INICIAR SESIÓNArlene's POV The garden was beginning to look different. I noticed it while kneeling beside one of the flowerbeds that afternoon, carefully pulling out a few stubborn weeds that had grown around the plants. When I first came here, this place had looked forgotten. The flowers had been overgrown, the soil was dry in some places, and weeds had practically taken over everything.Now, there were tiny splashes of colour scattered throughout the garden. The first flowers I had planted were beginning to bloom.I sat back on my heels and stared at them, unable to hide the smile spreading across my face. Some of the flowers were still small, their petals barely opening, but seeing them there filled me with an unreasonable amount of pride."I actually did it," I whispered.I reached out carefully and touched one of the petals. It was strange how something so simple could make me feel accomplished. I was still admiring the flowers when I heard footsteps approaching.I turned around and saw Judi
Simone's POV I had spent the last five days trying to convince myself that giving Arlene space had been the right decision. She simply needed some time, sort through whatever she was feeling, to decide whether she still wanted anything to do with me.I had decided not to pressure her. But as the days stretched on, my confidence in that decision began to waver.My quarters felt unusually quiet without her constant chatter. Even dinner had returned to its old, silent routine and I hated how much I noticed it.That morning, I wheeled myself toward the window to probably catch a glimpse of her. It had become more of a habit recently. Every morning, I found myself glancing toward the gardens, hoping I might catch sight of her tending to her flowers or wandering around with Cheryl.Instead, I found something else. Arlene was jogging across the front lawn in a fitted sports outfit again today. She had started this routine some days back and I wondered why.For a brief moment, I simply watch
Arlene's POV The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual, long before the mansion had come alive with the sounds of servants moving around and preparing for the day. I remained in bed for a while, staring at the ceiling as the early morning sunlight slowly filtered through the curtains.For some reason, I suddenly found myself thinking about the day I had first arrived at the Gillingham estate.It was three months ago, it was strange how quickly time could pass when you weren't paying attention to it. I had been here for three whole months. I sat up slowly, letting the realization sink in.Three months ago, I had been convinced that I wouldn't survive a week in this place. I had arrived here angry, confused and determined to keep my distance from everyone. I had been certain that the last thing I wanted was to become attached to anyone, especially the strange, moody man I had been forced to marry.Simone Gillingham had made that very easy at first. He had been rude, cold and compl
Arlene's POV I returned to my room that afternoon with one thought constantly circling through my mind. I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, staring blankly at the floor as though the answer might somehow appear in front of me.It was ridiculous because why did I care? His words kept replaying in my mind,“It wasn't intentional. I didn't know what came over me.”I had expected an apology. I suppose I had even expected him to be embarrassed about kissing me. What I hadn't expected was for him to make it sound as though the kiss had meant absolutely nothing.I walked towards my bed and sat down heavily. Why was I disappointed? I had no business being disappointed since Simone and I weren't in love. We weren't even a normal married couple. Our marriage had started as a deal, and whatever strange relationship we had developed since then was still far from anything I could define.So why had his apology made me feel as though something had been taken away from me?Perhaps I ha
Simone's POV It had been five days since the night I kissed Arlene, and I had barely seen her since.At first, I didn't think much of it afterall She had always been unpredictable. One day, she would spend hours in my room, talking endlessly about things I didn't care about, and the next, she would disappear into the garden and leave me to my solitude. I had grown accustomed to her strange habits.But this time was different.I hadn't seen her in the garden. I hadn't heard her voice drifting through the corridors or caught sight of her wandering around the mansion. Even when I looked out of my window, hoping to see her somewhere in the compound, there was never any sign of her. I found myself doing it more often than I cared to admit.Sometimes, I would wheel myself towards the window without even thinking about it, only to stare at the empty garden for a few minutes before turning away. I had no reason to be looking for her. If anything, I should have been relieved that she wasn't
Arlene's POV I don't think I slept properly that night. Every time I closed my eyes, the same scene played over and over again in my head—the dinner, my new phone, his hands on my cheeks, the way he looked at me, and then his lips.I opened my eyes abruptly and stared at the ceiling."Oh, God." I pulled the blanket over my face.Why was I thinking about this again? It had been hours since it happened. I should have been asleep by now, but somehow, my mind had decided that the best thing to do at midnight was replay the kiss for the hundredth time.I touched my lips with my fingertips. I could still remember the feeling of them against his. It wasn't as if I had never been kissed before. I had been in a relationship before. I knew what it felt like to kiss someone. I knew what it meant to be attracted to someone.But this felt different. Perhaps it was because I hadn't expected it from Simone and I had even kissed him back.I covered my face with both hands in disbelief. I had actuall







