LOGINAuthor's POVSilence returned to the car.Rowan slowly unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt as a sudden wave of heat hit him. He leaned back against the seat, running a hand through his hair as he tried to process what had just happened. He knew Rhea had some kind of crush on him. He had noticed the little things: like having his name engraved on her dildo but he saw it as some crazy fantasy stuff. But love?That was a strong word, one he hadn’t expected to hear from her that night. And the way she had said it, without hesitation, had caught him completely off guard.He cleared his throat and looked out the window. “Call the driver back.”The driver quickly returned to the car, and soon they were on their way home. The moment her feet touched the ground, she rushed toward the house without even looking at Rowan. She was so embarrassed that she wanted nothing more than to disappear.She stumbled over something on her way inside, nearly losing her balance. Pain radiated throu
Author’s POVEthan froze, every instinct screaming at him to pull her close and lose himself in her, but just before he could melt into the kiss, he gripped her shoulders and pushed her back.“You shouldn’t do this,” he said, his hands still firm on her.Rhea smiled, tipsy and slow with her words. “You can’t tell me what to do.”“But I can.” The voice came from behind her, and they both jumped. Even drunk, Rhea sobered instantly as she turned.“Mr. Langston?” Ethan exclaimed.“Hi, Ethan.”Rowan’s voice came from the shadows.He stepped forward slowly, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar, hands tucked into the pockets of his black trousers as he studied them.“You need to leave, Ethan. My men will take you home.”Rhea was already shaking.He looked at her for a moment, and there was something like pity in his eyes. But he didn’t say anything. He simply turned and slipped away, leaving Rhea alone with Rowan.The door clicked shut behind him.Rhea’s heart began pounding violently ag
Rhea's POVYou know that moment when you want to stay angry at a person, but they suddenly start acting right? That was the new Rowan.Suddenly, he didn’t go out for days, and when he did, he came back alone. He even slept in my room whenever I refused to sleep in his. He brought me flowers, sent me random texts, and just when I started getting too comfortable, I would hear him in the other room, banging some chick.And I had one month left.Eleven months gone, and yet he still wasn’t head over heels or in love with me like I had presumed he would be by now.Tonight was one of those nights. I scrolled through my phone, needing to get out of the house, but this time, I didn’t want to call Lyra. I kept scrolling, my earbuds plugged tightly into my ears, until my eyes finally landed on one contact.Ethan.I stared at the number for a while before finally deciding to call. My heart was beating fast, and I didn’t even know what I would say if he picked up. The phone rang for a while, but h
Rhea's POVI didn’t know what hurt more, watching him have fun with her or realizing that I was standing there crying over the same man for what felt like the millionth time.My heart squeezed painfully in my chest, and I quickly looked down when another tear slipped down my cheek. I must have looked pathetic. After everything, I was still letting him hurt me.Even the sound of my plate shattering against the floor did nothing to interrupt his fun.“Ma’am, are you okay?” Zoe asked, rushing toward me. I guessed the sound had caught her attention.I quickly blinked away the tears and forced a smile onto my face. “Just a slip. Have someone clean it up.”Before she could ask anything else, I turned and walked toward the entrance, desperate to get away before the tears completely betrayed me.The moment I stepped outside, I pulled out my phone and called Lyra.“Can you come get me?”There was a brief silence on the other end. She didn’t ask what happened. She didn’t need to.“Meet me at th
AUTHOR’S POVThe first thing Rhea noticed was the ceiling—the white and unfamiliar ceiling, with a small crack running from the light fixture like a vein.The second thing she noticed was that she wasn't dead.She almost laughed at herself. Because that had been her first thought, the dramatic one, the one that belonged in a movie. Is this heaven? No. Heaven didn't smell like antiseptic. She tried to sit up anyway, because apparently near-death experiences didn't come with common sense included, and a sharp pain tore through her stomach like someone had reached in and yanked.She hissed. Fell back against the pillow. And that was when she heard the footsteps, fast, uneven, like whoever it was had forgotten how to walk like a normal human being."Stay still, please."She knew that voice. She'd know it in her sleep, in a crowd, in the middle of a gunshot, apparently, because that voice was the whole reason she was lying in this bed."Call the damn doctor now," Rowan barked, and then he
Rhea's POVI tiptoed closer, straining my neck to be sure I wasn't imagining it. That's when the vibration hit, low and insistent against my hip.No, no, no. I fumbled for my phone, but it stopped ringing before my fingers closed around it. My heart slammed against my ribs. I looked at my car, and the only thought that made it through the noise in my head was run.I barely had time to turn before I felt someone standing behind me.My breath caught.Before I could look back, something struck me, my vision blurred, and darkness swallowed me whole.When I finally opened my eyes, everything was a blur.A cold sensation crawled from my waist down to my legs, making me shiver. I blinked several times, desperately trying to make sense of my surroundings.“Rhea. Rhea, can you hear me?”The voice was familiar. I turned my head to the left and found Rowan beside me. I had been caught.That stupid phone. My eyes went wide, and I looked down: my wrists were bound behind my back, just like his. A
Rhea’s POVOne minute I was with my father, answering his questions about boyfriends. Next, I was seated in Mr. Rowan Langston’s office, my hands clasped tightly in my lap as I waited for him.According to my dad, Rowan needed a fake bride. Someone discreet. Clean. No drama. No ill intentions. One
A Few Days Back!!AUTHOR’S POV Rowan Langston was halfway out of his office when his phone rang.He had just shrugged into his jacket, his mind already shifting to numbers, timelines, and a client who hated being kept waiting. Meetings didn’t bother him. People did. Still, he moved with purpose, l
Rhea’s POV I woke up feeling like someone had used my head for drumming practice all night.My eyes opened slowly, and the first thing I felt was pain sitting right behind them. I groaned and rolled to the other side of my bed, pressing my face into the pillow like that would magically fix my life
Rhea’s POVWatching Mr. Rowan from my bedroom window never got old. He moved like he owned the world, his broad shoulders perfectly fitted in that red shirt, the faint curl of cigar smoke marking his presence. My father walked beside him, talking quietly, but I wasn’t listening. My gaze was locked,







