LOGINFor fifteen years, Gemma Black sacrificed everything for her family, believing love meant giving without expecting anything in return. But her world shatters when she discovers her husband is having an affair with her best friend... and her teenage son has been hiding the truth from her. Heartbroken and done being taken for granted, Gemma walks away with one vow: never to give her heart to anyone again. Determined to give her ex-husband a parting gift he'll never forget, she approaches Julian Ferguson—his ruthless billionaire boss—with a proposal that could destroy his long-awaited promotion. Instead, Julian offers her a deal of his own. One night. No strings attached. Gemma believes it's only a temporary escape from heartbreak. Julian knows it's only the beginning. As her ex-husband is consumed by regret and desperate to win her back, Gemma must choose between the family that shattered her and the man determined to show her what it truly means to be loved.
View MoreGemma
The sheets smelled like sweat, whiskey, and sex. I sat up slowly, stretching my aching legs while the morning sunlight spilled across my penthouse bedroom in lazy golden streaks. A satisfied sigh escaped my lips as I glanced at the hunky sprawled beside me. God, he was beautiful. Tan skin. Broad shoulders. Sharp jawline. Messy dark hair falling over closed eyes. The kind of face women wrote stupid poetry about. And the kind of body that had ruined me all night long. A slow heat curled through my stomach as memories from a few hours ago flashed through my head—his hands gripping my waist, his rough voice in my ear, the way he had buried himself inside me like he never wanted to stop. For one dangerous second, I considered climbing back on top of him. Just one more round. My thighs pressed together unconsciously, but reality slapped me across the face. No. Absolutely not. I had rules, and Gemma Black never broke her rules. One night only. No repeats. No attachments. No feelings. I climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom to freshen up. By the time I returned to the bedroom, the hunky was still asleep. Seriously? “Hey, wake up.” He groaned softly before blinking awake. The moment his sleepy eyes landed on me, a smile spread across his annoyingly handsome face. “Morning, swe—” I threw his jeans straight at his head. “Get dressed and leave.” The smile vanished instantly. “…What?” “You heard me.” He sat up slowly, confused. “I thought maybe we could spend the morning together. You know… order breakfast, cuddle a little, maybe—” A laugh burst out of me before I could stop it. “Cuddle? What are you? A Hallmark movie? Get your stuff and leave. We had fun, and now that I’m satisfied, you’re pretty much useless to me.” I watched the hunky’s face flush with anger as he muttered something under his breath and shoved himself off the bed. He dressed quickly, then turned to look at me. “You know,” he said coldly, “for someone who acts like she has everything figured out, you’re actually pathetic. Just know you’ll never experience true love if you keep living like this, Gemma.” He grabbed his jacket and walked out, slamming the door behind him. “Dramatic idiot.” Love… what a joke. Love made people weak and stupid. It hollowed them out from the inside until they no longer recognized themselves. Love made people stay when they should leave. Forgive when they should hate. Cry over people who never deserved their tears. I knew because I had once loved someone enough to destroy myself for him, and look where that had gotten me. Never again. My phone suddenly rang from the bedside table, dragging me from my thoughts. I grabbed it carelessly, but the moment I saw the caller ID, my mood soured instantly. Fucktard Richard… my cheating soon-to-be ex-husband. I answered, and his cold voice came through immediately. “Don’t forget you’re supposed to be at the courthouse by nine to finalize the divorce papers.” “I’ll be there,” I said flatly, and hung up. I got dressed and headed downstairs, where my black Audi waited silently in the garage like a loyal beast. At least my car had never betrayed me. When I arrived at the courthouse, I immediately spotted them near the entrance. Richard, Angela, and Sam… my son. Richard noticed me first. His expression darkened instantly as he walked toward me. “You’re fifteen minutes late,” he snapped. I stared at him lazily over my sunglasses. “And good morning to you too.” Angela quickly stepped between us, placing a gentle hand on Richard’s arm like the perfect little peacemaker. “Richie, please calm down,” she said softly. She turned toward me with fake concern painted all over her face. “Gemma… are you having second thoughts about the divorce?” She sighed dramatically. “Richard doesn’t love you anymore. Why keep holding on to him? I know I ruined your family by falling in love with Richard. If leaving would make things easier for everyone… then maybe I should just go.” She turned to leave. As expected, both Richard and Sam immediately grabbed her. “Angela, stop,” Richard said firmly. “You did nothing wrong. You’re the woman I love. You don’t have to leave because of anyone.” My gaze shifted toward Sam. My son looked at Angela with more affection than he had shown me in years. “Dad’s right, Aunty Angie. You’re the kindest person I know. I wish you were my mother.” For one tiny second, pain flashed through me so sharply I almost lost my breath, but it disappeared just as quickly. Because honestly? I was too tired to hurt anymore. Sam looked at me angrily. “Can you stop causing problems and just sign the divorce papers already?” Without responding, I simply walked past all three of them and entered the courthouse. The proceedings inside were swift and fast, and within minutes, the clerk handed over the finalized documents. And just like that… I was no longer Mrs. Black. Good riddance to bad names. One of the clerks glanced between Richard and me carefully. “Regarding custodial preference, who will your son be residing with moving forward?” Before either of us could answer, Sam spoke immediately. “I want to stay with Dad. I don’t want anything to do with her.” “I don’t care. He’s fourteen years old and old enough to make his own decisions,” I said calmly. “He can stay with Richard.” Sam’s face lit up instantly. He quickly reached into his backpack and pulled out another document. “If that’s the case, you should