LIV'S POVThe first thing I noticed was the cold.It wasn’t a bitter kind of cold, not the type that chilled your bones, but the absence of warmth, his warmth. My hand stretched across the sheets automatically, eyes still closed, expecting to brush against the firm heat of Kaelon’s chest or tangle my fingers in his hair. But the space beside me was empty, deserted. The linen was cold as ice. My eyes fluttered open slowly, squinting against the soft gray light that filtered in from the high windows.My smile faltered.He hadn’t slept beside me all night.I sat up in bed, my fingers absentmindedly tracing the slight dip his body had left in the mattress. Only, there was none. He hadn’t even come to bed. I could feel the irritation bubble in my chest, creeping up slowly, threatening to spoil the serene memory of last night. The way he had held me, touched me, looked at me as though I were the only person who mattered.God, I was so naive.Throwing off the blanket, I swung my legs over
AARON’S POVFuck! I paced.Back and forth, barefoot against the cold marble tiles of my penthouse living room. The city lights flickered far below, uncaring, as if my life hadn’t just collapsed in front of the whole damn nation. The air was thick with tension, stale with regret, and somewhere in the background, the silent TV still replayed Kaelon’s public declaration to Liv. I had muted it earlier, but the images were enough. His eyes, that voice. Confession. Love.He had won. And I was left with the taste of ashes in my mouth.The door creaked open. My mother stumbled in.Her heels clicked messily against the floor, her perfume arriving before she did. Expensive. French. She clutched her purse loosely, her lipstick slightly smudged, her eyes dazed and watery. She had been drinking."Mother! Where the hell have you been?" I asked, voice already hoarse from shouting into silence all night.She closed the door behind her, sighing. "Aaron, sweetheart... not now. I just got back.""Answ
VIV’S POVA low hum buzzed overhead, like the whisper of faulty lights or the presence of something just beyond comprehension. My eyelids fluttered open, heavy and slow, like they were coated in molasses. My head ached, dull and pounding, the kind of pain that came from something chemical. Not sleep. Not exhaustion. No, this was induced.I tried to sit up, but the cold, hard surface beneath me made the process difficult. Hard bed. It was an iron bed with a very little mattress underneath it. I took my hands to inspect my baby and sighed in relief when I felt the round bulge.Where the hell was I?I turned my head slowly, blinking at the dim ceiling light above. Everything felt like a memory just out of reach. Flashes came in bursts. Me slipping through the back of the hotel, pressing the elevator button repeatedly like a madwoman, praying I could vanish before anyone saw me. Then... women. Hands. Voices. And nothing.Just as I pushed up on my elbows, about to make sense of my surround
KAELON'S POV I sat at the edge of the bed, the soft glow of the moonlight filtering in through the large windows of the mansion. Liv was curled up beside me, sound asleep, her breath steady and rhythmic. The warmth of her body beside mine made the moment feel oddly peaceful.I glanced at her, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. My heart softened at the sight. She was so beautiful, and I could not imagine that Aaron even thought of cheating on her on the eve of their wedding night.I sighed softly and stood up from the bed. I needed to change, to put my thoughts in order before I could finally sleep. As much as I wanted to lie down beside her, rest, and forget about everything, I knew I couldn’t. There were things to take care of.The soft carpet beneath my feet felt plush as I walked toward the wardrobe. I stripped off my clothes, leaving them in a heap on the floor. I opened the closet doors, taking out a fresh shirt and comfortable pan
LIV'S POV “Are you alright?" He asked, stroking my back lazily.I had just cum, but feeling his cock shooting and pressing hard on my hot clit made me all wet again.“Hmmm." I replied, as I began to rock my wetness over his cock. Slowly, but desperately.I think Kaelon read my body. He grabbed my ass and pulled me down onto his cock. I don't know who wanted this more, him or me. I stopped teasing and let my ass drop, taking him deep inside me. Kaelon's large cock filled me up completely, I could feel his knob press firmly against my cervix as my ass touched his thighs. “Fuck!" He groaned. “My little wet kitten, so ready for daddy." He said, but his hands were already grabbing my butt cheeks.“Yes daddy, I have been reading and waiting.” I replied, as I kept grinding and rocking my hips over his groin.Kaelon's grip on my ass got firmer and he started to bounce me up and down in his lap. My one hand was around his neck and the other one was roaming his head. I leaned back again a
