ANMELDENRYDERThe phone rang for the third time, and still no answer.I sat on the edge of my bed in the dim light of the apartment, staring at Scarlett’s name on the screen. The silence after each ring felt heavier than the last. My thumb hovered over the call button again, but something in my gut told me she wasn’t going to pick up.I ended the call.Immediately dialed Leo.“Find out what’s happening at the penthouse,” I said the moment he answered. “Scarlett isn’t picking up. I need to know if she’s okay.”“On it, boss,” Leo replied without hesitation. “Give me five minutes.”I hung up and stood, pacing the room.The photo of her from the party was still open on my phone. I looked at it again — her hand resting on her stomach, that distant look in her eyes. My child was growing inside her. I knew it with every fiber of my being. Five years with Ethan and nothing. One night with me and she was pregnant. The math was simple. The truth was clear.But Ethan was still in the picture.And that
SCARLETTThe car ride back from the hospital was silent and heavy.I sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing city lights, my hand resting protectively over my stomach. The doctor had cleared me to go home, but with strict warnings: rest, avoid stress, no excessive activity. Easy words. Hard to follow when my whole life felt like it was crumbling.Ethan drove with one hand on the wheel, jaw tight, eyes fixed on the road. He hadn’t said much since the hospital room confrontation. The moment his parents left, the mask had slipped. Now we were alone again, and the air between us felt suffocating.We arrived at the penthouse.He helped me inside, carrying my small bag, acting the part of the concerned husband. The maid had already prepared the bedroom — fresh sheets, water on the nightstand, dim lights.I sat on the edge of the bed, exhausted.“You can go home now,” I said quietly. “I’ll be fine.”Ethan crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.“How can yo
SCARLETTMy eyes fluttered open to the sharp smell of antiseptic and the steady beep of machines.Hospital.Again.White ceiling. Pale blue walls. IV line taped to the back of my hand. Thin blanket over my legs.I blinked slowly, head still foggy, trying to piece together how I’d ended up here.The piano.The sudden pain in my stomach — sharp, twisting, like a knife.My scream.The maid’s panicked face.Then darkness.I tried to sit up.A hand caught mine.I turned.Ethan.He sat beside the bed, eyes red-rimmed, face pale, still in the same shirt from last night. He looked like he hadn’t slept.“Oh, my wife,” he said, voice thick. “Scarlett, are you okay?”I pulled my hand away fast.“Yes,” I said. “You don’t have to act like that. No one saw us here.”He lifted his head, worry flashing across his face.“No, no, I have to act like this. When did you find out? Why did you hide it? Why?”My heart stopped.“What… what do you mean?”He leaned closer.“Oh my god! You don’t know either? You
SCARLETTThe phone rang when I was already halfway under the covers, the screen lighting up the dark bedroom like an accusation.I stared at Ethan’s name flashing on the display.Ignore it, I told myself.Let it go to voicemail.But it kept ringing — insistent, annoying, impossible to tune out.I sighed, reached over, and answered before I could talk myself out of it.“Where have you been?” Ethan’s voice came through sharp and panicked. “My colleague said he met you. Why didn’t you call me? What did you say? Are you with Ryder?”I closed my eyes.Took a slow breath.“Scarlett!!” he snapped. “You’re with me, right? Don’t you dare ruin my reputation, or you—”“Will you regret it?” I finished for him, voice flat. “I know, Ethan. I’m not stupid either. I told him I was visiting my mom here. Don’t worry, he didn’t suspect anything. And I was also surprised to see him there, so it wasn’t intentional.”Silence on his end.Then I heard Lila’s voice in the background — soft, teasing.“Come he
SCARLETTThe car ride back to the penthouse felt longer than it should have.I sat in the passenger seat, dress still wrinkled, hair messy, lips swollen from the kiss in the restaurant hallway. My thighs were sticky, my body still humming from what we’d done in the back seat earlier. Ryder drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear shift, glancing at me every few seconds like he couldn’t decide whether to smile or apologize.The silence between us was thick, awkward, charged.He finally broke it.“You can’t lie to me,” he said quietly. “I know you enjoyed it too, Scarlett.”I stared straight ahead at the road lights streaking past.I didn’t answer.Because he was right.And admitting it felt like betraying myself.The car slowed as we pulled into the underground garage of the penthouse building.I reached for the door handle.“I have to go now,” I said. “Thanks for dinner.”His hand moved fast.The locks clicked down.I froze.“Ryder! This isn’t funny,” I said, tu
RYDERThe car door slammed shut and the world outside disappeared.We were in the back seat, city lights blurring past tinted windows, but none of it mattered. Scarlett was already on my lap, legs straddling my hips, black dress rucked up around her thighs. Her mouth crashed into mine again before I could even catch my breath — hot, wet, desperate. I groaned into the kiss, hands immediately sliding up her back, fingers digging into soft skin through silk.She tasted like wine and need.I could feel how badly she wanted this.Her hips rocked once, grinding down on the bulge straining against my pants. A low curse slipped from my throat.“Fuck, Scarlett…”She didn’t answer with words.Just kissed me harder, tongue sliding against mine in long, filthy strokes. Her fingers threaded through my hair, tugging just enough to sting. I loved it. Loved the way she pulled me closer like she couldn’t get enough.My hands roamed higher, tracing the zipper at the back of her dress. I tugged it down
SCARLETT Two months had dragged on like a sentence I couldn’t appeal.Every morning I woke up feeling heavier than the day before. Every night I went to bed wondering if tomorrow would finally be the day I broke completely. Ethan’s rules had become the air I breathed—suffocating, invisible, inesc
RYDERThe ice in my glass had melted into a thin, useless puddle.I swirled the whiskey anyway—slow circles, watching the amber liquid catch the low bar lights. I hadn't taken a single sip. Didn't want it. Didn't need it. What I needed was answers, and the woman who'd left me with nothing but cash
SCARLETT "Ohhh fuckk-Ryder... I want to come," "Not yet, Scarlett. You have to learn to beg harder." Ryder's voice was low, rough, and full of dark promise as his fingers curled deep inside me, pressing against that perfect spot that made my whole body light up. He held me pinned against the s
SCARLETTEthan's car disappeared down the driveway, taillights fading into the dark. I stood on the balcony, arms wrapped around myself, watching until the gates closed behind him. No sadness. No regret. Just a strange, hollow calm. He was gone for three days. Three days of silence in this too-big