sign this too, then.” I took the document and read it. It was a legal severance agreement. A document officially cutting ties between mother and son. For a moment, everything around me went silent. I looked up slowly at Sam. Fourteen years. Fourteen years of motherhood. I remembered holding him for the first time in the hospital. His tiny fingers wrapping around mine. His first word. His first day at school. Every birthday. Every nightmare. Every fever. I had labored for over twenty hours bringing him into this world. And now he was handing me papers like I was some unwanted stranger. My chest felt strangely hollow. I calmly picked up the pen and signed. The second I did, Sam snatched the document back eagerly, his eyes filled with excitement. Angela approached me, wearing that nauseatingly gentle smile. “Please don’t take this personally, Gemma. I promise I’ll take care of Sam like he’s my own child.” She stepped closer until only I could hear her, and finally… the mask fell off as her sweet expression twisted into a smug sneer. “Now that you’re finally out of the way, Richard can finally become the man he deserves to be. He’s getting promoted next week, you know. Huge salary increase too.” Her eyes glittered greedily. “We’re planning the wedding right after.” Of course they were. She leaned even closer. “And all that marital assets and money after the divorce? That’ll help us start our new life together beautifully. So tell me, Gemma… how does it feel to watch your husband and son choose me over you?” I stared at her. The woman I once called my best friend. The woman I defended, trusted, and loved like a sister. The same woman who had smiled in my face while sleeping with my husband behind my back for three whole years, and my son covered up for them. A woman’s heart could truly be monstrous. But strangely enough, I didn’t feel devastated. As Angela continued smiling smugly, one sentence replayed inside my head. Richard is getting promoted next week. A slow thought began forming quietly in my mind… a wicked one. Richard wanted his perfect little future. His perfect mistress. Perfect son. Perfect promotion. Perfect family. After everything he had done… he really thought he deserved a happily ever after? I smiled. Since everyone was choosing wickedness and selfishness… perhaps it was time to give Richard Black a little surprise gift.Chloe I sat on my bed with my phone pressed against my ear, trying to keep myself together, but when James answered, I couldn’t hold in my frustration and desperation anymore.“James, please talk to Julian for me.” I didn’t even greet him. “He came to my apartment the other day and told me he was done with me. He wouldn’t even listen to me, and I don’t understand how he can suddenly decide that after everything.”There was a brief silence on the other end before he asked, “And what exactly do you expect me to do about that?”“Talk to him. You’re his friend. He listens to you, and maybe you can make him understand that I’m not going anywhere.”James gave a humorless laugh. “Chloe, Julian has made his decision. I’m not interfering because you refuse to accept it.”“But I love him.”“That doesn’t change anything.”“I have loved Julian for years, James. Years! You know that. I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide I wanted him. I spent years holding on to every little bit of hope I
GemmaI barely remembered leaving the restaurant.One moment, I was sitting at the table with Sam and Richard, looking at the papers I had almost signed. Next, Julian was beside me, his hand around my wrist as he pulled me away from the table.Neither of us said much on the way to his house.I sat in the passenger seat with my hands resting in my lap, watching the buildings outside the window pass one after another. My mind kept going back to the same moment, no matter how hard I tried to push it away.I’m dying, Sam.I told him so because I wanted him to understand.Instead, I saw pity in his eyes.Richard used those words against me, telling Sam that my illness was more reason for me to leave everything to him.And Sam nodded. That was the part I couldn’t get past.The car stopped in front of Julian’s house, but I remained in my seat. Julian turned off the engine and looked at me.“Gemma.”I didn’t respond.He reached for my hand. “Come inside.”I finally opened the door and stepped
Gemma.Saturday came sooner than I expected.Since Sam called me, I found myself thinking about our meeting often, trying not to expect too much from it, but he was my son, and a part of me still wanted to believe that maybe things between us could change.I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before the time we agreed on and chose a quiet table near the window. I ordered some water and sat there, looking outside as people passed.When the waiter placed the water in front of me, I thanked him and reached for the glass, but before I could take a sip, I heard footsteps approaching my table.I couldn’t understand what I was seeing.Sam was standing there.And beside him was Richard.Richard pulled out the chair and sat down like we were just three people having lunch together.Sam sat beside him.Neither of them spoke.I looked from Sam to Richard, trying to make sense of why he brought his father when we had agreed to meet alone.“What is he doing here?” I asked.Richard leaned back
Gigi.The sun was barely up when I pulled up outside Chloe’s apartment. My contact did his job. I paid him to find out where she lived and get her schedule, and by midnight, he had sent me everything I needed, including her address, the gate code, and her usual routine.The gate opened after I entered the code, and I walked into the building. The concierge tried to stop me and asked who I was there to see, but after a short conversation, he eventually let me through. I wasn’t interested in making a scene.Floor twelve. Apartment 1204.I walked straight to her door and pressed the doorbell.A few seconds later, I heard footsteps from inside, followed by the sound of the lock being opened. The door opened slightly, held by the security chain, and Chloe appeared behind it with her hair tied in a bun and a silk robe wrapped around her. She looked tired, but the moment she saw me, the sleep disappeared from her face.“What do you…”I didn’t let her finish. I grabbed the edge of the door an






Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
reviews