LOGINTaylor
“Who’s the father?” For a second, I thought I’d misheard him. My brain froze, my heart stuttered. “What?” My voice cracked, thin as glass. “What are you talking about?” A smirk curved his lips,lazy, dangerous. Those green eyes, the ones I used to drown in, looked at me like they were dissecting every secret I had ever tried to bury. “Don’t act like you didn’t hear me, Tay.” His tone was sharp, quiet, and lethal. “Who’s the father of the baby you’re carrying?” My breath caught. The air turned heavier, thicker. His gaze darkened with every heartbeat I refused to answer. That darkness, it was the same one I saw the night he smashed a mirror and whispered, “You made me this way”. I forced out a nervous laugh, my voice trembling. “What are you even saying? Do I look pregnant to you? Even if I was, I’d never tell your corpse!” He reached for my hair, fingertips grazing a strand, and I flinched as if burned. “Devon, it’s none of your business. If you’re that stuck in the past, go buy a time machine and relive your glory days!” His steps were unhurried as he closed the distance between us, his presence swallowing the room. “It is my business,” he said, his voice low, dark, dangerous, “because you became my employee.” My pulse roared in my ears. His nearness was suffocating. I wanted him far away from me as soon as possible. I couldn't stand being next to him. I forced a smirk. “Seeing you this desperate about my life choices is hilarious. Stop playing detective and sit your perfect billionaire ass down, Mr. CEO.” A flash of irritation crossed his face. “Who is he? Is he a billionaire like me?” “Even if he was, he’d still be twice the man you’ll ever be.” His jaw flexed. “Who is he, Taylor?” “You don’t get to ask me that,” I shot back, voice shaking despite myself. “Then who does?” he pressed, closing in until his breath brushed my skin. “The man who replaced me?” “This isn’t about you.” “It’s always about me,” he snapped, then lowered his voice again, voice dripping with that familiar arrogance. “Because you and I never ended. We just… paused.” Paused? What does he take me for? For a minute, I thought he had lost his memory. He cheated on me and now he's acting like I threw the divorce papers on his face for nothing. “That’s delusional.” “Maybe.” His eyes searched mine, softer now. “But you’re shaking. Why?” I pressed a hand to my stomach, trying to steady my voice. “Because every time you open your mouth, I remember why I left.” He smiled faintly, the kind that hurt to look at. “Is that why you went for a man who…” “Shut up!” My voice cracked. “He keeps his dick in his pants, for one! He’s not an alcoholic, and definitely not an obsessive loser!” He clutched his chest, feigning offense. “Wow. I just realized something..you must have really thought of me when you had sex with him.” That did it. “God, you’re pathetic!” My rage boiled over. That’s when I shoved him hard. My palms hit his chest, the thud echoing. He stumbled half a step and looked more surprised than hurt. I expected it. “Stay out of my life, Devon.” “Tell me whose child it is and I will.” “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.” “Try me.” “Like I said..it’s none of your concern.” He exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “You always did know how to drive me insane.” “Then maybe you should’ve let me go when you had the chance.” He stepped closer again. “Does he know you still cry in your sleep?” I froze, fingers trembling on the edge of the desk. “Don’t.” He kept going, softer now, crueler because of it. “Does he know you still hate thunderstorms? That you twist your ring finger when you’re lying?” My throat burned. “You don’t get to remember me like that. So, shut the fuck up!” “Then stop giving me reasons to.” When I turned, he was suddenly right there..so close our breaths mingled. His eyes weren’t just angry anymore. They were aching. What does he think? That I'd fall in love with eyes and kiss him. Of course not! He cheated on me and now he won't let go. It's not my fault he couldn't keep it in his pants. “Was any of it real?” he asked quietly. “Or were you already planning your exit while I was planning forever?” “Don’t do this,” I whispered. “I just need to know.” “You want the truth?” My voice broke. “You were everything I wanted. And you ruined it.” The words shattered something between us. His eyes flickered, pain, guilt, longing, all hidden behind that stubborn pride. I knew Devon, he was once a sweet and nice person that a woman would fall high over heels for. How did he change? It was a mystery. “Then congratulations, Taylor,” he said, voice low. “You finally learned how to hurt first.” “Better than waiting to be destroyed.” He leaned in, breath hot against my ear. “And I bet you’ll name him Devon.” My hand moved before my mind could stop it, I slapped him. The sound cracked through the room. “I don’t have time for your bullshit,” I hissed. “Mess with me here and I’ll bury your reputation so deep, not even your billions will dig it up.” My palm throbbed, but he didn’t flinch and looked unfazed. He only smiled, a slow, dangerous smile that sent shivers down my spine. “Call me whatever you want, Tay,” he murmured. “Obsessive, foolish, broken. But in two months…” He tilted his head, voice dropping to a whisper. “You’ll be begging to remember what my name feels like on your tongue.” My breath hitched. “You’re pitifully disgusting.” He laughed softly, like the devil amused. Then his gaze sharpened, voice dipping to something almost tender but laced with threat. When I turn, he’s closer again, too close. His expression softens just a fraction, enough to make breathing harder. “I’m going to get you, Taylor,” he said. “ Even if it means burning the whole world.” I steadied myself, masking the shake in my voice with a smile. “Good luck with that. He will sue the hell out of you for digging into my records.” I stepped closer, eyes daring him. “And no one will ever know who the father is… or who I’m with.” His smirk faltered for a moment, then returned, lazy, confident, dangerous. “Keep your secrets,” he murmured. “But remember, secrets don’t stay buried forever. Especially not with me.” “ And finally, why invite you for a marriage contract that'd end when I can finally have you for myself in the next two months! “ Irritation burned in me as I stood one more second. His words were deafening and I couldn't listen any longer. Then he added stopping me in my tracks, “ You know..if you tell me now. I'll spare him but once I find him myself, I'll bring his head to you..with his torso dickless” He brushed past me as he left, his cologne burning itself into my memory, and for the first time in years… I couldn’t tell if my heart was breaking or catching fire all over again.Devon’s POVFor half a second, my mind betrayed me.The woman standing in my room, framed by soft lamp light and silk, looked like Taylor.The same height.The same shape.The same way my name leapt to my tongue before reason could stop it.