spread across his face was worth every bit of anxiety churning in her stomach. He kissed her again. “Thank you,” he murmured. Sophia's fingers brushed something on his wrist, and her brows pulled into a tight frown. She glanced down to see what it was, and her eyes widened subtly. She checked her own wrist, pushing her scrunchie away, and to her utmost surprise, her hair tie wasn't there. Because it was now on Alex’s wrist. “My God, that's my hair tie. When did you even take it out?” Alex chuckled at her reaction. “It’s mine now.” She didn't g
“I can't breathe.” “Liar.” “I mean it; it’s like a heavy rock is pressing my whole body down.” “You’ll survive.” “Alex!” “It’s still early, love. Go back to sleep.” “I literally can't sleep with your whole weight on top of me.” “It’s just my upper body.” Realizing how stubborn he intended to be, Sophia brushed her fingers over his sides, hoping to at least tickle him off, but he didn't move; he didn't even budge. He simply chuckled, his breath hot against the crook of her neck. They were both covered in the duvet, and it should have been warm, but Sophia was hot. She had woken up feeling the weight of someone on her. And for a long time, she thought he was deep asleep. She didn't want to wake him up, so she stayed like that for a while, brushing her fingers on the small hairs on his nape. That was until he let out a sigh of satisfaction and leaned into her more. She tried to inhale deeply out of spite and failed. His fingers brushed her sides, finding their way into the
The bathroom filled with steam as Alex turned on the shower. Water poured down, and he checked the temperature, setting it to warm. He turned back to Sophia, his eyes dark with hunger as she tried to cover up from the heat of his stare. “Come here,” he said. She stepped forward, and his hands went to her waist, pulling her closer before his fingers hooked into her waistband, drawing a sharp breath from her. He slowly pulled her pants down, taking her underwear with them. Sophia gasped, stepping out of them. Her skin flushed hot despite the cool air. She was completely naked now, and the way he stared at her made her knees weak. Her fingers trembled as she pulled at his shirt. Alex helped her, tugging it over his head and tossing it aside. Her hands immediately went to his chest, nails dragging down his skin and lingering on the scar from his surgery. She brushed her fingers on it and leaned closer, pressing a soft kiss to the scar. He made a rough sound of satisfaction
Alex rolled the car to a stop when he spotted an ice cream truck parked in front of a restaurant. His gaze slid over to Sophia, who was already looking at the truck too.“I believe you’d prefer this over any kind of ice cream from a supermarket.” He said.Sophia’s attention shifted back to him, and
“Mom?” Sophia called out in shock as her gaze returned to her mother, who was staring at her with a smile.“We were passing by the hospital and wanted to check up on you.” As sweet as that sounded, Sophia would have believed it if it was just her mom, but with her dad present too, she couldn’t belie
Sophia swallowed the lump in her throat, watching him as he stared at her lip. The air between them felt so charged and hot that she could feel it prickle her skin. “Yes, I have a lot to do.” His gaze flickered back to her eyes, then she added, “But I'll clear my schedule.” “You’ll come with m
Sophia felt something tight settle in her throat. Alex’s stare on her didn't make things better. But after a long moment of nothing but silence, she slowly nodded. The only reason she had wanted to brush it off as a mistake was fear that he might. If he had said that, it would have hurt her more







