Masuk“It’s me, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice softening into a low, protective purr. “I'm right here.”Damian’s eyes moved to the half-full bottle of wine, and a hint of amusement filled his eyes…and that hint of a smile seemed a bit cold. “You're quite alert for someone who finished half a bottle of wine.” Arabella tugged at her lips; the wine and her illness made her vision a bit blurry. She blinked, and her hazy vision gradually cleared. She gradually made out the man's soaring eyebrows, deep eyes, high nose bridge, and thin lips. It was a face that could stop a room. Arabella couldn't help but wonder how he looked in his youth. Even Ethan seemed mediocre. “I'm very alert,” she murmured. “Do you want some hangover soup?” Damian stared at her lips and asked in a low voice, but he had already reached out to take the soup off the side table. “No, I'm fine,” she refused. “You need something to make you sober,” Damian reasoned. “I'm very sober,” Arabella said, struggling to si
65When Arabella returned to Sterling Estates, the evening had already melted into deep night.“Miss Morgan, you're back?” Hannah hurried forward the moment Arabella stepped through the heavy front doors.“Yeah,” Arabella murmured, her voice hollow and distant. “Has Mr. Sterling returned... *achuu!*”Arabella sneezed, a sharp, ragged sound that caused both Hannah and Jake—who had just stepped inside behind her—to freeze.Panic flashed in Jake’s eyes. He was certain the boss was going to strip him of his title—or worse—for allowing the young madam to walk out into a freezing downpour and fall violently ill under his watch.Hannah’s worry was immediate. Arabella’s voice was thick and congested, entirely ruined. She had left the estate that morning full of energy, but she had returned hollowed out, carrying a weight that felt unbearable just to look at.Hannah knew a little about what was unfolding between Damian and his son’s estranged wife. At first, she had struggled to wrap her hea
Arabella stepped out of Ethan’s gates with her mind fracturing under the weight of her own history. The raw confusion of Ethan’s denial echoed in her skull like a shattered record, drowning out everything else.Jake saw her approaching and immediately stepped out, opening the rear door before quietly sliding back behind the wheel. Through the rearview mirror, he watched her staring out the window, her eyes completely vacant. There was a heavy stillness to her—a silent devastation that felt suffocating even from the front seat.After a long, tense hesitation, Jake cleared his throat gently. “Miss Morgan, where to? Shall I take you back to Sterling Estates, or to the penthouse to rest?”*Rest.*Arabella blinked, a hollow, bitter irony tightening her chest. Would the universe ever grant her that peace?After a long minute, her voice came out flat and fragile. “Take me to First Class Hospital. I want to see my mom.”“Yes, ma'am,” Jake murmured, pulling smoothly into the flow of traffic
“All these years, I’ve wanted to ask... Ethan, was it fun playing with me?” For several seconds, Ethan could only stare at Arabella.*Messages? Five years ago?* What the hell was she talking about? He searched his memory, trying to make sense of her accusation, but nothing came to mind. He had known Arabella for three years, not five. And before their engagement, they had barely exchanged more than a handful of polite conversations. "What messages?" he finally demanded, his brows drawing together. "What the hell are you talking about, Arabella?" Arabella's expression faltered. For one brief moment, she simply stared at him, as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Don't do that, Ethan." Her voice trembled. "Don't stand there pretending you don't remember." "I'm not pretending!" he snapped, genuinely bewildered. "When did I ever message you five years ago?" A strange silence settled over the living room. Beside him, Sienna's eyes shifted between them. The triumpha
“Are you done?” she said flatly, her voice entirely devoid of the warmth or the fight he expected. “I didn't come here to listen to your drama. Where's Caroline?” Ethan blinked, momentarily caught off guard by her nonchalance. *She didn't come here to listen to his drama?*That was when the details registered. Today, Arabella was dressed in a way he had never seen before: a structured cream tuxedo dress that clung to her tall, slender frame, exposing her slim, straight calves. Draped casually across her shoulders was an oversized, undeniably masculine cashmere coat.A man’s coat.Ethan’s breath hitched. A heavy, suffocating weight settled in his chest, instantly morphing into blind fury.“You,” he choked out, his finger jabbing violently in her direction. “You cheated on me? You were with another man?”Arabella didn’t flinch, offering neither denial nor confirmation. “Where is Caroline?” she repeated, her tone chillingly level.To Ethan, her silence was a confession. The pieces snapp
Author's POV The day before,Ethan returned to his mansion, his chest humming with the lingering static of spending the night in Sienna’s apartment. He stripped off his jacket, tossed his keys onto the console, and told himself Arabella would surely come over. It was too early. She probably hadn’t seen the headlines yet. The moment the story hit her feed, she would come running. She always reacted. She had to.He forced his shoulders to drop, took off his clothes, and stood beneath the steady spray of the shower, letting the water wash away the scent of Sienna’s place. He went through the motions with agonizing slowness, buying time, waiting for the buzz of his phone or the crunch of tires on gravel.Instead, the minutes dragged into heavy, stagnant hours.A cold knot began to twist in his gut. He had personally overseen the release; it was plastered across every major news outlet, trending on every digital platform. How could she not know?*Could it be Arabella didn't care about
A week later… Mr. Morgan's Estate… Aria sat quietly at the dining table together with Mr. Morgan as they ate lunch. Except for the occasional clinking of cutlery against the china, the dining room was quiet, a peaceful kind of quiet that only made Aria’s chest ache more. The scent of warm delica
Hello loves… Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for journeying with me all the way to the end of Kayden and Aria's story. Writing this novel has been an adventure filled with late-night plotting, emotional twists, and characters who refused to stay quiet—yet none of it would mean anything w
Hello Loves, Thank you so much for reading and supporting Aria and Kayden's story. It means more than I can ever say. If you’ve enjoyed my writing so far, I’d love for you to check out my newest novel. “BOUND BY FOUR MOONS: The Omega's temptation.” It’s filled with the same emotional intensity
"Would you stop interrupting me when I speak?" Kayden growled, causing Aria to flinch at his harsh voice, but despite her fear of this new side of her husband, she was determined to get to him.Fueled with determination to win back her husband, Aria hugged him tighter, putting all the seductive ski