“Taylor?”The illusion shattered instantly and her face hardened.Ivy’s mouth twisted, not in surprise, but in offense. “Excuse me?”Reality snapped back into place, sharp and unwelcome.“I didn’t...” I stopped myself, rubbed a hand over my face. “I’m sorry. I thought..."“You thought I was that bitch! " she finished coldly.The room shifted.The air thickened with irritation instead of desire.She took a step closer anyway, her expression changing, happy replacing anger. Her hand slid along my chest, deliberate, possessive.“You don’t have to apologize, honey! " she said softly, biting her lips.“We’re adults.”Then she leaned in to my face and started sliding her hands along my chest until she reached the buttons of my pants.I caught her wrist gen
Devon’s POVI noticed her before my brain caught up to what my eyes were seeing.At first, it was just a familiar movement in my peripheral vision. A tilt of the head. A hesitation that did not belong to a stranger. Then she stepped fully into view. It was Taylor.My chest tightened so hard it almost stole my breath.For a moment, I just stood there, frozen with my plate in my hand, watching her like she might disappear if I blinked. She looked different. The same crease formed between her brows as she debated what to eat. The same habit of pushing her hair behind her ear when she thought no one was watching."What is she doing here? " Then it hit me, she also planned to run away from me. You know, it's quite ironic because the more we kept running from ourselves the more we ran into each other. Because what else would explain how there were 195 countries in the world, and we both chose the same country to flee and also the same hotel.Or...is she following me? No. That would be ridi
Taylor’s POVThe entire flight, I felt like I wasn’t really there.My body sat in the seat. My hands rested in my lap. My eyes stared out the small oval window at clouds that looked too soft to be real.But my mind...My mind was still at the airport. Still watching him laughing like an idiot. Still watching the way Ivy’s hand fit so easily around his arm, like it had always belonged there.I swallowed hard and shifted in my seat, forcing myself to breathe slowly. In and out. In and out. The hum of the plane was supposed to be calming, but my thoughts were louder than the engines.Did Devon really just move on like that?The question came back again and again, no matter how many times I tried to shove it away. I pictured his smile. The relaxed set of his shoulders. The ease in his posture.He hadn’t looked haunted. He hadn’t looked conflicted. He hadn’t looked like a man who just lost his family.He had looked… fine. Too fine.“You’re thinking too hard,” I muttered under my breath.Lar
Taylor’s POVBy morning, I had already made up my mind.Running away meant nothing if people noticed I was gone too soon. Questions would follow. Devon’s world thrived on questions, on patterns, on noticing when something was out of place. If I vanished without warning, he would come looking. And I could not risk that...I couldn't risk having my plan fail So I went to work.I dressed carefully, choosing a neutral blouse and trousers, the kind of outfit that blended into routine. My hands trembled as I fastened the buttons, but I forced myself to slow down, to breathe, to look normal. I practiced my face in the mirror—soft eyes, relaxed mouth, nothing cracked or broken.Ashley watched me quietly from the bed.“You’re going to work?” she asked.“Yes,” I said lightly. “Just for today.”She nodded, then asked, “Are we still going?”“Yes,” I answered, more firmly this time. “We are.”That seemed to settle her. She smiled faintly, like she was holding onto that promise.Finally, I arrived
Taylor’s POVLara had not given me time to argue.The moment the front door slammed shut behind Devon, her hand had been on my arm, firm but gentle, steering me toward the stairs as if she knew I might collapse if I stayed where I was. My legs had felt weak, like they were not entirely mine anymore, like they belonged to the shock still rattling through my bones.“Taylor,” she murmured, low and urgent. “Come upstairs. Please.”I had glanced back once, just once.Derrick had been standing in the living room, blood smeared across his mouth, his eyes bright with something cruel and satisfied, like he had finally said the thing he had been holding in for years. The sight of him had made my chest tighten painfully.“I need you upstairs,” Lara had said again. “Ashley needs calm right now.”Ashley.The word had pulled me back into my body. I had nodded, letting Lara guide me up the stairs, each step heavier than the last. My ears had been ringing. My heart had been pounding too fast. I kept
Devon’s POVThe sound of Ashley crying did not fade when I stepped back. It stayed. It rang in my ears like something broken that could never be fixed again.Blood smeared my knuckles. It dotted the floor. It stained the moment in a way I knew I would never forget. Derrick lay on the ground groaning, his laughter still wet and ugly, but none of that mattered anymore.All I could see was my daughter.Ashley clung to Lara, her small body shaking, her face red and streaked with tears. She looked at me like she did not recognize me at all.And that… that destroyed something inside my chest.What have I done?I took a step toward her instinctively, my hands lifting in surrender, my voice already breaking before it left my mouth.“Ashley,” I said softly. “Baby, I...”“Get away from her.”Taylor’s voice cut through me like a blade.She stood between us now, her back straight, her arms shaking as she reached for Ashley. Lara hesitated for only a second before passing her into Taylor’s arms.A