LIV’S POVInside the Blackwood MansionThe warm air inside Kaelon’s mansion wrapped around me like a protective shield. He hadn’t even taken a full step into the living room before I realized how quiet it was. His shoe thudded against the marble floors, echoing into the silence. It felt unreal. All of this. Him. Me. Us.“Put me down,” I said softly, my breath catching in my throat as I caught a glimpse of the dark couch across the room. “Before Aaron walks in and sees you carrying me like this.”Kaelon chuckled, his hold around me never faltering until he gently lowered me to my feet. “Aaron isn’t home,” he said, brushing a strand of hair from my face, his fingers lingering against my cheek. “He left… and Martha followed.”I raised my brows slightly, my voice barely above a whisper. “You didn’t… send them away just to bring me here, did you?”“No,” he answered honestly, tucking both hands into his pockets and leaning closer to me. “But if I’d known bringing you here meant peace, I wo
KAELON'S POV I had barely typed two lines of my proposal update before the ping of a message lit up my screen. My eyes skimmed the words once, then again, as if the letters might change if I stared long enough."Sir, Miss Bennet is on her way to the Corporation."I cursed under my breath, pushing my chair back with a screech. Of all the moments she could have picked, this was by far the worst. The press was still prowling, hungry like wolves, and if they caught even a glimpse of her..."Goddamn it, Liv."I grabbed my coat and shoved my phone into my pocket, muttering instructions to my assistant not to let anyone into my office and to keep the lower floors calm. With any luck, the vultures would be too busy debriefing in the conference room to notice her arrival.As I stepped out into the hallway, the tail-end of the reporters was moving like a slow swarm toward the elevators. I exhaled in relief, knowing she hadn’t yet been caught in the crossfire. But as fate would have it, just a
LIV’S POVI sat frozen, blinking at the screen as Kaelon’s voice echoed from the television. My chest rose and fell like I’d just sprinted a mile uphill. His words, every syllable, struck something deep inside me."I am in love with Liv Bennett. I have been for a long time. And I will not let baseless rumors, cheap scandals, or anyone's petty vendettas come between us.”The room around me vanished. I barely heard the gasps from Rose and Lara as the words reverberated through the silence that followed."Did you know about this?" Rose’s voice broke through first, surprised but sharp.I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My fingers gripped the throw pillow on my lap like it was the only thing tethering me to the earth.Lara turned toward me, eyes narrowed. "Liv, say something. Did you? Did he tell you he was going to say that on national TV?"My throat felt dry. I shook my head slowly, eyes still trained on the screen where they replayed the moment like it was breaking news. My face
LIV’S POVI pushed the door open and slammed it shut behind me, leaning heavily against it like I could somehow block out the world along with it. My legs gave way beneath me, and I slid to the floor, my back pressed to the wood, my heart shattering in my chest. My breath came in shallow, broken hiccups as the tears I held back poured freely now, soaking my cheeks.How had I let this happen? How had I allowed myself to fall so hard, so fast? I should've known better. I did know better. But Kaelon... Kaelon had made me forget the walls I’d spent years building. He’d looked at me like I was the only woman in the world. And now? Now I felt used and tossed aside. Humiliated.The video, which Viv had shoved in my face, burned into my memory. Kaelon was already kissing Martha."Liv?" a voice gasped. "Liv, what happened?"It was Lara. She and Rose had come out from the hallway, both of them rushing toward me. Lara knelt in front of me, grabbing my shoulders, while Rose crouched beside he